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I have a problem with cover/tribute bands.
- Thread starter T-Forty
- Start date
- Status
I think there is some truth to it.
Cover bands are more practical because they want to play stuff that people WANT to hear. Because they are in it (mostly) for the sheer pleasure of playing music and being part of the crowd's good time.
It's creating a product where there is a demand. It's beyond practical. It's just plain smart.
It's not "justification." I don't need to justify what I do to you or anyone. I do it because I have fun! Nor is it "macho" (not sure how that becomes part of this! What about women that do covers? They being "macho" too?)
And yeah, it's MUCH more fun to play in front of huge, enthusiastic crowds, playing great tunes people like to hear and get paid well for doing it.
vs.
Playing stuff no one knows or wants to hear in front of no one and get paid peanuts (or nothing).
Seems like an obvious choice to me. Not sure where "justification" comes into the equation at all. Macho? Is it macho to have fun? So be it!
To me, if I'm not having fun there really is not point to this hobby for me (and yeah, it's a hobby. Not how I make a living).
- Oct 7, 2000
- 18,619
- 38,939
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- Endorsing artist: Musicman basses
There you have it? Because I don't pursue this as how I make a living?
can't tell if this is a crack on me or support!
can't tell if this is a crack on me or support!
and exactly how much do you make per gig ???? or do you even get to gig ? and if you do , how many people do you play in front of ????
easy on the cover bands there ..... a lot of us make a living or a partial living playing in cover bands .... i know i do and have been for 12 years .....
easy on the cover bands there ..... a lot of us make a living or a partial living playing in cover bands .... i know i do and have been for 12 years .....
People that come out to see shows are there to have a good time.
If it is apparent that the band is not having a good time then the crowd will not have a good time.
This is the main thing that can mean success or not for a band regardless of which type of band, whether it's a cover or original band.
In my experience, when you are in a cover band it is easier to have fun on stage playing other peoples music, there is simply less pressure due to the fact that the audience generally knows the music already.
There is basically nothing to sell to them except for a good time.
Bars and venues seem to have less of a problem paying a band to play music that people will already know. Plus cover bands tend to have a decent crowd that will follow them from bar to bar as well. I always found it interesting how far people were willing to travel to come see my cover band play the same songs over and over.
One of the tough things about playing in a cover band is the pressure to be able to play and perform the songs well due to the scrutiny that comes with playing other peoples music.
On the flipside there are certain types of bands that get by on gimmicks alone and are lousy musicians to top it off. My area has had a recent trend of cover bands popping up that put on wigs and play truly awful versions of 80's metal songs and draw fairly large crowds doing so.
This is one of the things that give cover bands a bad name.
Also in my experience, playing in an original band has always had an underlying seriousness that can get in the way of having a good time.
You are playing shows to sell a product, that product being yourselves and your music.
After your first song, which is usually your strongest song, if you don't get a decent response from the crowd that sinking feeling starts to creep in......and that's only IF you have a crowd. This can easily snowball into one hell of a miserable set.
Bars and venues typically don't pay original bands a damn thing because they tend to draw less of a crowd. So the only way an original band can make money is by selling merchandise and CD's.
If an original band doesn't connect with the audience in some type of way that night, your show is typically a total bust.
The best aspect of playing in an original band is the integrity that comes with playing and recording your own music that came from your heart and soul, there is nothing more gratifying. To be able to perform your own music that you truly believe in for an audience and being successful at it is a great feeling. To some people this is more valuable then getting some cash in their pocket for playing other peoples music.
One thing that annoys me about some original bands is that they suffer from the "it's good enough" mentality. They will write twelve cheesy songs that are "good enough" to play
shows with just to be able to say that they are in a band. It's what gives them their "cool" identities.
They seem to believe that since they wrote the song it must be good because it's "original" and brag because they are in an "original" band and that's what makes them a true artist.
I have met and jammed with numerous musicians that have this mentality.
If I were to go out and bought myself some paint and a canvas and wore a beret while I slopped some paint around would that make me an artist?
A true artist or musician is defined by their skill and craft.
End of story.
If it is apparent that the band is not having a good time then the crowd will not have a good time.
This is the main thing that can mean success or not for a band regardless of which type of band, whether it's a cover or original band.
In my experience, when you are in a cover band it is easier to have fun on stage playing other peoples music, there is simply less pressure due to the fact that the audience generally knows the music already.
There is basically nothing to sell to them except for a good time.
Bars and venues seem to have less of a problem paying a band to play music that people will already know. Plus cover bands tend to have a decent crowd that will follow them from bar to bar as well. I always found it interesting how far people were willing to travel to come see my cover band play the same songs over and over.
One of the tough things about playing in a cover band is the pressure to be able to play and perform the songs well due to the scrutiny that comes with playing other peoples music.
On the flipside there are certain types of bands that get by on gimmicks alone and are lousy musicians to top it off. My area has had a recent trend of cover bands popping up that put on wigs and play truly awful versions of 80's metal songs and draw fairly large crowds doing so.
This is one of the things that give cover bands a bad name.
Also in my experience, playing in an original band has always had an underlying seriousness that can get in the way of having a good time.
You are playing shows to sell a product, that product being yourselves and your music.
After your first song, which is usually your strongest song, if you don't get a decent response from the crowd that sinking feeling starts to creep in......and that's only IF you have a crowd. This can easily snowball into one hell of a miserable set.
Bars and venues typically don't pay original bands a damn thing because they tend to draw less of a crowd. So the only way an original band can make money is by selling merchandise and CD's.
If an original band doesn't connect with the audience in some type of way that night, your show is typically a total bust.
The best aspect of playing in an original band is the integrity that comes with playing and recording your own music that came from your heart and soul, there is nothing more gratifying. To be able to perform your own music that you truly believe in for an audience and being successful at it is a great feeling. To some people this is more valuable then getting some cash in their pocket for playing other peoples music.
One thing that annoys me about some original bands is that they suffer from the "it's good enough" mentality. They will write twelve cheesy songs that are "good enough" to play
shows with just to be able to say that they are in a band. It's what gives them their "cool" identities.
They seem to believe that since they wrote the song it must be good because it's "original" and brag because they are in an "original" band and that's what makes them a true artist.
I have met and jammed with numerous musicians that have this mentality.
If I were to go out and bought myself some paint and a canvas and wore a beret while I slopped some paint around would that make me an artist?
A true artist or musician is defined by their skill and craft.
End of story.
- Oct 7, 2000
- 18,619
- 38,939
- Disclosures
- Endorsing artist: Musicman basses
It's neither. People who prioritize covers more often than not look at music as a hobby. People who write and put priority on original music tend to give it more importance. Music is NOT a hobby for me. Nothing wrong with music being a hobby for someone else.
I don't know many kids who, when they first get into rock music, say, "I want to be 45, playing songs from 30 years ago to people who happened to walk past a stage at a county fair!" I mean, that's like seeing a Space Shuttle launch when you're a kid, and instead of thinking, "I want to be an astronaut!", thinking, "I want to be an Air Traffic controller!". Sure, its much more "mature" and "practical" to work on being an air traffic controller...but when did Rock and Roll become about Maturity and Practicality?! It seems like if you're going to try, at least set your goals higher than "Gettin' beer and pussy and free hotel rooms".
I prefer original music. Yet I am alone in doing it my way as others don't want to contribute any musical ideas or just prefer playing cover tunes. So I do this for me only, recording and programming stuff. I play in some bands doing cover stuff, one is a gospel choir, the other is an Elvis cover band and the third is a rock trio in which we just do cover tunes WE like to do. I think there is are different players that do cover stuff. There are the ones that stick their nose into the note sheets the whole time (it's okay for classical music or difficult jazz tunes), those I hate, but it is okay when people can interprete cover tunes in their own style.
When I was a kid I always just wanted to "Play Music". I accomplished this goal in basements redolent with reefer smoke waiting for somebodies parents to start flashing the lights at the bottom of the stairs in the universal signal to "Turn that crap off!" We played the tunes that were on the radio and we had a great time. I never wanted to be an astronaut, I just wanted to smoke a little herb and screw around with my friends.
I don't partake of the herb anymore, but I still get a kick out of screwing around with my friends.
Fast forward 30 years: One of the kids whose basement we used to funk up and screw around in has kids of his own. They all play an instrument of some sort. We'll all get together, my brother and me and him and his brother and his 2 kids and screw around like it was old times. One of his son's is a really amazing drummer. The kid has serious chops! His other son plays guitar. He doesn't know any songs that other people might know, he just grinds away on minor chords with no real structure. I love playing with the kid that plays drums. In fact I think he might actually go someplace with it. The kid that only knows how to play his original compositions is a major PITA at these little get togethers if you want to know my honest opinion.
I prefer to have fun, not try to figure out random chord changes.
I'm not being obtuse. Just recognizing that the people who change the world aren't worried about little things like practicality or responsibility or catering to a crowd. People are attracted to authenticity and boldness; that's why we all know those great standards and covers! I'm certainly not saying playing covers isn't fun (because, it sure as hell is!), but its certainly nothing to brag about.
PS This thread is becoming epic. Almost as good as the "waiting for mystery bass" one!
PS This thread is becoming epic. Almost as good as the "waiting for mystery bass" one!
I have to say that I was dead wrong when I was wanting this thread to end. In regard to the bragging issue, I find that the really great musicians that I'm around tend to be the people who never brag. They just let their music speak for itself. They may brag about their gear from time to time, but usually they don't even do that. I've been around several people like this in my life and all I can say is that they are a breed apart. Of course there are exceptions; there are exceptions to anything.
In my experience most people are attracted to what's "familiar and catchy" not everyone, but most imo. Some of us have no "Rockstar dreams" if you will. I write my own music but I really don't care if I play to thousands of people or if I play to my cat tbh. I play in a cover band for some extra cash too and I don't see why so many here see musicians as one or the other when it comes to originals vs. covers. Just do what you like and don't worry so much about other people.
I'd never go so far as to call myself a great musician, though I think I'm a pretty decent bass player. But it's always interesting to hand out with my buddy Desmond who is now a studio/touring guitarist and is trying to make his name as a producer. Not only does he not brag, he's long since given up on trying to impress people when he picks up a guitar, which ironically is incredibly impressive to me considering how talented he is.
But beyond that, I've almost never heard him say a negative word about anyone's music. There's stuff he really loves and stuff he doesn't want to listen to, but I've never once heard him try to elevate himself by putting someone else down. I think in part it is his personality, but I think a large part of it is being in the belly of the music industry in LA you gain some real perspective and understanding of how the music industry works.
And honestly I wish I could be more that way. But even as a "reformed" music snob, I still have a ways to go.
Obtuse, lacking perspective, just being young and naive - take your pick.
I'll address my initial comment momentarily. But first a quick comment on this last post. "People who change the world"? How many pop musicians have changed the world to any substantial degree? How many have even really changed the face of music? Not many, at least in a lasting sense. And this is coming from a bonafide music geek. Again, perspective.
But here's why I think you are being obtuse. No, no one dreams of being in a cover band when they are young. Or at least they certainly shouldn't. But likewise outside of people who scrap and struggle to make a living in music (who I respect completely) there comes a time in life when there must be an understanding that you aren't going to "make it big" - when responsibilities sink in and your priorities change.
Which isn't to say that you can't make original music at that point (3 of the four projects I'm involved in do original music to varying degrees) but that your expectations and the reasons for doing it change. It's an outlet - something fun. Which is exactly why people play in cover bands. And when you understand that they are doing something fun just like you are then you can view things from a much less polarized vantage point.
But it wasn't that many years ago that I thought the music my band was making was so vital and important, so I understand the perspective. I think you'll find yours will change in time as well, but in the here and now nothing said in this thread is going to sway your outlook.
One last point. You noted that musicians should strive for more than just getting money and women. Well, Robert Johnson achieved a lot more than that. He's been deified by every blues musician of the last 40 years including guys like Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, right up to modern players like Keb Mo and John Mayer.
Eric Clapton in particular holds him up as his own Rosetta Stone similar to Anthony Jackson's inexorable reverence of James Jamerson.
What were Robert Johnson and James Jamerson's motivations when recording their influential songs? Money. And in Johnson's case, money and women.
yeah, and that's one of the reasons why I say there's often a clear difference between the ethos of most cover bands and most original bands.
I've never really thought much about MY music being a product, nor have I really ever cared if there was much demand for it. For many original artists like myself, creating music is a very personal NEED. If people like it then great, if not then that's fine too. I think cover bands are just fine, it just has little to do with why I play music. It doesn't interest me because it would not fulfill the requirements I have for my own musical journey. Does that make me wrong? Does that mean that I am somehow delusional? Does the fact that a cover band would not fulfill my artistic needs mean I'm putting down cover bands for being less "artistic?"
I just see two very different points of view shining through very clearly in this thread and a large majority of posters refusing to concede the merits of the opposing view. In fact, some people are trying to say that there ARE NO differences. I think if that were the case there wouldn't be 450+ posts in this thread.
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