I joined a cover band...

Somebody will be along shortly to crap on cover bands. Screw 'em! It's fun to play good music that people actually want to hear AND get paid for it.

 

I have played covers for 30 years and have made some good money along the way and had tons of fun. For the last 6 years I have played in a band doing original music. My wife doesn't understand the concept of playing for free.
I am really enjoying original music these days but I would play covers again if the situation is right. These days I am happy to just play one set when I play. That 3 set stuff will wear you out!

 

Welcome to the dark side

 

I will never pay to see a cover band.

 

No prob - I highly doubt I'll ever pay to see your band either LOL.

 

^ i second this!

good luck!

 

My condolences.

 

I play a lot of shows with cover bands, been ding it for quite a while. I generally have a pretty good ti

I'm with you gin. I play cover gigs all the time, usually around 8 or 9 a month. Been doing it for years. I've also usually got an "original" project or two going at the same time. No sittin' around on the front porch watching the clouds go by for my retirement!

 

Cover bands tend to play bars and local events; all are usually free to attend. Local 3-4 piece cover bands here can make $600+ a night. One of our larger venues does a "First Friday" event that's free and always has top-notch bands playing. I think they make around $800 for a 3 hour set. So go ahead and tell us how you're not going to pay to see a cover band. The cover bands don't care.

 

Then I’m happy for you.
I’ve done it for a good pay check but never again.

 

I know what you mean. I've played originals for over a decade. One band was even successful enough to draw a crowd - back in the nineties when live music in a small town still could do that. I frowned upon those that played cover music. The hardest pieces had already been done - writing and arranging the song and making it popular enough that people recognize it. All these guys had to do was play it in a way that the resemblance to the original is big enough so the audience knows the tune.
Back then I did not care that we played a show for a few bucks and all the beer we could drink while the cover guys charged big money.

Nowadays I don't mind covering so much. In my parts, the business has changed. I have an originals band that gets two or three gigs per season if and only if we really push our way in to the few places where you can still play loud rock music live. The other band that plays 100% cover gets about a dozen gigs per season without anyone lifting a finger.
So if you want the enjoyment of playing a crowded venue with people listening and people dancing, cover it is.

Personally, I like the approach of a certain band theme. My cover band plays reggae. We play some top 40 rock and pop songs converted to reggae - and that feels like best of both worlds. You take a pop song apart, bit by bit, identify the pieces that must go in so people will recognize it and do with the rest as you please. It is a fair bit songwriting and a bit arranging and the result is, in general, a well known pop song, but in part, it is yours also.

 

I play in churches. Pretty much a cover band scenario. Some of the stuff we're playing this weekend is probably half a Century old. Maybe even a century (though they probably didn't do it with electric instruments back then). It's OK.

 

Cool man, good luck with it. I was thinking the same way and learned some songs to audition with a band and completely changed my mind and backed out. Making money would be cool but the whole thing was feeling like work.