I think it's one of those songs that would go over well with the "I can't believe they're playing this; nobody plays this!" crowd, which is bigger than we tend to imagine. But again, this will depend on the venue/audience. It sounds like the OPs band is doing older songs, though, so probably would go over for them.
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I'm Frustrated with the Band I'm in.
- Thread starter 51PRI
- Start date
It always amazed me how quickly a lot of bands could learn the first thirty songs and how difficult it would be to get the same band to learn even a small handful more down the road. This "burst of energy at the beginning followed by coasting" scenario has been my experience with the majority of cover bands I've played in, and I always find it frustrating. Unfortunately I don't think there's much to be done about it.
Regarding dance material, you'd be surprised at what people will dance to. I've seen dance floors get busy to all kinds of stuff that the vast majority of the audience (and possibly the entire audience) has never heard before - in styles they might not even be that familiar with. A lot of it depends on how the material is played and how good the frontman is at engaging an audience.
Regarding dance material, you'd be surprised at what people will dance to. I've seen dance floors get busy to all kinds of stuff that the vast majority of the audience (and possibly the entire audience) has never heard before - in styles they might not even be that familiar with. A lot of it depends on how the material is played and how good the frontman is at engaging an audience.
For me if the band is killer, and/or tight, then doing songs that suck can be overlooked somewhat. However, doing shi++y half fast versions of songs that suck? Not so much.
Margaretaville in particular, for me, should not be in the regular set list. Maybe as a reserve, maybe, occasionally.
I love this thread! I'm lucky enough to have fallen in with three ex-pros (two guitarists, drummer) and a woman who is a good enough singer and an excellent business head. Let me assure you that we do not do anything that hasn't been done before. We play the hits, which even now means a lotta classic rock. But we also play a lot of Stevie Wonder and A Taste of Honey (brief discursion: You should hear the ragging I take for not wanting to sing on "Boogie Oogie Oogie": "What do you mean you can't do it? She does it!"). And we're an odd mix: One guitarist is married to money, one bass player is retired, one singer makes a living out of a patchwork of part time jobs, and one guitarist, at the moment, anyway, is of no fixed address.
Pro tip: If you want to work in a successful band, work with people who actually need the money. And we do pretty good on the money front. Never ever enough to live on, but okay. Three reasons: We're tight. We pay attention to each other.
And because we learned that the best way to entertain a crowd is to entertain each other.
Pro tip: If you want to work in a successful band, work with people who actually need the money. And we do pretty good on the money front. Never ever enough to live on, but okay. Three reasons: We're tight. We pay attention to each other.
And because we learned that the best way to entertain a crowd is to entertain each other.
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A few quick things based only on the OP:
First, sounds like you have guitarists in your band. Happens all the time.
Next, Never rhyme Maybe and Baby, it was DB in the 50s and it's DB now. Just don't. Never. Pro tip, your audience doesn't like it either.
Last, I think the solution is to fire the drummer but another less perfect solution is to reflect on where you want to go with music and whether this situation is compatible with those goals. Maybe, baby? It might be and it might not be. But life is too short and if you are frustrated now it won't be better/different if they play one of the songs you suggest. Will it?
First, sounds like you have guitarists in your band. Happens all the time.
Next, Never rhyme Maybe and Baby, it was DB in the 50s and it's DB now. Just don't. Never. Pro tip, your audience doesn't like it either.
Last, I think the solution is to fire the drummer but another less perfect solution is to reflect on where you want to go with music and whether this situation is compatible with those goals. Maybe, baby? It might be and it might not be. But life is too short and if you are frustrated now it won't be better/different if they play one of the songs you suggest. Will it?
Target Market. Fail to plan, plan to fail.
Is your playlist appealing to enough venues/clients and their patrons/guests to satisfy everyone in the band?
That is my sole criteria for deciding on a playlist. Is it getting me regular gigs in decent venues for decent pay/perks, according to my standards and expectations?
I know my market, and I know which venues will book my band, and those audiences will eat it up with a fork and spoon, even if we didn't play anything newer than 1985.
I also know which venues wouldn't book us for an amateur hour freebie on a Tuesday night with that same playlist. I know for which venues I had better have a more current vibe and work some additional genres into the mix.
All these threads about playlist are so situation-specific. To each band, determine your goals as performers and entertainers, and then work that angle toward that target client and audience. There are no good playlists or bad playlists, only a bad fit between goals and playlists and the target clients. Know your market, plan accordingly, use your practice and rehearsal time wisely.
Is your playlist appealing to enough venues/clients and their patrons/guests to satisfy everyone in the band?
That is my sole criteria for deciding on a playlist. Is it getting me regular gigs in decent venues for decent pay/perks, according to my standards and expectations?
I know my market, and I know which venues will book my band, and those audiences will eat it up with a fork and spoon, even if we didn't play anything newer than 1985.
I also know which venues wouldn't book us for an amateur hour freebie on a Tuesday night with that same playlist. I know for which venues I had better have a more current vibe and work some additional genres into the mix.
All these threads about playlist are so situation-specific. To each band, determine your goals as performers and entertainers, and then work that angle toward that target client and audience. There are no good playlists or bad playlists, only a bad fit between goals and playlists and the target clients. Know your market, plan accordingly, use your practice and rehearsal time wisely.
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I'm in the same boat , in a band that plays lots of gigs, decent pay and playing the same old songs for the last couple of years . Luckily , we play like 30 venues and seem to get away with it ......but it's become a bore !
Welcome to the club.
Sadly thats the way most bands in the circles I run operate. I've been on some gigs where entire passages that are too difficult to play are simply not played, and by far the norm is most of these guys to just be reading lyrics and changes off iPads while trying to play.
No one wants to rehearse, no one wants to learn new stuff...
I've talked to a few people in the circles and mentioned my dissatisfaction with some of this and usually get answer like "but the jams are awesome, dude".
It all really just tells me that the vast majority of musicians just simply want to be seen playing and nut extra effort into things.
I've largely become disillusioned with the whole thing. I mean, I want to play, but its not fun for me when people struggle to get through changes on stage, grooves aren't right, etc//
I work in a band where pretty much I have no say on material, but I have a lot of sway over the level to which it is performed. It's is extremely rare we do a bad piece of music, or even a hackneyed piece of crap. We record all practices and gigs and there is nowhere to hide on recordings, so doing things halfway doesn't fly. As I always say, a recording is worth a thousand words.
How does this work exactly? My current band is a turd. Too fast, sloppy, no groove. Been going on too long to give feedback and I've lost my will to care in some ways. We're not gigging anyhow.
I checked out another project. One thing I wanted to know was "who directs the music"? I'm not sure the host/BL will or is up to the task just yet. The songs we picked were a horrible mess and he noted the timing was all over the place. But it was me that suggested another spin to do it again. Then people started suggesting song that were way more than I think could be pulled off.
I'll have to wait it out a bit but I think the BL wants to play at a higher level and I'm not sure how we'd get there.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
Sounds like your guitarist is happy cruising, rather than working. It's up to you if you want to move on
I feel you it seems to be tribute band season around me, I m fine with cover Bands if the gig s are there. I tired of Orginals. my frustration is the same, I despise playing the same covers every band plays! the 2 or 3 Hendrix tunes plus the hand full of Zeppelin songs! I get bored as a Listener & player! I let my band know "Lets update the songs! Lets be a little different! and play Some Newer Music instead of the Tired Classic every other cover band plays! Lets do some Foo Fighters & Pearl Jam! I Got Totally shut down. It felt like Fear of playing Harder songs, it was back to the same Old songs. I thought it would be refreshing. I would love to go see a bar band play newer/fresher hits rather than the Oldies! so I eventually left or was phased out. Funny the Singer & guitarist started a New Band that Played newer Songs! They got pretty popular & get a lot of gigs. I tried started a new Band, but that proved Hard to find like minded players, the singer was the hardest to find! We played alot of STP & foo fighters, even Sound Garden & Rage! now looking for Drummers! GL
Actually, I love playing this song, and in the wineries we play at, it is emotive for the dancing drunks who stuff lotsa tip money into the jar. I have fun with the bassline. More fun that playing a thousand eighth-notes in an ACDC song.Without commenting on anything else, Stuck in the Middle is a fun song to play. I would take it as a small win.
I would have shot those down too. Those are not well enough known or danceable.
So I just was separated from the first band that I've played with in a long time, because I'm moving to a different state. Sad about the timing, they had auditioned bass players for more than a year, so they told me, and I was "approved" on the first time I played with them. We played a bunch of times in one guys' garage due to COVID and his wifes' aversion to having any non-family member in the house. When winter hit, the weekly garage sessions stopped.
Spring arrived and with it, my moving to a different state. They opted to start looking for another bass player again and that was certainly understandable.
OK having said all that this group, while they had quite a nice list of songs, seemed averse to trying anything new. I suggested some easy "one hit wonders" such as The Hooters "and we danced", Foo Fighters "learn to fly", and even an old standard CCR version of "heard it through the grape vine". Not much interest at all. It was 2 guitars, keyboards, drums and me on bass. Lead guitar, drummer and keyboard were outstanding. Rhythm guitar was good and also a vocalist. Anyway, the point is, I was a little surprised that they were not open to trying anything new.
Spring arrived and with it, my moving to a different state. They opted to start looking for another bass player again and that was certainly understandable.
OK having said all that this group, while they had quite a nice list of songs, seemed averse to trying anything new. I suggested some easy "one hit wonders" such as The Hooters "and we danced", Foo Fighters "learn to fly", and even an old standard CCR version of "heard it through the grape vine". Not much interest at all. It was 2 guitars, keyboards, drums and me on bass. Lead guitar, drummer and keyboard were outstanding. Rhythm guitar was good and also a vocalist. Anyway, the point is, I was a little surprised that they were not open to trying anything new.
