The Official Covers vs Originals Thread

[Bert Slide]

Originally Posted by bassbully

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

+1

Monkey see/ Monkey do

[bluewine]

Originally Posted by Bert Slide

+1

Monkey see/ Monkey do

I would love to hang with a TBer in the originals camp and have him pic out 3 random originals bands to go see and check out in Milwaukee. That would be a riot.

Blue

[DWBass]

Originally Posted by bassbully

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 awful...but people we're 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

I just can't believe all these 'bad' bands are actually gigging! A 'Nationally' touring tribute band with horrible vocals? I need to get my band with that booking agent! I just find it hard to believe all these allegedly horrible bands are gigging on a regular basis! WITW?!!?

[zachoff]

Originally Posted by bluewine

I would love to hang with a TBer in the originals camp and have him pic out 3 random originals bands to go see and check out in Milwaukee. That would be a riot.

Blue

Hopefully one of them is Die Kreuzen.

[zon6c-f]

I prefer covers.

If another band member wrote the tune and it hits; you will be dumped by the label and writer gets the $$, unless you are lucky and maybe get $500 recording fee while writer makes $$$$$. My experience with perfoprming originals is no one cares abouyt it; dpopesn'tg want to listen to it except band friends and family.

Caps for emphasis; not "shouting"...NEVER MADE A CENT PLAYING ORIGINALS; WAAAYYY TOO MUCH EFFORT FOR NEAR ZERO GAIN.

Covers?? Made $$$$ playing them. Most Symphonies are no more than "cover bands" ; playing hits from the 17 and 1800's.

[ChrisB2]

"Pffft." Compelling argument lol.

[zachoff]

Originally Posted by zon6c-f

My experience with perfoprming originals is no one cares abouyt it; dpopesn'tg want to listen to it except band friends and family.

If you're at an open mic night at some bar that pushes tables aside for the band then yeah... I can see where this is the case, but if you're at a bar or a theater that is known to cater to original bands where people come to see/hear original music then this statement is false.

On the money thing... You're right. I've not made much money playing original music but I'd rather make nothing writing and playing music I love than make walk-around money playing music I hate.

[zon6c-f]

Sorry for my "fat-fingered" spelling..LOL..

Agreed; if you hate what you're playing regardless; orignals or otherwise..don't do it.

I was a prog bassist and never able to join a steady band; whether covers or originals. Too much drama and never playing out with originals, never playing out in rock cover bands.

In late 1979, on a dare I joined a country band ; ended up playing out weekly for years; earned enough $$ to pay taxes.

So yeah, after years of playing country covers..I hated the music; loved the regular gigs and money. It had turned into a lucrative part-time job.

To "get over it", I would go home and LISTEN to Jazz and fusion or JAM to my Kansas and Wishbone Ash records..pre CD era.

It boils down to whatever works for each of us.

[DWBass]

I'm not playing music I hate...period! I'm also not gonna play out just because. If I ain't gettin' paid, I ain't playin'!! I've been on both sides of the fence. I was always in the negative playing originals. Been in a bunch of variety type cover bands and made a second income. The majority of the music I liked. No brainer! If the originals band made the same kinda coin, I'd do it too.

[Jeb]

IME, players that work in cover bands are much more versatile players. They can just play... shoot them a key and they jump in and can predict where its going from there. Thats why they work and get paid. Most of what I hear from "original" music comes from a much different perspective. The material is almost always contrived, self-centered and frankly is very bad. Sorry..

[DWBass]

Originally Posted by Jeb

IME, players that work in cover bands are much more versatile players. They can just play... shoot them a key and they jump in and can predict where its going from there. Thats why they work and get paid. Most of what I hear from "original" music comes from a much different perspective. The material is almost always contrived, self-centered and frankly is very bad. Sorry..

In defense of the 'Originals' camp, the band I was in about 13 years ago was a very good band with excellent musicians (vocalist not so much). I thought the songs were good. I've seen and heard some really good originals bands as well in my 40+ years of playing.

[ChrisB2]

Oh, sure, there are good originals bands.........


Two.

[Bert Slide]

The way some of you guys talk about original bands all being so bad it's like you have forgotten that the guys you emulate every weekend play in original bands.

If you think all original bands suck you need to get out more. Pic a genre you like, google it and I bet there is tons of shows and festivals with some really good original bands happening all around you. You just have to look past Billy Bob's Sports Bar to find them.

[prd004]

Originally Posted by Jeb

IME, players that work in cover bands are much more versatile players. They can just play... shoot them a key and they jump in and can predict where its going from there. Thats why they work and get paid. Most of what I hear from "original" music comes from a much different perspective. The material is almost always contrived, self-centered and frankly is very bad. Sorry..

I've heard more cr@ppy cover bands than original ones.
I would rather hear a mediocre original band over a good cover band.
I agree there is plenty of bad bands in both camps, and excellent ones are few and far between on both sides.
20-25 years ago the vast percentage of cover bands were pro musicians trying to pay bills while they taught and worked in original projects, the cover scene was much better IMO back then. Nowadays it seems like hack players strive to learn 35-40 songs and get gigs that they would not have got 25 years ago. The music scene has suffered because of this.
Bad singer/songwriters and original groups have always been around, and always will be but they aren't getting a bunch of gigs and forcing me to listen.

[bluewine]

Originally Posted by Bert Slide

The way some of you guys talk about original bands all being so bad it's like you have forgotten that the guys you emulate every weekend play in original bands.

If you think all original bands suck you need to get out more. Pic a genre you like, google it and I bet there is tons of shows and festivals with some really good original bands happening all around you. You just have to look past Billy Bob's Sports Bar to find them.

Bert if you were in Milwaukee and picked 3 - 4 random originals bands to check out. I think you would be disappointed.

Now there are some good originals bands here , however the bands with guys standing up on stage that sound like they started playing their instruments last week out weigh them.

Blue

[Bert Slide]

Originally Posted by bluewine

Bert if you were in Milwaukee and picked 3 - 4 random originals bands to check out. I think you would be disappointed.

Now there are some good originals bands here , however the bands with guys standing up on stage that sound like they started playing their instruments last week out weigh them.

Blue

Blue, I'm well aware of your all-encompassing knowledge of the Milwaukee music scene so I will defer to your knowledge in that arena. I'm fairly confident though that if you picked 3 random cover bands in most areas they would mostly suck too.

So okay then, unique Milwaukee market aside, I've lived in 6 different US states in several different regions of the country in large metro areas and out in the sticks and I've never had trouble finding good original music to go see even if it took a little driving to get there from some locales.

[Big Brother]

Originally Posted by Bert Slide

The way some of you guys talk about original bands all being so bad it's like you have forgotten that the guys you emulate every weekend play in original bands.

If you think all original bands suck you need to get out more. Pic a genre you like, google it and I bet there is tons of shows and festivals with some really good original bands happening all around you. You just have to look past Billy Bob's Sports Bar to find them.

Isn't an originals band really just covering an in-house songwriter when they play live? The only practical difference is how well-known the songwriters are they cover.

I just don't see the real world difference between instruments on a stage playing songs by one person, and the same instruments on a stage playing songs written by another person.

Seems a little silly to me.

[bassbully]

Originally Posted by DWBass

I just can't believe all these 'bad' bands are actually gigging! A 'Nationally' touring tribute band with horrible vocals? I need to get my band with that booking agent! I just find it hard to believe all these allegedly horrible bands are gigging on a regular basis! WITW?!!?

Oh geez I'm going thru the years here from places I have visited on vacation to the pub down the street. I will come clean thou I have not gone out to see a cover band in years. The few I have been around lately were at festivals ,carnivals etc in the area.

Yea its out there covers, originals whatever. ..good and bad. The trib band was a U2 cover band and my wife and her friends thought the singer suked as did I and I'm no U2 fan like they all are.

[Bert Slide]

Originally Posted by Big Brother

Isn't an originals band really just covering an in-house songwriter when they play live? The only practical difference is how well-known the songwriters are they cover.

I just don't see the real world difference between instruments on a stage playing songs by one person, and the same instruments on a stage playing songs written by another person.

Seems a little silly to me.

I dunno, would you rather go see *insert favorite band name here* or *insert favorite band name tribute band* live? While imitation is admittedly an artform in itself sometimes it is also the sincerest form of flattery.

I'm curious how many musicians actually go see other cover bands just for fun. I only go out of my way to see a cover band if I have friends in the band.

[bassbully]

Originally Posted by ChrisB2

"Pffft." Compelling argument lol.

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