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selecting songs

#2
The singer picks them. The singer has to be comfortable with the song or it's not going to work. If I really hate a song, I will say something.

But sometimes you just have to play songs you don't like. I don't like the Doors, and the bass line for Roadhouse Blues is boring, but the song goes over very well, so I put up with it. And the boring bass line is, IMHO, a large part of the appeal to the dancers.
 
#3
I may sound korny but thats the way things should be:

Just close your eyes while listening to 'em... imagine the reactions of the crowd and try to feel the vibes comin' out from you (if you feel what you play) and what is the "feeling" you get back from them.

I m not into a cover band, but thats the way I choose a couple of cover songs to fit in our original set list. Plus I usually try to fit the covers into my/our style so it will be a unique experience and not just another cover, u know? Thats another tip if you wanna stand out of the crowded cover band world.

Respect.
 
#7
You want to pick cover songs that are the musical equivalent of spray cheese in a can. True story. Bar crowds love cheesy goodness. You can still play a few technically challenging songs, but your meat and potatoes is actually cheese.
 
#8
My band plays to get people to drink beer and dance, as without that, the bars we play at might not invite us back. :) The singer always has veto power, so I've been working on singing and playing at the same time, which I find challenging. Like patting your head and rubbing your belly.

However, something I find particularly frustrating is that I try to pick songs that have a great groove, but are not necessarily ones that every cover band plays - like Money by the Beatles, or Burning Love by Elvis. I tend to get a lukewarm response from the two guitar players, who would rather play "songs that people like to sing to" rather than "songs that people like to dance to." Like Free Falling, or Into the Great Wide Open, by Tom Petty. :rollno:
 
#9
+1 to the singer picking the song. Singer has to be able to sing it. Course, when the rest of us come up with song ideas we're keeping the singer's abilities in mind :). So far it's been me and the singer picking most of the set list cause every song we picked the audience loved :).

Watch the women in the audience when at other gigs.....or at a bar and a song comes on the jukebox and they all start singing it.. if the women are singing it that's a good sign :).
 
#10
any one of us can bring up a song he thinks is worthy- and then we all get a chance to shoot it down- it's pretty democratic. We'll mess around with the key if it's out of our singing range, but sometimes you do just have to pass on it. I used to sing Highway to Hell, but it was always a mistake and a few times i had to stop singing halfway thru a performance. We finished up instrumental style.

We play for fun and once a month at the most, so we're not going to try to please the masses. We play songs that we like, not what drunk girls like (not that there's anything wrong with that.) Sometimes we match up. Sometimes the crowd is staring at us like a deer in headlights. I think playing stuff you really enjoy is key to bringing a lot of energy to the performance and that helps everyone have a good time.

Liking the song trumps the funness or challenge of the bassline. I will admit, some songs are downright boring to play. But i still enjoy singing along and bobbing my head.
 
#11
My band plays to get people to drink beer and dance, as without that, the bars we play at might not invite us back. The singer always has veto power, so I've been working on singing and playing at the same time, which I find challenging. Like patting your head and rubbing your belly.
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If only singing and playing was as easy as patting yourself on the head and rubbing your stomach, I'd be Geddy Lee in no time.
 
#15
MakiSupaStar said:
It has to be unanimous. Everyone has to dig it, or it gets tossed. Nothing worse than playing a song you don't like.
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Nothing worse?? How about playing songs you really like to an empty room? I'd rather play "Nothin But A Good Time" to a roomful of hot Asian chicks that dirty dance with each other and show the band their jubblies.

To each his own I guess.........
 
#16
1. Have a purpose - a prism through which song-picking decisions pass: What are you trying to do? Who are you trying to be? What kind of places are you generally going to play?

2. What does the band sound credible doing? If you don't have the talent, the feel or the instrumentation for a song, don't bother.

3. It's not a democracy. Everyone should have their input, but if you do the old "everyone gets 8 choices" or something, you'll end up with a mish-mash of junk that won't fit together. Or worse, there is ALWAYS someone who wants to play less well-known tracks because he or she likes them. As if that's the point.

4. Unless you want to play in front of empty rooms, think not of your personal taste, but WHAT WILL WORK WHERE WE ARE PLAYING.

You might not like doing Mustang Sally (God knows I've come to loathe it), but it always works. If you want to be a success, you're going to have to get your satisfaction not from playing songs you like but from the FEEDBACK you get from an audience.


That being said, bands I've been in were usually willing to try songs but if we played them out 2-3 times and got no real reaction (or worse, negative feedback), out they went.
 
#17
MakiSupaStar said:
It has to be unanimous. Everyone has to dig it, or it gets tossed. Nothing worse than playing a song you don't like.
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Not at all. If that were the case most bands would never put set list together. I find you end up doing songs you enjoy playing songs you hate playing and songs that you really don't care either way.

Even in my originals band there are one or two of our own songs that I'm not a big fan of but the rest of the band like them so I play it.
 
#20
theshadow2001 said:
I find you end up doing songs you enjoy playing songs you hate playing and songs that you really don't care either way.
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+1

You can play a few songs (very few) for your own enjoyment, but cover bands BY DEFINITION are there to facilitate the dancin', which leads to increased drinkin', which leads to happy club owners.

And of course the singer always has final veto power. If they're not comfortable singing it, it won't sound good, no matter how good the bass line sounds.

Some people can't/won't play in cover bands because they are playing primarily for their own enjoyment. The rest of us realize our own enjoyment by (a) being on stage in front of a crowd AND (b) playing the music the crowd wants to hear at that particular time/place. (And playing it as well as possible.)
 

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