Making function bands different

[NJE]

I play in a typical covers band playing a mix of material like Katy Perry, Kings of Leon, Sister Sledge etc, you know the kind of stuff, nothing out of the norm. And there in lies the problem.....

There are now so many bands trying to do the wedding/function band thing playing all the same kind of songs, and I am starting to wonder if there is a way to make it fresh and make a break from the typical.

Have any of you out there done the covers or the function work but put an usual twist on it, like mix up arrangemnets of songs or play with an unusual band lineup? Does it work? Anything that distances your band from the "Disco/funk party bands" and the "lets all wear black shirts and white ties" lot?

Interested to hear your thoughts...

Yours faithfully 'dissolutioned', Cheltenham.

[TimR]

Red ties?

[paul h]

No.

[TimR]

Commiserations mate.

I like the way you have undone your top button and rolled ip your sleeves in an attempt to look cool.

[LukeFRC]

one of the best bands I heard was at a wedding, they were kinda funk soul type thing and realised that the wedding tables were named after old blues singers so asked if they could play all this blues stuff, but danceable.... it was great and you could tell they were enjoying it too.

[brensabre79]

I play in a covers band that likes to do things differently, it started out with a 'people will book us for who we are and what we play' attitude. And people do book us, but for functions / weddings, even booking us on this basis there is usually a request list. Guess what, they are all exactly the same songs all the function bands do, exactly the stuff we tried to avoid! So the choice is simple:

1. play what you like, but don't expect so many functions/weddings if you refuse to play what they want.
2. play the same old stuff everyone else plays but wear red ties.

Personally I don't care, we do lots of pub gigs where we get to play what we want, and if someone is prepared to hand over the £££s for a function, then i will gladly play Come 'on Eileen for 3 hours. Well maybe not for 3 hours, 3 minutes is about my limit with that tune before someone has to die.

[deepbass5]

None of us should lose sight of the fact someone is paying you to put on a professional show that they and their family and friends can dance to. Or at least enjoy listening to.
So right away you are tide to conform to the customers’ expectations. You need to play what people want, this will still include Mustang Sally and Brown eyed girl, despite the jibes on this site.
We still find British 60's numbers get the best reaction from any decade we cover.
As far as clothes go, a Tux is still required for many society dinners, coloured shirts and trousers of every combination has been done by most serious working bands now and still works. I actually think the Killers look with white or black tie is more dated than say and Hawaiian shirt and jeans.

It is down to what the punter perceives to be right, if you do not look right to them on your website you won’t even know they have past you up for the four penguins in tuxedos or the hairy bikers in denim

[BottomE]

I know what you mean. It is a little depressing to see loads of bands doing the circuit with the same set lists. We are a bit in the same boat as you. It would be easy to stay the same and carry on playing the "standard" set, after all it brings in the cash.

I'd say learn as many tunes as possible because it provides options and keeps you fresh. If you have a big menu of songs to choose from you (and the audience) will have less chance to get bored.

[deepbass5]

[quote name='BottomE' timestamp='1334855994' post='1622500']
I know what you mean. It is a little depressing to see loads of bands doing the circuit with the same set lists. We are a bit in the same boat as you. It would be easy to stay the same and carry on playing the "standard" set, after all it brings in the cash.

I'd say learn as many tunes as possible because it provides options and keeps you fresh. If you have a big menu of songs to choose from you (and the audience) will have less chance to get bored.
[/quote]

This
We have enough numbers now to be able to do a 60's night or a 70's night and cover everything from Jazz standards to GaGa as well. I think that is a good point from Bottom. Many bands only have enough numbers for 2 x 45 min spots so cannot alter things if the crowd wants it and the band gets bored too. Way out costumes will not wow the crowed if they have heard it all before.

[JTUK]

We really don't approach weddings any differently than any other gig..bar the attendance times.
We try to look ok but Jeans and a decent shirt is about it, and we may add a few more dancey chummy tunes
to bail us out but frankly, we aren't a wedding band so for all enquiries we ask them to check out our website
and/or come to see us as this is what we do.

We recently threw in 'roadhouse blues' as it was requested ...and it may be a keeper in the set as it works
for us, so that was a bonus but you might be surprised at what people want played at their wedding these
days. If it was for young kids we would probably pass on it, but for older people getting married, you can't call it
without checking out a few things first.
Also, after the usual 80's classics sets which has been done to death round here, people want something different
so I try not to second guess what they like.
I ask them what they expect...and tell them what we do and see if there is any middle ground.. I am far happier them coming to see us
or them knowing us when we take the booking.
We don't cater for real oldies as the people dancing can be 40's to 60's ... I also prefer to know the venue and if it has
a room or two where people can escape the band if they want.. which is not easily done if in a marquee.

Our general stance is that we want people who book us to come and see us and take it from there... misunderstandings or miscommunications are a
PITA and nobody pays you for that..

I do this from a POV of not really wanting to do functions anyway...altho the money is nice..so we either do it on terms that we can live with and enjoy it
or not do it at all.

I think 'function band' is a funny tag... as there are a few functions bands that play all the right things round here, that can hardly function as bands anyway.. :
We just try and match our 'thing' with the bookers 'thing' and that is the basis on which we take the gig or not...

[TimR]

People will dance to whatever you play as long as you play it with confidence and attitude. There are a bunch of standard tunes but you're right the black shirt White tie and Brown Eyed Girl are very cliche.

You can't play ALL the party tunes. The secret is learning the latest tunes quickly and get them in the setlist and keeping that up to date on your website. If you play stuff from the Radio 2 playlist people will be more impressed than if you do Come On Elieen for a drunk 50something.

You also MUST have a frontman/woman who can read the crowd, knows when to make a humerous remark and knows when not to and just crack on with the set.

[leschirons]

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1334858828' post='1622553']
We don't cater for real oldies as the people dancing can be 40's to 60's ... [/quote]

Thanks for that!!

[icastle]

[quote name='deepbass5' timestamp='1334854270' post='1622453']
None of us should lose sight of the fact someone is paying you to put on a professional show that they and their family and friends can dance to. Or at least enjoy listening to.
So right away you are tide to conform to the customers’ expectations. You need to play what people want, this will still include Mustang Sally and Brown eyed girl, despite the jibes on this site.
[/quote]

+1

The customer calls the shots.

Brown Eyed Girl, Mustang Sally and all the usual 'cliches' have earned me a lot of money over the years and I'd much rather play cliches to an audience who are singing away on the dance floor all night than play stuff that only three people have heard of to an empty pub and walking away with empty pockets...

[JTUK]

[quote name='leschirons' timestamp='1334864884' post='1622691']
Thanks for that!!
[/quote]

I meant the dncers were between 40-60 and the oldies were ..er..older than that

[JTUK]

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1334876808' post='1622956']
+1

The customer calls the shots.

Brown Eyed Girl, Mustang Sally and all the usual 'cliches' have earned me a lot of money over the years and I'd much rather play cliches to an audience who are singing away on the dance floor all night than play stuff that only three people have heard of to an empty pub and walking away with empty pockets...
[/quote]

But I've done weddings and parties recently where those two songs were pretty much banned and I have certainly played pubs where the LL warned us that they would throw the power if they heard those tunes.
We would consider Mustang Sally if requested at a party as we have it down with a grood groove and it is no extra work but otherwise it doesn fit so well with the rest of what we do.

The days where weddings or parties could be handled by the same old set are gone, IME...

[icastle]

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1334878950' post='1623021']
But I've done weddings and parties recently where those two songs were pretty much banned and I have certainly played pubs where the LL warned us that they would throw the power if they heard those tunes.
We would consider Mustang Sally if requested at a party as we have it down with a grood groove and it is no extra work but otherwise it doesn fit so well with the rest of what we do.

The days where weddings or parties could be handled by the same old set are gone, IME...
[/quote]

Like I said, the customer calls the shots.
We always ask if there's anything they particularly want us to play (if we're given a weeks notice we'll happily add 5 or 6 new songs) and we're always happy to drop songs that they particularly don't want to hear.

[TimR]

Within reason. They're employing you as an entertainment specialist and it's your job to know what will get people up and dancing and having a good time. Whilst they may know their guests there are a lot of people who will ask for tunes that they like to LISTEN to but I know won't fill the dance floor, will be a PIA to learn and never played again.

In that situation I'll get them to provide a break playlist and put the tunes on an iPod.

There needs to be a good reason other than the person booking us doesn't particularly like that tune for us not to play it.

Edited April 20, 2012 by TimR

[TimR]

We played a club gig where the manager kept telling us to play more rock and roll even though we had the dance floor full. We played a rock and roll tune and half the floor emptied.

At the end of the gig we had loads of compliments from people who loved the fact that we hadn't played loads of Rock and Roll like the usual bands did.

[uncle psychosis]

Most function bands are going to be playing the same songs. That comes with the territory. The ones I have seen who are "different" have normally managed it by having an unusual / uncommon band lineup and being clever with the arrangements. Things like full brass section, no guitarist but two keyboards instead, that kind of thing. Or doing all the "common" songs but in a different style---Mark Ronson-ing them all, if you will.

Sadly arranging well is quite a difficult skill and not necessarily a common one either!

[leschirons]

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1334877623' post='1622985']
I meant the dncers were between 40-60 and the oldies were ..er..older than that
[/quote]

Hmm, Hole & shovel spring to mind but I'll believe you this time

[icastle]

[quote name='leschirons' timestamp='1334943803' post='1623951']
Hmm, Hole & shovel spring to mind but I'll believe you this time
[/quote]

I was gonna ask him if he wanted to borrow a ladder to get out...