Why are you in a covers band?

[Marvin]

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1363790713' post='2017677']
I'm lucky in that I really like the covers I play. Life's too short to play stuff you don't like.
[/quote]

You don't play Sex on Fire do you

There are a few (and I stress few) bands I've seen doing covers that are different and that the band obviously enjoy playing. If I could find like minded people that would be great, as a fun side project. However, most covers bands, it seems, walk a well trodden path.

[Clarky]

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1363789867' post='2017657']
Same place it came from in the previous ten years. It just probably won't come from any of the bands that people who post on here are in.
[/quote]
Well so far a band in Columbus, Ohio has contacted me asking permission to cover one of our songs and a London DJ wants to sample another of our songs for a trance track. And thats just from an EP .... wait til the album comes out in July

[bassintheface]

Work.
Fun.
Smart venues.
Travel.
Getting looked after by clients.
Getting paid a fair wage for a fair amount of work.

I did the originals band thing for years - releasing albums, singles, videos on TV, BBC sessions, soundtracks on TV programmes, tours with 'big' bands, decent festivals - you name it.
As much as I loved writing and performing 'our' stuff and playing to appreciative crowds, to do it 'properly' and make a reasonable living out of it is nigh on impossible - especially with mortgages, wives, kids etc. The time it demanded to ensure it got 100% just killed it for me in the end after a solid 6 years. 3 - 4 gigs a week sometimes, home from London at 5am after a gig in The Dublin Castle or somewhere. Not even £50 towards fuel on some gigs. Then being back in work at 8am. Not healthy!
Now we get a a decent rate per gig, a hotel room, a proper meal (not just a crap plate of chips to share), no idiot promoters to deal with, no support / headline (London) bands saying "alright maaate, our bassist has left his amp at home, we ok to use yours....we're on at 11.30pm" - erm, no mate, we're leaving after our set at 10pm.....
I get to play smart venues, to appreciative crowds.

I love playing music and that's what I'm still doing......

I have band mates still in really good originals bands (and I dep for them sometimes), but the whole 'scene' has changed - maybe not in London, but the rest of the country certainly.

It's interesting that when I play Tuba in Orchestras & brass bands, I'm essentially playing 'covers' - other people's music. The LSO do the same -do the 'originals' guys turn their noses up at that too?

[wateroftyne]

[quote name='Marvin' timestamp='1363791493' post='2017691']
You don't play Sex on Fire do you

There are a few (and I stress few) bands I've seen doing covers that are different and that the band obviously enjoy playing. If I could find like minded people that would be great, as a fun side project. However, most covers bands, it seems, walk a well trodden path.
[/quote]

Nope - it's a Sex on Fire wasteland.

I do get to play covers by Warren Zevon, Loudon Wainwright III, The Traveling Wilburys, Marvin Gaye, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, BB King.. and loads more. It's far from a hardship :-)

[xilddx]

[quote name='bassintheface' timestamp='1363791536' post='2017694']

It's interesting that when I play Tuba in Orchestras & brass bands, I'm essentially playing 'covers' - other people's music. The LSO do the same -do the 'originals' guys turn their noses up at that too?
[/quote]

Orchestras keep great classical music alive, not much new orchestral music though.

Who's turning their nose up?

[Twigman]

I'm not.
Never have been.
Never will be.



I am happy playing half a dozen gigs a year, almost all on the continent to fans that know and love our tunes, staying in comfortable, if modest, hotels and having expenses paid weekends away with my mates.

I can't imagine what playing in a covers band down the pub might be like.

[Bassmonkey]

I'm another older bass playing gent. Had my 50th in January and played the first hour adding in some of my faves which wouldn't usually make the covers set THEN my pal played bass for the second set and different mates (most of whos parties I'd previously played) took turms to sing one while I had a few beers and partied! Was an ace night.

[Bassmonkey]

[quote name='Twigman' timestamp='1363791961' post='2017706']

I can't imagine what playing in a covers band down the pub might be like.
[/quote]

It's great!

[Muzz]

Yep, it can be a great night out - paid, too...

Edited March 20, 2013 by Muzz

[bassintheface]

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1363791886' post='2017704']
Orchestras keep great classical music alive, not much new orchestral music though.

Who's turning their nose up?
[/quote]

There just seemed to me to be more than a hint of an undertone from some posters that 'playing in an originals band only' and people saying they couldn't 'do' a covers band is giving them some sort of 'moral' musical superiority than those that do.
Maybe, (as with many threads on here and forums in general) that it's the typing thing and that if we were to be sat chatting in a pub about the same subject, then I wouldn't have felt the same.

[wateroftyne]

[quote name='Twigman' timestamp='1363791961' post='2017706']
I can't imagine what playing in a covers band down the pub might be like.
[/quote]

It's a bit like getting paid to go to the pub with your mates.

And much more fun that sitting on one's ar5e watching telly of a Saturday night.

[lowregisterhead]

I play with both covers bands and original bands and artists. I do it for the fun, for the money, and to be able to occasionally bask in the reflected glory of some of the incredibly talented people I've been fortunate enough to share a stage with. On the down side, my personal experience is that although many a cover band member can be guilty of posturing and preening in front of an audience, bands and artists playing original material are too often far worse offenders in this respect.

I've done the rounds of the London originals gig circuit over an extended period, and despite the fact that many bands and solo artists are impressively well prepared with posters, flyers, CDs, websites, MySpace, Facebook and Twitter feeds, the general standard of songwriting and performance tends to be inversely proportional to the smugness of too many of the individuals involved.

There are exceptions - one singer songwriter who went on to achieve national radio airplay and big-name support tours really impressed me when the band I was in played on the same bill as him at a small West London venue that used to be a public toilet. Some of you will know where I mean! I was so impressed I went up to him afterwards and asked for a copy of his EP, which I was quite prepared to pay for. "Cool" he said, and went off to get one without further comment, and on returning, looked around and said loudly and sarcastically "Where's my sale??". He hadn't even taken the time to take note of what his potential customer looked like. Despite his subsequent brush with fame, he has since vanished without trace.

All this has served to make me acutely aware that what to the performer may be artistic expression, can often simply be public masturbation, regardless of who wrote the songs played. I'm not suggesting that any of us should stop performing, but maybe just give some thought to what we do and why, which I hope is what the OP intended when he started this thread...

[bassintheface]

[quote name='Twigman' timestamp='1363791961' post='2017706']
I'm not.
Never have been.
Never will be.



I am happy playing half a dozen gigs a year, almost all on the continent to fans that know and love our tunes, staying in comfortable, if modest, hotels and having expenses paid weekends away with my mates.

I can't imagine what playing in a covers band down the pub might be like.
[/quote]

I couldn't handle only playing 6 gigs a year, however good they may be. That is a hobby to me - lads weekend away playing songs. Great if that's what you want.
I need it for work so would be broke if I only did 6 gigs!

I don't play pubs, but used to and always had a laugh. Don't knock it as I'd rather see any live band in a pub than some tool with an x factor compilation backing track cd and a Nathan Barley haircut thinking he's Michael Jackson and a credible artist, or a pain in the a**e girl singer thinking she's Beyonce.or even worse, the pub closing and being turned into flats!

[xilddx]

[quote name='bassintheface' timestamp='1363792338' post='2017715']
There just seemed to me to be more than a hint of an undertone from some posters that 'playing in an originals band only' and people saying they couldn't 'do' a covers band is giving them some sort of 'moral' musical superiority than those that do.
Maybe, (as with many threads on here and forums in general) that it's the typing thing and that if we were to be sat chatting in a pub about the same subject, then I wouldn't have felt the same.
[/quote]
Oh ok, maybe you're a bit sensitive or something

[bassintheface]

THIS:

[quote name='lowregisterhead' timestamp='1363792633' post='2017724']
On the down side, my personal experience is that although many a cover band member can be guilty of posturing and preening in front of an audience, bands and artists playing original material are too often far worse offenders in this respect.

the general standard of songwriting and performance tends to be inversely proportional to the smugness of too many of the individuals involved.

[/quote]

Edited March 20, 2013 by bassintheface

[bassintheface]

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1363792814' post='2017729']
Oh ok, maybe you're a bit sensitive or something
[/quote]

No, that's just what came across as I was getting up to speed with the thread ........

[JTUK]

The reason we did it was because we wanted to... so after we had the core guys interested and that was after we had a quick musical bash with no drums which
confirmed that that unit had pretty good musical chemistry as far as we were concerned...we then put together a song list.
We thought at the time we had a decent niche..plus we liked all the songs so that was it.

We already had a catogue of originals and thought we would introduce them as and when.
I really don't care what the LL's or venues think we do or don't do...we either justify our fee by people through the doors and drinks sold
or we don't... and then we will be asked back or not.

so, for all our bookings, we do the set we want to do and if people try and influence that we tell them to look elsewhere.

P.S we were asked to do Song2 for a wedding so we will jam it on the night..as we didn't think it was too offensive to throw in.
But we only dio weddings for 'friends' anyway..and it will be a referral.
we don't take them as cold bookings...

[Conan]

[quote name='bassintheface' timestamp='1363792338' post='2017715']
There just seemed to me to be more than a hint of an undertone from some posters that 'playing in an originals band only' and people saying they couldn't 'do' a covers band is giving them some sort of 'moral' musical superiority than those that do.
Maybe, (as with many threads on here and forums in general) that it's the typing thing and that if we were to be sat chatting in a pub about the same subject, then I wouldn't have felt the same.
[/quote]

Sadly, I have to agree. Again, I'm not sure it is intentional, but there does seem to be a certain degree of sneering . I can't imagine why. As long as we are all enjoying ourselves (as it seems most of us are) then who is anyone else to criticise?

[Twigman]

[quote name='bassintheface' timestamp='1363792810' post='2017728']
That is a hobby to me - lads weekend away playing songs.
I need it for work so would be broke if I only did 6 gigs!


[/quote]
These days that is all it is to me.
It's all it needs to be.
I have a good day job that pays well so the music is just a hobby.

If I didn't have the band I am in I suppose I would seek out a covers band or the like but I like what I have and intend to keep doing it for as long as promoters allow us to.....

[Muzz]

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1363793131' post='2017739']
...But we only dio weddings for 'friends' anyway..and it will be a referral.
we don't take them as cold bookings...
[/quote]

Dio weddings? I'm in!

[xilddx]

[quote name='bassintheface' timestamp='1363793015' post='2017736']
No, that's just what came across as I was getting up to speed with the thread ........
[/quote]
No worries, but it's also coming across to me that you have a bit of a problem with originals bands, in that you seem to agree that we're mostly posturing arrogant tools who can't write or perform. Anyway, there we are.

[D.I. Joe]

Ultimately, I choose to play in a covers band because it gets gigs. I love playing live, regardless of whether it's covers or originals. Having said that though, I have never written a piece of music on my own. Sure, I contribute bass parts to band's and artists' music which I perform with them, but I am no songwriter - so perhaps you could say that I have never had the pleasure of performing MY music to an audience.

I find weddings especially enjoyable and rewarding. By tailoring our set to the couple's requirements, it allows us to learn songs and perform in styles which we as musicians wouldn't necessarily do otherwise and, most importantly, it really makes their day! One of my favourite feelings in the world is the one that I get when the music that I am performing is bringing real happiness to someone, and if playing covers is the way to go then that's the way I'll do it. And the pay isn't bad either!

On the original's side of things, I haven't really found an exciting project for myself since my last band disbanded in 2010, but I'm in no great hurry at the moment. When I'm in a situation where I have the right musicians around me creating music that feels right then we'll see

[bassintheface]

[quote name='Twigman' timestamp='1363793240' post='2017745']
These days that is all it is to me.
It's all it needs to be.
I have a good day job that pays well so the music is just a hobby.

If I didn't have the band I am in I suppose I would seek out a covers band or the like but I like what I have and intend to keep doing it for as long as promoters allow us to.....
[/quote]


I too have a good day job - being a Quantity Surveyor, but am used to both wages now!!

........maybe therein lies the answer - "I PLAY IN A COVERS BAND BECAUSE IT SUITS ME AND BECAUSE I WANT TO"
Ditto for originals!!

[D.I. Joe]

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1363793440' post='2017752']
...posturing arrogant tools who can't write or perform.
[/quote]

I had a brief stint with an originals band last year that ended because of one of these

[DorsetBlue]

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1363791886' post='2017704']
Orchestras keep great classical music alive, not much new orchestral music though.
[/quote]

As Howard Goodall said in his recent Music History programme, there is a considerable amount of new Classical/Orchestral music being written.....a lot of it is being written for films.