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Subject: Tribute Bands

 

It seems there has been a plethora of tribute bands emerging lately. Many are performing at smaller concert venues and are fairly inexpensive.

 

Have you attended any lately and if so, share your thoughts here so we can decide which ones are good to go or which ones we should avoid:

 

I hear this tribute band (Pink Floyd) is good

 

www.houstonpress.com/music/in-the-flesh-a-brief-field-guide-to-pink-floyd-tribute-bands-7611808

 

Read more: http://talk-music.proboards.com/thread/4978/tribute-bands#ixzz5nFz4Asc5

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We get to see a lot of tribute bands here in the Phoenix Area. This area is populated with a lot of retired folks during the winter season (we year rounders call them snow birds) There are a lot of gated and open retirement communities in this area. Many of them have folks who work full time as booking agents for cruises, music shows, Bingo, we also have movies in the communities, and community sponsored happy hours, free ice cream days etc. We also have bands on the way down or re-vitalized bands with only a few original players/singers and some new talent under the original band names. All in all most of the bands we have seen did a credible job in recreating the look and the songs like they were presented by the original talent. So far I have seen "Catch A Wave" a Beach Boys Tribute, they were spot on. We also a Huey Lewis and The news Tribute band which were spot on (I do not remember the tribute bands name) We saw Electric Light Overture an Electric Light Orchestra tribute band, we were very disappointed with them, And over the years we have seen a half dozen or more that I can not recall right at the moment.

 

We also get mid level current country bands here. I do not go to any shows that my wife and sister in law do not want to attend. Personally I would not go to any of them, I simply go to watch over the gals safety, and sometimes I enjoy the shows, other times sitting through them is a chore.

 

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I play in one or two, and play on bills with others... but those are new wave era bands you probably aren't interested in...

 

My wife enjoys seeing them. We checked out Killer Queen from London here a few weeks ago. They had the visuals down... the guy looked so much like later Freddie Mercury and moved just like him, but vocally wasn't as good (who is?). The Fab Four comes through here every year... good Beatles tribute.

 

Tribute bands have become a big deal and a big draw... because when tickets to a Fleetwood Mac concert in an arena put you back $350 ea., hearing a band that gets very close in a 1000 seat club for $10-30 is a comparable bargain and less of a hassle all the way around.

 

And for younger people, a "cover band" that isn't a tribute or doesn't have a general theme ("60s," "80s," "Hair Metal," "Yacht Rock") is something they have little interest in... because there's no production values and... I mean, let's face it, there's too many instances of a bunch of guys who look like they wandered in off the street and climbed onstage hacking through overplayed simplistic covers they don't really know very uninspiredly... the novelty of "live music" is long worn off, it needs to be exciting and exceptional on some level. That doesn't mean it has to be overdone... look at the frenzy Blac Rabbit started by doing eerily good Beatles harmonies in the subway. There's a clip going around now of a guy in the subway with a Squier Strat and a backing track, doing a bluesy version of "It's a Man's World" by James Brown that's causing a sensation.

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I have respect for the tribute note for note bands. The bigger the venue, the better they are for the most part. I don't go out of my way to see them, but if I do, I have to like the genre and the bands they are imitating in the 1st place. I would go see certain bands even if they were not great at imitation but were great at playing and singing the music I like best. I wouldn't want to sit for 3 hours of any one band or artist unless the players were very good. I went to a Ray Charles tribute (not really a tribute band) based upon his material and had a great time. They guys were not trying to sound just like Ray (which nobody can do IMHO!). But, they were exceptional and put on a great show. I mostly like versatile music and not just one thing all night. The Cirque du Soleil in Vegas is a worthwhile all night all Beatles without the band show and was my best experience ever when it comes to tributes! :cool:
Take care, Larryz
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Great point P90. Cover bands are not as interesting in my opinion as the tribute bands. Even the new Eagles which isn't a cover or tribute band isn't as good. You can't reproduce the sound of the original group.

 

 

Tribute bands don't try.

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I hear this tribute band (Pink Floyd) is good

 

www.houstonpress.com/music/in-the-flesh-a-brief-field-guide-to-pink-floyd-tribute-bands-7611808

Assuming you're a Floyd fan in the first place, if you ever get the opportunity to watch Brit Floyd it would be well worth it. They are considered to be the gold standard in Pink Floyd tributes. They don't tour Australia, so unfortunately we miss out down here.

 

 

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I play in one or two, and play on bills with others... but those are new wave era bands you probably aren't interested in...

 

Please, give us the bird's-eye low-down on your capers... :cool:

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

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Thanks, Caev.....

 

Say "hi" to Rocky Rococo for me, eh? ;)

 

As I don't listen to a lot of radio that would advertise that type of entertainment coming 'round, and the local newspaper cut down to a three day a week delivery, I don't get "hep" to any tribute bands coming to town anywhere. The Canadian BEATLES tribute band The Caverners was the only "tribute" band I bothered to pay to see, and they were pretty good. But I haven't seen any others( so far ;) ).

Whitefang

I started out with NOTHING...and I still have most of it left!
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I hear this tribute band (Pink Floyd) is good

 

www.houstonpress.com/music/in-the-flesh-a-brief-field-guide-to-pink-floyd-tribute-bands-7611808

Assuming you're a Floyd fan in the first place, if you ever get the opportunity to watch Brit Floyd it would be well worth it. They are considered to be the gold standard in Pink Floyd tributes. They don't tour Australia, so unfortunately we miss out down here.

 

 

But there's the Australian Pink Floyd... PBS here has shows one of their concerts.

 

[video:youtube]

 

And you guys have The Church, who are as good as Pink Floyd, so go see them!!!

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I play in one or two, and play on bills with others... but those are new wave era bands you probably aren't interested in...

 

Please, give us the bird's-eye low-down on your capers... :cool:

 

Well, it's playing a gig where the audience sings along to every word of every song and they're all excited and happy that you're playing, no matter where you play.

 

I've done Beatles tributes, Rolling Stones Tributes, Tom Petty Tributes... I was part of a gang of people here who played a classic album in its entirety every month...

 

I have friends who do the full costume recreation of a band's show thing and fly around the world every weekend doing shows.

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But there's the Australian Pink Floyd... PBS here has shows one of their concerts.

TAPFS are undeniably excellent, however despite their name they are not Australian residents and never visit our shores.

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Search El Monstero on YouTube - plenty of videos. Thats our local Pink Floyd tribute. Id put them against anybody. Besides being very talented, they do full production including outdoor shows with Pyrotechnics, fireworks, and a helicopter flyover at the beginning of Another Brick in the Wall. They also do aerial acrobats, pole dancers (for Young Lust) and other theatrical elements.

Dan

 

Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth.

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Is the TAPF band Gilmour era?

TAPFS started in Adelaide, Australia back in the early 90s as Think Floyd. I saw them back then and they were pretty much a pub covers outfit, albeit a good one.

 

Due to a series of serendipitous events they ended up in England, where they still reside. They still actively tour Europe and occasionally venture to the US. These days their show is a full production event. As the article you posted states they were once invited to play at DGs birthday.

 

They do tracks from both the pre and post Gilmour/Waters split eras.

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I was hopping on a plane posting from my phone earlier. Home now, here are some El Monstero (St. Louis Pink Floyd Tribute) videos. Unfortunately they are all cell phone, but should give you an idea:

 

Shine On You Crazy Diamond (with aerial silk acrobats/dancers)

 

[video:youtube]cWt5CoSsHNA

 

Dark Side of the Moon (1 version of their show is a full set of Dark Side and a full set of Wall)

 

[video:youtube]Jy979nWNy64

 

Finally, a professionally produced video, but from the company who does all the pyrotechnics and fireworks, featuring El Monstero - nice collection of some of the production they do.

 

[video:youtube]mmdwVqE8QlM

 

 

That's probably the biggest Tribute around here but we have also very successful tributes of Journey, Kansas, Tom Petty, Johnny Cash, Fleetwood Mack, Elton John, Iron Maiden, Ozzie Osborne, and a few others.

 

It can be fairly lucrative but unless you want to travel, you only have limited shows. Most guys will play in a couple tributes and fill the calendar with maybe 6-12 gigs a year, higher profile stuff, per Tribute, then fill the weeks in between with regular cover band stuff. Most of those guys in El Monstero also play in a Led Zepplin Tribute, as well as a cover band called Joe Dirt that does generic classic rock. Several members also come from other bands and do other tributes.

Dan

 

Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth.

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I can`t say it`s my thing, but before I moved to Japan I got to know Rick Santoro-from the cast of the original `Beatlemania`-on a semipersonal basis.

I`ve done tons of covers but, maybe my disinterest is partly due to lack of opportunities. What tribute band could I possibly fit into-King`s X maybe, if I started playing bass full time.

Same old surprises, brand new cliches-

 

Skipsounds on Soundclick:

www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandid=602491

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I thought Doc, that a "tribute" band tries as best as possible to not only SOUND like the band they're "tributing". but also present that band's more notable tunes in the manner that band being "tributed" played them too. In this case, that "Dead" tribute band actually DID die! ;)

 

"Morning Dew" was one of the songs me and the first "real" band I was in played to death in late '67.

 

Dig.......

[video:youtube]

 

Whitefang

 

 

I started out with NOTHING...and I still have most of it left!
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@Fang. I guess we should agree on the definition of a "Tribute" vs "Cover" band. I've always differentiated between the two by the music they play. A tribute band might play songs that were recorded by the original group but they also may insert original music that is a "tribute" to the original, i.e. similar in style and tone but original in lyrics and leads. A Cover Band only does covers of the original.

 

But that's my own definition. It's not something you find in the dictionary.

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The best tribute bands I've seen personally over the last 10 years have been the following:

 

House of Floyd- from San Francisco- saw them in Sacramento

 

Fool's Logic (Supertramp)- from Southern California- saw them at Feather Falls Casino, California

 

Classic Albums Live, which is an outfit based in Toronto that started in 2003 that hires musicians throughout Canada, U.S. and the U.K. to perform a multitude of classic albums, too many to mention. The one I saw was in Sacramento. It was a trio who performed Are You Experienced in the first set and an assortment of Jimi's stuff in the second. "Jimi" was a chap from Toronto, the other two from Southern California

 

Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience- saw them in Daytona Beach

 

The Music of Cream which I critiqued recently on this form.

 

As far as I know, all of these groups are still touring which tells me that there's still many classic rock fans out there. It's great to see a lot of young people at these events also.

"Let me stand next to your fire!", Jimi Hendrix
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@Fang. I guess we should agree on the definition of a "Tribute" vs "Cover" band. I've always differentiated between the two by the music they play. A tribute band might play songs that were recorded by the original group but they also may insert original music that is a "tribute" to the original, i.e. similar in style and tone but original in lyrics and leads. A Cover Band only does covers of the original.

 

But that's my own definition. It's not something you find in the dictionary.

 

Actually Doc, I've always thought the REVERSE: ie: A "tribute" band doing their best to both do songs and overall SOUND just like the OG's, and "cover" bands just doing the songs any which-way. You know....

 

Like The Beatles' "cover" of "Rock and Roll Music" not sounding anything like the Chuck Berry original. ;)

Whitefang (PS: I'm still convinced that John Lennon, in The Beatles' cover, is singing, "BLACK beat" instead of "Back beat", and "you can't blues it." ;) ) dig....

[video:youtube]

I started out with NOTHING...and I still have most of it left!
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I agree w/WF.

 

I only played in a band for one year. In 1968 I played rhythm guitar for the "Sanskrit Staircase". We were a "cover band" and played music by everyone from the Stones to the Temptations and always interpreted the music rather than playing note for note. I even convinced the band to cover "Key to Love" from the John Mayall "Beano" album. We played fraternity and sorority parties. I quit the band when some of the guys started doing drugs (I don't mean smoking a joint). It was the 60's.

If you play cool, you are cool.
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I did see a Beatles Tribute band at Casino Arizona 10 to 15 years ago. I do not remember the name of that band but they were spot on, including the costumes/hair do's for each Beatles era, on up to The Sgt Pepper part. I do not remember if they changed their look after the Sgt Pepper look, but they did songs from each era in sequence. It was really a good imitation and I was suitable entertained/impressed.
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RAIN started out as "REIGN" in the mid '70's, and were probably the earliest of the Beatles "tribute" bands. And has grown from merely that to a constant travelling Broadway corporate production. And probably(by now) with enough stored revenue that there's NO excuse for them NOT to be "spot-on". ;)

 

Oh, and FRED---Woulda liked hearing that band's cover of "Key To Love" :)

Whitefang

I started out with NOTHING...and I still have most of it left!
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I pulled the trigger on a couple of tickets as the wife said she would like to go and see Rain with me. We both grew up on the Beatles music and are looking forward to the show! I'll report back after June 5th!
Take care, Larryz
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My best friend is in a tribute band to Neil Young called Young At Heart. They're based in Des Moines, Iowa, so I haven't heard a chance to hear them, though I know my friend is a good guitar player. He says the pieces jell and that they have good singers.

 

I've never played in a band paying tribute to one artist or band, although of course I've played covers of different people's songs. We learned the material and the signature riffs, but never tried to copy the original version slavishly. Sometimes we COULDN'T, because of the instrumentation or the keys our singers were comfortable singing in.

 

In fact, I used to think of cover bands as untalented hacks - "where's the creativity?" until I made friends in a cover band who did excellent versions of the songs, as close as possible. Made me rethink things, although I prefer to have the freedom to explore different versions. For example, I wouldn't mind doing Neil Young's "Down by the River" and maybe copy the original phrase from his guitar solo - sort of signature to the song - but certainly not his whole solo. In my hubris and shameless arrogance, I feel I could do a BETTER ONE, LOL; though of course that's a matter of opinion.

 

Not that I'm as good as Roy Buchanan was, but Roy played much better solos than Neil on Down By The River, and still kept the feeling of the song.

 

But I do think that if the original arrangement was really well crafted, or a guitar solo really memorable, it might be better to do that version than just some sloppy hack work version.

 

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I concur with the 'tribute' vs 'cover' majority opinion.

I hadn't thought about it until now but, if you're good enough

to re-engineer someone else's song...why do you not have your own song?

I should probably be seeing a therapist but, something about glomming on to someone else's

material gives me the creeps.

Same old surprises, brand new cliches-

 

Skipsounds on Soundclick:

www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandid=602491

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@Eric,

 

I completely understand your desire to add your own ideas into an arrangement. IMO this is not "hubris" nor is it "arrogance", it's "musicianship"!

 

My acoustic Blues teacher, Jerry Ricks insisted that I play the music of Doc Watson, Mississippi John Hurt, Blind Blake et.al. exactly note for note, because the technique was contained within the tune. However, when we played electric blues, the emphasis shifted to improvisation. Of course, my Jazz Teachers emphasized creativity. In every case it was about applying theory and technique in the service of music.

 

I strive to "sound like me".

 

Afterthought: Blind Blake's stuff is a bitch

to play. Real knuckle busters!

 

 

 

If you play cool, you are cool.
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