You could say Mitch Koulouris is running for "covers."

The founder of Digital Music Group Inc., a pioneering online music distribution company, has launched a recording firm where artists sing their own versions – or "covers" – of other performers' hits.

The reaction, he says, among his music industry peers and potential investors: 'It makes perfect sense, it's so simple.'

Joining him in the Sacramento-based venture, called Gigatone Entertainment, are L.A. recording industry veterans Len Fico and Ron Dante.

Koulouris says he conceived the idea for Gigatone while running DMGI, the Sacramento company he founded in 2004, later took public and then sold last year.

Watching trends in the music-download business, he was surprised by the popularity of "tribute" bands that mimic the works of rock 'n' roll greats. Even low-quality covers by little-known artists got attention.

"I thought, 'Holy cow, this can't be right,' " he says. "Then I thought, 'Ah, there's a business here.' "

The "secret sauce" to the plan, he says, is getting well-known artists to record the covers. He'll then market the music through multiple outlets, including CDs, downloads and ringtones.

He's counting on "market pull" from two sources: fans of the artists recording for Gigatone and fans of the original songs.

So which artists has Koulouris signed up? They include Andrew Gold ("Thank You for Being a Friend") and Dwight Twilley ("I'm on Fire"). Samples of their covers can be heard at the company's Web site, www.gigatone.net.

Koulouris says deals are pending with several better-known artists. No names yet.

Home, sweet home

Development expert Marty Tuttle is back in Sacramento – after a shorter-than-expected sabbatical in the Dominican Republic.

Tuttle, his wife, Pamela Martineau, and their two kids intended to spend two years in the Caribbean. But they returned home after nine months – largely because of rising crime and unrest that Tuttle attributes to poverty and hunger.

"The people are wonderful; they have a great sense of humor. But they are desperate," he says.

Martineau, a former Bee reporter, taught English lit while in "the DR," which helped her land a teaching post at Davis High School.

Tuttle, a former VP with Sacramento builder New Faze Development, recently began working for engineering/project management firm URS Corp. and Bovis Lend Lease, helping site seven new prison hospitals in California.

Despite its short duration, Tuttle says the Dominican adventure was a great experience.

"I'd encourage anybody to take a sabbatical," he says. "It's a great way to recharge. And to gain an appreciation for what you have."

Mixing it up

Raise a toast: Sacramento is on "the cocktail map."

So reports "The Tasting Panel," a national trade mag for bartenders and restaurateurs. Its October issue reports on the increasing sophistication of mixology in California's "newly hip" capital.

Not long ago, the publication says, it was rare to find creative cocktails here – the kind made with unusual and fresh ingredients, like ginger, cucumbers, melons, blueberries and custom syrups. Now they're plentiful as local drinking and dining spots engage in "friendly competition" to produce the next hot concoction.

Singled out for kudos: Rio City Cafe, Ella, L Wine Lounge, Zócalo and Lounge on 20.

Reach Bob Shallit at (916) 321-1049. Back columns: www.sacbee.com/shallit.