Covers bands - what's the appeal?

[ead]

We are kind of on the fence in that we play pubs and clubs so we play as many of our songs as we think we can get away with interspersed with some covers. A reasonable compromise

[gjones]

I started off in a band writing original material which meant I very rarely learnt songs by other bands. I thought at the time that playing covers was a bit 'sad'. But in retrospect I realise that you learn a lot by playing others material and as you grow as a player and a musician you can integrate others styles and ideas into your own stuff.
I still do play in an original band but don't have problem playing with the odd covers band now and then. I recommend it, if nothing else, it's a heck of a lot of fun.

Edited October 1, 2010 by gjones

[gjones]

[quote name='Dave Vader' post='973828' date='Oct 1 2010, 12:36 PM']Don't have the time or the energy outside of work/family life to build up a decent following for an originals band now, plus being over 30 means it's only folk or jazz left to me [/quote]

And blues......don't forget blues.

[Dread Bass]

Ive never played in a covers band before. Both my bands are original and i am happy doing that. With one just been signed to a label and in the middle of organising a tour i couldn't be happier. I wouldn't want to play others songs at this point but other people are happy to do it so good luck to them.

[risingson]

You've got to fake it to make it, right? I play in a covers band to finance our original stuff, plus it can be fun. Easy. Look at Guns N Roses, ironically began life as an Aerosmith tribute band.

[BottomEndian]

[quote name='Marvin' post='974400' date='Oct 1 2010, 06:15 PM']The Anchor in Westward Ho![/quote]
Whenever I think that Britain's a miserable place full of miserable old buggers making each other thoroughly miserable, I like to remember that there's a village in Devon with an exclamation mark in its name. How utterly, rampantly, frivolously joyous.

(It could only be improved by being twinned with the Quebec town of Saint-Louis-du-Ha!Ha!)

[Tegs]

Done the original stuff, not much came of it, good fun. Now doing covers.................. the point is, to be out there playing is what matters. You got to give 'em what they want! Do it to the best of your ability and you can be proud of yourself

[Linus27]

Not really sure if I can add anything to the topic but I'll go with it anyway. I hope I don't offend anyone.

99% of the 23 years of my playing has been originals. In fact, that was the done thing where as now I get the impression that cover/tribute bands is now the done thing. In Surrey/Hampshire/London in the 90's, the live music scene was massive. Camden was buzzing with things like the Camden Crawl, NME Brats etc and all bands were originals. I was gigging up and down the country at least 3 times a week, ranging from clubs and pubs to Uni's and festivals, playing original music, to big audiences as well as our own fans. We even played live of some radio shows pre being signed. We eventually got signed and did the whole band, album, touring thing, also playing gigs to thousands

Anyway, I am now 40 and no real band as such. I did join one briefly but generally struggled to find anyone wanting to do good original music. I also found it really hard to get gigs. It seems the whole scene has turned on its head which for me with my background I find very sad. I have done a couple of gigs depping for a good U2 tribute band which was fun but to be honest, despite being one of my favourite bands, I found the whole thing anti-creative and boring. The musicians were great and the crowds were well up for it but despite loving most of the songs, having no creative or emotional input into the bass lines or songs was rather dull. Probably because I have been so spoilt writing original material with a fair amount of sucess.

I am still looking for an original group but for me and at my age, I feel my best bet is something a bit more mature, for example backing a very good solo artist who writes there own songs. Somebody with a beautiful voice and wonderful melodies. Saying that, thats even hard to find. There is a small bonus. I am working on a studio project, playing fretless bass, writing an album of original music. Its totally creative and amazing fun. However, I do know that this is generally un-usual.

I'm lucky that I have achieved a lot musically from original bands, including making a living so if it ended now then I count myself very lucky. However, I do still have the passion to keep doing it but it seems a lot of others my age have given up or moved onto wanting to make money. For me it was never ever about the money and always about being creative. It has crossed my mind about starting a tribute band but it would have to be something quite different. Maybe something like an A-ha, Sade, Bjork, or even an early Elvis when he was young. However, the whole concept of covers is very alien or un-natural for me and no real idea if it would work. I would love to do a Jazz trio/quartet but then I can't play Jazz for toffee

[Bilbo]

[quote name='Linus27' post='974757' date='Oct 1 2010, 11:51 PM']I would love to do a Jazz trio/quartet but then I can't play Jazz for toffee [/quote]

Doesn't stop most of us

[Bassassin]

[quote name='skankdelvar' post='974345' date='Oct 1 2010, 05:13 PM']Why covers? Well, why originals?

* Greater financial rewards from song publishing, etc? Unlikely in most instances if you're 'only the bassplayer'.
* Moral superiority? Unproven
* Increased likelihood of being 'signed' - possibly, but only if you're a pretty boy to start off with
* Greater social cachet? Sigh.[/quote]

None of the above for me. I write songs which I think are good & I want to play them live.

I have no idea if they [i]are[/i] actually any good. I see so many original bands who are absolutely tragically awful on every possible level, yet they go out in front of an audience and parade their ineptitude with utter pride & confidence in their songs, their bands, their musicianship. But they're [i]terrible[/i].

I have absolutely no idea whatsoever if I'm any different.

J.

[TimR]

There is a third way.

I saw a great covers band last night. I don't think any tune they played had the original parts though. The musicians had all adapted their parts to be so different that only the chords and words were the same. Tempos all different, bass lines and drums nothing like the original.

The crowd loved it, they recognised the songs and sang along.

My musician mates didn't even notice. Maybe I should get out more.....

Music is fun just enjoy it. If you get paid it's a bonus.

If you enjoy playing at home to yourself, just in the garage with your band, or to one man and his dog in a pub - is that any different to listening to a cd at home alone, with friends or a juke box in the pub?

Maybe people take it all a bit too seriously.

Edited October 2, 2010 by TimR

[crez5150]

[quote name='TimR' post='974878' date='Oct 2 2010, 12:10 PM']Maybe people take it all a bit too seriously.[/quote]

+1

[Mr. Foxen]

[quote name='TimR' post='974878' date='Oct 2 2010, 12:10 PM']The musicians had all adapted their parts to be so different that only the chords and words were the same. Tempos all different, bass lines and drums nothing like the original.[/quote]

I am pretty sure I don't understand jazz, but isn't that how jazz standards work?

[machinehead]

I've only read the first page of this thread so it might have already been said but.... if the songwriter leaves an originals band and that band carries on playing the same set, are they then a covers band? After all, they're then covering someone elses song who isn't a member of the band.

Frank.

[karlfer]

The Griffin, Newton -le -Willows website, quote,
"putting the roof back on after BBGM blew it off last night".
The audience loved it, we loved it, 6, yes, 6 encores, which tested our repertoire (and my aging stamina).

Despite sounding like an ego trip, that was probably one of the most enjoyable gigs I've done for over 25 years.

Pretty much everybody there enjoyed an evening of live music, nearly all covers. Even the horrendously long Metallica "Am I Evil" went down a storm.


Buggered if I'm going to consider myself "killing music" after that!

[Bassassin]

[quote name='karlfer' post='975423' date='Oct 2 2010, 09:12 PM']Even the horrendously long Metallica "Am I Evil" went down a storm.[/quote]
Think you'll find that was Diamond Head.

Metallica covered it. :ph34r:

J.

[maxrossell]

1. Claiming that covers bands are taking work away from originals bands is like claiming that [i]Big Brother[/i] is taking away airtime from [i]Have I Got News For You[/i]. They're two completely different forms of entertainment for two completely different crowd who are looking for two completely different things.

2. Covers bands are not just a bunch of glorified karaoke players who don't have the talent to write and play originals. Most guys in covers bands are in originals bands too, it just so happens that playing in covers bands is an easy transition, it's good fun and the money can be excellent.

3. A musician's playing actually benefits from playing standards in public a couple of times a month. Most of the sh*t musicians I know only ever play their own awful garage noise. Most of the extremely good musicians I know spend a quite considerable amount of time playing songs that were originally cut by Motown session guys.



You get a function gig, you learn a handful of standards, play for a couple of hours and you can walk away with £300 in your back pocket and you get free drinks all night. And usually you get treated with respect, and if you're any good you get a bunch of repeat work. In contrast, my originals band has made maybe £100 total in a year, which doesn't even cover a month's rehearsal space rental.

The other week, my originals band was offered a half-hour slot supporting some band I won't name (one of the NME's latest flavour-of-the-minute acts, they're genuinely sh*t), and the deal is we have to sell 30 tickets for £7.00 each, for which we get a quid each back. We turned it down because it just isn't worth it. We're musicians, not touts, and although £30's more than we usually get paid for a gig, we also don't usually have to hand the promoter £180 in exchange.

So on balance, I'd be stupid to [i]not[/i] want to be in a covers band.

[4-string-thing]

[quote name='maxrossell' post='975509' date='Oct 2 2010, 10:56 PM']1. Claiming that covers bands are taking work away from originals bands is like claiming that [i]Big Brother[/i] is taking away airtime from [i]Have I Got News For You[/i]. They're two completely different forms of entertainment for two completely different crowd who are looking for two completely different things.

2. Covers bands are not just a bunch of glorified karaoke players who don't have the talent to write and play originals. Most guys in covers bands are in originals bands too, it just so happens that playing in covers bands is an easy transition, it's good fun and the money can be excellent.

3. A musician's playing actually benefits from playing standards in public a couple of times a month. Most of the sh*t musicians I know only ever play their own awful garage noise. Most of the extremely good musicians I know spend a quite considerable amount of time playing songs that were originally cut by Motown session guys.



You get a function gig, you learn a handful of standards, play for a couple of hours and you can walk away with £300 in your back pocket and you get free drinks all night. And usually you get treated with respect, and if you're any good you get a bunch of repeat work. In contrast, my originals band has made maybe £100 total in a year, which doesn't even cover a month's rehearsal space rental.

The other week, my originals band was offered a half-hour slot supporting some band I won't name (one of the NME's latest flavour-of-the-minute acts, they're genuinely sh*t), and the deal is we have to sell 30 tickets for £7.00 each, for which we get a quid each back. We turned it down because it just isn't worth it. We're musicians, not touts, and although £30's more than we usually get paid for a gig, we also don't usually have to hand the promoter £180 in exchange.

So on balance, I'd be stupid to [i]not[/i] want to be in a covers band.[/quote]

When you put it like that, why would you NOT want to be in a covers band?

[TimR]

[quote name='maxrossell' post='975509' date='Oct 2 2010, 10:56 PM']...
You get a function gig, you learn a handful of standards, play for a couple of hours and you can walk away with £300 in your back pocket and you get free drinks all night. And usually you get treated with respect, and if you're any good you get a bunch of repeat work.
...[/quote]


If only.

Maybe this myth is why the covers bands get so much stick?

[url="http://wiki.basschat.co.uk/info:industry:function_rates"]http://wiki.basschat.co.uk/info:industry:function_rates[/url]

[karlfer]

[quote name='Bassassin' post='975474' date='Oct 2 2010, 10:13 PM']Think you'll find that was Diamond Head.

Metallica covered it. :ph34r:

J.[/quote]


This I know Metallica, a covers band, irony.

We murdered it :brow:

Edited October 3, 2010 by karlfer

[Bilbo]

Yes, that is the idea with jazz standards although there are many who take the easy route and just play the parts.

I think its a personal thing. I can do all of the things required to make a covers band/tribute band work (and do, just like everyone else here) but, at the end of the day, I (as in me, personally, as an individual, on my own, with noone else involved, by myself, independently of any others) just can't get nearly as excited about doing (or listening to) covers as I do about original work. Even when I buy jazz cds, I tend to avoid 'standards' albums, although thats by no means an absolute. When I play covers, I can enjoy it on one level but my satisfaction is not nearly as great as it is doing something genuinely creative.

But its not all about me is it?

[TimR]

You can't polish a turd.

With a covers band you know you don't have a turd to start with, You still have to do the polishing, very rarely does a song work just by simply copying what's on the record and sometimes it doesn't work at all.

With an originals band you don't know you have a turd, then spend far too long polishing it hoping that it will sparkle.

I think if a song works on acoustic guitar or piano then you have a winner.

The only easy bit it that the covers band already know that people will like the song. The rest of the work is the same.

[4-string-thing]

The covers band I play in try to do stuff you don't hear other bands doing, so some of the audience probably don't know if it's a cover or not. They just know if they like the song or not!

When I joined, I hadn't heard a lot of the songs before (I come from a folk-rock background, and the stuff we play is mainly 80's hair metal) so if they had told me "this ones called Prime Mover, we wrote it last year" I'd have probably believed them.

I just enjoy playing on stage and watching an audience having a good time, and if I get paid at the end of the night, thats cool. Certainly better than having to pester all your mates to come and watch you and having to pay a promoter for the privilege!

Obviously there are those on here who are lucky enough to play their original music to thousands of people on a regular basis and, no doubt, are used to working in top studios and staying in luxury hotels. Good luck to them, but for most of us thats just a dream and in the meantime, we'll carry on doing our pub gigs playing Mustang Sally!

[witterth]

[quote name='Twigman' post='973929' date='Oct 1 2010, 01:26 PM']Erm...yep....


Many venues ,say 20 years ago, would happily put on an originals band but these days insist on covers only.....if these covers bands didn't exist and the venue wanted live music they'd still be putting on originals.[/quote]
And these "many venues" are?
make a valid point, not just supersision.
Good original material will allways get a gig......has to be good though, thats where a lot of them are going wrong.

[skankdelvar]

[quote name='TimR' post='975694' date='Oct 3 2010, 08:19 AM']You can't polish a turd.[/quote]
True. But they [i]can [/i]be moulded into a variety of interesting shapes. Ideal for friends and family with Xmas just around the corner.

The thing about this thread, anyone with half a brain knows that a gig's a gig. Amazed we even need to debate it.

Edited October 3, 2010 by skankdelvar