challenge to cover bands who put "their spin" on songs

[sleeplessknight]

Originally Posted by threshar

How's about Master Blaster (stevie wonder) with accordions? How's about if there is also a psychodelic accordion solo in the middle?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8V1PhIWg4w

HAH, as soon as you said "Accordions" and "Master Blaster" in the same sentence, I knew that HAD to be Gumbo Diablo :-) I was their bassist for a stretch back a couple years ago, I think I might even be on some of their older demo tracks on the website. GREAT band, they bust their hump putting on great shows!

[Vince Klortho]

If you like older progressive rock listen to a band called "Bubble Bath." They do some really excellent covers. Those guys are really good ! They have several songs on YouTube.

[bigswifty1]

Has anyone mentioned "When the Levee Breaks"?

[the yeti]

Originally Posted by oldrocker

Of course John Coltrane was not in a cover band

but he did perform lots of covers.

[g4string]

Originally Posted by mellowinman

Are there working cover bands who put their own spin on songs? Sure.

Are there many? No, especially at the bar level. Mostly, you have rank amateurs, who can barely play at all. Their "spin" is frequently playing the wrong tempo; with sub-par vocals; and using drummers who can barely keep time.

Thanks to everyone for the great contributions!

Yah, chance are if you're a good enough band to put a good spin/arrangement on a classic cover, you've prob graduated from playing dive bars and moved on to bigger/better venues. prob the reason why you don't see many weekend warrior bands doing such. Arranging takes time (and talent). Not saying weekend warriors don't have the talent, but many don't have the time. It seems the bands who can successfully spin a song are those comprised of "full time" musicians. Those bands have the time and talent. And like I said, many of those bands won't be found at your local biker dive.

[ChrisB2]

Originally Posted by mellowinman

I'm not the least bit worked up about any of this. Capitalizing words is for EMPHASIS. It's a written medium. There is no way to discern any person's level of emotion. I am not bent out of shape at all, and I enjoyed the covers I have heard here, and have encouraged, and will continue to encourage, posters to post theirs.

The fact remains, however, that a large majority of cover bands who claim to "put their own spin" on songs are simply bands who are unable to faithfully recreate the iconic songs their audience came to hear, and this thread has done nothing to put that to rest.

I'm sorry if this fact, which I have supported with logic, and no one seems to be able to provide evidence to the contrary, upsets anyone.

I'm not sure, however, that anyone is actually arguing that point.

Are there working cover bands who put their own spin on songs? Sure.

Are there many? No, especially at the bar level. Mostly, you have rank amateurs, who can barely play at all. Their "spin" is frequently playing the wrong tempo; with sub-par vocals; and using drummers who can barely keep time.

Thanks to everyone for the great contributions!

+1, your last few posts were a very well constructed analysis of the hi-jack that occurred on this thread.

As you said, it's all in the thread title and OP.

Okay, it's no big deal and you guys can talk about whatever you want but it's pretty obvious that most posts in this thread do not conform to the OP.

[KCLRbass]

Sorry for the massive multi-quote.

Originally Posted by BayStateBass

Wow. Just....wow.

Originally Posted by the yeti

holy guacamole you guys are superbad!

Originally Posted by CTC564

Killer band!!!

Wow. Thanks to all you guys for the support. When it comes down to it, we're still just a bunch of dudes struggling to make music so it really means a **** tonne (sorry for the spelling...I'm Canadian) to know you guys are enjoying the tunes.

Originally Posted by Pacman

I bet these guys SLAY clubs where they're playing.

Only one way to find out, Pacman: ROAD TRIP!

Originally Posted by mellowinman

These are all good. The musicianship is top-notch. They are done in a genre that is NOT what they came from, and as you mentioned, you are not a cover band.

As good as they are, I'm not sure how they'd go over in some of the clubs I'm playing. I have a feeling you'd be lucky to escape with your lives, but you never know; they might just be good enough to win people over.

The Nirvana cover was shot at a show where we played ONLY Nirvana covers. It was a Nirvana tribute billed as "Nirvana Funk". The club was rammed with Nirvana fans, and it definitely took a while for them to warm up to us. Some never did. Most, though, just danced and sang along. It was a really cool experience.

Originally Posted by natw42

And i def have envy of your guitarist... That's exactly the kind of guitarist I love to play with.

As far as I'm concerned, KC - as a guitarist, singer, songwriter - should be the envy of the entire universe. A truly unique talent.

Originally Posted by derrico1

When I saw this thread, your Marley revision and Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers' take on Hall and Oates were the two recent creative re-arrangements that immediately came to mind.

Dude, I had never seen that Nicki Bluhm stuff. Absolutely love it. Thanks for the tip.

Originally Posted by the yeti

i just wanna be on their street team.

Hired. Let me know when you get here. I've got some flyers for you to distribute.

Seriously, though, we'll be traveling all over the place once our record is done. If you're interested in helping out when we're out in your neck of the woods, we'd be really grateful.

[nutdog]

Originally Posted by Pacman

I'm game.

http://soundcloud.com/jonpackard/walkin-in-memphis-no-woman

Excellent!

Originally Posted by KCLRbass

OK, we're not a cover band, but we've done tons of covers. A bunch of samples below. Some are closer to the originals than others. More where that came from on our youtube channel. Enjoy!

Here's a new one posted today:
2+2=5 by Radiohead

Some older ones:
Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen (reharm and a bit of DnB feel)
All of the Lights by Kanye (Dubstep bridge)
Forever by Drake (bluegrass)
Something by the Beatles (reggae)
Heart Shaped Box by Nirvana (funky house)

Top notch! Post up your tour schedule. I'm old, jaded and rarely get out when it's not my gig but I bet your show is worth it.

[BayStateBass]

I've been watching this thread closely and thinking a lot about it, but in the end I have to agree with what Mellowinman is talking about, for the most part. And I hate to say it, but he's basically correct in a lot of ways.

For the most part, cover bands that "make it their own" often do so because they cannot cover the song accurately, whether it's due to musicianship, instrumentation, or overall delivery. The whole "making it your own" is often, mistakenly, used to justify altering a song so that it is more comfortable, more playable, or more attainable for the group who is performing it. A ton of bands do it, some are successful, some are not. Typically you are going to find this at the low level bar band groups, like my band, who are good enough to put on a fun show for people, play tunes they recognize and have fun with, but in a place where people are not overly critical because they're there to drink and dance, not to be music critics.

There are some bands who go out and "make it their own", truly, and own it. Like the clips posted by KCLRBass. Nobody could argue with the musicianship there, and I think you'd be hard pressed to find anyone saying they changed it up because they were "lazy".

[g4string]

Originally Posted by BayStateBass

I've been watching this thread closely and thinking a lot about it, but in the end I have to agree with what Mellowinman is talking about, for the most part. And I hate to say it, but he's basically correct in a lot of ways.

For the most part, cover bands that "make it their own" often do so because they cannot cover the song accurately, whether it's due to musicianship, instrumentation, or overall delivery. The whole "making it your own" is often, mistakenly, used to justify altering a song so that it is more comfortable, more playable, or more attainable for the group who is performing it. A ton of bands do it, some are successful, some are not. Typically you are going to find this at the low level bar band groups, like my band, who are good enough to put on a fun show for people, play tunes they recognize and have fun with, but in a place where people are not overly critical because they're there to drink and dance, not to be music critics.

There are some bands who go out and "make it their own", truly, and own it. Like the clips posted by KCLRBass. Nobody could argue with the musicianship there, and I think you'd be hard pressed to find anyone saying they changed it up because they were "lazy".

+1. Def talking about two different teirs of bands/musicians. Like I mentioned previoulsly, you're average working band isnt gonna take the time to rework a cover into their own style unless they are comprised of a group of skilled musicians who have the time to fiddle with arranging. If said band is playing dive bars where people don't care/appreciate the time spent arranging, or only want to hear the original version, it's a moot point and time wasted on the bands part. That's why I think what we're talking about is an anomaly.

[blue4]

I took the OP the same as Mellowinman did as well.

[plankspanker13]

Originally Posted by Vince Klortho

If you like older progressive rock listen to a band called "Bubble Bath." They do some really excellent covers. Those guys are really good ! They have several songs on YouTube.

YUP!
OMG, the chick on the cover of Brain Salad Surgery is REAL!

[derrico1]

OP asked if anybody's band had an interesting spin on covers. That seems to invite outliers. The limits came later: "weekend warriors," "dive bars," billing one's band as a "classic rock cover band," representing someone's idea of the average cover band.

If the question is whether bands that play mostly covers or that sometimes play cover gigs ever come up with interesting re-arrangements, the answer's clearly yes. If we're limited to classic rock cover bands playing small bar and grills in Muncie, IN, then, sure, the outliers probably become pretty thin on the ground.

If the question is whether on average, part-timer bands improve a song by re-arranging it, the answer's probably no, but in that case a TB thread is so obviously not the vehicle for statistically studying the question, that there's clearly not much point in getting excited about whether the results here "prove" that conclusion.

BTW, I feel lucky to be playing in an area rich in talented musicians who play in a wide range of settings. It's not only possible but pretty commonplace to catch a weekday or early hours gig in a small venue featuring players who also play on national or international stages. And yes, on those pick up local gigs, they're typically ripping up sets that are heavy on covers.

If all you get in your small venues are just-learned-to-strum players putting their hearts into a hacked version of "Rockin in the Free World," yeah, I'd see where you'd be down on the idea of covering tunes. But it's a big world out there, with some inspiring music in it. If that's not what you see on your corner, feel free to make some.

[scottfeldstein]

Big creativity isn't always richly rewarded in my neck of the woods. But my philosophy is that while not not all people are going to "get it," the right people will.

[aborgman]

Originally Posted by mellowinman

The fact remains, however, that a large majority of cover bands who claim to "put their own spin" on songs are simply bands who are unable to faithfully recreate the iconic songs their audience came to hear

This just isn't my experience.

IME lots of cover bands/players simplify songs for efficiency sake, not because they are incapable.

[Bunk McNulty]

I'd like to say we came up with this arrangement on our own, but in fact we lifted it from Joan Osborne.

The Weight.

[pklima]

Originally Posted by derrico1

OP asked if anybody's band had an interesting spin on covers. That seems to invite outliers. The limits came later: "weekend warriors," "dive bars," billing one's band as a "classic rock cover band," representing someone's idea of the average cover band.

It does really depend on the genre. Playing things your way (or at least the conductor's way) is necessary in classical music. With really modern pop, it becomes a necessity - not even Rihanna sounds like Rihanna albums when backed by a live band. I don't know about classic rock, I've never really played in a rock band.

I mostly treat it as a necessary evil and generally try to minimize it as much as is practical, but yeah, what's practical is pretty limited by efficiency. A lot of the time the songs get a little less spun with the passage of time.

[ChrisB2]

Originally Posted by derrico1

If the question is whether on average, part-timer bands improve a song by re-arranging it, the answer's probably no

Exactly, which is the context of the spirit of the OP, and the correct answer to the question.

IMO the vast majority of participants in the forums that sparked this thread ARE part timers, and the thread title clearly specifies COVER BANDS.

I would turn your argument around and say, if the question is "do world-famous mega superstar artists rearrange and recreate songs and make them into big hits," the answer is obviously yes. Or, "do rare bands exist comprised of full time high caliber musicians who spend hours rearranging and perfecting a very special version of a song exist," then the answer is obviously yes.

The question then becomes, since the answers are obvious, why would either of those scenarios be brought up in a thread asking if the average cover band improves a song by "making it their own" which is really the only logical way to interpret the OP??

No, the only question that makes sense is just like you said above, does the average part timer cover band that does not play the song like the record as they otherwise would be expected to, improve the song with their rearrangement?

[the yeti]

Originally Posted by ChrisB2

No, the only question that makes sense is just like you said above, does the average part timer cover band that does not play the song like the record as they otherwise would be expected to, improve the song with their rearrangement?

you're right of course.

[plankspanker13]

Originally Posted by ChrisB2

No, the only question that makes sense is just like you said above, does the average part timer cover band that does not play the song like the record as they otherwise would be expected to, improve the song with their rearrangement?

MOST cover bands probably do not; SOME might. The key is to try involving yourself in projects with the potential for the latter.

I just got word that I am being tabbed (by live band karaoke BL) to anchor another project of his, a Paul Rogers (Free/BadCo) tribute; Yawnsville, for me, musically, but lucrative.