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Tribute bands - looks

Hi,

Sorry I'm in late, just wanted to share this right quick.



If it's a "tribute" and not an "impersonation" then I've always been in the "look the part" school of thought. In my tribute act I sing the parts of Johnny Cash, Julio Iglesias, Merle Haggard, and Ray Charles. I don't look like any of these people but I wear nice stage clothes that fit the show.

View attachment 3302592

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
Well you sure do look the part!:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
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All right, OP here. They already filled the position from a prior audition. Another question. I am thinking of trying to put something together. I have a vocalist who has the chops, and the interest to dress the part. I have a good lead guitarist (chops, tasteful, and good vocals). Which of these do you think would have the most appeal, and the best chance to score good paying gigs:

- Boston - my concern is that fewer females are into them, which could limit higher paying gigs
- Journey
- Styx - would love to do this, but vocalist is just a vocalist
- Huey Lewis - same issue, also would need a sax

Thoughts?
 
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All right, OP here. They already filled the position from a prior audition. Another question. I am thinking of trying to put something together. I have a vocalist who has the chops, and the interest to dress the part. I have a good lead guitarist (chops, tasteful, and good vocals). Which of these do you think would have the most appeal, and the best chance to score good paying gigs:

- Boston - my concern is that fewer females are into them, which could limit higher paying gigs
- Journey
- Styx - would love to do this, but vocalist is just a vocalist
- Huey Lewis - same issue, also would need a sax

Thoughts?
We have a band in town called “Journey to Boston” that covers those 2 groups. Have you considered a group that pays tribute to more than one band? Might have broader appeal.
 
All right, OP here. They already filled the position from a prior audition. Another question. I am thinking of trying to put something together. I have a vocalist who has the chops, and the interest to dress the part. I have a good lead guitarist (chops, tasteful, and good vocals). Which of these do you think would have the most appeal, and the best chance to score good paying gigs:

- Boston - my concern is that fewer females are into them, which could limit higher paying gigs
- Journey
- Styx - would love to do this, but vocalist is just a vocalist
- Huey Lewis - same issue, also would need a sax

Thoughts?

If I may, this post leads to another question that, it appears, you believe is related (as do I): Can you add a utility player to cover parts originally only performed by studio musicians, or to cover a gap if the band members don't cover all the instruments of the original performer?

In your case, you're saying that if you chose Styx, you'd need to add a guitarist to cover Tommy's instrument?

I've recently joined a new tribute where the lead singer--also the most recognizable of the quartet--only sang (pretty much). But 25% of the studio recordings have either auxiliary percussion, acoustic guitar, or piano added to the bass, drums, electric guitar, vocals main lineup. We haven't decided that we WILL add an auxiliary player, but we have decided that we WON'T, for the most part, have the lead singer do anything else but sing lead--again, the mic is pretty much the original singer's primary instrument, and that up-front vocalist is pretty key for the group representation.

I've seen some tributes that do this. Often they make the claim that the "5th man/woman" is representing some known-to-fans studio guy. For example, a Dave Matthews tribute adds a guitarist and calls him their "Tim Reynolds" (who has, admittedly, performed with the core band live).
 
All right, OP here. They already filled the position from a prior audition. Another question. I am thinking of trying to put something together. I have a vocalist who has the chops, and the interest to dress the part. I have a good lead guitarist (chops, tasteful, and good vocals). Which of these do you think would have the most appeal, and the best chance to score good paying gigs:

- Boston - my concern is that fewer females are into them, which could limit higher paying gigs
- Journey
- Styx - would love to do this, but vocalist is just a vocalist
- Huey Lewis - same issue, also would need a sax

Thoughts?
Unless there's already a tribute killing it in your area, I think Journey. Journey seems to have fans up and down the age spectrum; their popularity has endured in a way that I just wouldn't have expected.
 
We have a band in town called “Journey to Boston” that covers those 2 groups. Have you considered a group that pays tribute to more than one band? Might have broader appeal.

I was thinking about that as well. There is a Bos/Styx band as well. Since I have the voice, my options are better than I had hoped.
 
All right, OP here. They already filled the position from a prior audition. Another question. I am thinking of trying to put something together. I have a vocalist who has the chops, and the interest to dress the part. I have a good lead guitarist (chops, tasteful, and good vocals). Which of these do you think would have the most appeal, and the best chance to score good paying gigs:

- Boston - my concern is that fewer females are into them, which could limit higher paying gigs
- Journey
- Styx - would love to do this, but vocalist is just a vocalist
- Huey Lewis - same issue, also would need a sax

Thoughts?

i would think that which will be the best draw may partly be regional. three years ago, huey lewis packed a large outdoor show my son and his ex went to. if you love one of those bands passionately, choose that one. if not, i'd think other bands would draw more paying gigs than any of those - but that's just my opinion.
 
I like the combination idea of a few different acts. It gives you more recognizable "hits", appeals to a wider variety of fans/attendees (potentially), and you can throw in a few extra tunes, related to that genre, that excite you and the other members.

If I were playing in a group like this, I would go with era-like attire.
 
I like the combination idea of a few different acts. It gives you more recognizable "hits", appeals to a wider variety of fans/attendees (potentially), and you can throw in a few extra tunes, related to that genre, that excite you and the other members.

If I were playing in a group like this, I would go with era-like attire.

that would be a cover band rather than a tribute band, and i expect that band would lose a number of dedicated fans but maybe pick up some era and genre specific fans. around here and in vegas, tribute bands seem to do better, as people sort of magic themselves into feeling like they're seeing their favorite bands including some that haven't been around for decades or have gone through major changes.
 
All right, OP here. They already filled the position from a prior audition. Another question. I am thinking of trying to put something together. I have a vocalist who has the chops, and the interest to dress the part. I have a good lead guitarist (chops, tasteful, and good vocals). Which of these do you think would have the most appeal, and the best chance to score good paying gigs:

- Boston - my concern is that fewer females are into them, which could limit higher paying gigs
- Journey
- Styx - would love to do this, but vocalist is just a vocalist
- Huey Lewis - same issue, also would need a sax

Thoughts?

Huggy Louis and the Snooze. And yes, you may use the name...

Slick back hair, dark suit and dark aviators for Mario, or sport coat and gray pork pie hat for John. And gives you an excuse to have a stable of P's, PJ's, Stingray 5's, Bongo 5's, and a Kiloton 5. You can't hardly beat that!
 
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If I may ...
Take a look at this very successful tribute act and tell me what parts of their look and/or gear are working, and which aren't.
I guarantee you they are more successful than most tribute bands financially, regardless of musical quality.
 
I’m a firm believer a successful tribute band pays attention to the details. I’m am in the process of putting a very detailed tribute band together, in our case the Artist is an American Icon, and it’s not only enough to cover the music and sound like her, but she will look like her, move like her, and have the right gear. We will have the same stage plot, right down to the Velcro on the fingerease and Kleenex box on the amp. Details. No one will know except the hard core fans.

Luckily, she has had quite a few players in her band over the years, so we can kind of fudge a little there. As long as the look is correct, and general movements right, it will blend.

In our case, we are going for their raw live show that has the energy and what has made her popular over the years. Our mindset is if you can’t see the real thing, we are the next best.
In our situation, we want to celebrate the actual artist, and bring honor to her with every show. So far it’s going well, we are taking our time, doing it right, and working with a good promoter that will put us in the right venues, no bars! We are picking it apart and working out every nuance possible to make it the best it can be.

Here you can see the guitar she will be using, and even the attention to detail regarding the stickers on her guitar, which is an exact copy of the actual artist as well. Right down to the same picks. That’s attention to detail.

DCAABBBA-06F4-430C-AB7A-69DDDD9121C5.jpeg


My look will be along these lines, which is more of a blending of the bassists involved. We are going for a later career look as opposed to the early, so the equipment and stage set will reflect that look. It going to be a fully immersive experience.

D7044166-B742-4E43-ABC4-736804B5503A.jpeg
 
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I’m a firm believer a successful tribute band pays attention to the details. I’m am in the process of putting a very detailed tribute band together, in our case the Artist is an American Icon, and it not only enough to cover the music and sound like her, but she will look like her, move like her, and have gear like the band, to include the guitar.

The stage setup, including the gear will be the same as well. Luckily, she has had quite a few players in her band over the years, so we can kind of fudge a little there. As long as the look is correct, gear right and general movements right, it will blend.

That's what does it. This is the band my buddy I talked about is in, and they are constantly touring and gigging. Great detail, great musicianship. At 1:10 you can make him out not only on his Longhorn, but with his G&L L1000 in the background that he uses for later songs, just like Garry Tallent did.

 
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99% of the people are there for the music , not the look, but there are a few brain dead people that value the look more than the music.[/QUOTE]

If the audience were full of musicians, this might be true. My experience would tend to lean in the opposite direction. For "normal" people the visual is a huge part of how they perceive the band.