Cover Bands

[Tetsuo]

So played a show of covers at a bar that was a birthday party and sorta HS reunion I guess. It was a one off thing but the bar is throwing cash at us to come back. Anyway I never thought I would do this but I'm in. Like all in. A friend of mine is in a cover band here that literally has a cruise every year for their fans. A freaking cover band!!! What they make a night sickens me. They aren't the only ones either. My point is, we need to gather a following, etc... What did you guys do that set yourselves apart from other bar bands etc... I am a salesman and a performer and have rather good connections and business acumen so I think we can could turn some decent profit but not exactly sure what we want to do to gather a following. I e always been too proud in my youth to do something like this but now hell I just want to have and provide a good time and maybe build a lil rainy day fund.

[AdRock]

The cover band business is kind of like the bar business. If you manage to pull the chicks in, the guys will follow, the bar will sell more and make more money, you will be asked back and it won't be too horrible to manage a raise after a while.

When I was last doing the cover thing I did research. Find out who are the top drawing and top money making cover bands in the area. Go see each of them several times and write down their set list as they play. Make quick notes of the crowd reaction for each song. After you do this for the few top bands you'll be able to put a list together of the songs that got the best crowd reactions. Take the best of each list and put together a setlist of your own. If you can put together an A list setlist, perform it to a T, and entertain the crowd you'll get people out.

And it doesn't have to be one style of music. Some friend of mine had a cover band that would pull 250-300 people 4 nights a week at different clubs. Their setlist was varied like crazy but they had the entertainment portion down and the frontman was a good frontman.

Here's one of their old setlists that I still have.
Pantera - Walk
Prince - Kiss
Cake - going the distance
Rage ATM - Kill a man
Bad mamma jamma
lets get it on
forty six & 2
Cake - never there
Sublime - wrong way
SRV - Rude Mood
Fire
RHCP - suck my kiss

[Tetsuo]

That post is ironically hilarious. Walk, rage, suck my kiss were in our set and honestly were some of our killers. We were pretty diverse honestly but a lot fell flat. i.e. Had American band and once bitten. Essentially to the crowd the same song.

Set 1

Fortunate Son
Man in the Box
Saturday Nights Alright for fighting
Break on through
Out of nowhere
Breed
Everlong
Slither
Ring of Fire
Thunderkiss ’65
Crazy Train
Suck my Kiss
Killing in the name of…

Set 2
Fuel
Kickstart my heart
Walk
Fight for your right to Party
American Band
Once bitten, twice Shy
Thunderstruck
Feel good hit of the Summer
Mountain Song
Mother
Paranoid
Wild Thing
So What

[pianoguyy]

Yeah, there are two types of bands, just the same as there are two types of people - employees and owners.
You either get paid by someone else, or you pay yourself after everyone else is paid. Some bands provide a service and get paid - the bar/cover band, who make people dance and say things over the mic like "last call, please remember to tip your bartender". Other bands just need a stage to play on (with no guaranteed pay), and are then responsible for bring people in the doors and selling their merchandise, and instead of saying "appearing here next week is {other band}", you say things like "Follow us on Facebook, and come see us at Jimmy's next week"


As far as setting myself apart...
Truth is, you don't always have to. Do the same setlist as everyone else, just don't do it as badly as everyone else does. It really depends on what business model you are going for.


But, here, do something like this...




What the hell am I doing laying down on the stage with the lights shining on me?
The answer is not important. The important part is... now you are questioning what I was doing, which means I am sticking in your head. And that is how people remember you.

[Tetsuo]

Yeah I think simply the fact that we had costume changes blah blah blah. I have performed in original bands my whole life and have passion for it and still will. Those gigs aren't very popular though but it is meaningful. That being said this random group of us hit it off and clicked damn well and I think we have enough persona to do something with it.

[pianoguyy]

Customes --- like Mac Sabbath.

[VoiceX3]

Ok, I've done the covers thing quite successfully for a long time. I did the cookie cutter same songs setlist as all the other local popular bands gearing towards the college crowd and the money was good but after a while it becomes soul-sucking and absolutely no fun regardless of the money. Remember those bands do not last forever and become passing fads as soon as the next clone that's a little younger comes along.

Jekylls Hyde, the true Metal cover band I was in lasted a STRONG 13 years and we played some truly amazing shows all over the country. We did not conform and did the material WE wanted to do. Everything from Megadeth to Metallica, Drowning Pool, Korn, Soulfly, Sepultura, Motorhead, Ozzy, BLS, Pantera, Dope and the list goes on and on. Absolutely no radio bullshit songs. You gotta promote the fuck out of it like you are true rockstars, but also have to party with the crowds. Be their friends for the night and you've got fans for life. Play the material like you wrote it, the more conviction you put behind it the more it will sell thru and the crowd will buy what you're selling. Do it on your own terms, but don't be a dick about it and it will sell. Don't try and play the same clubs every week.....a good rule of thumb is a minimum of 6 to 8 weeks between shows in any particular area. Too frequently and people will stop coming because "Oh I'll see them in 2 weeks........"

Musically, don't cheat or shortchange things. Obviously guitar solos should be in the neighborhood but most patrons won't notice if it's dumbed down just a bit, but backup vocals HAVE to be there as even the novice listener will notice that.

Don't just stand there and play, put on a show....the more fun you look like you're having becomes infectious and will transfer to the crowd.

Most importantly, have fun with it and be very gracious to the patrons....they control if you work or not.

All that said, go for it and have a great time. Best second job I ever had!

[Nimitz]

RHCP - suck my kiss

[Tetsuo]

Ok, I've done the covers thing quite successfully for a long time. I did the cookie cutter same songs setlist as all the other local popular bands gearing towards the college crowd and the money was good but after a while it becomes soul-sucking and absolutely no fun regardless of the money. Remember those bands do not last forever and become passing fads as soon as the next clone that's a little younger comes along.

Jekylls Hyde, the true Metal cover band I was in lasted a STRONG 13 years and we played some truly amazing shows all over the country. We did not conform and did the material WE wanted to do. Everything from Megadeth to Metallica, Drowning Pool, Korn, Soulfly, Sepultura, Motorhead, Ozzy, BLS, Pantera, Dope and the list goes on and on. Absolutely no radio bullshit songs. You gotta promote the fuck out of it like you are true rockstars, but also have to party with the crowds. Be their friends for the night and you've got fans for life. Play the material like you wrote it, the more conviction you put behind it the more it will sell thru and the crowd will buy what you're selling. Do it on your own terms, but don't be a dick about it and it will sell. Don't try and play the same clubs every week.....a good rule of thumb is a minimum of 6 to 8 weeks between shows in any particular area. Too frequently and people will stop coming because "Oh I'll see them in 2 weeks........"

Musically, don't cheat or shortchange things. Obviously guitar solos should be in the neighborhood but most patrons won't notice if it's dumbed down just a bit, but backup vocals HAVE to be there as even the novice listener will notice that.

Don't just stand there and play, put on a show....the more fun you look like you're having becomes infectious and will transfer to the crowd.

Most importantly, have fun with it and be very gracious to the patrons....they control if you work or not.

All that said, go for it and have a great time. Best second job I ever had!

This... Thank you.