Cover Band Bass Players Club-Come On In!

faulknersj · #1 06-01-2010, 05:04 PM

I thought it might be cool for all of us cover band players on TB to share stories, experiences, and ideas. I would love to know what kind of cover band you are in, how often you play, where you play, what songs hit every time, etc! Please post a link to your web page if you like! I come from an original music background and finally put my dream cover band together about a year and a half ago.we are an 8 piece Motown, Soul, 70's Funk, Disco, modern top 40 dance band. It is a great crew to play and hang out with! I did have some success in the original music game culminating in a record deal with Rca Records in 2001, and a single that received heavy MTV video rotation and went to #3 on the modern rock charts. After a bit of a hiatis, my desire to make a living playing music was again reignited. My cover band journey has been a lot of work but has been so rewarding in so many ways! I wish I could have set my punk rock ethos aside for a moment when I was younger and realized how much musical growth is possible when your focus is disecting the works of some of the greatest songwriters and players of all time. My musical growth, understanding, and capacity has grown exponentially over the last year an a half. I started taking lessons and am committed to becoming a more knowledgable and proficiant player. On off nights, I seek out Blues jams to get my fix. I am addicted...addicted to music! My bands growth has exeeded my expectations; we grossed more as a band in the first 3 months of this year than we did in all of 2009. We play Casino's, and posh clubs here in the Phoenix area. Our Corporate and Wedding business is booming during the cooler season. I am down to working about 20 hours a week waiting tables at my favorite local restaurant. Man, I'll tell ya, life is good! I would love to hear from you about your experiences and your cover band journey! Thanks for Reading!

www.thejjsband.com

logicman69 · #2 06-01-2010, 05:17 PM

Great club! I'm in...

I play bass for a RI based rock coverband called SLAM! We play a mix of angry girl rock (female lead singer), 80's metal, and pop (Lady Gaga, Pink, ect). We do the usual circut of clubs, playing out 1-2 times a week, but our best gig is The Scorpion Bar in Foxwoods. Great club that is always jumpin (plus having GoGo dancers on stage doesn't hurt either). Our website is being worked on, but you can find us on Facebook.

The songs that go over huge right now are "Bad Romance" from Lady Gaga (it never fails... EVER) and "U + Ur Hand" from Pink.

Cover Band's UNITE!

faulknersj · #3 06-01-2010, 05:37 PM

Thanks for Sharing Man!

rust_preacher · #4 06-02-2010, 04:04 AM

Well, I don't know if I qualify, great idea anyway and I will subscribe. I played guitar in a covers band at work before but due to some scheduling challenges that band has not been together for half a year. Coincidentally, I moved over to bass for another work-related party event, and after that gig there was a drummer looking for a band, at the same job, so now we have a 5-piece covers band in mostly the classic rock genre. No gigs yet, and it still is difficult to get everyone to join for practice at the same time. Hopefully on Thursday we all will be there. I am not looking to get this project to a pro level, ever, but certainly having a weekly rehearsal to go to will enable me to develop my bassist skills.

basste · #5 06-02-2010, 05:34 AM

Great idea !
I'm in. I Left in june 2009 , with regrets a nice 6 pieces funkjazz coverband I was in for 5 years. We played some classics as "so what" or "cantaloup island", "summertime" in a funkjazz way, as others tunes from Ana Popovic, Diana Krall, Lucky Peterson, Robben Ford, or even Sting, several gigs a year..
That was a blast.
here is a vid of our very last gig before i quit. We have a guest with congas, our singer's man.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXLQaDYJCqc

Then i looked for new guys to play in my new location and found two guys for a rock trio. We got a lot of work to make it sound right, as singer/guitarist is the weak point. That said, ity's very cool to play with them, nice guys, close to my home. As a trio, i've a lot more musical space to express, and we all sing: drummer makes add vocals, and i will sing few tune, then add vocals on others. We play different things like Beatles (i want you, day tripper), Oasis, radiohead, Ben Harper, and some french band and singers. We plan to add some blur, perhaps cooking a mix between "No woman no cry" and "So lonely".. We play as we feel it, we are not "note for note" kind of cover band. (nor was the ex band i was in). It's a real fun

And i look for another band, in funkjazz music, as i miss it a lot.

LAPetrarca · #6 06-02-2010, 06:05 AM

Well, my story may be a little different than most but, here goes.......

Played the RI spaghetti and chicken circuit for 20+ years then took a break for a few years. Formed a Classic Rock band with the drumer and a couple of longtime friends STRICTLY for having fun first, gigs second. So far, after two years, it's still working out great. The youngest guy in the band just turned 51 so, there's no "rock star" attitudes to deal with. It's VERY laid back and most all decisions are made by committee. We're all in it for fun.

There are several clubs and bars in our area that we book gigs in at our discretion. We ALL have LOTS of friends that attend most of our gigs so, the owners know that when we book into a house, they're gonna' make a killing at the bar!

Kenner · #7 06-02-2010, 06:16 AM

Sign me up!

I play in 3 cover bands, the busiest being Rockfist! (link below)......

It's an 80's covers band and we play 60+ shows a year...The Rock you Remember...

I also have a ZZ Top Tribute band called La Grange and a power 70's trio (same dudes that are in La Grange) called The Nines.....all on facebook.

When time permits, I do a bit of fill in work as well...

troy mcclure · #8 06-02-2010, 06:23 AM

I am in...
I started playing bass again about 5 years ago after a 20 year break. I have been in 7 bands in the last 4 years. The band I am currently in plays almost every weekend, some 1 nighters , some 2 . My fav gig is a place called bar louie nothing like watching 200 drunk yuppies dance to Blister in the Sun and then throw you a $100 tip to play it again.

theimpostersrock.com

rtslinger · #9 06-02-2010, 06:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by faulknersj

I thought it might be cool for all of us cover band players on TB to share stories, experiences, and ideas. I would love to know what kind of cover band you are in, how often you play, where you play, what songs hit every time, etc! Please post a link to your web page if you like! I come from an original music background and finally put my dream cover band together about a year and a half ago.we are an 8 piece Motown, Soul, 70's Funk, Disco, modern top 40 dance band. It is a great crew to play and hang out with! I did have some success in the original music game culminating in a record deal with Rca Records in 2001, and a single that received heavy MTV video rotation and went to #3 on the modern rock charts. After a bit of a hiatis, my desire to make a living playing music was again reignited. My cover band journey has been a lot of work but has been so rewarding in so many ways! I wish I could have set my punk rock ethos aside for a moment when I was younger and realized how much musical growth is possible when your focus is disecting the works of some of the greatest songwriters and players of all time. My musical growth, understanding, and capacity has grown exponentially over the last year an a half. I started taking lessons and am committed to becoming a more knowledgable and proficiant player. On off nights, I seek out Blues jams to get my fix. I am addicted...addicted to music! My bands growth has exeeded my expectations; we grossed more as a band in the first 3 months of this year than we did in all of 2009. We play Casino's, and posh clubs here in the Phoenix area. Our Corporate and Wedding business is booming during the cooler season. I am down to working about 20 hours a week waiting tables at my favorite local restaurant. Man, I'll tell ya, life is good! I would love to hear from you about your experiences and your cover band journey! Thanks for Reading!

www.thejjsband.com

Okay add me in 5 member Classic Rock tribute band New Jersey Two Guitars Bass, Keys, and Drums. We are performing 4 times a month on avg. we play 60-80 Classic Rock and we tried to do songs others in the area aren't doing or can't pull off live RTS

Phalex · #10 06-02-2010, 06:29 AM

I belong here.

4 piece cover band, doing everything from AC/DC to ZZ Top. We're booked 42 weeks this year (I have a Sunday gig they just booked next week, so maybe that makes it 43.)

www.intheredonline.com

or

http://www.facebook.com/reqs.php#!/p...6016816?ref=ts

mcapote · #11 06-02-2010, 06:34 AM

4 piece Rock cover, we play pretty much anything rock or metal from the late 60s to current, our audience tends to be from late 20 to early 50s both men and women. Play biker and sports bars mainly. couple times a month, talking about possibly branching out to events to make some cash.

Chowowbus · #12 06-02-2010, 05:10 PM

Rockfist! Sweet!

I play bass in a tool cover band. We play 2 shows a month. There is always a good turnout. Its fun, but it takes us a lot of practice to do this. We have been around for about a year and a half. I have been with the lead singer for over 2 years. We started playing top 40 covers, but our singer got tired of me being a whiner about how much I hated it. I suggested a tool cover, not knowing how hard it would be. We have gone through a lot of members. The vids on our site are taken in the studio..(my living room) with our new drummer on his first day...

http://46and2oly.com/

mrpackerguy · #13 06-03-2010, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by faulknersj

I thought it might be cool for all of us cover band players on TB to share stories, experiences, and ideas. I would love to know what kind of cover band you are in, how often you play, where you play, what songs hit every time, etc! Please post a link to your web page if you like! I come from an original music background and finally put my dream cover band together about a year and a half ago.we are an 8 piece Motown, Soul, 70's Funk, Disco, modern top 40 dance band. It is a great crew to play and hang out with! I did have some success in the original music game culminating in a record deal with Rca Records in 2001, and a single that received heavy MTV video rotation and went to #3 on the modern rock charts. After a bit of a hiatis, my desire to make a living playing music was again reignited. My cover band journey has been a lot of work but has been so rewarding in so many ways! I wish I could have set my punk rock ethos aside for a moment when I was younger and realized how much musical growth is possible when your focus is disecting the works of some of the greatest songwriters and players of all time. My musical growth, understanding, and capacity has grown exponentially over the last year an a half. I started taking lessons and am committed to becoming a more knowledgable and proficiant player. On off nights, I seek out Blues jams to get my fix. I am addicted...addicted to music! My bands growth has exeeded my expectations; we grossed more as a band in the first 3 months of this year than we did in all of 2009. We play Casino's, and posh clubs here in the Phoenix area. Our Corporate and Wedding business is booming during the cooler season. I am down to working about 20 hours a week waiting tables at my favorite local restaurant. Man, I'll tell ya, life is good! I would love to hear from you about your experiences and your cover band journey! Thanks for Reading!

www.thejjsband.com

Impressive. Great website.

Me..original member of a band we started in high school. When our friends were just fooling around trying to put together punk, metal and everything else bands, we went another direction playing Englebert, Beatles, Stones, Bobby Vinton, Elvis, Johnny Cash, Willie and Waylon, Frankie Yankovich, Crystal Gayle, Kinks, Knack and booked almost every Friday and Saturday night through my Sophmore, Junior and Senior years in high school that I can remember playing area country clubs, bars, hotel lounges (back when you could tour the hotel lounge circuit) and weddings and the Elks Club every NYE.

32 years later not much has changed (including the setlist

) except two of the 5 guys and the fact we only play weddings almost exclusively now and only book once a month by choice mostly because we are all about 250mi apart. Still having fun though. Through pointed and deliberate marketing efforts to the wedding crowd the past few years, we managed to work ourselves up to the #1 cover band in WI, #4 regionally and #13 nationally on Gigmasters where we book about 50% of our weddings. Our website gets us lots of requests too, though admittedly it's not too professional, but simply gives people the information they are looking for. Fortunately, we get to pick and choose gigs these days. Still having fun.

MalcolmAmos · #14 06-03-2010, 08:49 AM

Two cover bands - play rhythm guitar in one and electric bass in the other. Both are classic Country, the old stuff. We are all retired and don't like to drive after dark LOL so we play mostly the afternoon and early evening gigs. There is a need, take heart, you will be able to gig into your 70's and 80's.

Do a lot of nursing and retirement homes, church cover dish, birthdays, street dances, fairs, etc. Hour gigs, very lay back, if it turns out to not be fun we don't go back. Average 5 to 7 gigs a month. Some pay, mostly for fun. We've been known to play if they feed us.

bassteban · #15 06-03-2010, 08:53 AM

I get the best of both worlds- I'm in two bands, one originals & one covers. Both are way fun.

mrpackerguy · #16 06-03-2010, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MalcolmAmos

There is a need, take heart, you will be able to gig into your 70's and 80's.

We can all only hope my friend!

BassCycle · #17 06-03-2010, 10:19 AM

I play with THE BASH!! http://thebashtheband.com in SoCal. We're weekend warriors gigging at casinos, clubs, wineries, private parties, etc. We have 5 members, bass, drummer/background vocals, keys, guitarist/vocalist and a female vocalist. We do a wide variety, 60s thru current hits, rock, R&B and adult contemporary. We gig practically every weekend.

I also gig with a jazz group doing standards and occasional church gigs.

faulknersj · #18 06-10-2010, 03:57 PM

My band learned a live version oif Beyonce's 'Single Ladies' that has bringing the house down at the more trendy clubs lately. We play classic stuff at the casino's, and modern stuff at the trendy upscale club gigs. We have also been starting every set with an instrumental and having the singers make their appearance as the instrumental is ending. This has been working really well. recent instrumentals include Cissy Strut by The Meters, Urban Theme by Maxwell, and The Tighten Up by archie Bell and the Drells.

brattbugg@sbcgl · #19 06-17-2010, 03:31 AM

Scoot Magoo here in Detroit. We all have day jobs and we play almost every weekend. We play nicer bars, casinos and hotels. In the summer we do the local summer events. Stuff that works best for us is Journey, Boston, Bon Jovi...Mostly 80's stuff that most bands dont do.

Billminpa · #20 06-17-2010, 04:39 AM

Great Thread! My Band is The Main Street Cruisers (www.mainstreet-cruisers.com). We are in Northeast PA and play mostly casinos and larger festivals. We have 8 pieces, 2 guitars, sax, bass, drums, keys and 2 girl singers. We are an Oldies Show Band. Busiest time of year is Spring into Fall, sometimes playing 2-3 times per weekend. We also do concerts in theaters that have been very successful recently.