Tribute bands... What would you do? - Page 2

carl h. · #21 12-22-2012, 11:01 AM

I've been in a couple tribute bands. PinkFloyd DSOTM and an ABBA tribute. Both were a blast to do. Believe it or don't but Abba was really a good time - some great bass licks in their stuff.

Richland123 · #22 12-22-2012, 11:26 AM

One of our fellow Talk Bass members has a Heart tribute band called Little Queen that is excellent.

http://www.littlequeenrocks.com/

Bert Slide · #23 12-22-2012, 12:13 PM

I want to do a bluegrass tribute to P Funk with me on upright and call it "Atomic Doghouse". Initial attempts to find other musicians that share my dream have been unsuccessful.

QORC · #24 12-26-2012, 05:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zachoff

I've wanted a Nirvana cover band for a long damn time but have tried it and failed for lack of a good Kurt. Sounds silly for the people that hate him, but it's a distinctive sound (both guitar and vox) that not many can cop (none that I've found).

I'd also be really into a Replacements tribute band. They're fun and Tommy Stinson is rad.

Well, yes, you need a great "Kurt" -- both in terms of look and sound and of course must play guitar. Without that, you'll never get anywhere.

That being said, I can't see getting far with either a Nirvana or, especially, a Replacements tribute. Going to be hard to carry off a whole night of Nirvana and expect to get really good gigs. They were iconic, but for such a brief period. Most people would know 2-3 of their songs and that's it. For a tribute to really work, you have to have broad appeal -- a band that had a lot of mainstream hits and airplay over a long period of time. That's just reality in the tribute market. You can't play the same bar once a month as a tribute - it doesn't work. You have to be able to play all over the place to keep working -- places you hit once or twice a year. Why? Because you're doing one band and essentially the same show over and over. You can't go to the well too often. So imagine trying to book Nirvana tribute? Going to be hard unless you are willing to travel and take a lot of small gigs. Just my opinion.

The Replacements? I just can't see that working.

I mean, it depends also on how you define 'success'? Are you in it to make good money and do big gigs and festivals? Or just because you did these bands and it would be a big smile to cover them? Unless you have a spot on "kurt", you have very little chance of getting very far with a Nirvana tribute. Replacements? No chance of big gigs doing them, IMHO. They were too obscure. but again, your goals define if you should do it or not -- not our opinions.

vlado · #25 12-26-2012, 05:55 AM

The Beatles
The Police
Nick Drake
U2

QORC · #26 12-26-2012, 06:00 AM

who the hell is Nick Drake?

All the rest I agree with. If done very well, all would work very well.

two fingers · #27 12-26-2012, 06:00 AM

Well, go for it if you like but......

I live in a town that has every kind of music you can think of and I can't imagine a market for such a band (either band). But if things in Colorado are itching for one of those, knock yourself out. As for "What would you do?" I would find a different idea for a project. Those seem like failures in the making unless your market is 180 degrees different from mine.

mazdah · #28 12-26-2012, 06:12 AM

I did played in The Cult Tribute Band
We were actually not that bad:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdR0ngQi3JU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzGHHRctW-I

But I'd never come back to doing this.

I don't want to pretend I'm somebody else for people who want that somebody (not me) on the stage.

Now I play what I want, how I want, I move how I want, I look how I want and if the audience doesn't like it - well at least I know they don't like "me", not "me trying to be Chris Wyse"

Vincent P · #29 12-26-2012, 06:17 AM

Comfortably Numb
These guys having been doing one of the best Floyd covers for 20yrs...
http://www.comfortablynumblive.com/
Have seen them play for the last 5 years in Toronto.

vlado · #30 12-26-2012, 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by QORC

who the hell is Nick Drake?

That man was one of the most talented singer-songwriters that ever lived and is immensely popular among people that are into that kind of music!

thisSNsucks · #31 12-26-2012, 07:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rickwebb

Bon Jovi. I wanna make money!

Bingo!

pklima · #32 12-26-2012, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vlado

That man was one of the most talented singer-songwriters that ever lived and is immensely popular among people that are into that kind of music!

Even if he was as popular as Bob Dylan, I don't know if a tribute would make much money because he's just too depressing a figure. It's not just that he died of an overdose at a young age (I know there have been successful Doors tribute bands), it's the whole package... I doubt a Townes Van Zandt or Syd Barrett tribute would do well, either. I don't want to know what sort of audience those would draw.

knumbskull · #33 12-26-2012, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zachoff

I've wanted a Nirvana cover band for a long damn time but have tried it and failed for lack of a good Kurt. Sounds silly for the people that hate him, but it's a distinctive sound (both guitar and vox) that not many can cop (none that I've found).

I'd also be really into a Replacements tribute band. They're fun and Tommy Stinson is rad.

a Replacements tribute band would be great! even if the gig was a drunken shambles. actually it would be more authentic if the gig was a drunken shambles...

i'd love to do an Appetite-era G'n'R tribute. me and some guys did a one-off for the guitarist's girlfriend's birthday and it was great fun. also i really like playing Duff's basslines.

MarTONEbass · #34 12-26-2012, 08:22 AM

My Phish tribute band just played its first gig. There are a few around, but I think we really have something good going.

http://new.livestream.com/ParkerVillageTV/Precinct

vlado · #35 12-26-2012, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pklima

Even if he was as popular as Bob Dylan, I don't know if a tribute would make much money because he's just too depressing a figure. It's not just that he died of an overdose at a young age (I know there have been successful Doors tribute bands), it's the whole package... I doubt a Townes Van Zandt or Syd Barrett tribute would do well, either. I don't want to know what sort of audience those would draw.

Well, it's not all about money, some things you do for money, some for just the pleasure of doing it. Nick's music is awesome and worth sharing more then most of what you can hear on the radio these days, and even if he survived and so got rid of all the "young dead artist" nonsense that surrounds him it would be wonderful to play his stuff and take it around to people to listen to. Actually I think his producer Joe Boyd has put together a whole show with various people who have recorded with Nick and a lot of great artists to perform his music and that show seems to be very successful.

stratovani · #36 12-26-2012, 09:47 AM

I'm in a Tom Petty tribute band, but it's not what I call a "hard" tribute, where we try to cop the look as well as the sound. We've recently retooled with a new singer and guitarist, and we're looking to hit the ground running in the spring.

Myself, I'd like to do a Rush tribute, but that's got to be the hardest tribute of all to do. Just finding musicians in my area with that level of competency would be a job in itself!

MarkMgibson · #37 12-26-2012, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smeet

I'm doing a Pink Floyd thing, we have our first gig in a week or so. I've never really done too many covers in 30+ years of playing, but this should be fun.

I played in a Pink Floyd tribute band about 15 years ago. It was very successful, a lot of fun and a hell of a musical challenge. It was a short term thing (10 months) as we all had other bands. Good luck with your first gig; I hope it works out for you. If you're gonna do a tribute, Pink Floyd is very good choice indeed.

smeet · #38 12-26-2012, 02:04 PM

Thanks Mark. It really is challenging, even though the music is all quite simple technically, it takes a lot of work to get the feel and tones right. We'll have projected visuals also, but that is lagging behind a bit. To generate the visuals, we are currently using an application called G-Force, which is ok but not great. We're thinking about ArKaos Grand VJ, which looks good but is a bit pricey.

Trayster2 · #39 12-26-2012, 02:09 PM

I would love to play bass in a JHE Tribute Band. I'd wear an afro wig if necessary!

The Who would be awesome too.

MatticusMania · #40 12-26-2012, 02:13 PM

There is a local band around town, and they decided that they would play, at a place they are regularly booked at, an entire night of Nirvana covers. It went over well, and they packed the place!
I agree, though, that as a Nirvana tribute act you'd really have to have a good Kurt to pull it off.
Ive thought about joining/starting a Nirvana tribute band, as I learned how to play bass by playing Nirvana songs, but I never put any effort into it.

What would I do? Id be Kim Deal in a Pixes Tribute, of course.