Cover Bands

[Dejablues76]

I am curious what people's opinons are about cover bands?

I, myself, play in an original act, but I know many of people in cover bands.

My personal opinions: if they make the cover songs their own (ex. The Nerds) then it's fun. They throw songs together, mix it up, and keep it interesting.

What do you think?

"Although I Can't Imagine This Passion To Ever Be. Once Was Just An Instant, We Lived It, We've Said Our Peace..." - Mindtool (The 4th)

[Dejablues76]

For some reason it printed my opening post twice, so i am changing it to this blurb.

This message was edited by Dejablues76 on 8-1-02 @ 11:54 PM

[Death Metal Moe]

My opinion on Cover bands is this: They're NOT as tallented as Original bands. Now granted, there's still A LOT of bad cover bands, so to do it right, you HAVE to be a skilled musician.

BUT, you STILL didn't make the material up! You can just sit there all day, and play to the CD. You're not making up your own arrangments, hooks, embeleshments, solos, anything.

Yes, I guess if you add your own style, it's a little better, but you'll probably get shit from the audience for not playing it JUST like the album.

I HATE Jersey for that! This fucking state is Cover band central.

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[Dejablues76]

I coudn't agree with you more! Jersey is INDEED the cover band state. I have no problem with it. Unfortunatly, when I tell people that I am in a band, here's the convo:

"What bands do you play"
-insert original band name here-
"Who are they"
"we play originals"
"do you sound like creed?"

Sorry, I have to laugh at that one! But Seriously, I have total respect for ANYONE who has enough love of music to get up on stage an play, whether it be covers or not, but DON'T bash the people that spend time WRITING material to NOT sound like Creed. That's where the term "Original" comes into play!

Keep rockin!

"Although I Can't Imagine This Passion To Ever Be. Once Was Just An Instant, We Lived It, We've Said Our Peace..." - Mindtool (The 4th)

[fezident]

I have been in two of the most successful cover bands to ever come out of Long Island and I can honestly say the following: WE DO NOT TAKE OURSELVES SERIOUSLY!! When people ask us for autographs (it happens) and shit like that, believe me...WE LAUGH ABOUT IT!

Playing in a coverband is a job to us. A great job, but a job none the less. We do it to expand our musical vocabulary by playing styles and things that we wouldn't normally play on our own. Or we improve our voices by trying to sing in many various styles. Just about all of us are doing originals and/or session work as well. I personally quit the coverband because it opened a HUGE opportunity for me and now I'm playing with some legitimate heavy hitters.
Ihave friends who used to be coverbands that played with many established acts over the years. Two guys I kknow went on to play with Billy Joel. Another with Merideth Brooks (back when that meant something). ANother with Sade', another plays in the band on Saturday Night Live and yet another plays for Letterman. Another guy moved on to be the captain in the show STOMP etc etc.
Nine Days was a coverband that went on to have a number one single for 9 weeks!
Point is...all these opportunites came from the exposure and experience of being in a tight live band.
The people who bash coverband musicians are probably basing that judgement on some shitty bar band they saw in swamps of Suffolk county. Not a well rehearsed band.
If you want to be a "real" muscian, I think starting in a cover band is a more valuable experience than being a waiter somewhere and hoping you get "that magic phone call". Or mooching off your girlfriend. Or studying music theory in college. etc etc.

Fez 4 Prez!!

[Dejablues76]

Hey fezident,

Nice post. Hope you aren't thinking that I am sitting here bashing ALL cover bands. But you are right. In NJ - EVERY BAR has shoved in some backwoods cover band that really hasn't practiced for more then a week, and it shows. I have seen a few established cover bands (the nerds, sugarbelly, etc) that I continue to go see on a regular basis, cause they are fun and they do the songs justice.

The point I was trying to make is the apparent lack of interest in original projects in this area. It's amazing to see something like the R&F contest shedding some light on some of the talet hiding out in this area.

I mean it when I say, a lot of people are 'disappointed' when they hear you don't play top 40, and that, in THIS AREA ONLY, is the only drawback. Once you leave this area (Try Boston, Baltimore, hell even Charolette) there is a 50/50 mix of covers and originals. So people have a more open mind to it.

That was the only point I was trying to make. Not to bash cover bands.

Hope that cleared it up.

B

"Although I Can't Imagine This Passion To Ever Be. Once Was Just An Instant, We Lived It, We've Said Our Peace..." - Mindtool (The 4th)