Should I accept a gig with a band where the set list seems trite?

[Geek99]

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1490176956' post='3262807']


Properly marketed, that could be a crowd-pleaser.
[/quote]
Www.prevomited.com/recycle

[bassjim]

If you've been offered a gig playing covers but have no real experience of this before then take the gig. See what its all about and go from there. It might be a great experience that you want to repeat or expand into.

If its really sh*t then just say open and honestly " sorry guys but its not really my bag but I had to try it out to see. Thanks for the oppotunity and its been really nice to meet you". What harm can come from that........unless they have a reputation for "if we say your in , you're in till we say you're out" whilst throwing the last bassist into the canal...

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1490181613' post='3262893']
If it`s a cover that no-one knows then you may as well play an original song.
[/quote]

That's complete nonsense Lozz ... if you want to play an original song then first you have to write the bloody thing!

[Stylon Pilson]

Thanks for all the thoughtful responses.

I suppose the question I was asking was "is it possible to be a successful covers band if you don't play Sex On Fire" and from the sounds of it, some of you are in bands that are. But then, as BigRedX points out, the downside to a set list full of your favourite songs is that if you play them enough times then you may end up hating them, so from that perspective maybe it's better to start with songs that I don't have too much of a personal attachment too.

Some respondents have set up a false dichotomy, interpreting my original post as suggesting that the choice is between "Sex On Fire" and obscure album tracks that send people running for the exit. I don't believe that that's true - I believe that it's possible to come up with a set list of songs that are recognisable and danceable, but also steering clear of the dozen songs that are played by 90% of covers bands.

Anyway, the broad range of responses suggests to me that there is no single answer. I think the only way to find out is to go along, assess the musical competence of the other players, and see whether I enjoy it.

S.P.

[Cat Burrito]

I used to be an idealist and think you had to like every song... now I think you can have one or two in a set that you are not so keen on. It's a compromise with band mates after all. Having always done originals bands, until a few years back - I found that I liked learning and studying other players, getting paid better and having a crowd go mad. It's a balance though - I'm 30yrs in and have never played Sex on Fire. No problem with the song, just not for me. Mustang Sally I'd probably do but it has never come up within any band I've played in. I think I like to try things before I decide it is definitely not for me.

[ead]

[quote name='Stylon Pilson' timestamp='1490172034' post='3262740']
Most of my playing experience over the years has tended to be with bands playing original music. It's fun, but there are always a lot of gigs to small crowds, and the feeling that my "competition" in this marketplace is with teenagers and kids in their early 20s who just have a whole lot more dedication than me, who are throwing themselves into their music with the dream of one day making it big.

So I've been toying with the idea of shifting into covers bands, where I can play great songs well, to an audience who want to dance and sing along. I've got one opportunity in the pipeline, but the example set list that I've been sent is far from inspiring. Sex On Fire, and other such songs that seemingly all covers bands have been playing for the last five years. I'm worried that I'd get bored quickly.

Should I rule them out on this basis, or is this just something that comes with the territory? And if I do decide to rule them out, what's a diplomatic way of letting them down gently?

S.P.
[/quote]

Why not do both. I play in a Blues & Classic Rock Covers plus an originals band.

[Truckstop]

Playing with a good band can make even the worst and most dreaded songs a pleasure to play!

I'd say go for it, no-one's going to die if you don't like it and frankly, bass players are ten a penny. You won't be letting them down if you decide it's not for you.

[Conan]

[quote name='Stylon Pilson' timestamp='1490186112' post='3262964']Some ....suggest that the choice is between "Sex On Fire" and obscure album tracks that send people running for the exit. I don't believe that that's true - I believe that it's possible to come up with a set list of songs that are recognisable and danceable, but also steering clear of the dozen songs that are played by 90% of covers bands.
[/quote]

Very good point. Some pubs/venues are very specific about what they want though, and no matter how well your band plays the more "interesting" material, they will still insist on [b][i]their[/i][/b] favourites. It's their prerogative I suppose, but it's a bit sad that they won't open their minds just a teeny bit...

Edited March 22, 2017 by Conan

[dlloyd]

[quote name='Stylon Pilson' timestamp='1490186112' post='3262964']
Some respondents have set up a false dichotomy, interpreting my original post as suggesting that the choice is between "Sex On Fire" and obscure album tracks that send people running for the exit. I don't believe that that's true - I believe that it's possible to come up with a set list of songs that are recognisable and danceable, but also steering clear of the dozen songs that are played by 90% of covers bands.
[/quote]

Recognisable and danceable is one thing... what you want is a good proportion of songs that make the crowd go absolutely mental when they hear the intro. I'm always amazed at how much I enjoy playing songs I don't like when the dance floor is full.

[phil.c60]

[list]
[*]We're a blues based band and we spend quite a long time trying to find entertaining songs that no-one does to death (Johnny Paycheck, anyone?). We have two original songs that our front man wrote or co-wrote a few years ago, and they go down really well. One in particular is one of our most popular songs. We do the occasional gig for a guy who runs small festival type multi band events (don't worry, we get paid) and told him we had a couple of originals in our set and challenged him to pick them out: he couldn't. So either we're truly bad so everything sounds dreadful, or the songs are great and work really well for us. I'd like to think it's the latter, so I'd also like to think that as there are bass players a lot better than me, and bands that my be better than ours, out there playing covers of various genres a couple of decent well written originals could be slipped in without a problem thus satisfying both angles. I like most of the songs we play, am not so keen on a couple, but really enjoy the originals as I get an even better buzz when the audience clap/cheer/throw rotten fruit/whatever after we play them.
[/list]

[BigRedX]

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1490185132' post='3262958']
That's complete nonsense Lozz ... if you want to play an original song then first you have to write the bloody thing!


[/quote]

From a purely personal perspective, I find it is far easier to write a new song than it is to learn anything but the simplest of covers.

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1490189477' post='3263032']
Some pubs/venues are very specific about what they want though, and no matter how well your band plays the more "interesting" material, they will still insist on [b][i]their[/i][/b] favourites.
[/quote]

We were once offered a gig at a village pub near Slough, but they insisted that we HAD to play [i]Sweet Caroline[/i] by Neil Diamond.

We assumed they were joking but they were deadly serious.

We play mainly 70s stuff so it was no big deal to learn another hit from the 70s.

On the night, we reached the point where we had [i]Sweet Caroline[/i] in the setlist. The entire pub erupted. Everyone stopped doing whatever they'd been doing and the whole pub started dancing and sang along with every word.

Next song ... as you were.

[Conan]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1490191463' post='3263073']
From a purely personal perspective, I find it is far easier to write a new song than it is to learn anything but the simplest of covers.
[/quote]

Fair enough, but I think that is a pretty unusual talent you have. However, are your original songs good/catchy enough for audiences? Sadly if a band doesn't entertain it's audience it is likely to find the gigs drying up...

[Conan]

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1490192263' post='3263084'] [i]Sweet Caroline[/i]
[/quote]

Bap bap bap!

[BigRedX]

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1490192363' post='3263085']
Fair enough, but I think that is a pretty unusual talent you have. However, are your original songs good/catchy enough for audiences? Sadly if a band doesn't entertain it's audience it is likely to find the gigs drying up...
[/quote]

Every "classic" song was a new original song in the beginning. It all depends on people other than the song writers and performers liking it that makes it a classic. If you could predict that, then you'd be very rich indeed. The best we can is to gig them as see what goes down well and what doesn't.

[Conan]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1490193162' post='3263100']
Every "classic" song was a new original song in the beginning.
[/quote]

Of course. But even the legendary songwriters only wrote so many classics. We mere mortals (even the ones that can write songs at all!) mostly struggle to come up with a handful of real quality songs. Often it is less than that...

[JohnR]

Only you can decide. I suspect that the fact you feel you have to ask the question shows you really don't want to do it. Remember that every gig, every song, every single note is a fun learning challenge if that is the way you choose to approach it.

[Muzz]

The main function band I'm in has a pretty big song list, from the aforementioned floor-fillers (SOF included) to some less-obvious but still well-loved ones, as well as some Oirish, some rock, some funk, whatever. The band leader will call these on the night, according to the crowd, much like a good DJ. It's a definite skill all of its own, but it keeps thing fresh(ish). Especially when he forgets to actually tell us, and just starts playing...

The rock covers band is more setlist-y, but we've taken time to choose songs that are not the very very obvious ones, but ones that people might have forgotten they remember (if you see what I mean), and that we enjoy. Again, we have some more obscure stuff that we can wheel out if it looks like a good crowd for it.

I'd say to the OP just give it a go; like a lot of folk have said, you might find you enjoy actually enjoy playing the more 'trite' stuff to a bouncing crowd...

[fretmeister]

I'm going to bet that covers bands with Non-trite set lists get fewer booking that Ines with trite ones.

Nature of the beast.

[dannybuoy]

If Sex On Fire is on the playlist, I'd wager that Dakota and Chelsea Dagger are on there too?

[PaulWarning]

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1490175940' post='3262786']
Sounds like we play in the same band(s) mate!

I started in covers bands by playing songs that we, the band, actually wanted to play. A fair number were crowd-pleasers but an equally large number were obscure songs that no one was going to recognise.

After a year or two of struggling, we had a big internal debate about whether or not to play more crowd-pleasers, and would this somehow 'go against' our policy of playing stuff we liked.

The solution was dead simple. Play crowd-pleasers that we all liked. Job done.

If you have SIXTY YEARS of popular music to select from, how difficult can it be to identify three hours' worth of music that is (a) crowd-pleasing, and ( band-pleasing?

We've all dealt with tougher problems than this.
[/quote]this^ if you like the song you'll enjoy playing it, if the crowd like the song you'll enjoy it even more, in our band if someone doesn't want to play it we don't, there are borderline songs we play every now and again because some people really like it and some aren't keen (the Stranglers, Walk on By, I love it but I would I'm the bass player), but you know what? the songs we all love playing are the ones that go down well, there must be a lesson there somewhere

[skankdelvar]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1490176158' post='3262792']
If you will be bored in a covers band then don't do it. If you think it's just somewhere you can park yourself for an easy ride for a few years, again don't do it. If you can't accept that most of the time you won't be playing your favourite numbers, don't do it. If the guys in the band are not good players, don't do it.

I haven't played a boring cover yet, but average and disinterested players can make anything sound boring, trite or just plain dull.

Play them properly and most covers, certainly the ones that audiences like and want to hear, will sound good, even Sex On Fire and Mustang Sally.
[/quote]

Shame we voted against a 'like' button. I'd have used it for this ^^

[T-Bay]

Personal taste and all that but for me the only way mustang sally ever sounds good is when I am not in the room. It's one of the few songs that would be a deal breaker for me, I despise it so intensely that I just couldn't play it. No idea why but it just hits some nerve or other. Out of our set about 1/3 are tracks I love, another 1/3 are ones I quite like and the other 1/3 are stuff I wouldn't personally listen to, but oddly a couple from there are ones I really enjoy playing. I have found there is not necessarily a link between what I like listening to and what I like playing but still sure mustang sally wouldn't be one I would like playing.

[NJE]

I play in three bands at the moment with approx 30 songs for each band. I can honestly say I wouldn't listen to more than 6 of the songs in total if I didn't play in those bands.

Most of the material is in genres I don't particularly like but nearly all of it is well known. Playing it at home and at rehearsals is mostly a bore but sometimes fun to work out the trickier tunes.

However those songs take on a whole new life when I play them at busy venues with people who don't leave the dancefloor for 2 hours and go particularly nuts for the big tunes like the dreaded sex on fire.

If I played songs I liked, I wouldn't ever play a gig, no one would want to listen to the random nonsense I like.

[Skybone]

I've spent most of the 30-odd years I've been playing, doing original material. The times I had played covers in new bands, I've always found I got very bored, very quickly, especially when one or more of the other band members criticise it at the end because a couple of notes weren't nuanced as the original.

Sort of joined a local covers band after a number of years away from being in a band. Lo and behold, it was excruciatingly dull. Been working on getting an originals band going. Far more gratifying and fun.