Covers to Originals. Anyone Else Made the Change With Their Band? Update

[Mykesbass]

We're starting to write our own material - Blues and Southern Rock influenced. At the moment it will be a case of dropping a few in among more well known repertoire at our pub gigs, but hope to move towards doing more of our own stuff. Anyone else gone down this route? Any pitfalls or any useful advice? Thanks.

Edited September 22, 2017 by Mykesbass

[chris_b]

Both bands that I gig with at the moment play a mix of their own songs, covers with their own arrangements and straight covers. One guy is gigging his latest all original album. It goes down very well.

I presume your covers were hits or at least very well known songs? There are no pitfalls in replacing some of them with originals other than the strength of your song writing.

Audiences don't care who wrote the song. All they want is a song they can like. Don't lose your objectivity. If you've written a dull song make it better or don't play it.

[scrumpymike]

I currently play in 2 bands - one all covers, the other all originals, as I have done at various times over the years. In my experience you definitely need a very charismatic lead vocalist/front line to carry your audience thru unfamiliar material, however good it is - just playing it well isn't enough. If you only have a few original songs in your set, that won't be a problem.

[bazzbass]

Do this until (hopefully) you have enough GOOD originals for a set and play a small gig as an originals only band as a support, and take it from there.

TBH I wanna see either a cover band or an original only band, but that's probably because in our early days we played both and I just don't think it satisfies either type of band enough to play both.

[uk_lefty]

We have thought about writing our own for our covers band to branch out a bit but in all honesty I don't think it fits. We are a band who get people to song along and dance along to old songs they know and love, playing a sad song about a girl who ignored our guitarist when he was thirteen will kill the mood.
In an old rock-blues band we chucked in the odd original and got criticised for the songs not sounding original enough! Can't win them all!
I'd prefer to play originals with less typical covers so you can retain some audience interest. Saw an incredibly good originals band at a festival last year playing after my band. I can't remember their name, the name of any songs, any stand out lyrics, I just remember they were really good, which isn't so helpful.

[bassjim]

The thing about covers and originals for me is knowing when and where to play either. If you have a regular crowd at the local Dog and Duck that adore you and love every thing you do, doesn't mean the punters at the Pig and Horse Manure in the next town will.

I'd approach any gig that is not an originals only night, with the view to drop all originals,if the gig is going that way. In other words no interest from the punters. And the opposite of course if your original stuff is being well received.

I do remember a very good blues band I used to go and watch regulary when I was a kid that played original material only but considering the overall theme was about "waking up in the morning, something bad happening, face ache solo followed by advice that it wont be happening again" they could have been playing covers .

[Guest subaudio]

I've done this in the past.

If you do two sets as a covers band, Id keep your original material in 1st set and bump them higher in the running order according to how they are received.

It can be prudent to keep the covers and original sides of the band separate, especially if you rely on the money for your covers gigs but a certain crossover, especially in your 1st set can't hurt too much and the venues will still feel they are getting what they pay for.

Its a matter of balance, you'll need to feel how your own songs go down with the audience on your covers gigs.

You could always keep it exclusive and book separate covers and original gigs.

You will probably have some advantage over some original bands as you probably have pa and maybe even lights but bear in mind most multi band original gigs wont have time to incorporate your set up of lights etc but you can always put on your own shows.

Also, the work ethic of covers can only help with being an original band.

You could always start doing open mic nights with your 1st 2 or 3 original songs, just to play them out, never hurts to test the water and dip your toe in like that.

Enjoy it and good luck

Edited July 27, 2017 by subaudio

[Roger2611]

We did it really successfully some years back with a Levellers type band, we gradually introduced our own material which fitted really well with a REM / Levellers / Waterboys covers set and gradually took the covers out, we were one of very few bands at the time still getting gigs in well known covers pubs whilst mostly playing our own material....keep a few good covers in the set, make sure your own stuff appeals to the audience / following you already have I can see no reason why you cannot transition from covers to original music.....I still get a buzz now remembering doing a gig and realising the crowd were singing back our songs not just the well known covers!

[Mykesbass]

Thanks everyone for some really constructive feedback.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1501143042' post='3342746']

I presume your covers were hits or at least very well known songs?

Audiences don't care who wrote the song. All they want is a song they can like. Don't lose your objectivity. If you've written a dull song make it better or don't play it.
[/quote]

Not all of them, and we've certainly gone out of our way to choose songs that don't get done to death (although there are a couple of those just for balance).

[quote name='scrumpymike' timestamp='1501144522' post='3342757']
In my experience you definitely need a very charismatic lead vocalist/front line to carry your audience thru unfamiliar material, however good it is - just playing it well isn't enough.
[/quote]

Yes, as a band we get good feedback for being entertaining. Nothing over the top, we just obviously enjoy ourselves, and put a solid, professional show on. As with my response to Chris, the songs we already do are not all really well known ones.

[quote name='Roger2611' timestamp='1501177237' post='3343141']
We did it really successfully some years back with a Levellers type band, ....I still get a buzz now remembering doing a gig and realising the crowd were singing back our songs not just the well known covers!
[/quote]

Sounds really great - something to aim for (oh, and if I was playing that sort of material I might even manage to get my wife to come along and listen)

[Guest subaudio]

Forgot to say, you can also sell originals CD's and merch at your covers gigs

[Mykesbass]

An interesting development on this. My drummer and I went to see another Basschatter, Elias Mooseblaster's band a few weeks back, and both felt that, overall, the two bands were probably fairly close to each other in ability, but they had the edge in that the band completely owned their songs, something we put down to it being their own material, and not trying to put their own personality into someone else's work (our theory anyway).

This really sealed it for us, and on Wednesday, the first time after holidays and other disruptions we have been able to get a full rehearsal, we broke the back of two new original songs, and it had exactly that element that was previously missing.

All we have to do now is polish them up, and get some of our more interesting covers to have the same feel in time for our gig on 17th October at the 100 Club supporting Marcus Malone!

[blue]

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1501138681' post='3342704']
We're starting to write our own material - Blues and Southern Rock influenced. At the moment it will be a case of dropping a few in among more well known repertoire at our pub gigs, but hope to move towards doing more of our own stuff. Anyone else gone down this route? Any pitfalls or any useful advice? Thanks.
[/quote]

That's how my band started, all original harder blues/rock material. One of the goals was to gig as much as possible. They realized early on at the local level playing originals meant little to no gigs.

They decided to add classic hard blues rock covers. They went in to averaging 65 shows a year. So it can be done.

And for those who label us who play covers as paint by numbers, no creativity or whatever, it's just not true. It's not a "Don't Stop Believing" proposition for all of us.

As a matter of fact we don't play one cover that I haven't developed my own spin on, my creativty for. And I probably never play any song the same twice.

And BTW, currently we only play one 1-4-5 blues song.

Blue

Edited September 24, 2017 by blue

[JapanAxe]

I remember reading that in their early days, Van Halen went out under 2 different names, one for solely 'Top 40' material, the other performing their original songs. The covers helped them to hone their skills as a working unit, and cross-funded the originals project.

Although that was the late 70s (i.e. somewhat different times), I don't see why the approach couldn't still work today.

[mcnach]

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1501138681' post='3342704']
We're starting to write our own material - Blues and Southern Rock influenced. At the moment it will be a case of dropping a few in among more well known repertoire at our pub gigs, but hope to move towards doing more of our own stuff. Anyone else gone down this route? Any pitfalls or any useful advice? Thanks.
[/quote]

My main band is originals. It is a bit restricted compared to covers bands when you start out but there is definitely room for originals bands once you 'prove your worth' sort of thing. If people enjoy what you do and have a good time, and especially if some obviously come to see you espcifically, even venues where they normally go for covers bands will hire you.

My second band plays a mix of covers and originals and is doing very well, getting pretty good fees and playing all over Scotland and England. It seems that it's relatively easy to find a balance where you can play a few 'classics' for the genre to ensure the crowds are pleased, and insert the originals at the appropriate places following the mood of the dance floor. If the dance floor seems to be struggling a bit, we launch into a well known original... For instance we'd bring in "One Step Beyond" or something like that that everybody knows... Sometimes we play well known songs but we add our own twist to it. We play "A message to you, Rudy", but nothing like the original... it gets recognised immediately, but we souped it up a bit (mostly because none of us had bothered to learn it "the right way" and I'm more of a funky player than ska player) and it goes down well... so there's also room for being a little creative with existing songs.

If you become known enough, then the non-originals become less important. But it's good to still have a few in your sleeve. My main band plays a version of Reel Big Fish's "Beer" (very upbeat, and the bars love it when we remind people to drink ) and "Bad Boys"... even if people have been dancing like crazy to our songs... once you drop the first couple of bars of "Bad Boys", the dance floor seems to gain a little extra energy: people like songs they know, so it's wise to not forget that and use it to your advantage to keep the vibe going especially in venues you're trying for the first time. When they call you because they know who you are and what you do, you can focus more on your own thing, but until then (and even then!), wise use of classic covers can be your best friend and allow you to carry the originals in an unfamiliar crowd.

[mcnach]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1501143042' post='3342746']

Audiences don't care who wrote the song. All they want is a song they can like. Don't lose your objectivity. If you've written a dull song make it better or don't play it.
[/quote]


This!

Sometimes we have some new songs that we love, and we play it and doesn't get received very well. We don't understand it... but if we have a couple of tries and it's received coldly... we drop it entirely or we change it. Play what goes don well, read the audience.

Sometimes a song that flops gets revitalised by playing it in a slightly different style, or faster, or changing the chorus or... it's fun to explore. We have had up to 3 versions of one song at some point!

[bazzbass]

just remember that, apart from Lennon and Mc Cartney, most songwriters' first original song was rubbish, and not too original.

Same for their second original....and possibly the third fourth and fifth. But eventually they will get better.

Don't get disheartened by lack of reaction etc, just keep doing it and improving your songwriting skills.

I can honestly say that playing originals to twenty appreciative people is a much greater buzz than playing some cover to 400 people.

really.