John O. Lennon Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 I've just read a rundown of a fairly popular tribute-cover band. I'll leave them nameless for the moment to avoid the issue of style, who they play tribute to, etc., or fan reaction. I, like most, have done my share of covering hits & standards & have now problem with bands that wanna go further & subsume their identity for the rewards that these bands must get. Here's what I'm confused by in this case(quoting directly from a bandmember): "We don't just cover [their] songs but stage exact re-creations of entire performances, song by song. We've studied their stylistic shifts & know when to make the guitar cleaner, when to make it more distorted; when to play songs slower, when to play them more upbeat... We do it all arrangement by arrangment but it's not a note for note thing, that would be pointless." It's that last sentence that I can't quite follow. If they bother with all that precise recreation, down to "recreating entire performances" how did they draw the line that actually playing the same notes would be pointless? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 Maybe "note for note" renditions of studio recordings was the intended meaning, as opposed to looser live presentations more akin to what the band being covered and tributed most likely did live? Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darklava Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 http://www.theatomicpunks.com/images/russ_bio.jpg Sounds like The Atomic Punks.....Hey if anyone is interested they are looking for a new guitar player.What I don't get is how the hell these guys can charge 49.00 for tickets to see em So send in your tape The story of life is quicker then the blink of an eye, the story of love is hello, goodbye. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantasticsound Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 That does sound idiotic. Not that they've obsessed over recreating great performances, but that they make a distinction between obsessing over timbres but not notes? And it's not even that they obsess about one over the other, but that they feel the need to point out that one is a good thing and the other overkill. Whatever floats their boat. I like {edit:American English (My apologies to American English, whom I was thinking of. 1964 plays in Middle Tenn. most years, at some highschool, and my company has booked The Fab Four several times in recent memory, so I have Beatles tribute band names jumbled in my knoggin. )} out of Chicago. They're one of a handful of Beatle tribute bands that cover everything from timbres to notes to costumes etc. They're not the Beatles, but being born in 1967 I never had the opportunity to hear the Beatles play live and, frankly, modern technology has only made it possible to hear "the Beatles" live thanks to the screaming teeny-boppers of the 1960's. I wouldn't equate these bands with the Beatles, but I bet they actually sound better live than the Beatles ever did, at least in a large concert situation. Again, that doesn't make them the Beatles, but it sure is fun to watch and hear, much in the vein of seeing a revival of a Broadway show. You won't see legendary performers who made the roles famous, but that doesn't mean they aren't very impressive in their own right, performing the same material. It's easiest to find me on Facebook. Neil Bergman Soundclick fntstcsnd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Ellwood Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 I have a ton of respect for a great tribute act, and an act it is! It should be done with a high degree of detail. From dress to arrangement to as close as possiable amps and instruments. Vocals are of coarse critical! The note for note thing is something I do all the time with my band only on all different groups covered. The only thing is that when you go to a concert you will notice many many times that the bands don't even do their own music the same everytime! So I guess it is a matter of degree, how close to note for note does it have to be? note for note of how the original band performs live or note for note off the recording? The tribute band thing is a very difficult act to pull off convinceingly. http://www.thestringnetwork.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Ellwood Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 Neil, I'm not a huge Beatles fan, but one time I heard The American Beatles and I swear it was scary good! I have never heard any band do the most complex Beatles material like they did, right down to Paul going to the studio grand and playing completely authentic piano and vocal solo. All the albums where covered and the ways that they pulled off the sound effects on the psychodelic (sp?) was amazing. The acoustic work was just beautiful. Wow what a act that was!! http://www.thestringnetwork.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kramer Ferrington III. Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 Originally posted by John O. Lennon: It's that last sentence that I can't quite follow. If they bother with all that precise recreation, down to "recreating entire performances" how did they draw the line that actually playing the same notes would be pointless? Well, it makes a sort of sense. If I really think about it. Take the Stones, for instance. Quite a few of their studio songs have a live counterpart which sounds somewhat different to the original. Think of Gimme Shelter as played on "Let It Bleed" and as played in "Get Your Ya Yas Out". Which would you choose to cover? In the end, you may as well try to be as close to the spirit of the band as you can and leave yourself some wiggle room. I imagine the same thing must happen with lots of other bands. And what about bands that are still out there and playing? What happens if your audience has seen a recent concert by the band you are "tributing"? Band MySpace My snazzy t-shirt empire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pappy P Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 My Opinion: If it is good music like Pink Floyd, the Beatles, Queen, Rush, etc. The music should be reproduced live in this manner. I think the traveling shows like the Australian Pink Floyd and the American Beatles are doing a good thing. Just like Brahms and Beethoven, we will eventually loose the remaining members ot the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Queen, Rush, Led Zepplin. And just as symphonic orchestras recreate the works of the masters of classical music. There should be an electronic orchestra that can recreate the works of our Rock Masters, if not for us, for our children and thier children. This music must and will live on forever. www.birdblues.com My Stuff On Sound Click Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitar55 Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 Here's another twist on the "tribute band" story... Have you heard of The Fab Faux ? They are a Beatles tribute band (of course) whose members include Will Lee and Jimmy Vivino and they have had around 11 musicians on stage at once. Their goal is to reproduce the Beatles' recorded work, but not their look. They have 5 lead vocalists and people switch instruments as the songs require. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John O. Lennon Posted January 30, 2006 Author Share Posted January 30, 2006 Well, as we can tell from my moniker, I'm up for a bit o'tributising as much as the next but I couldn't (still can't) see what drawing the line at note-for-note does to save 'em from going too far. Note that they make a point of recreating everything down to the exact set lists & varying arrangements of particular shows. Oh well. FWIW, the quote comes from a member of the Dark Star Orchestra. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitar55 Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Dark Star Orchestra - Dead cover band, right? Now it makes sense, since the Dead is known for a great amount of improvization, it would be in the cover band's favor if they could capture the right tones and the same spirit of improv. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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