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what's the problem with a cover band?


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i've noticed a lot of musicians kinda "look down" at other musicians for playing in a cover band. most coverbands don't really feel that way about original bands though. i write music of my own but also play in a cover band, it's strictly fun and we consider ourselves to be entertainment, that's all. just food for thought for all the original artists who feel that way. how do you feel? hmmm......... [url=http://www.claytoys.com]www.claytoys.com[/url]
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I play in a cover band...and I look down at people who play in cover bands. Not really, but allow me to elucidate. Playing in a cover band is the easy road. People [i]want[/i] to hear familiar music when they go out to a bar, or to a weddding, or a party. It's easier to get bookings as a cover band. Being successful playing your own original composition just takes a lot more balls. You're putting your entire soul on the line when you play your songs in front of strangers. If they hate it, it might be the performance...or it might be your tune. If they love it, same thing. I think the admiration for the original band also has to do with the fact that they are serious about moving ahead with some semblance of a musical career. No one signs a band to a record label as a cover band. You get the idea. There's no shame in playing covers. It's the best way to make some cash, maybe have some fun, with less effort than playing original music as a band. Remember, it's up to you to define your goals. Wanna impress other musicians? Don't play covers. Wanna make some cash and play a lot, where and when you want? Play covers. No big deal. - Jeff
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[quote]Originally posted by Coaster: [b]i'm in a cover band. we don't even have [i]one[/i] original song.[/b][/quote]Yeah, neither do we. One of the guys started saying something about doing one of our own tunes and I threw his P-bass right at his face. No, I didn't do that, but I threatened to. The funny thing was that the other night, we recorded one of our own practices to see how we were sounding on a couple of new numbers, and even [i]that[/i] made me trepidatious. I have lived through the days of showcases of my own stuff. I'm done with it. - Jeff
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Jeff, I don't mind of you want to [i]elucidate[/i]. Just try not to do it in public... :D Regarding cover bands: Yes, most musicians DO look down on them -myself included. But it's not ALL cover bands, just most. I have played in cover bands, experimental bands, original bands, and so on... The problem I find with many cover bands is the 'Punch-clock' attitude many exhibit, and an almost total lack of any creativity. I have known a number of very successful bands in my area, that have been essentially playing the same setlist for up to 20 years or more! That just blows my mind! I would rather STOP playing my instrument than do that. Yet they persist. I once played in a band that covered "Last Train to Clarksville". It was obvious that the singer didn't know all of the words to the song, and so they just kind of repeated verses and altered the song to fit. Okay, I can understand that. In a pinch, you need to improvise -that's fine. But they've been doing the song that way for years! And these guys are always booked for gigs. You would think that in that amount of time they might make the effort to learn the freak'n song! Also, a number of bands have been playing the same songs so many times that they have lost any kind of passion for the material. It's not surprising to me that so many choose DJ's over live bands for parties and receptions. Yet cover bands often get irate about that. Why!?!? Maybe people don't want to listen to your fat-ass slosh your way through "House of the Rising Sun" like it was a funeral durge!!! My feelings about playing covers -which is what I do- is to try and make the cover songs MY OWN. I have no objections to changing anything in the song that suits me. Often if you hear a popular artist do a cover, they will play it faster or slower, or in a different style, or with different instruments, and so on. This is how I prefer to work with covers. I make them sound like something I had a hand in creating. This helps me play them with enthusiasm and passion too -and a good audience will pick up on that. And coverbands should try to offer something other than the usual. The world doesn't need to hear "Mony Mony" or " ld Time Rock-n-Roll" again -it REALLY doesn't. It's time to bury those relics, and learn some other songs!

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Ok, I have a few things to say on the subject ... I have always felt that playing covers was selling out. The reason I dropped out of music school was that I didn't want to end up being a 50 YO guy playing in a wedding band. I quit the band I was in for 4 years because a couple of covers in our set of originals turned into a working cover band. I spent the next five years in a band struggling to get gigs in Philly, trying to make any inroad, to get the brass ring to get famous. Playing covers is selling out, plain and simple. I looked down at my buddies playing in cover bands for a living while I went to school for electronics, then moved into computers, then networking as my salery grew. I sneered at every coverband I saw, from tribute bands to classic rock, to whatever, no matter how tight they were. Playing covers is selling out. Working long hours at jobs in the network field, making more money, met the woman I would marry had two kids, and kinda put music on the back burner. I stopped writing songs except for the occasional purely inspired and unexpected one. Played guitar infrequently, bass even less(Though I had been playing bass most of my life), and never jammed with anyone. Then I ran into a guy that was in that cover band I quit. It was at a freinds house, and I had recently started playing, writing and recording again. We jammed for a while, and boy, had he gotten good. But before he left, he said, "I guess I sold out by playing covers and teaching for a living. I should have stuck to my guns and played originals. I sold out." And it hit me like a ton of bricks. I was the one who sold out. I followed the dollar instead of my dreams. I let my fear of not "making it big" drive me from what I loved to do. I let my arrogance tell me that I was too good to waste my life playing covers or doing something musical other than being a rock star. I had wasted my life NOT pursuing what I wanted to do. I had sold out. I became a corporate whore. And worst, I was stuck with a mortgage too big to quit my job, and my wife and 4 kids(Who I love dearly and wouldn't trade for a fantasy rock-star like life) depending on me. A wacky schedule that left no time for getting a band together, or even joining one. I've spent the past year and a half trying to get back what I gave away. Writing, recording and PRACTICING like I should have been doing for the past 10 years. Giving my art it's due and nuturing it. I will not make the same mistakes again. It is taking a lot of work and time and stress on my marriage(My wife is great and very supportive, though), and there are times I get so depressed that I feel like giving up, but it's not an option. Soon, very soon, all this prep work will bring me what I need: to spend my days making music for a living. Selling out is giving up what you what for money and comfort. Doing what you want to do and standing strong and being dedicated, even if you have to work your butt off 6 night a week playing covers is being a PROFESSIONAL. If I could pay my mortgage playing covers, I'd do it in a heartbeat, and I wouldn't think it selling out at all.
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I can`t hack classic rock, in general. The way I see it, let`s say you have your own music. You want to record it, get it out to the people. So you have to make some money. Why not make it playing music? or at least in addition to your day job. But definitely, cover bands who sleepwalk through the music are major suck. I saw Joe Jackson live once, he even changed the arrangements of his own songs. Anyway, most club owners, if they are cool, will let you sneak some original things in if they fit the music. But the only thing that really rankled me about playing covers is, dumb requests. Club owners will often get pissed if you don`t want to play them, and it`s always the people with the[i]worst[/i]taste in music yelling out, "Hotel California!"
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Yeah Sylver, familiar footsteps... Pursuing the STABLE life in lieu of dreams. It took me 38 years to realize that sometimes you DO have to look back into the past to find where you made the wrong turn. You have all the worldly possessions that you need; but an empty soul. As you all will notice in my signature statement; I tend to flaunt creativity over covers... but, I don't knock anyone else for playing covers. It's great exposure, and actually doing what you love to do while getting paid to do it. I wish I could say that I loved my job! BUT... it pays the bills, and as in Sylver's case, I'm trapped inside a lifestyle that BINDS me in shackles to my current career. If I thought I could replace my wage with ANYTHING stable in the entertainment industry; I do it in a heartbeat.

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[quote]Originally posted by skip: [b]But the only thing that really rankled me about playing covers is, dumb requests. Club owners will often get pissed if you don`t want to play them, and it`s always the people with the[i]worst[/i]taste in music yelling out, "Hotel California!"[/b][/quote]Understood. But... If you're getting paid to entertain people, then that is your job. I have less respect for bands that roll their eyes at requests that they obviously hate than those that'll just grin and bear it. We get people yelling, "Freebird" and "Stairway to Heaven" and whatnot. I could be a diva and stamp my feet and whine about it, or I could just play the damn song and make that person happy and keep them buying rounds of beer, and in turn make the club owner happy when he looks at receipts for the time period that we played and decide to keep us around for awhile. I don't spend any time listening to the songs my cover band plays. But I don't play to entertain myself...at least not in that band. My secret: I have another band, and I record my own stuff. That gets my jones for using my creativity out of the way, and when the drunk lady at the dive bar yells, "Play Satisfaction by the Stones!", I just do it. No big deal. - Jeff
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[quote]Originally posted by Jeff, TASCAM Guy: [b]If you're getting paid to entertain people, then that is your job. I have less respect for bands that roll their eyes at requests that they obviously hate than those that'll just grin and bear it. We get people yelling, "Freebird" and "Stairway to Heaven" and whatnot. I could be a diva and stamp my feet and whine about it, or I could just play the damn song and make that person happy and keep them buying rounds of beer, and in turn make the club owner happy when he looks at receipts for the time period that we played and decide to keep us around for awhile. I don't spend any time listening to the songs my cover band plays. But I don't play to entertain myself...at least not in that band. My secret: I have another band, and I record my own stuff. That gets my jones for using my creativity out of the way, and when the drunk lady at the dive bar yells, "Play Satisfaction by the Stones!", I just do it. No big deal. - Jeff[/b][/quote]Hey Jeff... you're the Weasel ! That's exactly what I think. When you're getting paid to entertain people with covers... DO SO ! I did it for years and I was happy when I noticed everybody was getting drunk just because we were doing a nice job ;) I have now my original music band. It's harder than playing cover songs everyone knows, but then you have to still be an entertainer. Maybe one or two covers will help you to create a different atmosphere...

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[quote]Originally posted by Jeff, TASCAM Guy: [b] [quote]Originally posted by skip: [b]But the only thing that really rankled me about playing covers is, dumb requests. Club owners will often get pissed if you don`t want to play them, and it`s always the people with the[i]worst[/i]taste in music yelling out, "Hotel California!"[/b][/quote]Understood. But... If you're getting paid to entertain people, then that is your job. I have less respect for bands that roll their eyes at requests that they obviously hate than those that'll just grin and bear it. We get people yelling, "Freebird" and "Stairway to Heaven" and whatnot. I could be a diva and stamp my feet and whine about it, or I could just play the damn song and make that person happy and keep them buying rounds of beer, and in turn make the club owner happy when he looks at receipts for the time period that we played and decide to keep us around for awhile. I don't spend any time listening to the songs my cover band plays. But I don't play to entertain myself...at least not in that band. My secret: I have another band, and I record my own stuff. That gets my jones for using my creativity out of the way, and when the drunk lady at the dive bar yells, "Play Satisfaction by the Stones!", I just do it. No big deal. - Jeff[/b][/quote]Jeff- I hear ya, mon. Hey, I played a gig in December where I had to get through K.C. and the Sunshine band, ABBA, and Wild Cherry. I even had to do goofy staged gags. Ya know what-it was a blast. But even cheesy dance stuff is better than someone insisting on `old time rock and roll`. I happen to like to dance. Anyway, when we were making the set list I almost jumped off a bridge. Once we were up there and doing it, it wasn`t so bad. Still, I made a decision a few years ago to concentrate on getting my own material out there. It`s been a royal pain, and I still do some covers, but too much of that tends to shove other things aside in terms of, I have limited practice time, I`d love to work on my new song but I`m getting paid to get x number of songs down by x date-gotta do that...
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Since I've been playing in cover bands since 1961 here is what I have learned. First off, while my other musician friends were writing music, trying to make a buck, hoping for a gig where they could play their original music, etc. I was making hundreds of thousands of dollars as a working musician..playing cover tunes. Now? I play in three bands..all cover bands except one. My main band releases a new CD of all original music every year so I get to play about half the night doing our own music and the other half doing cover tunes to keep the people coming in and the dollars flowing..which gives me more money for equipment so I can do more music. Since I have written and recorded hundreds of original tunes, have my own solo CD out and three all original CD's with my band..all those folks that look down on cover bands just don't get it. Go ahead and sit in your basement with your pride..I'm still on stage having a ball doing Louie, Louie..

Mark G.

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You know the other thing about covers is, you can BE CREATIVE WITH THEM! If I were to form or join a "cover" band, I would pick tunes I loved and tunes that were popular and tunes that were requested, and make them my own. There are some great cover versions out there, why not be the next "Marilyn Manson" rocking the shit out of "Sweet Dreams" or "Tainted Love". I LOVE both versions of both songs, but I'm kinda pissed. He stole both of those ideas from me. Damn him. And don't tell me cover bands have never gotten signed! Hello! Elvis? The Beatles? Hendrix? THOUSANDS of of others first getting thier first media attention for a cover song. All those noted and many more rocked the hell out of good songs that they loved and making them into something new. Has anyone heard the Counting Crows version of "Big Yellow Taxi"? Totally sublime.
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I've done my share of originals, and I've been playing pretty consistantly in cover bands since about '84. Selling out is an interesting term. For instance. Last Saturday my Floyd Tribute [b]SOLD OUT[/b] an 1,100 seat club, filled to the brim with crazy fuckers!!!! :D And besidess, the only viable demographic for my original music would be: [b]Males, my age, who are me[/b]. :D
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My ex used to serve drinks in a bar here in Lincoln Park that, with the exception of the occaisional visit from Toby Redd, hired cover bands. Some were very good, and several outright blew chunks. But the better of the covers, and there were a few, would squeeze a number or two that were their own. Probably to test the waters. And some wound up being great! Even Toby Redd, who did primarily original tunes, did three or four covers themselves! They did a KICK-ass version of "My Generation"! Whitefang
I started out with NOTHING...and I still have most of it left!
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It seems as though most of you here can play covers if the need arises. I have problems with so called bands that only play originals because they don't play well enough to play covers. I would love to be in an original band, but it is rarely worth the effort. The gigs don't pay, band members won't show up at rehearsals, won't remember arrangements, won't practice their material at home, cannot play their axe, nobody reads music and if somebody in the audience does make a request half the band won't know the song. Did I mention piss poor song writing? I think that people are way to eager to "be in a band" and not enough people want to be good musicians. It requires study and hard work. Please don't get me wrong, there is no shortage of really bad cover bands and wedding bands filled with so called jazz players (the worst) who think that the music they are being paid to play is "beneath them". I have played in more than a few of those bands and I regret it every time. Personally, I try to approach every gig with respect for the music. If it is a cover gig I think that a better bassist than I recorded this bassline and did a such fine enough job that people want to hear this song AGAIN. For original gigs it means that someone is putting it on the line - I owe it to them to put forth my best effort. If I can't, I don't do the gig. That having been said, it is easy to ignore some broke ass, non-guitar playing punk who is asking me why I "sell out" and play covers, shows, jazz and blues gigs or weddings.
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I don't look down at cover bands if they're good, particularly jazz bands. I know that it takes a certain miracle for one to exist because I spent a couple of years trying to get into a working one but they kept falling apart about three months into rehearsal for various reasons back in the '80s. Most musicians don't write music and getting into an original band is harder because they're fewer in number let alone the good ones. Attempting to get into a cover band led me to the synthesizer which led me into the music I'm doing now but I don't earn a living from it. Its more an act of individuation and I'm glad the internet came along so other people can hear it.
You shouldn't chase after the past or pin your hopes on the future.
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[quote]Originally posted by Sylver needs a new idiom: [b]Selling out is giving up what you want for money and comfort.[/b][/quote]Now we have a great definition ! :thu:

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As a musician, I love covering other people's tunes. I also love playing my own music. The fact is, I have not written great pop-rock or country tunes, so I'd be an idiot to expect an audience to enjoy an entire night of "me". I've mixed hundreds of entertainment shows for Opryland, in which the bands were contracted by Opryland Entertainment, largely for convention gigs at the hotel/convention center. They, in turn, would contract a band leader for, say, a 4 piece rock band, a 5 piece country band, a 3 piece jazz band, etc. The players in most of these bands were very good. In addition, they networked so well, most times I'd see slight variations of the same group of people doing any of the aforementioned genres. They were paid well to entertain, and they always delivered. One band leader took his rock & roll/comedy act from the theme park to the convention centers. When I worked with him, I was told he had a six-figure income. Once, he said he was considering giving it all up to concentrate on writing original songs. (A childhood friend of his had recently hit as a co-writer of Tim McGraw's, "I Like It, I Love It".) He told me it would take giving up his cushy cover job to succeed at writing and pushing his tunes. I sincerely hope he doesn't look back with regret. The guy puts on a fantastic show, always leaves the crowd happy, and is hilariously funny when doing the comedy show. I don't think he's a sellout. The guy's a freakin' genius. I only wish I made the inroads to be financially secure playing music full time. The band I mixed in the Persian Gulf does a lot of covers, but is an original band at heart. They performed a pretty even mix of covers and originals for the troops. I'd have to say it was the familiarity of the covers that hyped the audience into giving the covers a chance. They loved it all. I say, play what you want but don't presume to judge others for taking a different musical path, or putting making a living as a musical priority.

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Well, my favorite band was a cover band. No one thinks of 'em as that, but they started out covering the hits of the day...Buddy Holly, Isley Brothers, standards...stuff like "Sheik of Araby", "Besame Mucho"...Eddie Cochrane stuff...all that. That's what made 'em such a huge hit in Hamburg, Germany. And their hometown of Liverpool, England. The fact that The Beatles started by playing covers underscores the fact that covers are the quickest way to an audience's heart. And even famous bands who go out on the road...when they play their hits from the last 20 years or whatever, they're "covering" themselves. Their new stuff is generally received with skepticism at concerts. I've heard a lot of acts do all original stuff, some of it quite good, to a lukewarm reception, because the audience doesn't know it. Even if you're a mostly original band, it's great to do a few covers.
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The ones I've met who look down on cover bands tend to be the same ones who can't play cover tunes. Playing someone else's tunes is a good way to progress in playing your instrument. Otherwise, you tend to do the same thing you're capable of. OTOH, I'm in a cover band but I wish songwriting would come easier to me. I do appreciate and envy those who can write good original stuff. In the same vein, what do you think of karaoke singers?

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i'm on the fence with this one. for me, i play my stuff and i make a living (almost) doing it. i guess i'm lucky that my stuff is broad enough to let me play both stone cold blues clubs/festivals and alternative clubs without being considered ironic. that doesn't mean i don't cover a 1910 fruitgum company, merle haggard, or louis jordan tune, 'cause 99 percent of my audience doesn't know who the fuck they are anyways! i'm just not a big fan of the top 40 human jukebox bands. for me, i'd rather have the jukebox. the tribute bands (like khan's) i have no problem with 'cause i feel they fill a needed void and a LOT of effort goes into them. AND in some cases, they are actually better than the bands the copy. (the big Kiss convention cover band comes to mind) i'm not knockin you if you're in a cover band....but.... if there wasn't classic rock on the radio (jeez don't you already own these records?)...and narrow minded bars didn't hire (human jukebox) cover bands, the music biz might be in a bit better shape.....to put it in perspective: imagine if EVERY time you went to a bar, the same 40 girls were there. you'd already know who was cute and who would dis you, etc. i think that would get tired awfully quick. :) -d. gauss http://www.betteroffdead.com
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well, there are cover bands and tribute bands. both have their place-I don`t think I could be in a tribute band. I just don`t think I could. If I`m going to do covers, I at least need some variety. But in both cases, it`s no different than a director who makes a ton of money with a big commercial film, then makes three or four `art house` movies that are really good, but aren`t popcorn-spilling noisefests. One feeds the other. As long as both are done with passion what`s the problem?
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The only problem with that logic is that the majority of our audiences don't agree with you. They absolutely do not want to go out for a fun evening to some place where they have no idea what they are getting. Hence the huge popularity of DJ and disco bars. They get just what they listen to on the radio all day long. If you have a following for your original band or solo act, whatever, it is because they know they can hear the same songs night after night when the come to hear you play. And if you have a CD of your original songs for sale, they can listen to it and then go hear the same songs night after night...just like your 40 dancing girls. Unless you do different songs every time you play and never repeat yourself, you are just another version of a cover band..you are just covering yourself. I find that having folks come up to me after the gig and telling me what fun they had listening to songs they hadn't heard in years makes me want to do it again. Having someone really like one of my original tunes is great but seeing fifty semi toasted party animals in a conga line while we play Tequilla is something not to be missed.. And I don't have a single record of the tunes we play...

Mark G.

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I have always had mixed feelings about playing covers and so agree with just about everything said so far.I will say this though,I always remember a guitarist comming round to my house and playing a Gary Moore song on the sterio saying "I want to cover this song".I said no fuckin way there's too much going on,it's too hard blah blah.Well it ended up being one of our most popular songs.If nothing else,some of these covers have improved my chops and technical ability.
I once had a quasi-religious experience..then I realised I'd turned up the volume.
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