Seeking advice on covers (looking for $$$$)

tumpinjahosafat · #1 12-11-2007, 06:55 PM

Whats up guys. I'm in an original metal band right now. We have about a show a week basically, all of which are NOT paid. If we are lucky we will make 20 bucks a month off of selling cd's or whatever it be with this band. Thing is we want some money, because its nice to have it and we need it because were all broke as a joke. At any rate, we've decided maybe we should do some covers/make some money. Ok sounds good, but what do these bars want to hear? My band is new to the covers world. Heres what questions i need answered, thanks guys :

1. What types of covers are big around Western Mass (i.e. top 40/blues/metal/rockabilly/country)?

2. What would it take to be making roughly 300-600 a night?

3. The singer in my band is 21, this weekend, the rest of the band, including myself, is under 21. Is this an issue?

4. How do i go about booking these gigs?

Thanks to all of those who are responding to this with some useful information. Seems like for once talkbass doesnt have ALL the information i need. This place is great, you guys rock. Thanks - Mike.

kaputsport · #2 12-11-2007, 07:03 PM

I played in bar bands since I was 18.

Remember, you are playing to the drones. Pick popular songs that are in constant radio play. Do it all. Some country, some classic rock, some modern rock. You would be surprised what 45 covers can do to get you some dough.

I played in a band twice a week, on friday and saturday, and roughly made over $1200 a month, just playing covers. I learned about 15 songs a week, so we could rotate them into the sets as needed. Once you build a following, they are putty in your hands.

Also, learn a few technical songs. Something that is well constructed, and known, but shows off your playing ability.

You will go far...

tumpinjahosafat · #3 12-11-2007, 07:07 PM

so are you saying you constantly had a set of 45 songs per show, but that songs got cycled out eventually and you keep the set list fresh?

Also, is it typical to assume we will be playing for 3-4 hours a night? Is this normal, or less? Is 45 songs a good set list?

anderbass · #4 12-11-2007, 11:16 PM

Cover bands usually play three 45 minuet sets in my area.

I think you guys should get out on a Fri/Sat night and visit all the clubs your planning to gig to see what tunes and genres of music they're audience like. (then do it better)

Here's a thread that might come in handy for ya:
Cover bands: post your set list

Depth_Charge · #5 12-12-2007, 05:43 AM

Another way of scoping out what people are playing locally is to lurk on booking agency websites and download any available playlists from the represented cover bands

tumpinjahosafat · #6 12-12-2007, 07:46 PM

Gasman · #7 12-12-2007, 08:04 PM

I don't think you'll get many gigs as a "metal" cover band, unless you focus on a single band that most people know (like Iron Maiden or Guns n Roses, if you consider them metal). Bar and club owners want bands that will keep people drinking, so you must appeal to both men and women. You can concentrate on hard rock tunes (Aerosmith, AC/DC and the like), but will need some slow songs, quite a few classic rock numbers, as well as some "modern" stuff to appeal to most people. My last cover band had about 50 songs we did with varying levels of competence, but you will never need to play 50 songs in a night. You just need enough variety to alter a set list based on what the crowd responds to, which changes every gig.

Also, get a booking agent.

mward69 · #8 12-12-2007, 11:34 PM

We learned enough rock, funk, mo-town, disco, odd stuff, country to play the set to the crowd. 1st set usually softer, country/eagles type stuff and slowly throw out a rock tune 'er sumthin to see the reaction.
I have a 4 page "cheat sheet" just for that....we have our "normal" set list we use since most our crowd are in the age of 35 and lower.
So put together a setlist of the stuff you wanna do. But have your backup setlist as well for the older crowd.

jimbob · #9 12-13-2007, 12:15 AM

Good advice here. For what it's worth, being under 21 does not stop you from booking parties which is where the real money is at if you are doing popular covers. Party's like dance music for the most part. Good Luck.

pjwalsh · #10 12-13-2007, 12:43 AM

You are gonna find it hard to make any money even as a cover band in Western Mass bars - just not much going on there. There is a nice little venue in Montague called the RT 63 Roadhouse, check 'em out - they do hire local acts both original and cover. A very succesfull Western Mass cover band is "Lovebomb". they do just about any genre of music and seem to make a decent living doing mostly non-bar shows like weddings and other events.

XtraLongScale · #11 12-13-2007, 01:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tumpinjahosafat

Whats up guys. I'm in an original metal band right now. We have about a show a week basically, all of which are NOT paid. If we are lucky we will make 20 bucks a month off of selling cd's or whatever it be with this band. Thing is we want some money, because its nice to have it and we need it because were all broke as a joke. At any rate, we've decided maybe we should do some covers/make some money. Ok sounds good, but what do these bars want to hear? My band is new to the covers world. Heres what questions i need answered, thanks guys :

1. What types of covers are big around Western Mass (i.e. top 40/blues/metal/rockabilly/country)?

2. What would it take to be making roughly 300-600 a night?

3. The singer in my band is 21, this weekend, the rest of the band, including myself, is under 21. Is this an issue?

4. How do i go about booking these gigs?

Thanks to all of those who are responding to this with some useful information. Seems like for once talkbass doesnt have ALL the information i need. This place is great, you guys rock. Thanks - Mike.

I'll try to shed some insight to this seeing as I play covers (and soon, originals) in the Springfield/Hartford (and surrounding) area. First and foremost, age is definitely going to be an issue when playing in clubs around here. Please don't take that as a dis. It's more or less an issue of liability for club owners. Even if you don't drink at gigs, club owners simply aren't going to look past that issue, so unfortunately, until all members are 21 and older, you're gonna get shut out of the "covers" scene around here (and anywhere else, I'd imagine). Hopefully the rest of the band isn't too far off from reaching that age. Beyond that issue, material-wise, most clubs and their patrons pretty much dig what's currently on the radio such as Breaking Benjamin, Chevelle, Godsmack, basically anything you hear currently on 99.3 or WAAF. That's pretty much the predominant style around here. Another thing to keep in mind is the fact that you're not going to start out as a headliner and make the big bux, so you'll have to bust your balls for at least a year or longer doing opening slots (hopefully sooner if you're super tight) and with those gigs, you'll be lucky to make $50 (that's for the whole band) if the headliner is feeling generous. What club owners are going to pay attention to most is the amount of people you bring in. Once you've built up a sizable fan base that will consistently come to your shows, then you'll have reached headliner status and you can expect well beyond $600 a gig

I know alot of what I've said is really discouraging, but if you want to be in a money making covers situation, these are the things you'll have to endure and there's no avoiding it. Good luck and hope to see you out there.

XtraLongScale · #12 12-13-2007, 01:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pjwalsh

You are gonna find it hard to make any money even as a cover band in Western Mass bars - just not much going on there. There is a nice little venue in Montague called the RT 63 Roadhouse, check 'em out - they do hire local acts both original and cover. A very succesfull Western Mass cover band is "Lovebomb". they do just about any genre of music and seem to make a decent living doing mostly non-bar shows like weddings and other events.

I've got to respectfully beg to differ in a big way. There's enough clubs around here to make a decent discretionary income. Places such as Breakers, Club Meadows, Maximum Capacity and Finn McCool's do very well with bands (predominantly covers) every Friday/Saturday. The area goes hand in hand with the Hartford area as well with venues such as Up or On the Rocks, All Stars, Murphy & Scarletti's, Club 645, Rookies and so forth. Plenty of places to gig around here and it's a thriving scene, I'm happy to say.

pjwalsh · #13 12-13-2007, 07:28 PM

Very glad to hear that - I've been away from the area for a while and had heard that it was very quiet on the local scene - course I am speaking more about the Northampton area too - probably less active.

XtraLongScale · #14 12-13-2007, 08:37 PM

Well, NoHo's still got their own insular scene. Definitely more on the Alt/Indie-ish side as compared to the rest of the area's Metal-ish aesthetic. A buddy of mine's hardcore band plays there pretty often. Metal is pretty much king around here with bands such as Shadow's Fall, Killswitch Engage and All That Remains hailing from the area.