Do You, Or Would You, Play In A Cover Band?

[sully]

sometimes it's nice to just play songs that people know and like. i got to the point years ago where i was just happy playing music that i liked. if i wrote it, great, if i didn't (cover), great.

sully

[jgcable]

Most places(around here) will empty out if a band plays a lot of originals. No one will pay a band to play originals all night. When people go out to a bar they want to hear songs they know and like. They will stick around and drink.This makes the owner happy. A good cover band around here (pa/nj) probably makes about $400 a night. If they are well know and can pull a big crowd consistently it could be more like $600-$700. But thats playing from probably 10pm-2am, divided between the band.Not that much. I know when i was playing in an original band the only venues to play were the type were you had to sell your own tickets and the club got most of the money(pay to play basically)There was not much around except if we went into NYC,then the crowd was mostly roadies and girlfriends of the other five bands that were playing that night.
We used to book ourselves in bars as a cover band and play about 40% original and 60% covers. A lot of friends would come that all knew our original stuff so it was cool. But a few times we played originals to a bunch of people standing there with puzzled looks.

I agree with every single word of the above. When we do all original gigs we usually end up playing for the other bands.. their girlfriends and their roadies. We also rarely... if ever get paid.

The more covers we do.. the more we get paid. Here is the pay scale...

All originals.... figure on NO PAY to maybe $100.00 for the entire band
40% originals-60% covers..... around $250.00
30% originals-70% covers..... around $350.00
10% originas-90% covers..... $500.00+ (basically we book ourselves as a cover band)

Here is the crowd response (figure on a crowd that comprises of 60% built in crowd and 40% our friends and fans)

The more covers we do.. the longer the crowd stays and the more they drink. Does that means our originals suck.. no, it doesn't. What it means is people who go to a club to hear a band want to hear songs they know. Especially if they are drinking.

[jgcable]

There is another question you need to ask yourself.
Would you rather play kick ass originals that nobody knows and hear crickets or very light applause in between songs or would you rather play songs that people love and have girls sending drinks up to the band while the rest of the crowd pumps their fists and goes wild. Of course.. I know your answer. That is why my band.. Fools Faith... has around 30 kick ass cover tunes in our set list. Usually they are not in any order. We just pull them out based on what type of crowd or club we are playing in. For example.. if you are in a club and a bunch of people are yelling out Van Halen and you do a few VH songs.. the crowd goes crazy. We played a club last year that had several Kiss posters around the club. We did Love Gun and Rock and Roll all Night and the crowd went beserk. It ended up that the club owner and many of the patrons were HUGE Kiss fans. They started yelling out Priest so we pulled out The Ripper and Breaking the Law. For a minute I thought I was Glen Tipton!! Cool stuff... and keep in mind.. I am in an original band.

[Robert Hendrix]

sometimes it's nice to just play songs that people know and like. i got to the point years ago where i was just happy playing music that i liked. if i wrote it, great, if i didn't (cover), great.

sully

+1000000000

It doesn't matter what you play, as long as you're enjoying it and the people listening enjoy it. I've played in Cover bands, all original bands 60/40 bands and a few cover bands that sneak an original in from time to time. I can't say any one is better than the others because I just enjoy playing. But like several others have already said, the more originals you put in your set, the less likely you are to get booked/payed.

Right now I'm playing in a southern rock based cover band and, while there are some standards that the crowd wants to hear, we strive to play deeper covers that, while they are still popular songs, are not "played to death" by other bands with similar formats.

I'm also in the process of putting together another project that will be a little more aggressive with some originals thrown in here and there. I enjoy writing and collaborating, but if you can't share what you've created, what's the point?

[Jack Napalm]

Yeah, why settle for one or the other. I am in two projects right now. One doing covers and one attempting to do originals. The cover band is a lot more fun at the moment.

[skintaster]

How much do you figure a mid-level band makes these days - just out of curiousity - take like Anthrax, or Testament - a band like that - Trivium, COB, whatever. These are not stadium bands - they tour in busses and play clubs wth 700-1000 person capacity. What are they pulling down?

That's a good point, and I have no idea. I imagine that bands on that level probably make somewhere between 5 and 10 grand a show, but I'm probably way off!

[Robert Hendrix]

That's a good point, and I have no idea. I imagine that bands on that level probably make somewhere between 5 and 10 grand a show, but I'm probably way off!

Yep, you are way off.. They do really well to pull 1k before expenses. Some clubs even deduct for the cost of paying their staff. Which is total B.S.

[Grandturk]

Yep, you are way off.. They do really well to pull 1k before expenses. Some clubs even deduct for the cost of paying their staff. Which is total B.S.

That's what I'm trying to figure out - I mean, I know what I make in the private sector - but let's say, Scott Ian quits and they offer me the job - could I make what I make today or more playing with Anthrax? Hypothetically, of course.

[skintaster]

Yep, you are way off.. They do really well to pull 1k before expenses. Some clubs even deduct for the cost of paying their staff. Which is total B.S.

Wow... That's terrible. My old band could pull nearly that for our larger shows. Sheesh... My new band just got offered $500 to play a private party! I hope 'ol Scott Ian saved his cash from the 80's/ early 90's!

Although he seems to get a lot of face time on VH1 Classic... THat paycheck probably helps.

[Partial @ Marshall]

No and No....

[Snoogans]

There is another question you need to ask yourself.
Would you rather play kick ass originals that nobody knows and hear crickets or very light applause in between songs or would you rather play songs that people love and have girls sending drinks up to the band while the rest of the crowd pumps their fists and goes wild.

We were never ashamed to be covers band. Just about every gigging band in the area at the time played a set that was mainly covers.

I was going to say that nobody at that time was interested in bands that relied on original material, but then I remembered the bunch of kids that were quite popular around the local bars.
They were called Muse.....

[Robert Hendrix]

That's what I'm trying to figure out - I mean, I know what I make in the private sector - but let's say, Scott Ian quits and they offer me the job - could I make what I make today or more playing with Anthrax? Hypothetically, of course.

I'm sure bands like Anthrax are a bit of an exception to that because they were pretty big in the 80s and early 90s and still draw very well today. I use to work at a club in Texas that booked national acts and is was pretty amazing how little they were payed.

The Promoter was looking into booking Quiet Riot at one time. This was around 93 so they were still pretty hot for an 80s hairband at the time, and they were only getting 2500. But the demands on the rider kept him from booking them.

[GinSonic]

In Harlott, the band I played lead guitar for in the early 80's; When we started out it was primarily cover tunes for all three sets, but we snuck in an original per set. Eventually we ended up doing all originals.

As far as playing in a cover band now. I would, but only for fun and to keep my chops up.

[Rupe]

sometimes it's nice to just play songs that people know and like. i got to the point years ago where i was just happy playing music that i liked. if i wrote it, great, if i didn't (cover), great.

sully

That pretty much sums it up for me. Playing guitar is no longer a career pursuit for me, it's a hobby. I simply enjoy getting on a stage in front of a packed house of club goers who dig what we're playing and letting it rip. I no longer have the same pretentious attitude that I once had back when I was in my 20's and played strictly original material.

[jonasaberg]

yep

F**k yeah I'd play covers! In fact, I aim to do just that; start a "hair metal" cover band, playing loads of songs from the 80's/early 90's.
I want to wear makeup, spandex and have a hairdo like a rat's nest. I have no desire to write my own songs. I used to write a few songs on acoustic, trying to be Springsteen but that phase passed and now all I want to do is rock out.