Help - got gig and need more songs!

[bearhart74]

Harder To Breathe - Maroon 5
Are You Going To Be My Girl - Jet

 

[MorguloN X-Zed]

Johnny B Goode, Enter Sandman, For Whom The Bell Tolls
Poker face & applause by lady gaga translate well to a two guitar + bass line-up

 

[DrayMiles]

Look at the Beatles songs... Not too complicated... and maybe even some Motown...again, not too difficult...
Good Luck!

D.

 

[Ric5]

There's a "Maydays" Fair at the end of May in my town every year and I've managed to get my band booked there the last couple of years. Last year, my daughter's rock band also played.
This year, we got the call for both bands, so I said yes. It turns, our singer and guitarist have a wedding out of town they need to go to. Their daughter is the singer in my kid's band.

I have also been playing in another band that can cover my main bands set - no problem.

My daughter and her guitarist can sing, so I said why don't you guys go for it and play the gig anyway. They agreed, and I'm going to play rhythm guitar with them to fill out the sound.

We worked out a pretty good 45 minute set and started rehearsing. But I got a call from the organizer last night and she wants both bands to play for 1 1/2 hours. (She added some more money)

So I'm looking for easy rock song suggestions for the kids band. The drummer and bassist/singer are 14. They play pretty well, but we need to keep it basic. The guitarist/singer is 16, more experienced and she can play solos. I'm a bass player that makes a decent rhythm guitarist.

Here's what we have:

Radioactive
What I like about you
Sugar
Riptide
Highway to Hell
Fly Away
Brain Stew
Island in the sun
Sweet Child of Mine

Learn a few 1-4-5 songs

 

[fhm555]

Got My Mojo Working
Mary Jane's Last Dance
Mary Had a Little Lamb
Working Man's Blues
Hey Joe
Red House
Loan Me a Dime
Far Away Eyes
Dead Flowers

Do a medly of jumped up Johnny Cash tunes. A band i was in called it Johnny Cash meets The Clash.

Ring of Fire
Folsom Prison Blues
I've Been Everywhere

 

[Siggy]

My first gig we only had 3 songs and I only knew 2 of them!

Clarification: Freshman in HS. We just got together. We played an Eagles Club that the lead players father was a member.

 

[FutureTense]

Here's several that are really easy to get down and generally go over pretty well:

Seven Nation Army - White Stripes
Basketcase - Green Day
Stacy's Mom - Fountains of Wayne
Flagpole Sitta - Harvey Danger
Surrender - Cheap Trick
Last Nite - The Strokes
Beverly Hills - Weezer
Closing Time - Semisonic

 

[Joe Ty]

Here's several that are really easy to get down and generally go over pretty well:

Seven Nation Army - White Stripes
Basketcase - Green Day
Stacy's Mom - Fountains of Wayne
Flagpole Sitta - Harvey Danger
Surrender - Cheap Trick
Last Nite - The Strokes
Beverly Hills - Weezer
Closing Time - Semisonic

Do most of you guys use your bass for Seven Nation Army vs how Jack White does it on his guitar?

 

[FutureTense]

Do most of you guys use your bass for Seven Nation Army vs how Jack White does it on his guitar?

We always do the part on bass. The only song the guitarist would need an octaver is this song, so it isn't really worth the pedal investment.

 

[two fingers]

Based on what your current list is comprised of...

Sultans of Swing, Dire Straits
Lady Writer, Dire Straits
Romeo and Juliet, Dire Straits
Universally Speaking, RHCP
Aeroplane, RHCP
Carry on, Wayward Son, Kansas
Fly by Night, Rush
Tom Sawyer, Rush
Sunday Morning, Maroon5
Cold, Maroon5
Low Rider, War
All I Wanna Do, Sheryl Crow
Animal, Neon Trees
Breezy, Hamel
Come Together, The Beatles
Graceland, Paul Simon
You Can Call Me Al, Paul Simon
Like Humans Do, David Byrne
No Such Thing, John Mayer
Slice, Five For Fighting
You Spin Me Round, Dead or Alive

Not sure how you were able to play and sing at 14-16 years ols....but really? Rush and Kansas for kids?

 

[fretter]

Wild Thing
Louie Louie
Rumble

 

[jive1]

Some of the songs named are mostly easy, but there could be parts where someone can trip. For example, The Middle and Chicken Fried are pretty easy songs, but there's a drum delay in both of those songs that could be easy to miss. IMO, IME, 'easy' songs are not just easy in terms of chord structure, but in terms of dynamics and arrangement as well. As instrumentalists, we also forget that some songs are easy for instruments but hard for vocals.

Here's some suggestions
Blur - Song #2 : There's just 2 part of the song and same progression throughout
What I Got - Sublime : 2 chords, and just some dynamic changes
Fly - Sugar Ray : Easy to sing, and there's just a few chords
Stand By Me - Ben E King : 4 Chords repeated over and over again
Shake It Off - Taylor Swift: 3 chords, and 1 main beat over and over again
Ball and Chain - Social Distortion: 3 Chords over and over again, with a stop and hold in the chorus
Good - Better than Ezra : Same chord progression throughout except for a modulation in the guitar solo
Free Falling - Tom Petty: 2 chord riff throughout most of the song
Clocks - Coldplay: Same 3 chords, except for the bridge
Taking Care of Business - BTO : 3 chords, except for an interlude in the middle
Cocaine - JJ Cale : 2 chords and a walkdown
What It's Like - Everlast: All you need are 4 chords
Pumped Up Kicks - Foster the People : Repetitive chord progression
Time of Your Life - Green Day : Same as above
Simple Man - Lynyrd Skynyrd : C - G - Am, rinse and repeat
Wagon Wheel - Old Crow Medicine Show: I - V - vi - IV, I - V - IV A short lesson in money chords
Radiohead - Creep : 3 chords of varying volume
Gimme Shelter - Rolling Stones: 3 chords, repeated
Kryptonite - 3 Doors Down : Bm - G - A with and F# thrown in
All Along the Watchtower - Bob Dylan : Can be like above, without the extra chord

That's all I have off the top of my head

 

[AndyII]

Do most of you guys use your bass for Seven Nation Army vs how Jack White does it on his guitar?

We're doing this one in a couple weeks. Using bass, then guitar and bass (w/ pedal) for the "harder" parts. For some reason our singer hates this song, so my wife is stepping in to cover it. Our upcoming gig is going to be interesting.

 

[morgansterne]

Not to mention I wouldn't feel comfortable with my 14 year old daughter singing it

my daughter went to a "rock camp" last summer and Exes and Ohs is one of the songs they did. I was glad they had the other girl sing it, I wouldn't have been too happy about my ten year old daughter doing that one.
she sang "dani california" which is not too bad to put together if you can learn all those lyrics.

EDIT: as a lifelong Radiohead fan I feel compelled to point out that Creep is actually four chords over and over, not three.

 

[Joe Ty]

my daughter went to a "rock camp" last summer and Exes and Ohs is one of the songs they did. I was glad they had the other girl sing it, I wouldn't have been too happy about my ten year old daughter doing that one.
she sang "dani california" which is not too bad to put together if you can learn all those lyrics.

EDIT: as a lifelong Radiohead fan I feel compelled to point out that Creep is actually four chords over and over, not three.

The one Sweetwater puts on in Fort Wayne? Was it worth it?

 

[morgansterne]

The one Sweetwater puts on in Fort Wayne? Was it worth it?

It was a franchise called "school of rock." They practiced every day for a week and put on a 12 song show on friday afternoon. They did a good job, and she really liked it and wants to go again this summer.

 

[fevKid]

Here is a site with 145 two and three chord tunes, with the chords. Gotta love the inter-webs!

Up to three-chord songs - Guitar Player Box - Easy guitar songs for guitar beginners and newcomers

Great list!!! Thank U.