Litmus test for determining if a cover band is any good...

[zachoff]

Do they sound bad?
Do they play music I hate?

"No" answers to both of those questions will render them good in my eyes.

[Lemoore-on]

Originally Posted by kcole4001

If there are girls leaving the bar in groups of at least three and using the word/term "ugh" in their discussion of the experience, then the band's a total fail.

Seen it, heard it, not good.
Usually happens when the band plays what they like over what an audience (IE: girls!) likes.

This is the key to a good cover band

[AuntieBeeb]

Originally Posted by jelly6466

We played Red Barchetta, note for note, last week and the crowd reaction was akin to if we had just distubed a medical procedure. Next song was I will walk 500 miles and there was a jailbreak to the dance floor for that three note ditty.

I'm not surprised. I mean, I love Red Barchetta and hate - nay, loathe 500 Miles, but I'm not surprised. Apart from 500 Miles being - sadly - more famous than anything by Rush, it's just one of those sad facts that if you're playing covers then the songs you love are usually not the same ones that summon a crowd to their feet to dance and gurn for all their worth.

[pklima]

Originally Posted by zachoff

Do they sound bad?
Do they play music I hate?

"No" answers to both of those questions will render them good in my eyes.

Wait, you're a musician. If they play music YOU hate, they probably are a good cover band.

Not picking on you personally, just taking a cheap shot at musicians in general.

[zachoff]

Originally Posted by pklima

Wait, you're a musician. If they play music YOU hate, they probably are a good cover band.

Not picking on you personally, just taking a cheap shot at musicians in general.

Totally valid & probably true. I don't see many cover bands and if I do it's usually by accident.

[Clef_de_fa]

I don't know the song and I don't really care about it.

What grab my attention is the word : Litmus

From what I know it is a paper for testing acidity.

Also I'm from Quebec so I speak french and during my college degree in music we had a class named : Littérature Musical which mean Musical Literature so in short we called that class Litmus ...

[Ubersheist]

Originally Posted by Mykk

After the 11th bar does it break down into the Djent Metal halftime groove?


I have no idea what song you're talking about.

Totally. That's how we play it.

It's ok to reinterpret songs, and if adding one bar makes things easier and the audience is none-the-wiser, then there is no problem.

Always judge a cover band by:
- How good it sounds to people who have little or no musical training
- How many people are dancing, bobbing heads, listening or otherwise NOT leaving the bar
- How good the band is at interacting, entertaining and/or controlling the audience
- How close people dance to the band. It's a good sign if they're all right up next to the stage, not a good sign if there's a big vacuum between you and the audience.
- How much money the bar makes. A good indicator is how many beers or shots or drinks that people buy for the band.
- How many people in the audience are repeat customers/fans.

11 bars vs 12 bars, or if the right mixolydian minor 13th diminished whosit chords are used don't factor in, IMHO. As long as the band sounds good, things don't have to be "right" in my book.

[j0616bass]

One good way to get my attention from a cover band, besides maybe playing some songs that i wouldn't expect, is good backing vocals. That speaks to me on an attention to detail level, or something.

[robd]

if a band wants to play, brown eyed girl, mustang sally or folsom prison blues, 11 or 12 bar, they have failed my test.

[Johnny Crab]

OP: "True to the hit original" sounds like what you mean.
I've had issues with that in some songs BUT we added a pro(10 years touring, major country star) on keyboard/guitars and he hears what I hear so songs usually get corrected structure-wise instead of just "done". On new songs that are not straight forward, he'll send us correct PDF charts of the structure.

The drum-bass function: I ALWAYS make it a point to give our drummer a thumbs up in the middle of songs when we "play" very much together on parts without it being rehearsed. When folks flock to the dance floor and/or sitting folks feet are moving/tapping in-sync with our timing then we KNOW we are doing our "job" while having fun.

[BryanM]

Originally Posted by Clef_de_fa

I don't know the song and I don't really care about it.

What grab my attention is the word : Litmus

From what I know it is a paper for testing acidity.

Also I'm from Quebec so I speak french and during my college degree in music we had a class named : Littérature Musical which mean Musical Literature so in short we called that class Litmus ...

I had a class in high school called elementary functions but on my schedule it was abbreviated elefun. I quite enjoyed elefun class.

My band isn't a cover band, but FPB is one of the few covers we do, but it would probably be offputting to a lot of people on this board. We play it transposed to Eminor and slow it down to around 70-80 bpm, then lead it with an accordion and mandoline with no drums except for frenzied stomps and the occasional rogue cymbal crash. We do still play it as an 11 bar rather than a 12 bar though.

[Chaddycakes]

My litmus test includes three things: do they have paying gigs, does the setlist look anything like a successful cover band setlist, and does the crowd pay attention by dancing. A good band entertains the entire time, while a crummy band has crummy songs. A poor song choice or a poorly played song will be apparent to everyone.

[Vince Klortho]

I have different standards. I saw a cover band last weekend and they had an OK song list but I thought they played them poorly. The audience seemed to like them though and lots of people were dancing and they have a steady gig there. By most common standards they would be considered a decent band but I didn't like them at all. Their rhythm section never locked on to each other the entire night. It was painful for me to listen to but people seemed to like them.

[lfmn16]

My litmus test is, are there any anal retentive control freaks in the band that can't go with the flow?

They tend to suck the life and the fun out of a band - for the band and the audience. Life is too short and I keep moving.

[rusanderson]

I think I have two tests, really. Are they good enough to notice the detail of the song (11 vs. 12) and then have a valid reason for playing one over the other (maybe the drummer is afraid of prime numbers?).

The other is their set list and knowing who their crowd is. I've seen really good bands play songs that they "think" everyone wants to hear, then wonder why they can't get gigs (Knights in White Satin will not drop panties). AND I've seen really mediocre bands play all the songs that everyone (i.e. girls) wants to dance to pack clubs every weekend.

[TomB]

Originally Posted by Ubersheist

Totally. That's how we play it.

It's ok to reinterpret songs, and if adding one bar makes things easier and the audience is none-the-wiser, then there is no problem.

Always judge a cover band by:
- How good it sounds to people who have little or no musical training
- How many people are dancing, bobbing heads, listening or otherwise NOT leaving the bar
- How good the band is at interacting, entertaining and/or controlling the audience
- How close people dance to the band. It's a good sign if they're all right up next to the stage, not a good sign if there's a big vacuum between you and the audience.
- How much money the bar makes. A good indicator is how many beers or shots or drinks that people buy for the band.
- How many people in the audience are repeat customers/fans.

11 bars vs 12 bars, or if the right mixolydian minor 13th diminished whosit chords are used don't factor in, IMHO. As long as the band sounds good, things don't have to be "right" in my book.

Interesting list! I would add: - How quickly does the management re-book the band. 11 bars vs. 12? C'mon, seriously? I'd agree it helps if the whole band lands in the same place on that one. ...and not all of them do, especially if there are multiple solos .

[JonnyAngle]

So... I've never heard of 11 bar blues. Which bar does one leave out? I can't think of any other way to play 12 bar blues than to have all 12 bars.

[chuckNC]

The last one. Check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5Ts4M3irWM

[GlennW]

Originally Posted by the_stone

Do they play “Folsom Prison Blues” as the 11-bar form or 12-bar form?

E or F?

[Double E]

So, Merle Haggard, Jerry Reed, Gram Parsons, Brian Setzer and probably many other greats that have covered this song using 12 bars don't pass the OP's test. I think I trust their musical sensibilities.

Also, I'd hardly call dropping the last bar of a 12 bar form a "hook". In fact, I will stick my neck out and say it...the 11 bar version sounds rushed, I like the 12 bar better!

99 out of 100 average listeners would not even notice anyway.