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Your feeling towards bands. The covers and orignals discussion.
- Thread starter Ian the bassist
- Start date
Here is my take.
When I was younger and thought I needed to make my impression on the "scene" (in hindsight what a waste) I would write and play originals with a band and was doing pretty well, locally. We would sell out bars locally and when we went to other states maybe 15 people would show up and I hated playing music that night. I wasn't married, didn't have kids and had all the time in the world to make my mark on the "scene".
Fast Forward 11 years.
I have two young kids and work a full time job. While I still write music and record some stuff in my basement, I don't have time to dedicate to a project 4 nights a week to play and rehearse and write original material.
Playing covers let's me:
1. Get out of the house typically when the rest of my family is asleep and do what I love to do. Play music and make people dance and have a good time.
2. I can download a cover anytime and rehearse it as I have time on my own intead of needing input from the band.
3.Did I mention every time we play the dance floor fills up with happy people? We play rock, 80's, 70's, 60's, Elvis, Dance, 90's, even stuff on the radio today and usually have a great turn out.
I like original music, I liked playing original music. There is a time where your original music becomes stale based on genre and you have to evolve or move on. I ditched the drama and moved on to having a good time with a rehearsal schedule I can manage with the time I have to play.
Nothing wrong with a cover band, just remember to say thank you as a musician for keeping local music hopping, whether original or not.
When I was younger and thought I needed to make my impression on the "scene" (in hindsight what a waste) I would write and play originals with a band and was doing pretty well, locally. We would sell out bars locally and when we went to other states maybe 15 people would show up and I hated playing music that night. I wasn't married, didn't have kids and had all the time in the world to make my mark on the "scene".
Fast Forward 11 years.
I have two young kids and work a full time job. While I still write music and record some stuff in my basement, I don't have time to dedicate to a project 4 nights a week to play and rehearse and write original material.
Playing covers let's me:
1. Get out of the house typically when the rest of my family is asleep and do what I love to do. Play music and make people dance and have a good time.
2. I can download a cover anytime and rehearse it as I have time on my own intead of needing input from the band.
3.Did I mention every time we play the dance floor fills up with happy people? We play rock, 80's, 70's, 60's, Elvis, Dance, 90's, even stuff on the radio today and usually have a great turn out.
I like original music, I liked playing original music. There is a time where your original music becomes stale based on genre and you have to evolve or move on. I ditched the drama and moved on to having a good time with a rehearsal schedule I can manage with the time I have to play.
Nothing wrong with a cover band, just remember to say thank you as a musician for keeping local music hopping, whether original or not.
IMO, its all about perspective.
I got back into playing again a few years ago because I wanted (needed is more like it) something that was an enjoyable hobby/outlet. I have a full time job and my own business on the side, which can be like having another full time job sometimes (not to mention that Im married with two small children, house, etc etc).
I'm 39 now and have been playing for almost 25 years. But I made the decision once I started trying to find a band to play with that I most likely would end up in a cover band. I write music and have always loved playing originals...as a matter of fact this is the first cover band I have ever been in...but at this point in my life I didn't want to go the originals route. I wanted to be able to play music, in front of a decent amount of people on a regular basis, that hopefully gets a good reaction and makes a few bucks for my trouble.
Ive played originals for years and most times it was in front of a handful of people making no money doing it. And the mindset of most of my band mates in originals bands was "making it". I don't need to "make it" at this point and even though I'm not rich, it would take an A+ offer from a huge record label to even match what I make in my day job/own business (if there is such a thing as A+ offer from a record label anymore)
Would I love to be packing venues playing my own stuff and being paid a decent buck? Sure, but the percentages of that ever happening were pretty low. So now I get to do all that playing covers and Im just as happy.
I got back into playing again a few years ago because I wanted (needed is more like it) something that was an enjoyable hobby/outlet. I have a full time job and my own business on the side, which can be like having another full time job sometimes (not to mention that Im married with two small children, house, etc etc).
I'm 39 now and have been playing for almost 25 years. But I made the decision once I started trying to find a band to play with that I most likely would end up in a cover band. I write music and have always loved playing originals...as a matter of fact this is the first cover band I have ever been in...but at this point in my life I didn't want to go the originals route. I wanted to be able to play music, in front of a decent amount of people on a regular basis, that hopefully gets a good reaction and makes a few bucks for my trouble.
Ive played originals for years and most times it was in front of a handful of people making no money doing it. And the mindset of most of my band mates in originals bands was "making it". I don't need to "make it" at this point and even though I'm not rich, it would take an A+ offer from a huge record label to even match what I make in my day job/own business (if there is such a thing as A+ offer from a record label anymore)
Would I love to be packing venues playing my own stuff and being paid a decent buck? Sure, but the percentages of that ever happening were pretty low. So now I get to do all that playing covers and Im just as happy.
although I should specify.... a group of kids age 14-16 that just started out and dont have a full set written will usually throw in covers so they can start gigging. I think thats fine... we all have to start somewhere.....
Also I think that remaking a song is fine... like when Marilyn Manson redid sweet dreams and gave it a makeover with a different style.
Thats totally fine....
What I dont think is fine is when people on this forum in cover bands try to act like original bands are a waste of time and never sound good anyways.
Are you serious?
You call yourself a musician while ripping on local musicians that create music while you're stealing music from original musicians.
Also I think that remaking a song is fine... like when Marilyn Manson redid sweet dreams and gave it a makeover with a different style.
Thats totally fine....
What I dont think is fine is when people on this forum in cover bands try to act like original bands are a waste of time and never sound good anyways.
Are you serious?
You call yourself a musician while ripping on local musicians that create music while you're stealing music from original musicians.
I really like cover bands that do their own presentation of material, let's say take the Beatles' Revolution and make it sound like Radiohead meets Muse. As for copycat cover bands, meeh, boring. Music is for interpretation, not for re-representation, you have CDs for that.
How much respect if you suck? You'll get a lot of it from me.
I respect anybody that creates music and then goes on stage to share it with other people not knowing if they'll love it or hate it.
Well, you were the one who specifically categorized performers as "artists" or "musicians but not artists" based on whether they were writing their own songs. I gave one example of where your definitions break down.
I'm glad to see that in subsequent posts you backed off of your suggestion that a musician who plays the music of others cannot be an "artist."
Who says you have to spend 4 nights a week on it? I have a full time job and two kids too... We rehearse one night a week and the guitar player and I work on songs a couple other nights a week when the kids go to bed. Then we all show up on practice and share what we've come up with. It's worked out well for us so far. After a year we have an 8 song demo and book shows once every month or two. It's pretty much all I want at this point.
I'll always respect a tight cover band full of talented musicians and performers over a garbage original band. I'll always respect a tight original band with well-written and executed songs over a garbage cover band of hacks. In my experience, the good cover bands outnumber the good original bands.
I've played both in my career as a bass player and both originals and covers offer their own unique challenges and rewards. The pretentious "I'm musically superior because I play underground original music that five people like" crap gets pretty old with me fast. I've always done exactly what I've wanted to do, and when that involves covers, if people don't like it, they can eff off.
Sorry for the long run-on sentence there.
I've played both in my career as a bass player and both originals and covers offer their own unique challenges and rewards. The pretentious "I'm musically superior because I play underground original music that five people like" crap gets pretty old with me fast. I've always done exactly what I've wanted to do, and when that involves covers, if people don't like it, they can eff off.
Sorry for the long run-on sentence there.
Yeah, totally, but that's as a spectator. As a musician, I don't want to play music I don't like. If I like the music I'm writing and it turns out other people don't, that's perfectly fine. I don't expect a lot of people to like the music I write... It's not your regular 4 chord feel good sorta pop.
Exactly what im talking about. Its original music... its art. If you like it thats all that matters.
Works both ways IMO
Hello. Pot? This is Kettle.......
Ummmm no. I dont do pay to play and I certainly dont sell tickets for the venue.
He may be talking about his particular situation. I know that when I played originals back when I was 18, I put in 4-5 days a week on it too.
I could, and do, write stuff at home and really enjoy doing that, but for right now, a cover band affords me to play in front of alot more people and in alot more places than an original band would.
During the 40+ years I have played bass I have played in a few "originals" bands that, despite the enthusiasm, rarely played out and never released a song or recorded for a brand name music company. The reason is that the music stunk and had no redeeming value. Now when someone advertises for a bassist for an originals band I run the other way because 99.9% of the time it is a "waste of time".
Someone already mentioned "(musical) entertainment vs. (musical) artistry". That's perfect and I am in the first category.
On the contrary, though, someone has to take the risk and successfully produce original music or us "entertainers" have nothing to entertain with.
Someone already mentioned "(musical) entertainment vs. (musical) artistry". That's perfect and I am in the first category.
On the contrary, though, someone has to take the risk and successfully produce original music or us "entertainers" have nothing to entertain with.
And thats a fine attitude to have.
Just dont be one of the people on this forum that talks cr@p about original bands like they're a waste of time.
Talk about biting the hand that feeds. If all musicians right now that lack major label support started cover bands we'd be out of music soon.
Good point! It takes years of practice and sacrifice to learn how to use Nero. I have a friend who went to Berklee and majored in CDR selection.
- Dec 21, 2007
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This. I was recording with a songwriter/collaborator, and we stopped after a take because of the music that had just happened, and he said "sometimes the song teaches you how it should go".
That's an amazing and wonderful experience.
I also get a bigass kick seeing a packed dancefloor rocking and singing along to a song that I wrote. I like seeing 'em dance to whatever I play, but if I wrote it, so much cooler.
Good point! It takes years of practice and sacrifice to learn how to use Nero. I have a friend who went to Berklee and majored in CDR selection.
Yea it is a good point. Because both situations have someone taking money for something that they didnt make.
Look at a cover band of say..... metallica
Did you spend thousands of hours in a garage writing those songs?
Did you go through god knows how many crappy shows just trying to get those songs popular?
Did you spend all your money playing gigs to promote metallica in the 80's?
Did your friend and bandmate die on tour supporting those songs?
Did you gamble with your future by promoting yourself with those songs to be a rockstar instead of finding a career?
Did you spend thousands of hours in studios making sure those songs were perfect?
No. you did not. So who the hell are you to waltz into a club and take money for playing those songs?
Did you copy peoples reports and homework in college too? I mean why waste your time on a crappy original paper when you can move yourself along by copying a proven one word for word.
