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Cover acts - whats in demand?

#61
Gaius46 said:
There also seems to be a growing call around here in coffeehouses, winebars and restaurants for acoustic work. So much so that I'm thinking of putting together an acoustic only set and shopping that around.
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The money can get pretty darn good for solo/duo acoustic acts with large popular songlists. I know quite a few people making $300+ during the week. For a duo that's not bad, for a solo guy, that's good money.
 
#62
MNAirHead said:
This group isn't into into your SVT with mated Plexi from your guitar.
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Yeah, in my town there hasn't been a single new real "live music" venue open up for quite a few years. There are only about four rooms in town that even have a proper stage anymore, much less one big enough to accommodate a 4- or 5-person band with full drums and backline. The rest of the places you're setting up where the pool table or dart machines usually sit, or some dinky little platform that can hold a couple of "fools on stools" or a keyboard duo but would barely pass muster as a drum riser back in the day. You start bringing too much gear into those places and you can just see the bar staff getting nervous.

I reckon I've played upward of 50 gigs since the beginning of this year and I haven't taken my 4x10 stack out on any of them. It's been my 150-w combo DI'ed to the P.A. all the way.
 
#63
Always adding tunes. Sets change depending on venue, etc Set four is really the "holding area" for swapping tunes on the fly. We have female front. Guitar and keys sing as well (I do a few harms too). half a dozen originals mixed in here too.

As far as pay we don't do as well as the party bands. We mostly like the tunes we do and folks do dance (and always dance to whipping post)!

We do the Connecticut biker bar, martini bar, blues club, sports bar circuit.

SET ONE
=======
What is and what s/ never be
Low Down Dirty Dog
Monkey Back
I Know I'm No Good
Rolling in The Deep
10 Years
Unchain My Heart
Pretzel Logic
Bad Rooster
Long Train Runnin'
Back At None
Piece of My Heart
Whippin' Post

SET TWO
=======
Freeway Jam
My Old School
Oye Como Va
Rock Steady
Will it Go Round In Circles
Downshift
Jealous Again
Brown Sugar
You Can Leave Your Hat On
Free Ride
Five Long Years => Upright Bass
How Blue Can You Get => Upright Bass
Folsom Prison => Upright Bass

SET THREE
=========
Cause we've Ended as Lovers
Magic Carpet Ride
Squeeze Box
Paris
The Letter
All girls love Alice
The Core
Bobby McGee
Do What You Wanna Do
Feelin Alright
Dark Knight
Love The One You're With

SET FOUR
=========
Voodoo Woman
Glory Box
One Way Out
Evidence
Little By Little
Birthday
Cold Shot
Everybody's Everything
Can't Find My Way Home
Fool in the Rain
Live With Me
White Rabbit
Stormy Monday
Take Me To The River
Iko, iko
Right place wrong time
Spanish moon
 
#65
We do a lot of 70's and modern rock mixed with your standard tunes (Brown Eyed Girl, Sweet Child, Pour some Sugar, Cherry Pie) and its hit or miss. Even some of the modern dance tunes dont go that great. Country always does. Doesn't matter how crappy it may sound, it always flies. It's sickening some nights, and others I'm just reminded how it helps pay the bills and for that I'm thankful. Ditto on the wagon wheel thing, although the requests for that have slowed a lot for us.

In the St. Louis area, the acoustic duo and trio thing is kinda taking over. Seems like a lot of places won't even consider you unless its acoustic. Nice sometimes for the lighter gear use and setup, but still a little awkward sometimes when people are eating dinner and staring at you... theres my rant!
 
#66
Call me a whore- I'll play anything to make our fan base and crowds grow. Pay your $5 at the door and tell me what you like, thank you very much.

That being said, my new band started with lots of classic rock cause that's what we all knew and helped us get a full 3-4 hours of music together fast. That being said, we have heeded our fans/critics cries and are hastily adding nu-country, 80's hair band, 90's alt, and 90's rock tunes.

Today's rock is much closer to metal for me, so I'm not sure it would go over well. We've discussed doing some pop/hip hop stuff, but decided to wait till we get some of the newer tunes on the list down.
 
#67
jonas_24112 said:
Today's rock is much closer to metal for me, so I'm not sure it would go over well.
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That's kind of how we see it, too. Basically, anymore, nu-country is closest to what I (and a lot of others my age) grew up considering "rock", whereas what they call "rock" now to me is metal. Around here if you play a Jason Aldean song and then you play a Nickelback song, I guarantee there will be more folks on the floor for the Aldean song than Nickleback at least 8 times out of 10.

That all being said, we do have a bit of a gap in our repertoire when it comes to 90s material so we've tossed around the idea of working up a 90s medley that will include "Two Princes", "Tubthumping" and "Semi-Charmed Life" and we think that might go over pretty well.
 
#68
I just got done testing 90s material - wasn't a great response. This was the age of one hit wonders and no hook

Best to go over were "breakfast at tiffanies" Brittany tunes and "if I had a million dollars"

Country was on vacation during this decade except Travis tritt and fishin in the dark
 
#69
I'm interested to see how "Two Princes" does.

I played that in a band back when the song had just come out and Spin Doctors were huge, and it was a 100% slam-dunk at every club, every time. Not sure if that song still has its mojo 15 yrs later but I guess we'll find out.
 
#72
Dave Matthews and Guns N Roses Tribute acts were making bank 2 or 3 years ago. Prob Still are..

$2000 a night and up.

Dave was a lot easier looking than GNR, no wigs etc...

But newer country mixed with 70's 80's 90's tastefully works well for steady gigging
 
#73
jaywa said:
That's kind of how we see it, too. Basically, anymore, nu-country is closest to what I (and a lot of others my age) grew up considering "rock", whereas what they call "rock" now to me is metal. Around here if you play a Jason Aldean song and then you play a Nickelback song, I guarantee there will be more folks on the floor for the Aldean song than Nickleback at least 8 times out of 10.

That all being said, we do have a bit of a gap in our repertoire when it comes to 90s material so we've tossed around the idea of working up a 90s medley that will include "Two Princes", "Tubthumping" and "Semi-Charmed Life" and we think that might go over pretty well.
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Honestly, if your crowd base is 28+ years old, and Third Eye Blind song should go over really really well.
 
#74
MNAirHead said:
I just got done testing 90s material - wasn't a great response. This was the age of one hit wonders and no hook

Best to go over were "breakfast at tiffanies" Brittany tunes and "if I had a million dollars"

Country was on vacation during this decade except Travis tritt and fishin in the dark
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Give it a couple years. The cheesy 90s pop stuff will be in. It's just that the folks who dug back in the day aren't old enough to be nostalgic about it. But the stuff from the 90s that goes over very well nowadays are the stuff from the Alternative, and pop-Punk scene from that time. I've played in bands that have done stuff like Gin Blossoms, Alice In Chains, 3rd Eye Blind, Green Day, etc. and it went over VERY well.
 
#77
jaywa said:
Yeah, in my town there hasn't been a single new real "live music" venue open up for quite a few years. There are only about four rooms in town that even have a proper stage anymore, much less one big enough to accommodate a 4- or 5-person band with full drums and backline. The rest of the places you're setting up where the pool table or dart machines usually sit, or some dinky little platform that can hold a couple of "fools on stools" or a keyboard duo but would barely pass muster as a drum riser back in the day. You start bringing too much gear into those places and you can just see the bar staff getting nervous.

I reckon I've played upward of 50 gigs since the beginning of this year and I haven't taken my 4x10 stack out on any of them. It's been my 150-w combo DI'ed to the P.A. all the way.
Click to expand...


The acoustic thing is getting a scene here to and my band has stripped back to get into it it more. We already were a semi-acoustic act and now I am the only one plugged in to a lowly 30w Fender rumble kickback. I get told to turn down with that :rolleyes:
 
#78
jive1 said:
Give it a couple years. The cheesy 90s pop stuff will be in. It's just that the folks who dug back in the day aren't old enough to be nostalgic about it. But the stuff from the 90s that goes over very well nowadays are the stuff from the Alternative, and pop-Punk scene from that time. I've played in bands that have done stuff like Gin Blossoms, Alice In Chains, 3rd Eye Blind, Green Day, etc. and it went over VERY well.
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I'm surprised more bands around here don't cover Gin Blossoms stuff. Our band isn't really set up to do their material but I've always wanted to be in a cover band that could do their songs and do them well. A couple bands around here have them on their setlists but the renditions are pretty brutal.
 
#79
jaywa said:
I'm surprised more bands around here don't cover Gin Blossoms stuff. Our band isn't really set up to do their material but I've always wanted to be in a cover band that could do their songs and do them well. A couple bands around here have them on their setlists but the renditions are pretty brutal.
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For the younger crowd especially, the 90s alt stuff seems to go over well.

Here's a set list from an A-list band that I filled in with in at one of the better clubs in a hip part of town. Crowd loved the material, and there were into it all night long. Lots of 90s Alt in there. Helped that the lead vocalist was absolutely killer.

1. OLD APARTMENT (Bare Naked Ladies)
2. MY OWN WORST ENEMY (Lit)
3. MIDDLE (Jimmy Eat World)
4. TROUBLEMAKER (Weezer)
5. HEY JEALOUSY (Gin Blossoms)
6. BOYS OF SUMMER (The Ataris version)
7. SHE (Green Day)
8. SUMMER OF ’69 (Bryan Adams)
9. HARD TO HANDLE (Black Crows)
10. INSIDE OUT (Eve 6)
11. ALWYS SMTHG THR 2 RMD ME (Marvelous 3 version)
12. SANTERIA (Sublime)
13. I WANT YOU TO WANT ME (Cheap Trick)
14. SMALL THINGS (Blink 182)
15. ARE YOU GONNA BE MY GIRL? (Jett)
16. SWEET CHILD O’MINE (Guns & Roses)
17. SHIPPING UP TO BOSTON (Drop Kick Murphy’s)
18. JESSE’S GIRL (Rick Springfield)
19. BLISTER IN THE SUN (Violent Femmes)
20. JOKER (Steve Miller Band)

1. SCOTTY DOESN’T KNOW (Lustra)
2. HEY SOUL SISTER (Train…Rocked Out Version)
3. HIT ME W/ YR BEST SHOT (Pat Benetar)
4. POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME (Def Leppard)
5. BRICK HOUSE….. (The Commodores)
6. …..PLY THT FKY MSIC (Wild Cherry)
7. 99 RED BALLOONS (Gold Finger Version)
8. KRYPTONITE (3 Doors Down)
9. IF YOU WANT ME TO (Weezer)
10. FLAGPOLE SITTA (Harvey Danger)
11. SEX ON FIRE (Kings of Leon)
12. FAITH……. (George Michael…Rocked out version)
13. …...WLK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN (The Bangles)
14. SWEET HOME AL………… (Lynrd Skynrd)
15. ……WHAT I GOT (Sublime)
16. FOOT LOOSE (Kenny Logins)
17. DAMNIT (Blink 182)
18. AMERICAN GIRL (Tom Petty…Rocked w/ funky ending)
19. SHOOK ME ALL NIGHT LONG (AC/DC)
 

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