Is it possible to have a successful covers band that doesn't play Mustang Sally?

[Johngh]

I hate Mustang Sally with a passion. I won't play it or be in a band that want's to play it. A lot of punters are sick of hearing it.

Just joined an amazing covers band with the best set list I had a chance to play in years. And no MS.

[Krysbass]

[quote name='jmstone' post='1129282' date='Feb 16 2011, 09:45 AM']Getting slightly tired of the originals circuit in London, and was thinking of setting up a band to play some 80s/90s Indie, a bit of Beefheart maybe, some Fall..

But my question is - is it possible to get gigs for such a band? Would anyone book us? Would anyone listen!!??[/quote]

I was in a covers band doing exactly this sort of stuff, mostly playing pubs. Every gig we did we were getting repeat bookings straight away and out of that we even had one booking for a private party. We had plenty of positive comments from landlords and audiences alike, saying what we were doing was a welcome change from "the same old stuff". - But we were based in the mid-Cheshire area, so I can't say how well this formula might work in London.

The band folded in June 2010, having to cancel a number of bookings - the problem was that our singer got Lead Singers Disease and went weird on us, so I guess the most important thing is to make sure everyone in your band is going to be committed to the type of music you are playing.

[icastle]

[quote name='dmccombe7' post='1129568' date='Feb 16 2011, 01:09 PM']Not cheesy its a great idea - well done.
Bet you've now started a trend.
[/quote]

Possibly

It's was a lot of work initially and it takes a fair old while to start getting the payback but we do rather well out of it.
I think it's just 'quirky' enough to make us memorable without being OTT.

We've got a rather nice joint 40th Birthday party we're doing on Saturday which was something along the lines of 'the daughter of a bloke she works with was a bridesmaid at a wedding three years ago'.
None of us can remember which gig it was!

IMHO though, the biggest trick is to have fun whilst playing and make sure the audience sees it - there's nothing worse than seeing one or more performers sulking or scowling when they're supposed to be taking part in a celebration...

[4000]

[quote name='Bilbo' post='1129328' date='Feb 16 2011, 10:27 AM']The trouble with this is that everyone thinks they are playing to the same audience when all of us are always playing to several audiences at once, depending on the function. Whenever I see a band covering an endless list of 'must plays' like MS, WT, Dock Of The Bay, Billie Jean etc ad nauseum, it turns me off in an instant and I know that I am not alone. There are always people too young for your set, others too old, more too sophisiticates and some too distracted. If we all play the same material, we will become like TV - homogenised, predictable, mainstream, unchallenging, unstimulating etc etc. Arguably, we are already.

I guess the art is to come up with a set of songs that everyone knows and loves but noone else plays. Good luck.[/quote]

+1 to all of the above.

[ben604]

We've got a "Summer of '69" rule. If it gives anyone in the band the "Summer of '69" feeling, we don't play it. We play the 2nd or 3rd best known songs, seems to have gone fine so far, we've played 8 gigs with our current repertoire and been asked back to every pub.

We just choose our pubs carefully, make sure we're playing to people who want to hear the stuff we're playing.

Here's the stuff we're playing: [url="http://www.thelowtones.co.uk/#/repertoire/4540807533"]http://www.thelowtones.co.uk/#/repertoire/4540807533[/url]

There are a few "standards", but only ones we WANT to play!

[4000]

[quote name='thumperbob 2002' post='1129363' date='Feb 16 2011, 11:00 AM']Welcome to my world[/quote]

And mine! As for Mustang Sally, if I ever hear a band play that again there will be blood.....I didn't even like it first time round.

[Big_Stu]

[quote name='thumperbob 2002' post='1129363' date='Feb 16 2011, 11:00 AM']Welcome to my world[/quote]

A cover of a Jim Reeves song, now that IS unusual!!!


I'll get me coat! ....................

[4000]

[quote name='Big_Stu' post='1129639' date='Feb 16 2011, 01:50 PM']A cover of a Jim Reeves song, now that IS unusual!!!


I'll get me coat! ....................[/quote]

[jmstone]

[quote name='Krysbass' post='1129596' date='Feb 16 2011, 01:25 PM']I was in a covers band doing exactly this sort of stuff, mostly playing pubs. Every gig we did we were getting repeat bookings straight away and out of that we even had one booking for a private party. We had plenty of positive comments from landlords and audiences alike, saying what we were doing was a welcome change from "the same old stuff". - But we were based in the mid-Cheshire area, so I can't say how well this formula might work in London.

The band folded in June 2010, having to cancel a number of bookings - the problem was that our singer got Lead Singers Disease and went weird on us, so I guess the most important thing is to make sure everyone in your band is going to be committed to the type of music you are playing.[/quote]

Wow! Didn't expect to hear this - very interesting!

Did you have to buy your own PA etc. for these gigs? And how did you go about getting the gigs originally?

James

[Ian Savage]

[quote name='ben604' post='1129631' date='Feb 16 2011, 01:47 PM']We've got a "Summer of '69" rule. If it gives anyone in the band the "Summer of '69" feeling, we don't play it. We play the 2nd or 3rd best known songs, seems to have gone fine so far, we've played 8 gigs with our current repertoire and been asked back to every pub.[/quote]

I'd love to be able to do that - Summer of 69's in our set, and we DO get asked for it

Same with 'All Right Now', 'Teenage Kicks', 'Sex On Fire', 'I Fought The Law'; when you're playing to people who aren't necessarily music 'fans' per se you gotta throw in that kind of thing. And generally if a suggestion comes in which more than one person in the band's never heard of, it gets ditched (Jimmy Eat World's 'The Middle' was a candidate for the set this week, I'd quite like to do it...)

[MuckedUpFunkies]

IMO its best to throw your own interpretation of the song in there. Why cover the song perfectly as the original they might as well listen to the cd? Its all about throwing fun and qwerky bits in to liven it up... oh and Segway CONSTANTLY! =)

[Mykesbass]

[quote name='Bassassin' post='1129517' date='Feb 16 2011, 12:35 PM']"songs you didn't know you knew"[/quote]

That's a great angle Jon. Band I've just joined does Dylan, Springsteen, Neil Young, only a handful of really obvious choices. We have a fair amount of bookings throughout the year, only reason we haven't got more is the bass player I replaces had too many other commitments and was always turning gigs down, so yes, it can be done.
Mike

[Truckstop]

Sorry for the hijack, but I've noticed this a few times on the board recently:

It's SEGUE.

A SEGWAY is a sort of scooter type thing that uses lots of clever cogs and things to make it work. A SEGUE is a bridge between two songs/passages of music.

Truckstop

[Bassassin]

Im afrayed tha Inglish langwij iz heddid for a braiv new fernetik fewcha. Dats tha intanet 4 ya.

J.

[thumperbob 2002]

[quote name='Truckstop' post='1129793' date='Feb 16 2011, 03:44 PM']Sorry for the hijack, but I've noticed this a few times on the board recently:

It's SEGUE.

A SEGWAY is a sort of scooter type thing that uses lots of clever cogs and things to make it work. A SEGUE is a bridge between two songs/passages of music.

Truckstop[/quote]

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO! No- A segway is suicide option for rich fellas!!

Segue segue sputnik

[Marvin]

I've never really figured out why all covers bands play the same set list. Just seems daft.

Play good songs well.


I am a hypocrite btw - band I'm practising with has Summer of '69 and Sex on Fire in it's set list

[arthurhenry]

I enjoy playing anything with the notes A to G#. I am onstage playing bass and I always play the way I like to play. I am a very snobby listener, but not player.

[chris_b]

[quote name='Marvin' post='1129877' date='Feb 16 2011, 04:51 PM']....I've never really figured out why all covers bands play the same set list...[/quote]
I guess that most bands have figured out that audiences are not interested in being educated and don't want to be “challenged” or have their musical horizons broadened.

Grossly underestimate an audience and you'll get 2 encores and rebooked every time!

[spongebob]

I think you've got to pretty much give the people what they want.

However, I reckon that some songs/artists are untouchable. Stuff that is so individual from the off, that any attempt to cover will end in disaster!

I love The Fall and Beefheart.....two cases in point. If I saw any band trying either I salute their bravery!

I used to own a Fall covers album purchased through the old (now gone) fanzine, The Biggest Library Yet. 2 sides of bands trying every aspect of Fall-dom. Pity was, it was all terrible. Don't know how MES knocks his bands into shape, but he does it amazingly well.

Incidentally, the current Fall line-up is superb, for me their best since Steve Hanley left. Saw them in November, and MES still has it in spades.

[borisbrain]

I play in a 70s punk covers band, and believe me some of the venues (management and punters) just love the fact that we don't play MS. They hear it every other day and are sick of it. We now have an FAQ section on our website that makes it absolutely clear to potential bookers that we absolutely do not play MS/Knock Three Times/Suspicious Minds. However, we do play 'Jilted John' to great demand, and are absolutely sick of it...

We did 40 gigs last year and have about 30 lined up for this year so far. We're certainly not the busiest or richest band on the covers circuit, but it's better than MS/Knock Three Times/Suspicious Minds...

Stay groovy,

BB

[JTUK]

We don't do the popular covers, that is for pick-up bands that can do something with a number but don't have the time together
to do much else.
Our gig isn't a dep gig as such and we approach it by playing numbers well ( we hope ) rather than being too populist.
It does concern me that we might loose a few through playing more obscure numbers but then in chats with people, they like the sound of the numbers we attempt rather than going to see the same sets played by all and sundry.

I guess we please ourselves and pick the numbers we want to play rather than be dictated to and atm, I am backing our choices.
Once we have the people in, then I back us to keep them, but it is crossing that line for a new band..in as a few of our gigs are first dates.. rather than being known and being good that is the biggest thing, IMO.

If anyone suggests a number that is too 'circuit' we are likely to out it for that reason alone.

Do I have any worries that we will do ok with this tactic..? no, not at all...although we will have to bend more for functions

[NJE]

I have this exact dilemma at the moment, I have a new project on the go and we are trying to suss out a new set at the moment. I am desperately trying to think of great tunes that are either done with a twist or like someone said before, songs you never knew you loved.

It is really tricky to find material that is recognisable but not obvious and I really dont want to get into Mustang.., Midnight.., or dance the night away. At the moment we are looking at some late 90s dance (Ultra Nate etc) and then doing some newer stuff like Katy Perry and Lady Gaga.

I used to do all the obvious tunes in an old covers band and NEVER! had a bad night in 9 years, but my thought now is that most people getting married and going to the venues we are looking at are late teens to mid 30's. I am often quite suprised how many people in thsi age group dont know Midnight Hour or any of those older tunes, I even met at 19 year old who had never heard of Jimi Hendrix and speaking to a teacher friend, this was common in her sixth form! Their parents might know the older stuff but their parents aren't choosing the band.

Anyway the only real gauge is to play them and see how well they go down, you soon find out the turn-offs in a set.

[scalpy]

Covers Bands= He who pays the piper calls the tune.

Mustang Sally I quite like, but only if it attempts to get close to Wilson Pickett's version.

Sex on Fire, Summer of 69, any Abba, just thinking of the money...

[Cat Burrito]

I've played in a few covers bands & never played Mustang Sally & the usual covers. One band I had found a good scene & we were getting £400 a show. It's just knowing where the scenes are or failing that being happy to take unpaid bookings. The £400 band built up a reputation doing a lot of Open Mic & we didn't just stumble into paid gigs.

[gub]

We play a few of the usual suspects like sweet home but also just about to do rain by the cult which i have never heard a cover band do , but you lot may have heard ut loads who knows , also been suggested are in to the valley .