As A Artist, The Worst Of All Possible Fates Would Be..

[bogey_j]

to end up as a jaded old guy playing in a cover band, doing top 40 hits like katy perry and lady gaga. I'd hang up the guitar long before it ever gets to that point.

You know I never understood the point of playing in a cover band. why would you ONLY wanna play other people's music? don't you want to pursue your own creative ambitions? is it just for the money? I'm not attacking anybody that happens to play in cover bands, i'm just saying...i never wanna end up like that

[jgroh]

Lets see...Im 39, I have two kids, a full time job, my own business on the side which is like another full time job, a wife that works full time, a big house, cars, and very little free time. I play in a cover band for fun and stress relief. I played in original bands for years and write my own music, every part but the vocals, and at this point in my life and situation, I dont want to have a revolving door of bandmates playing to 10 people in a bar 100 miles from home because no clubs around where I live have original bands.

Im assuming you are in your teens or twenties with little responsibilities.

[Ric5]

Dude ... you do realize that an original band has a 99.9% chance of failure. Many times a trying to "make it" in the music business is a fast track to poverty.

[Joe_K]

Lets check back with you in about 20 years.

[Ric5]

Originally Posted by bogey_j

You know I never understood the point of playing in a cover band. why would you ONLY wanna play other people's music? don't you want to pursue your own creative ambitions? is it just for the money? I'm not attacking anybody that happens to play in cover bands, i'm just saying...i never wanna end up like that

Don't think of it as playing other people's music ... think of it as playing songs that people actually WANT to hear.

There is no shortage of mediocre bands that crank out songs that are devoid of a good hook. For me playing in one of those bands is painful.

[MonetBass]

It depends on what you want to get out of playing. Looking for a steady paycheck? In most cases, that means cover band.

The other thing is that not all musicians, believe it or not, know HOW to create original music. I have a friend who is an incredible pianist, but can't come up with an original song to save his life. It's really something you either have or you don't, I believe. When people ask me when hearing one of my originals "Where did you come up with that?", most of the time my answer is "I have no idea" or "It just popped into my head".

My goal is to write original music and make an album. If I can sell some copies and other people enjoy it, great. If not, no big deal. I'm doing this for me as a creative outlet. I'm not looking to get rich and famous.

[AltGrendel]

Originally Posted by Ric5

Dude ... you do realize that an original band has a 99.9% chance of failure. Many times a trying to "make it" in the music business is a fast track to poverty.

Like that old joke:

How do you make a million dollars in the music business?
Start with two million.

[plangentmusic]

Being unyielding in one's musical discrimination is a trait reserved for only the very young, the very foolish and the very unprofessional.

[Phalex]

Oh boy! A "Musical/Artistic integrity trumps getting paid to play" thread!

What a great idea!

BTW, this thread is a cover thread of a million other non-original original threads.

[scorpionldr]

Originally Posted by bogey_j

to end up as a jaded old guy playing in a cover band, doing top 40 hits like katy perry and lady gaga. I'd hang up the guitar long before it ever gets to that point.

You know I never understood the point of playing in a cover band. why would you ONLY wanna play other people's music? don't you want to pursue your own creative ambitions? is it just for the money? I'm not attacking anybody that happens to play in cover bands, i'm just saying...i never wanna end up like that

Ah. The old question of "why play other people's music". Well, there are a few points. In some circumstances, as people say, the music original bands put out is not as quality as established bands. My response is "perhaps." because its not the case for every band.

As for the 99.9% chance of failure, look at Anvil. Those guys started as KIDS, playing shows, playing festivals, playing any hole in the wall that would give them the time of day. Unfortunately it's taken them up to their 50s to receive proper recognition, but you can't say (IMO, of course) that they probably look at every album they did and regret it, ITS EXPERIENCE!

So now MY reason for playing. I play in a cover band on Bari Sax. We actually use manuscript, and we actually sound good, and the reasons I play it?

1. The old guys knew their ****. Nuff said. For every part they wrote, they tried to put in something cool. In a bunch of songs.
2. Its good exercise on the fingers to play it.
3. You meet different people (granted I'm working with a bunch of guys in the age range of 40-50, but you can't argue you meet people)
4. I stopped writing music when I started realizing that the attraction to my "sound" would not be anything fanatic, that the trolls and critics of the net would come out and try and say I didn't think, or I don't sound good, or I don't put together quality songs, or I don't try to appeal to everyone, or try to say that I'm just a bad musician (which in some regards I am, but I can at least play the notes on the page you put in front of me).

In short, IT TOOK THE PRESSURE OF WRITING MY OWN **** OFF, MAN. MUSIC IS CREATIVE. ITS HOW YOU APPLY IT TO WHATEVER YOUR DOING THAT MATTERS.

Now that I think about it maybe I should cook up some new tracks when I get off work.....

[SteveC]

Good luck with your original band. Please come back and tell us how great it is being successful band. We'll all be here, talking about all the gigs we have playing other peoples music. Hey, maybe we'll even be covering you.

Good luck.

[dalkowski]

Originally Posted by bogey_j

to end up as a jaded old guy playing in a cover band, doing top 40 hits like katy perry and lady gaga.

Call it intuition, but I imagine few, if any, of those guys are "jaded."

• They're able to stay connected with something they're passionate about (playing), which is a gift to us "old guys" with consuming work and family responsibilities.
• Presumably, they're in bands with people with whom they enjoy playing music —which, personally, is one of music's great joys.
• If they're good, they get love from their audiences (see any of the "Chicks at Shows" threads) and repeat gigs at bars/clubs.
• They get paid at the end of the night.

No one's holding a gun at their heads. Maybe they don't love every song in their sets, but the rewards must outweigh that annoyance.

Nothing wrong with following your artistic vision. Go for it. But in most cases, "artistic vision" and "steady, paying gigs" are mutually exclusive.

BTW, it's "An Artist."

[Bassdirty]

Originally Posted by Ric5

... think of it as playing songs that people actually WANT to hear.

It does not get clearer than this.





Theres a reason those songs are in the "top 40".

Originally Posted by dalkowski

BTW, it's "An Artist."

[mowburger]

Originally Posted by Ric5

Don't think of it as playing other people's music ... think of it as playing songs that people actually WANT to hear.

haha right?>!

altho I'm in a mildly succesful original band, we love to throw a few covers in (Kings Of Leon, Marshall Tucker Band, Bob Marley) it really connects us to the audience and the music we ALL love to hear. Nothing like a whole bar of people singing along, even if it's not "OUR" song

[Bassdirty]

Originally Posted by Phalex

BTW, this thread is a cover thread of a million other non-original original threads.

Sorry to post again..but- that..is funny.

[dalkowski]

Originally Posted by Phalex

BTW, this thread is a cover thread of a million other non-original original threads.

Which explains its runaway popularity!

[C.Linton]

OP been watching too many movies.

[bogey_j]

Originally Posted by scorpionldr

Ah. The old question of "why play other people's music". Well, there are a few points. In some circumstances, as people say, the music original bands put out is not as quality as established bands. My response is "perhaps." because its not the case for every band.

As for the 99.9% chance of failure, look at Anvil. Those guys started as KIDS, playing shows, playing festivals, playing any hole in the wall that would give them the time of day. Unfortunately it's taken them up to their 50s to receive proper recognition, but you can't say (IMO, of course) that they probably look at every album they did and regret it, ITS EXPERIENCE!

So now MY reason for playing. I play in a cover band on Bari Sax. We actually use manuscript, and we actually sound good, and the reasons I play it?

1. The old guys knew their ****. Nuff said. For every part they wrote, they tried to put in something cool. In a bunch of songs.
2. Its good exercise on the fingers to play it.
3. You meet different people (granted I'm working with a bunch of guys in the age range of 40-50, but you can't argue you meet people)
4. I stopped writing music when I started realizing that the attraction to my "sound" would not be anything fanatic, that the trolls and critics of the net would come out and try and say I didn't think, or I don't sound good, or I don't put together quality songs, or I don't try to appeal to everyone, or try to say that I'm just a bad musician (which in some regards I am, but I can at least play the notes on the page you put in front of me).

In short, IT TOOK THE PRESSURE OF WRITING MY OWN **** OFF, MAN. MUSIC IS CREATIVE. ITS HOW YOU APPLY IT TO WHATEVER YOUR DOING THAT MATTERS.

Now that I think about it maybe I should cook up some new tracks when I get off work.....

I find it sad you gave up your art because of what some douchebags said about it. Most people are idiots, they dont know anything. Just look at the top 40 right now. People that play in cover bands are the ones who cater to them

If you believe in what you're doing you shouldnt stop. Look at bands that were ahead of their time like the velvet underground. Went from being completely ignored in the 60's to being considered one of the most important bands of all time

[masterFlash]

Since I play in an Irish\Celtic band the covers we play are like 100-300 years old. I love doing this stuff. To me its a way to keep the music alive. Of course if you don't like playing other people's music then don't play it. However the umbrella term of musician does cover quite a few other roles such as composer, performer, entertainer, etc. Figure out what you want to do and do it.

[flyingfinbar]

No cover bands for me. I respect the people that do it, but I'd rather play original music, even if less people are enjoying it. I understand that I won't make a living doing it-- that's why I work and am attending grad school.