Cover band using backing tracks?

[StayLow]

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

A deaf, drunk, disinterested and (or) out-of-tune guitarist is not the fault of backing tracks.

Great job by the rest of the band pretending nothing's wrong. Wolfie seems perturbed at times, but Dave and Alex seemed used to it.

 

[Son of Wobble]

A deaf, drunk, disinterested and (or) out-of-tune guitarist is not the fault of backing tracks.

Great job by the rest of the band pretending nothing's wrong. Wolfie seems perturbed at times, but Dave and Alex seemed used to it.

I was likewise impressed with Dave powering confidently through despite the obvious sonic trainwreck. Such steadfastness distinguishes him as a pro.

 

[StayLow]

I play in a 5 piece funk - Motown- band and we use them for the keyboard parts and some percussion parts... We have bassist (me) Sax player guitarist drummer and lead vocalist (myself - Sax player also sing lead.. And I can tell you if done correct it's a huge upgrade and finding a keyboard player is tough and usually in my experience they are divas in my area... Nobody unless your a musician cares about the backing track... Your there to get the crowd going and dancing up a storm they could care less as long as they are dancing and having a blast And it opens up a HUGE array of possibilities for songs.. And there no paying a 6th member because clubs don't wanna pay much to begin with.. Just my 2 cents .. Here's a clip from us with the track Rollin

Great job! Those people would still be "dancing and having a blast" without the backing tracks though. A good groove is a good groove. A great melody is a great melody, and when sung by decent vocalists that's all you really need.

Van Halen's jump is arguably a problem without the keys, though a guitarist could play that line. In the case of your video, I'd much prefer to hear your band perform that song without the backing track keys.

Participants in this thread may find this previous thread on the topic of interest - Cover Band annoyance

 

[Kmonk]

When it comes to backing tracks, I have the same mindset as Queen. I won't do it. To me, it's cheating. If people want to hear a recording, they might as well listen to their IPod. If you can't play it live, don't play it all.

 

[guy n. cognito]

Does the vocalist lip sync?

No.

 

[obimark]

We are unfortunately at a crossroads where music can either improve or die.

I think using a backing track for effects and keyboards only could be acceptable, but if it is a band playing in front of an actual track of background vocals, keys, horns and everything else, you are basically "band karoake".

Doesn't mean the public might not love it anyhow.But don't fool yourself, just like the bozos who fired the whole band from "Panic at the Disco" and "Maroon 5"- sorry you aren't a band anymore with one guy.

 

[hsech]

No.

I was just kidding.

 

[FunkySpoo]

I would just like to know how to do this. What technology is going into it and how to hook it up. Basically everything about it. I didn't know this was even available to the weekend warrior. Links please

 

[Crazy_Jake]

I've played in a band just like what you are talking about - 80's band with backing tracks. We always had a great response when we played live. My only comment with using tracks is that the tracks themselves compliment the music and are not the main focus of the music. If the technology works for you and the band can play to the tracks - another skill by itself - then I say go for it. There are tons of great 80's songs to play too. Good luck

 

[Bodeanly]

I would rather see a live band with backing tracks than pay money to see some dude on stage staring at his laptop.

 

[electracoyote]

so I've decided to add another band to my stable. I auditioned last night with a group doing largely 80s covers. It's a 4 piece: drums, guitar, vox and bass. The vox are strong, the drummer is fantastic and the guitar is above average. Their are targeting small corporate and event gigs.

Where it gets interesting is that they heavily utilize backing tracks for keys, percussion and even some backing vocals. Drummer plays to a click to keep us in time to the track. The tracks are reasonably well done and the musicians blend pretty well. They've still got some cleanup to do, though, especially on levels. And some of the tracks are a bit over done.

At this point they've offered me the slot. I've never done backing tracks like this before, and I'm questioning how marketable and acceptable this will be. Have any of you ever used them, and how was it received?

A couple of the most popular and oft-booked bands in my area use tracks. Their upscale audiences at the better dance floor clubs and private events couldn't care less, and they are charging top tier fees for their services. They have more bookings and performance opportunities than they know what to do with.

My Top 40 Variety dance party band uses tracks on a few songs per set, and if I can't round up three horns, we use them even more.

If you want to nail complex covers and stay faithful to the most popular hit recording, and if you want to travel light, this is one way to get it done, maybe the only way. A lot of musicians will bitch and moan and try to take the moral high ground (which I find eye-rollingly hilarious), but your target client expects and appreciates it, and you're doing it to stay competitive in that market.

 

[Jeff Elkins]

A deaf, drunk, disinterested and (or) out-of-tune guitarist is not the fault of backing tracks.

Glad someone else responded - from the extensive discussions of this show online, it appears that Eddie picked up (or was given by a stage tech) a guitar in a different tuning. They usually (by all accounts) actually have a live keyboard player off stage--something Eddie decided to do early on. Other posts in that discussion revealed that on a later show in that tour, the keyboard part was in the same key as in this video. Hence the detuned guitar (which Eddie apparently uses for some songs) scenario being the most likely.

The only confusing part is why a musician of his caliber would continue to play the wrong instrument/wrong key without correcting it. Alcohol? Show must go on (as in, no one will notice or care anyway, or they'd notice the guitar swap as a more distracting thing)? Who knows.

But right, it almost certainly wasn't backing tracks.

+++

I used to play bass occasionally with a couple of stellar musicians back in the 80's. Both of them played keyboards and guitar and were excellent singers and entertainers--when they had big gigs or special needs (outdoor festivals, 70's rock shows, etc.) they could tap musician friends to join up, growing the band to 4 or 5, depending on the pay and audience. But they had a house gig for YEARS playing Top40 where she just sang and worked the audience and he played keys and guitar. Everything else was sequenced and triggered, and the crowds came back every single weekend. He wrote all of the sequences, they recorded their voices for BGV samples, and they were smokin'. As was mentioned, this was the time for this sort of thing, and the only way to get the right sound without a 10 piece with multiple keyboardists...

I often despair of finding the right musicians in my area for some of the stuff I'd like to do, so I respect those that have to fill a personnel gap electronically. I'm in an area where there's only one genre that serious musicians focus on, and it doesn't pay. I probably wouldn't sample and sequence horn parts for R&B/Motown, or a banjo for blugrass--but that's a personal preference. I'd play with tracks in a heartbeat for music like 80's Top40. Just seems not-inappropriate at all.

 

[jacolyte]

covers for corporate gigs? it's not art; it's entertainment. who cares?

 

[the yeti]

so I've decided to add another band to my stable. I auditioned last night with a group doing largely 80s covers. It's a 4 piece: drums, guitar, vox and bass. The vox are strong, the drummer is fantastic and the guitar is above average. Their are targeting small corporate and event gigs.

Where it gets interesting is that they heavily utilize backing tracks for keys, percussion and even some backing vocals. Drummer plays to a click to keep us in time to the track. The tracks are reasonably well done and the musicians blend pretty well. They've still got some cleanup to do, though, especially on levels. And some of the tracks are a bit over done.

At this point they've offered me the slot. I've never done backing tracks like this before, and I'm questioning how marketable and acceptable this will be. Have any of you ever used them, and how was it received?

i've played with a band that used tracks within the past year. backing tracks in general suck in my opinion. audiences don't seem to care. lots of bands in this area use them.

 

[eloann]

I'm currently playing in a symphonic metal cover band. Obviously we don't have an orchestra or a choir but resort to backing tracks for those (and some keys). A Zoom R8 sends a click to our drummer and the tracks to FOH - probably the most portable way to do this.

It's my first time ever playing to backing tracks live and I've got to say it's both interesting and unforgiving. Forces the players to be very solid. I once messed up during Nightwish's Ghost Love Score and it wasn't pretty.

Next week we've got our first acoustic gig and it's equally interesting that one of our singers has never sung without a backing track. Her reacting to some of the things we take for granted such as "come in whenever" was priceless.

 

[ToneMonkey]

There's a popular cover band around here that does it. Even the lead vocals are tracks. So the band just mimes to the tracks.

Last year at a concert in the park thing, the band's laptop took a dump with 20 minutes to go in the concert. When they figured out they couldn't fix it time, they tried (unsuccessfully) to just jam a 12 bar blues in E. It was beyond lame. It also the most entertaining part of the evening.

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

I'd like to try playing with backing tracks live sometime. I've practiced with them on wikiloops.com | Free Backing Tracks | Online Jamsession for a couple years.

 

[Altitude]

There's a popular cover band around here that does it. Even the lead vocals are tracks. So the band just mimes to the tracks.

That might be a little different thing, though.

 

[bearhart74]

Just ask Milli Vanilli how they like backing tracks...Its one of the reason that pop music sucks butt cheese.

Best quote i heard this year so far was "The problem with popular music is that its not made by musicians." Not sure who said it...

 

[Sixgunn]

It'll work. A lot of the bands in my area do it. I personally hate it. I think it makes some people lazy. They tend to rely on the track to cover them. But, whatever floats your boat.

Really? So if you don't have (and possibly can't get) a keyboard player, horn section, sitarist or balalaika player, you're lazy for using backing tracks of them?