He's also been given awards for best alternative album, best blues album, and best songwriting in a popular album.

He's also an actor and inventor, and his albums often contain sounds from instruments he has either invented or resurrected.  Probably the most significant instrument in his repetoire and one that defined his sound over several albums was a steam powered calliope.

With credits like that, I could only be talking about Tom Waits.

And now, you'll be covering him in spirit, intent, or actual songs.  It's up to YOU to make a Tom Waits track.

What I expect: there's very little chance that you'll do a straight-up cover of a Tom Waits tune unless you have a garage full of toys and at least one piano you don't mind destroying.  What I expect, then, is an interpretation of Tom Waits via your ability.  You may be quite good at heavy metal guitar; I expect that can translate fiercely on a tune such as Downtown Train.  You might be a crooner, and for that you can choose just about any of the songs that don't deal directly with mules.  You're a percussionist and you can't sing?  Telephone Call From Instanbul is for you.  Pretty good cook?  Ever think about using an electric mixer in a series of metal bowls as an instrument in a song about a Cuban jail?

In fact, I expect that everyone here knows a Waits tune that they've been dying to do, but haven't had the guts to.  Well, here's your gut check.

It's time to do it.

I haven't hammered out the hosting details with 256 yet, since I wanted to get the announcement written before I ran out of free time.  Hey 256: can you add detail in a comment, I can update the story later?  Hosting ability certainly isn't needed right this second, you have plenty of time.

OK?  Sounds good?

Then get yer Waits on, you rats.  The deadline will be decided by the poll in this story.

Update [2006-2-22 20:58:57 by blixco]: March 18th, have everything loaded to http://256k.org/mfcwaits if you wish to participate.

Update [2006-2-26 20:4:1 by blixco]: Also, user cam has an album cover challenge to round this MFC out. If you have the artistic chops to stand against the best HuSi has to offer...then what the hell are you doing here? But since you are, please submit album covers to the judging thread when it gets posted.