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Jaymzz ( 13)
Forum legend
Joined: 25 Mar 2005
Posts: 705
United Kingdom
Yorkshire
| | Posted: Wed 08 Nov 2006 12:34 | |
....Just on from Steves thread on what songs to cover.
Why do people still insist on forming cover bands?
Covering songs from the 60's,70's,80's,90' and 00's, theres so many bands that cover the same old songs.
Whole lotta rose, Enter Sandman, Sweet child, Boys are back in town, Wild thing,living on a prayer.... the list is pretty endless!
Do people actually care about cover bands, or is it just an excuse to go out for them and get hammered while some band are playing some songs they liked a few decades back?
You always get some lead guitarist who thinks he's slash/vai/EVH/Hammet etc.
Anyone else agree that maybe we should put the whole cover band thing to sleep?
Noones gonna be covering todays rock music in 20years time are they?
Trivium,Fall out boy,Panic at the disco,lost prophets and all that kinda thing?
Opinions please....
.....Jaymzzzzzz...... |
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XDestri
Joined: 01 Jan 1970
Posts:
| | Posted: Wed 08 Nov 2006 12:39 | |
I used to play in a covers band and the places (usually pubs ) were packed out because that's what people wanted to hear, I dare say if we were an originals band, maybe the reception may have been less enthusiastic
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Jaymzz (13)
Forum legend
Joined: 25 Mar 2005
Posts: 705
United Kingdom
Yorkshire
| | Posted: Wed 08 Nov 2006 12:41 | |
We used to have the pubs packed out too, but it generally was every weekend when a cover band were playing. I know its what people want to hear.
If you can pull in a big crowd doing originals, its alot better than if you doing covers in my opinion, alot more hard work is involvded but its worth it.
.....Jaymzzzzzz...... |
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XDestri
Joined: 01 Jan 1970
Posts:
| | Posted: Wed 08 Nov 2006 12:44 | |
I agree, would have loved to do original stuff....but we formed just to do covers, my ideas were always snubbed....feckers! guess that's why I do what I do now and not with them...
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Fraser
Joined: 01 Jan 1970
Posts:
| | Posted: Wed 08 Nov 2006 12:45 | |
I used to do pubs and stuff, too, in the 90's; and there was always some bratty girl in there that would shout out, 'play something weeeeeee alllll knoooowwwww'; so it would be back to some acoustic Floyd number or something. Cover bands exist coz there is a demand. Also, some musicians may only want to do covers out of some tremendous love or fascination with a particular artist - I don't know. |
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stevestory (  15)
Moderator
Gold Member
Joined: 01 Jul 2005
Posts: 2264
United Kingdom
Southend-on-sea
| | Posted: Wed 08 Nov 2006 13:07 | |
I have voiced my opinions on this subject on many occasions.
To be honest I play in a covers band as a part-time job now. It brings in a little extra income.
Several other pennies dropped...so to speak.
1. It dawned on me that standing in a pub on a Friday/Saturday could be more beneficial if I was actually earning some money out of drinking instead of merely emptying my wallet on a weekly basis.
2. It's a piece of piss to form a good covers band.
3. Everyone has a laugh in a covers band, noone takes themselves too seriously unless they are stark staring, egomaniacal lunatics!...its a fecking covers band!
4. Covers bands generally go down well with audiences.
5. It doesn't feel like you are trying to shovel **** uphill with a tennis racket in a covers band...it's a piece of fecking piss!!
6. Did I mention you get paid?
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Fraser
Joined: 01 Jan 1970
Posts:
| | Posted: Wed 08 Nov 2006 13:09 | |
I think you 'covered' everything in that post, Stevey! Did you see what I did there?  Anyway, on with the day! Ta ta for now. |
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ccteevai (8)
Forum legend
Joined: 22 Mar 2005
Posts: 7756
United Kingdom
Southampton, hampshire
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Jaymzz (13)
Forum legend
Joined: 25 Mar 2005
Posts: 705
United Kingdom
Yorkshire
| | Posted: Wed 08 Nov 2006 14:19 | |
That bit is kinda obvious CC!
We all play music because we enjoy it, be it covers or originals.
I think theyre just too many mediocre cover bands out there doing bad versions of classics, and getting paid and praise for doing someone else's songs.
And songs which have been played to death!
.....Jaymzzzzzz......
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Edited: Wed 08 Nov 2006 14:23 |
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soggy
Joined: 01 Jan 1970
Posts:
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ccteevai (8)
Forum legend
Joined: 22 Mar 2005
Posts: 7756
United Kingdom
Southampton, hampshire
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soggy
Joined: 01 Jan 1970
Posts:
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stevestory (15)
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Gold Member
Joined: 01 Jul 2005
Posts: 2264
United Kingdom
Southend-on-sea
| | Posted: Wed 08 Nov 2006 14:42 | |
Ok. Heres a question.
How many unsigned, unknown bands playing original material of any type do you regularly go and see on a whim?
Very few people do this (the rarest being A&R men). We all react to marketing/exposure of some type and usually critical acclaim in the music press/internet or from friends recommendation. Unless it is a very strong recommendation with a cracking cd/demo to support these claims you're extremely unlikely to go see em. The London circuit is full of bands who get one gig and then are told they can't have another one because they didn't pull enough punters through the door on a sh*t night when most people would rather be at home watching Eastenders and not paying £3.20 a pint in some dive or other...so they change the band name again and play the venue again hoping for a different promoter to answer the phone/better luck next time. When they play these scummy dives there's 3 people there (maybe) who are not mates/colleagues usually...I've witnessed this scenario many times. The other reason is that through experience most original bands are crap with a few diamonds in the rough. Most people seem to make the assumption that a band ain't worth knowing about if they have never heard of the act before.
With a covers band it's nearly always free to get in and is down your local anyway...so it's simple and requires no effort. A covers band does exactly what it says on the tin, a night of free live music of varying quality. If you like David Bowie/T Rex/The Who/Thin Lizzy etc you can go and see a great impression of them for maybe £10 instead of the £50-£100 it would cost to see the real thing.
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ccteevai (8)
Forum legend
Joined: 22 Mar 2005
Posts: 7756
United Kingdom
Southampton, hampshire
| | Posted: Wed 08 Nov 2006 14:48 | |
I wouldn't worry too much about justifying what you play.
If people want to see me play these days its covers or nothing. Up to them.
I do what I enjoy, I did the slg round the london toilet scene etc flogging my material, it isn't what i consider fun or cost effective. So..... I don't do it any more.
** www.richiejovie.co.uk **
** www.youtube.com/profile?user=richiejovie **
** www.myspace.com/sticklebach ** |
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Lemmyisgod (78)
Forum legend
Joined: 28 Jul 2005
Posts: 14516
United Kingdom
Glasgow
| | Posted: Wed 08 Nov 2006 15:00 | |
Are Hampshire toilets better then CC. 
FCUK OFF he hinted.
That's why it's "God Was Never On Your Side", you know, just sending out a message to people in case they still believe in God: Wrong! God is not gonna help you, God is not answering your prayers, you can pray all your life and you never get a ****ing thing. God is deaf, blind and stupid. I don't like the devil either, they can both get ****ed."
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ccteevai (8)
Forum legend
Joined: 22 Mar 2005
Posts: 7756
United Kingdom
Southampton, hampshire
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Jaymzz (13)
Forum legend
Joined: 25 Mar 2005
Posts: 705
United Kingdom
Yorkshire
| | Posted: Wed 08 Nov 2006 15:12 | |
Yeah it is difficult trying to sell original stuff to people, an audience generally cant relate to songs theyve never heard before so theyre not going to waste money/time going to see some band theyve never heard before!
But when an originals band starts building a fan base, its much more of an accomplishment.
I have nothing against bands who play covers, i have done it before and really enjoyed it, it was a laugh and like you say... you get paid a decent amount to do what you like to do.
I just think that the bands doing covers, should do something more original with them. You can go to your local 4 weekends in a trot to see a different cover band, and your guarenteed not to see anything amazing or different to the band the previous week.
.....Jaymzzzzzz...... |
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chrisashton (39)
Forum legend
Joined: 13 Apr 2005
Posts: 859
United Kingdom
Staffordshire
| | Posted: Wed 08 Nov 2006 15:20 | |
I totally agree with Steve and CC.
I play in a covers band for the following reasons.
1. As steve said, it's easy, we very rarely rehearse cos we gig so much.
2. It brings in as much money as my day job (sometimes even more)
3. we regularly play to packed venues (whether they have come to see us or just happen to be there I really don't care)
4. most importantly, we have an absolute scream doing it.
don't get me wrong Jaymzz, I applaud you for wanting to play your own stuff but unless you are exceptionally talented and very lucky I think you'll have an uphill struggle.
best of luck to you though
www.roomtwentysix.com |
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stevestory (15)
Moderator
Gold Member
Joined: 01 Jul 2005
Posts: 2264
United Kingdom
Southend-on-sea
| | Posted: Wed 08 Nov 2006 15:31 | |
As has been said before it is a combination of the right music, hard fecking work and more hard fecking work, image, time and place, healthy existing fanbase, hype, media attention, lucky breaks/contacts that score the record deal.
Without being patronising, when you're a kid with your whole musical future ahead of you with few responsibilities and lots of time and energy on your hands record companies are going to be more interested should all the previous considerations fall into place. Are you going to be able to drop everything for 12K a year to go on a UK/World tour supporting some other act? All these things are serious considerations as you get older unfortunately. Whos gonna pay the fecking mortgage while you're living the rock n roll lifestyle touring? The wife? parents? ....potential and considerable problems.
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Jaymzz (13)
Forum legend
Joined: 25 Mar 2005
Posts: 705
United Kingdom
Yorkshire
| | Posted: Wed 08 Nov 2006 16:01 | |
Yeah i see what your saying steve, although Im not actually in a band to get signed, it would obviously be great if for some magical reason it happened, but like you....I do it because i love it!
Yeah ok, so im a little younger than you, but i do understand what it takes to get noticed seeing as theyre are probably more than 100 original bands just in Huddersfield, why would my band be so special compared?
Plus the fact that i am in full time work and have been for 3 years now, i have a loan for my car and i have over a grand insurance to pay on the b*stard,so i do understand the conecpt of having prioritys over playing music to the odd person in a pub.
When you were just a youngster starting your musical journey did you want to play covers of songs older than you to a pub full of people who are there just to prop up the bar,get pissed and not even pay attention to the band playing songs in the corner?
Narr,dint thinkso.
.....Jaymzzzzzz...... |
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