The Official Covers vs Originals Thread

[pklima]

Still pondering this covers vs. originals thing... I got talked into joining an originals project with a really hot and great singer. Played two gigs so far, one electric and one acoustic, and I'm already considering quitting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chykGheE4y0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFtUr3VTMbg

I dunno...

[derrico1]

To swim against the prevailing tides of general audience apathy, an originals band really needs the material and the performances to regularly deliver excitement and magic. Her voice, presence, and (especially) guitar work are decent but unremarkable.

The electric material would seem decent, with an outstanding singer and guitarist on the date. ("Mimo Wszystko" seems like a hard sell, although it didn't help that the drummer was pulling the pocket all out of shape.)

A really great singer is always the hardest piece of the puzzle to find, so I hesitate to suggest just giving up on this project if you don't already have other work with more clearly talented singers. Perhaps if you got a skilled guitarist to bring some fire (and vocal harmonies), your singer could focus on bringing a little more magic into her singing and stage presence.

[pklima]

Well, it's not like I have a ton of gigs with better singers. I think she mostly just needs to stop being shy (which is possible, I'm known to be a good influence on shy singers), start wearing revealing outfits, and play these songs in a completely different style. That last part is the problem. I want to take these songs and make them sound like Ke$ha or at least Rihanna, and she probably needs a bassist who'd have ideas that are actually usable, LOL.

[derrico1]

I hear you. If you can get her to put the guitar down and bring in a nasty player on electric, she might up her game.

[pklima]

We can speed the slower songs up, add more instruments - keys or violin or guitar - and hope she gets over her shyness. She was in another band in high school with a second guitarist and was just as immobile on stage, so that won't be a magic bullet, but I'm willing to give shy singers a chance to break out of their shell.

The problem is that I suspect I might be the worst possible bassist for this kind of music. Not because I can't play the notes, but because I want to make it a million times more poppy. She might be better off with somebody who just wants to make it a hundred times more poppy.

[bassbully]

Originally Posted by pklima

We can speed the slower songs up, add more instruments - keys or violin or guitar - and hope she gets over her shyness. She was in another band in high school with a second guitarist and was just as immobile on stage, so that won't be a magic bullet, but I'm willing to give shy singers a chance to break out of their shell.

The problem is that I suspect I might be the worst possible bassist for this kind of music. Not because I can't play the notes, but because I want to make it a million times more poppy. She might be better off with somebody who just wants to make it a hundred times more poppy.

I dig it and people in the second video were to. The shyness will get better if you have only had 2 gigs. I would look at adding another guitarsit to do leads and outline the chords with fills etc.
This way she can work on singing and show.


The look is there. If it was me I would give it some time if you have it.

[pklima]

The look is there. Definitely.

[DWBass]

Originally Posted by zachoff

..and I've not walked into plenty of bars that have crappy cover bands playing. Hell, I've avoided plenty of bars that have decent cover bands playing. You can only hear so much Mustang Sally and Don't Stop Believin before you want to puke.

Man, must be a limited amount of cover bands (and styles) where you live. We do have bands playing that stuff but there are also all kinds of other cover bands from R&B/Funk to Country to Blues to straight up Pop. Also, if your bars are hiring crappy cover bands, something is wrong! Around here, if your band sucks, you don't gig!

[bluewine]

Originally Posted by DWBass

Man, must be a limited amount of cover bands (and styles) where you live. We do have bands playing that stuff but there are also all kinds of other cover bands from R&B/Funk to Country to Blues to straight up Pop. Also, if your bars are hiring crappy cover bands, something is wrong! Around here, if your band sucks, you don't gig!

+1

blue

[zachoff]

Originally Posted by DWBass

Man, must be a limited amount of cover bands (and styles) where you live. We do have bands playing that stuff but there are also all kinds of other cover bands from R&B/Funk to Country to Blues to straight up Pop. Also, if your bars are hiring crappy cover bands, something is wrong! Around here, if your band sucks, you don't gig!

TBH, I know the bars and clubs around Denver that regularly hire cover bands and I don't really go to them. Not really my crowd at all. I'm still a dirty punk rock/heavy metal dive bar sort.

Every once in a while I'll be at my mom & dad's and head over to the town bar and there will be a band playing and it's generally your basic/generic classic rock and blues cover act. Pretty much the only bar in town though so what can you do besides stay at home?

[bassbully]

I can't recall in quite a few years where I have seen a cover band that was not somewhat in the cover band mold. It is mostly the same old same old in classic rock ,blues, rock bands in my area and its old.

I really like when a cover band throws an oddball song out there or twists a cover then they get me to notice but its not often. BTW this is not a knock at coverbands it's just that most are not doing intersting songs for the most part.

[ChrisB2]

It's old to you. So what? The typical cover band consumer wants to hear the typical cover band setlist. We are not catering to you.

And I could just as easily say pretty much all originals bands around here do the same 3 chord crap, uninteresting, tired and uninspired... but that's not a knock on originals bands!

That's cool, right?

[bassbully]

Originally Posted by ChrisB2

It's old to you. So what? The typical cover band consumer wants to hear the typical cover band setlist. We are not catering to you.

And I could just as easily say pretty much all originals bands around here do the same 3 chord crap, uninteresting, tired and uninspired... but that's not a knock on originals bands!

That's cool, right?

So you are not catering to me a customer and maybe a future fan? That is a bad idea IMO. As for originals bands yes it is true here to but it really depends on the style and type of music you go see. In my circle it is not 3 chord rock orignals that's for sure.

My fav cover band is a blues and who covers the true blues and plays old school stuff most people would not know from Lead belly to old standards...no SRV here.

There is a super cool Zydeco bands in my parts that spin cover tunes in that style and they own the room with them.

The majority (covers) play the same old same old and if I know the type of band it is I can name some of the songs they will play that night for sure before they play them.

Again it's not a knock and in my last coverband we searched for songs others would not play and it worked. I'm very picky about the music i will sit and listen or pay for. if it's good its good if its old and stale ..I'm out.

[ChrisB2]

Originally Posted by bassbully

So you are not catering to me a customer and maybe a future fan? That is a bad idea IMO

You missed my point. Most people who go out to see cover bands want to see cover bands play stuff they know, typical cover band songs. Not b-sides or deep cuts, nor the kind of stuff you described. So no, we are not catering to someone who wants to hear deep cuts or heavy blues. The typical cover band fan doesn't want to hear it, and we're catering to them not you. You can't please everyone and we aim to please the cover band crowd, and they like what they like.

My comments about originals bands were purely satirical.

[bluewine]

Originally Posted by pklima

Still pondering this covers vs. originals thing... I got talked into joining an originals project with a really hot and great singer. Played two gigs so far, one electric and one acoustic, and I'm already considering quitting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chykGheE4y0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFtUr3VTMbg

I dunno...

I like the black pants.

Blue

[bassbully]

Originally Posted by ChrisB2

You missed my point. Most people who go out to see cover bands want to see cover bands play stuff they know, typical cover band songs. Not b-sides or deep cuts, nor the kind of stuff you described. So no, we are not catering to someone who wants to hear deep cuts or heavy blues. The typical cover band fan doesn't want to hear it, and we're catering to them not you. You can't please everyone and we aim to please the cover band crowd, and they like what they like.

My comments about originals bands were purely satirical.

Yea I fell into the musician in the room look at local bands.

I should of known better and have been on my soapbox over this on TB before.

Joe and Jane public dont really care about flash or if you have a new Sadowsky bass and you are having a hot night playing . Just play them the same old songs they love... close to in tune and sing decent..sigh

[zachoff]

Originally Posted by bassbully

Joe and Jane public dont really care about flash or if you have a new Sadowsky bass and you are having a hot night playing . Just play them the same old songs they love... close to in tune and sing decent..sigh

'cause
that's the way
uh huh uh huh
they like it
uh huh uh huh

[pklima]

Well, Joe and Jane do care about flash. It's just not the kind of flash that musicians think is flashy. They might even care about that new Sadowsky bass if it's pink and sparkly.

[ChrisB2]

Originally Posted by bassbully

Yea I fell into the musician in the room look at local bands.

I should of known better and have been on my soapbox over this on TB before.

Joe and Jane public dont really care about flash or if you have a new Sadowsky bass and you are having a hot night playing . Just play them the same old songs they love... close to in tune and sing decent..sigh

Mmm, no... they definitely care about the show, especially the vocals. That's what makes playing covers so much more demanding than playing "original" stuff... with covers you're being measured against the best performers in the business. If your originals come out sounding like a dying cow being squashed by a bus full of screaming Japanese tourists, who would know the difference? For all your audience knows, that's the way your song is supposed to sound.

Oh, and NO ONE cares about your new high-falooten bass...

[bassbully]

Originally Posted by ChrisB2

Mmm, no... they definitely care about the show, especially the vocals. That's what makes playing covers so much more demanding than playing "original" stuff... with covers you're being measured against the best performers in the business. If your originals come out sounding like a dying cow being squashed by a bus full of screaming Japanese tourists, who would know the difference? For all your audience knows, that's the way your song is supposed to sound.

Oh, and NO ONE cares about your new high-falooten bass...

Ehh... can't agree here. I was in cover bands that tried songs we should not of tried and people loved them. I would rather have toothpicks shoved under my fingernails to play them again but the bands said ..people love that song we butcher

I have seen bad vocals in cover bands and people keep rocking right along. One was in a nationally touring tribute band and it was allful...but people we singing and rocking out to the bad vocals.

Covers or originals band singing is bad singing. I'm talking about bands butchering songs and my wife and others think its great

As for covers being more demanding...pfft.... please