A question for those in coverbands...

[Muttleybass]

The band I'm in right now does a lot of 80's stuff. We try to keep it as current as possible, tho', playing everything from Pink, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, Gretchen Wilson, Katy Perry... The Dance stuff always goes over. How do we decide? Experience and experimentation. If we find something that doesn't go over, it's dropped.

I don't know if I would bother wood-shedding a ton of songs I might never play. I think you should decide what you want to do (or more appropriately, what you WILL do). The more pop/dance/country you go, the more gigs you will get. Once you decide what you want, just set up auditions, get 6 - 10 songs from them to learn.

I've always found the bands first and learned the songs for the band. (Unless it was my band)

[Richland123]

While we do play a lot of very popular and recognizable songs (however, no Brown Eyed Girl, Margarittaville, Mony Mony, or Sweet Home Alabama), we also play quite a lot of songs that other bands don't play and people love them because we are different. We also throw in a few songs that are not obscure but not overplayed and those have become some of our most requested tunes. A few in particular that are requested often The Future's So Bright (I Gotta Wear Shades) by Timbuk 3, Behind The Wall Of Sleep by The Smithereens, Harvest Moon and Cinnamon Girl by Neil Young, Toast And Marmalade For Tea by Tin Tin, and we do some instrumental tunes like Time Is Tight by Booker T. & The MGs (always packs the dance floor), and some surf stuff that gets asked for a lot.

[Factor88]

Originally Posted by funkingroovin

We do tend to get a lot of 'advice' from other musicians concerning our outlook on what we will/won't play,and I'm always happy to point out that we've been booked 52 weekends/year for the last four years,so we must be doing something right...

Is your facebook site up to date, or are there gigs missing from the events page? If there are gigs missing, please disregard what I am about to say:

Averaging 4 nights per month, mostly at two different bars, is not really what I would call being all that successful. My band basically does that and quite frankly we are not very good.

[bluewine]

Originally Posted by Factor88

^this. Matticus, given your stated goals, I would think genre is not so important as finding a band that is playing out as consistently as you want for the $ you want.

In 25+ year of playing the ony bands where I had a substantial influence on the music being played were my very first band and my very last band...both in reality all glorified garage bands. Every pro band in between I joined becuase they were already established and playing the amount I wanted to play. That brought me from classic rock covers to show/jazz to country to GB/wedding bands. The "right" band was the one making the most money where I wanted to live at the time.............

+1

I have a guitarist friend, he's a true top notch rock lead guitarist and could enhance any band.

However, he has been bandless for well over a year. I don't think he knows what he wants.

Everytime I refer him to a good working opportunity he rejects it:

" I could never get into anything like that, they look like a bunch of *&&%&**."

I think he's going to be bandless for a long time.

Blue

[DwaynieAD]

bon jovi's livin on a prayer and sublime's what i got

[Big Brother]

Originally Posted by the yeti

breakfast at tiffanys, champagne supernova, she's so high get some of the best pops of the night for us.

That's three. Now come up with 4 hours of 90s songs that your vocalist can pull off.

[klokker]

I joined the band I'm in and started off learning the set list that was already in place.

You can learn songs just for the heck of it, but I'd wait until you're in the band, and do what they do.

We add songs by concensus now. We're pretty much pre-1980 classic rock and a bunch of popular country stuff of anykind when we're forced into it.

[bluewine]

Be ready for the cultural change from originals to cover band.

Blue

[Phalex]

Originally Posted by MatticusMania

What kind of tunes are included in Top 40 kind of stuff?
I think the only defining factor in the music I want to play is that I want to rock, and not play songs like "Call Me Maybe", though if it pays Im not exactly against playing that kind of pop music.

Call me maybe would definitely qualify. GNR was huge in their day, they had lots of #1 hits.

Take a list like this one: http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/page...billbord5.html

Figure out what genre you're after (Hard stuff, Key's heavy stuff)

and pick the tunes that fit what you're doing. This is hits from the 90's but every decade since the 80's will yield some gems.

[SteveHeissner]

80's hairband tribute. Simple material any bonehead could play on bass. We all get along great, have fun, have a modest fan base, and get gigs that pay enough to cover our costs with a little profit.

[electracoyote]

The bookings were getting a bit thin in my area, so we went out a couple weekends ago and checked out some cover bands that are playing the rooms we'd like to play more often. More importantly, we studied audience response and participation.

We have since added "Sweet Home Alabama," "Walk This Way," "Hey Ya!," and "Fight For Your Right To Party." We made up a long list of such standards to learn.

Because we love those songs? Not a chance. Most of the songs we play, I'd change the channel if they came in the radio.

I'm the newest member of this band, and I was finally able to convince them that if they wanted to compete with the other cover bands, we needed to learn crowd pleasing party starting standards that people are familiar and comfortable with, can dance to, know the words and will sing along, etc.

The actual playlist varies from market to market, but I have always believed that's a cover band's job and it's what the majority of venue owners and their patrons want and expect.

You can google set lists for succesful cover bands in your area, check Billboard Hot 100 throughout the decades, look at the mobile DJ "most requested" lists, there are lots of ways to get ideas, and so much good music that you can configure it to your band's personality and abilities and not sound identical to another band.

[funkingroovin]

Originally Posted by Factor88

Is your facebook site up to date, or are there gigs missing from the events page? If there are gigs missing, please disregard what I am about to say:

Averaging 4 nights per month, mostly at two different bars, is not really what I would call being all that successful. My band basically does that and quite frankly we are not very good.

Haha! Y'know..that's a good question! I'm the guy that does the heavy lifting,as our drummer and singer are both in graphics/advertising in real life..I can't recall the last time I checked our FB page,but I call the local radio station every Wed. because they'll plug local talent for free all day Thurs/Fri/Sat. I would imagine the mostly two bars are The Breakers,which is the favorite local 'party bar',and O'Riley's or Johnnie's,which are the favorite local 'sports bars'.(These est. also call said drummer and singer for their ads,menus,etc..)I know our out-of-town gigs get radio advertisement,but I've yet to see any local fans willing to drive 50+mi each way to hear a cover band,FB posting or not..

[Lady Kayri]

Joined a band that already had a setlist, mostly 'lounge lizard' songs - lots of Frank Sinatra style songs. So learned what was in the setlist.we do change it up and add stuff here and there, so can make suggestions, so long as they fit in with the mix we already have. Lots of jazz and country and metal bands here, as well as djs, so our 'blues-pop' sound is enough different that there is some demand. BL/guitarist/vocalist had health issues this year (triple bypass followed by hip surgery) so didn't play many gigs, but venue owners were calling HIM asking if we were available... Doesn't happen much here! So hopefully one he is back on his feet we can start rehearsing again and get out there this summer.

There isn't much call for originals bands here. Most bands who write their own music play a mix of originals and covers, at least the ones who play out do. Not a lot of venues here with live music, so that also affects what types of bands find paying work.

[Big Brother]

90s music is fun to play but much of the music of that time was defined by a rather depressed, downbeat and droning quality that doesn't quite fit in with the working cover band premise:

Getting people giddy and up dancing, which gets them drinking more and staying longer which justifies hiring you...

The difference between a cover band and an original band is that one's goal is to perform their music, the other's is to inspire some moving feet and/or nostalgia.

I am not convinced a strong nostalgia for 90s music is quite there yet as a lot of modern rock still has its roots in the 90s and it needs more time before it is new again.

The thing about a cover band is you have to get people on their feet and happy, it really doesn't matter how.

[jacojbass]

One cover band of mine does lots of 80's stuff with a mix of 90's and current, and my other project is modern country, not that buck owens stuff I find in cover bands you gotta play what they want to hear, your are an entertainer at this point not an artist, save that for the tuesday night jazz open mic

[Gaius46]

We started life doing Zappa, Yes, King Crimson kinds of covers. Very fun to play. Zero market around here. Over time the drummer and I have convinced our two compatriots that if we wanted to actually work we needed to add songs that were popular with the patrons of the bars we play at as well as danceable.

We now do a mix of stuff from various genres. Classic rock, r&b and motown, reggae, bad 80s rock as well as more current popular stuff. We still throw the occasional Zappa tune into the set but cover bands - at least ones that work - are all about giving the people what they want.

[MatticusMania]

Originally Posted by the yeti

mainly if you have a good ear i'd say learn what you need when you need to.

Thats kind of my conundrum... being that I only know a few covers (though, Im a quick learner), and am looking to begin my coverband journey, what, at this point, do I need to learn? Where do I start?


Another question... does your coverband play note-for-note renditions, or do your personalize the songs to suit your own playing/style (with exception for signiture lines et al)?

Originally Posted by tZer

If I could recommend one thing to anyone wanting to be an in-demand cover band player - keep a binder! Transcribe EVERY song and add it to your note book - even if you don't really "need it".

Those notes/charts really help me see the structure of the song which helps significantly in retention.

Its also got to come in handy when woodshedding/practicing on ones own, Id think.

Playing in a cover band is rewarding in many ways and IMO prepares you to be a professional musician.

I think, ultimately, this is my goal.

Originally Posted by bluewine

When you start screening bands to audition, verify and confirm their bookings and booking history.

Also make sure there hasn't been a lot of recent personel changes. Sometime that can mean the ship is sinking.

More than likely you will want the band to own their own full pa.

Blue

Good call. I do want the band to own a PA, though I have some pieces of one myself. I plan on saving gig money to build a better sound system for when I start my own coverband, that way Im the guy with the PA.

Originally Posted by Richland123

When we put my band together almost 12 years ago, our approach was that we can't be everything to everybody but we can be a lot of things to a lot of people. With that thought in mind, we designed the band and selected our music as what would get us the most work, appeal to a wide audience with a little something for everybody, be fun to play, and we somewhat like the songs. We are a 3 piece party rock cover band that plays music that covers six decades and we can fit into most venues, situations, and play to a variety of listeners. That has proven to work very well in our regional market and we play about 80 gigs a year. As I tell people, we play music from Buddy Holly to The White Stripes and the compliment we hear most often is that people love the fact that we play a wide variety of songs and not stick to one style all night.

Ah, that sounds exactly as I was thinking... playing a whole lot of everything that lots of people can enjoy. If I may ask, how does your band decide on which tunes to lear/play?

Originally Posted by Factor88

^this. Matticus, given your stated goals, I would think genre is not so important as finding a band that is playing out as consistently as you want for the $ you want.

I think youre right. Genre is less important than gigging consistently, but I do also want to enjoy the music Im playing. That said, it sounds like a variety rock or top 40 thing might be the way to go.


Oh, and also, thanks to everyone who has replied, I have read your posts and considere your advice as well. Definitely keep it coming!

[the yeti]

Originally Posted by Big Brother

That's three. Now come up with 4 hours of 90s songs that your vocalist can pull off.

if you really think a "vocalist" finding 40 songs from *any* 10 year period they can "pull off" is something special, we're not only not on the same page, i don't think we're in the same book.

here goes: smells like teen spirit, come as you are, wonderwall, 1979, song 2, closing time, santa monica, all the small things, all star, walking on the sun, story of a girl, one week, ballroom blitz (wayne's world), little miss can't be wrong, 3 am, learning to fly, everlong, bound for the floor, flagpole sitter, you oughta know, just a girl, spiderweb, underneath it all, smooth, good, semi charmed life, basket case, longview, been caught stealing, any other popular song (of that decade)...

here's the thing- if any of us had trouble with any of those songs, would we really be a "bassist"?

[Flashback Bass]

Our band motto is: If you play a little bit of everything, you stand a good chance of pleasing everyone in the crowd! We play songs from the 50's to the 90's. To play most of the 80's hairmetal stuff you need a really good singer of which none of us are. We play what we can play well, and for the most part, like. We've also realized that the "younger" crowd would think of the 90's as their classic rock so we've been looking in that direction, but only tunes that you can dance to. We have enough of a repertoire now that we can more or less slate the set list to match the demographic of the venue. If we play a country flavored place we put in all the rockabilly and country stuff. If we're playing an older crowd lounge we do a lot of 50's songs. If it's more of a hard drinkin' blues type bar we play a lot of blues tunes. We play 3, hour and ten minute, 16 song sets with two 15-mintue breaks for a 4-hour show.

Here's our current song list in order of oldest to newest:

That's Alright Mama - Elvis Presley
I'm Ready - Muddy Waters
Riot In Cell Block #9 - The Robbins
Maybellene - Chuck Berry
Don't Be Crue - Elvis Presley
All Shook Up - Elvis Presley
Got My Mojo Working - Muddy Waters
Around & Around - Chuck Berry
Carol - Chuck Berry
Johnny B. Goode - Chuck Berry
Summertime Blues - Eddie Cochran
Sea Of Love - Phil Phillips
Messin' With The Kid - Junior Wells
The Wanderer - Dion & The Belmonts
Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying - Gerry & The Pacemakers
I Saw Her Standing There - The Beatles
Highway 61 Revisited - Bob Dylan
I'll Be Doggone - Marvin Gaye
Like A Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan
We Got To Get Out Of This Place - The Animals
Wooly Bully - Sam S. & Pharaohs
Hanky Panky - Tommy James
Mustang Sally - Wilson Pickett
Season Of The Witch - Donovan
Secret Agent Man - Johnny Rivers
Summer In The City - The Lovin' Spoonful
Born To Be Wild - Steppinwolf
Fire - Jimi Hendrix
Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon - Neil Diamond
Little Bit O' Soul - Foundations
The Letter - Box Tops
Bottle Of Wine - Fireballs
Cocaine Blues - Johnny Cash
Folsom Prison Blues - Johnny Cash
Jumpin' Jack Flash - Rolling Stones
Love Me Two Times - The Doors
Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay - Otis Redding
Spooky - Classic's IV
Sunshine Of Your Love Cream
Sympathy For The Devil - Rolling Stones
The Weight - The Band
White Room - Cream
Bad Moon Rising - CCR
Build Me Up Buttercup - The Foundations
Come Together - The Beatles
Evil Ways - Santana
Honky Tonk Woman - Rolling Stones
Lay Lady Lay - Bob Dylan
Let It Bleed - Rolling Stones
Proud Mary - CCR/Tom Jones
Up On Cripple Creek - The Band
Black Magic Woman - Santana
Cinnamon Girl - Neil Young
Paranoid - Black Sabbath
She Came, Bathroom Window - Joe Cocker
The Letter - Joe Cocker
The Thrill Is Gone - B.B. King
Who'll Stop The Rain - CCR
Ain't No Sunshine - Bill Withers
Brown Sugar - Rolling Stones
Dead Flowers - Rolling Stones
Do You Know What I Mean - Lee Micheals
It Don't Come Easy Ringo Starr
Locomotive Breath - Jethro Tull
No Matter What - Badfinger
Trouble No More - The Allman Brothers
Beat It On Down the Line - Grateful Dead
Me & My Uncle - Greatful Dead
One Way Out - The Allman Brothers
Ziggy Stardust - David Bowie
American Band - Grand Funk
I Shot The Sherriff - Eric Clapton
Sundown - Gordon Lightfoot
U.S. Blues - Grateful Dead
Let The Good Times Roll - B.B. King
Squeeze Box - The Who
Tore Up Over You - Jerry Garcia
East Bound And Down - Jerry Reed
Like A Hurricane - Neil Young
Margaritaville - Jimmy Buffet
Move It On Over - George Thorogood
Prove It All Night - Bruce Springsteen
Pump It Up - Elvis Costello
Two Tickets To Paradise - Eddy Money
Wonderful Tonight - Eric Clapton
Bad Case Of Loving You - Robert Palmer
A Certain Girl - Warren Zevon
On The Road Again - Willie Nelson
Tulsa Time - Eric Clapton
You May Be Right - Billy Joel
The Break Up Song - Greg Kihn
867-5309 (Jenny) - Tommy Tutone
Someday, Someway - Matthew Crenshaw
Blister In The Sun - Violent Femmes
China Girl - David Bowie
Pride & Joy - S.R.V.
Cover Me - Bruce Springsteen
Centerfield - John Fogerty
R.O.C.K. In The USA - John Melloncamp
Blood And Roses - Smithereens
Keep Your Hands To Yourself - Georgia Satellites
Tightrope - S.R.V.
Before You Accuse Me - Eric Clapton
Friends In Low Places - Garth Brooks
Hard To Handle - Black Crows
Oh, Lonesome Me - Kentucky Headhunters
The Sky Is Crying - S.R.V.
Man In The Moon - R.E.M.
Hey Jealousy - Gin Blossoms
Mary Jane's Last Dance - Tom Petty
I'm Tore Down - Eric Clapton
Cumbersome - Seven Mary Three
Monkey Around - Delbert McClinton
Last Kiss - Pearl Jam
Easy Money - Bruce Springsteen
Lonely Boy - The Black Keys

Yup, Elvis to the Black Keys. Kind of covers it all!

http://www.myspace.com/nightshiftbandrocks

[the yeti]

Originally Posted by MatticusMania

Thats kind of my conundrum... being that I only know a few covers (though, Im a quick learner), and am looking to begin my coverband journey, what, at this point, do I need to learn? Where do I start?


Another question... does your coverband play note-for-note renditions, or do your personalize the songs to suit your own playing/style (with exception for signiture lines et al)?

if you want to make money find out what the high earners *in your area* are doing and learn that. if you want to do a specific genre find out out what the top bands in that genre are doing in common and start there.

we have bass, drums, guitar, no synth, no backing tracks so some things we have to deconstruct. it's unavoidable. also not a big deal. people want to hear the song not the part.