Same people, different band..

Many years ago there was a popular band here, The Slickee Boys, who did mostly original new wave/punkish/power pop stuff. They formed a rockabilly band called the Wanktones and both bands were regulars on the local scene. They even opened for themselves at one gig, according to the front man! But, although the music was similar, it was not the same.

BBB
 
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I know an act like that. Same group of people, when they play the BL's originals they're the (BL's Name) Band, when they play country shows they have a different name, and when they're a top 40 covers/wedding/function band there's a third name. As far as I've heard they're quite successful on the local scene - or in three different local scenes, rather.
 
I’m in a relatively popular local covers band. We do a variety of tunes (including 80s, 90s, classics, Top 40 etc), we play for a set fee and venues don’t charge cover. Our singer is also in an 80s Concept Band. They do the full dress-up 80s thing, sell tickets/charge cover and play for the door. They do make some good $$.
When the cover band needed a new drummer, we took on the 80s band’s drummer. Then the guitarist from covers started also playing with the 80s band. Now she wants me to play bass in the 80s band as well…..it would have essentially become one band with 2 different shows.
I’m not in love with the idea from an audience perspective. If I pay to see an 80s show and its just the same covers band I saw for free last week, but wearing some 80s costumes, I’d be a bit disappointed.
What do y’all think? I like the people in the band, and it’d be an excuse to buy some cheesy pointy headstock 80s basses I guess.

I don’t think most people would care one way or another.
 
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I know an act like that. Same group of people, when they play the BL's originals they're the (BL's Name) Band, when they play country shows they have a different name, and when they're a top 40 covers/wedding/function band there's a third name. As far as I've heard they're quite successful on the local scene - or in three different local scenes, rather.

Maybe this is where my irrational concerns come from. Years ago…like late last century…I bought tickets to see The Doors tribute band. I was well into the Sixties vibe at the time.

I get there to see the opening act absolutely butchering Hendrix and Cream and just being all-round rubbish. These guys were bad.

I sat and had a few drinks waiting for The Doors show and to my great surprise it was the same damn band but they added a keyboard player. Absolutely atrocious. I don’t want to be that band.
 
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Maybe this is where my irrational concerns come from. Years ago…like late last century…I bought tickets to see The Doors tribute band. I was well into the Sixties vibe at the time.

I get there to see the opening act absolutely butchering Hendrix and Cream and just being all-round rubbish. These guys were bad.

I sat and had a few drinks waiting for The Doors show and to my great surprise it was the same damn band but they added a keyboard player. Absolutely atrocious. I don’t want to be that band.
If you don't suck then it's not a problem.
 
A friend did this back in the 90's. Regular bar band, playing for $200 playing 80's rock. One day they looked at the set and throught "we know a lot of Bon Jovi songs...". They pretty much contacted the places they'd been playing and said "would you like to book us for $200 like you always have, or would yo pay us $800, and the guitarist will wear a cowboy hat".

Same band, same venue, similar songs... different marketing. The bars were totally aware and happy with the arrangement: some booked them in both formats. The bar could charge for the tribute, and it brought people in, so they're happy. Band get big pay rise... they're happy. Audience who wanted to hear Bon Jovi all night were happy to pay and go to a bar they might not otherwise go to, and spend money. Everyone wins.

You're looking for a problem that doesn't exist.
 
I think y'all are right. It's all in my head.

The covers band is a pretty good bar band, but the 80s concept thing will hopefully be more a club/corporate thing. Apart from people who actually know us, that would be happy to see us in a different format, they're 2 separate audiences.

....and if some guy is unhappy about seeing last week's cover band in a wig, then that's 100% on them.
 
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My main band plays a full night of classic & outlaw country.

Or a full night of classic rock, protest songs & motown.

Or ???

Kinda depends on the venue. Last Saturday night we were in a rural dance hall - guess what we leaned heavily into.

Friday we'll be in a rural outlying growth 'burb in transifion where they'll likely be a mix; Saturday we're at a popular, packed wine bistro in an affluent 'burb catering to the country club crowd where we'll probably play mostly rock and motown.

Not sure if we're "that kind of band' or just an adaptable group of attention-deficits.
 
it would have essentially become one band with 2 different shows.

I’m not in love with the idea from an audience perspective. If I pay to see an 80s show and its just the same covers band I saw for free last week, but wearing some 80s costumes, I’d be a bit disappointed.

Sorry if I missed it, but do both bands play the same setlist? That would be weird. You said one band wears costumes but the other doesn't, so that's a difference. But even if the differences were minuscule, I'd still work both bands.



We've got some talented players in my area who play on multiple bands that differ by only 1 or 2 members. They still sound good and no one really cares

Due to a bass player shortage here I currently juggle a bunch of bands, some of which are incestuous (so to speak) with overlapping band members. The setlists of these bands can be similar to each other, but that is often true for cover bands even when they are completely different. I mean, if you're an 80's band, you're probably gonna play "Don't Stop Believin'".

Sometimes I'm playing as the regular bassist, sometimes as a sub. Sometimes I don't know whether I'm the regular or the sub, but it doesn't matter. Long story short: I've networked with a bunch of similarly-minded free agents; the BLs often book the gigs first, and then figure out how to staff them! Fans occasionally notice -- "hey, I saw you with that other band last weekend!" -- but it's nothing more than a topic of conversation. Regular fans accept that one of my bands is called by two different names, depending on who's playing bass, me or the other guy. The other bassist didn't want "his" band name to be used if he wasn't on the gig. :rolleyes:

Anyway, the only slight negative I'm aware of was that one bar manager noticed that he'd booked two very similar bands (same front people) on back-to-back weekends, so he rescheduled one of the gigs to avoid that.
 
There is way too much decent 80's stuff to not have to go anywhere near the clichéd stuff that every 80's band tends to cover.

Even newer songs like Sex on Fire and Brightside are huge turn offs for people who expect a bit more than hearing the same set by umpteen bands on the circuit.
 
To emphasize a point from my previous (rambling) post: I once went to meet some friends who were watching another local classic rock cover band perform. I had met one of the guitarists in that band, but had never seen them play. Anyway, in the band's first two hour-long sets, there were only two songs that I wasn't performing regularly in one of my own classic rock cover bands. Point is, even bands with completely different lineups can play the same tunes! So again: I don't think the OP should worry... just play in both bands.
 
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