Benthedrummer
Silver Member
Oh hella yeah!
"Unsung" is just da bomb.
Really tight quarters on the hats....... what a great tune.
The Only Covers I Want To Play Are....
- Thread starter Erberderber
- Start date
Oh hella yeah!
"Unsung" is just da bomb.
Really tight quarters on the hats....... what a great tune.
Chris Whitten
Platinum Member
Yes, I see myself as an entertainer. I've done gigs n front of two people and a dog before. Without an appreciation`teive audience you might as well just play at home. The pay off for all the travel, set up, soundcheck, hanging around, is an appreciative audience.
Over50drumguy
Silver Member
Oh well , in that case . Yes I’d like to play other stuff ( more deep/obscure cuts) in a whole band setting , and there’s no problem doing that as long as ( if your a gigging band ) you’re library of and or set list for upcoming shows is gotten down and all set .
If that’s the case , what’s the problem ?
Does your band or people you jam/play with not want to play any of these songs .
Like I say , if you’re gigging and your tunes are all squared away …… is it the other band members that don’t wanna play them for fun and yourselves ? Do they not like them ?
And if not gigging do the band members or people you play with have no desire to play anything other than the most popular and or current thing ?
Maybe it’s me I’m a little confused
.A bit more context maybe .
If it doesn’t apply to you and is just an in general question then the above is still true .
As long as there’s a desire to play those types of tunes and it’s a gigging band and the tunes are all good to go then sure .
If it’s a gigging band and you desire to play these types of songs in front of an audience and are frustrated you can’t do it , all the advice and opinions about playing what an audience recognizes and likes still remains.
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Cmdr. Ross
Platinum Member
This.
I'm currently in a cover band & the audience participation drops significantly when we stray from the radio hits.
Furthermore...if we play the song so much in our own way that it changes how it feels vs. what they know, they drop out as well.
Cover bands can be fun & well paid if handled right. Do the opposite & your phone will stop ringing.
I'll say this..if I'm goin out for a good time listening to a live band doing B-side tunes you better be frikkin good. Not some loser wannabe being more musicianly way to hip to do the radio stuff. In my experience it's the low level bands that pull that crap. Fine..do the obscure stuff but if you suck doing THAT?..the club owner will think twice about booking the hipster bunch.
After reading thru the thread again, I did a little thinking about what we play. We have a catalog of over 300 songs that we consider actually playing, plus probably several more that we've likely done at some point in the past and could butcher our way thru if pressed... We actually do have a few oscure covers in there that we've played off and on over recent times. One of them is one that we would use to open a show with, lots of hooks and a big sound, and we'd just launch into something really well known right out of that one. A band called Riders Ford, friends of our bass player from back in the day.
We also play a handful of Blackberry Smoke songs, and in my experience most of our audience don't really know those guys. We play their bigger songs, when we do it. Also a song by Whiskey Myers, called Broken Window Serenade, but we usually only play that as a soundcheck these days. None of those during a time when anyone would be dancing. And one song that we kind of made our own theme song, Thank You Lord For Jack Daniels, which was done by a couple of different artists that I'd never heard of, but we adopted the song and used it to close our first set for years. Anyone that has seen us knows that one is coming now, and we actually get requests for it when we don't play it.
Other than that, we don't have any obscure covers. Well, I didn't know many of the country songs we play, but the rest of the band says they were hits, so I guess there is that
And we'll play pretty much any of the songs that all the cool kids say you shouldn't play. We don't program very many of them. Some, occasionally.
We also play a handful of Blackberry Smoke songs, and in my experience most of our audience don't really know those guys. We play their bigger songs, when we do it. Also a song by Whiskey Myers, called Broken Window Serenade, but we usually only play that as a soundcheck these days. None of those during a time when anyone would be dancing. And one song that we kind of made our own theme song, Thank You Lord For Jack Daniels, which was done by a couple of different artists that I'd never heard of, but we adopted the song and used it to close our first set for years. Anyone that has seen us knows that one is coming now, and we actually get requests for it when we don't play it.
Other than that, we don't have any obscure covers. Well, I didn't know many of the country songs we play, but the rest of the band says they were hits, so I guess there is that
And we'll play pretty much any of the songs that all the cool kids say you shouldn't play. We don't program very many of them. Some, occasionally.
Houndog1964
Active Member
Are you in OKC area ???After reading thru the thread again, I did a little thinking about what we play. We have a catalog of over 300 songs that we consider actually playing, plus probably several more that we've likely done at some point in the past and could butcher our way thru if pressed... We actually do have a few oscure covers in there that we've played off and on over recent times. One of them is one that we would use to open a show with, lots of hooks and a big sound, and we'd just launch into something really well known right out of that one. A band called Riders Ford, friends of our bass player from back in the day.
We also play a handful of Blackberry Smoke songs, and in my experience most of our audience don't really know those guys. We play their bigger songs, when we do it. Also a song by Whiskey Myers, called Broken Window Serenade, but we usually only play that as a soundcheck these days. None of those during a time when anyone would be dancing. And one song that we kind of made our own theme song, Thank You Lord For Jack Daniels, which was done by a couple of different artists that I'd never heard of, but we adopted the song and used it to close our first set for years. Anyone that has seen us knows that one is coming now, and we actually get requests for it when we don't play it.
Other than that, we don't have any obscure covers. Well, I didn't know many of the country songs we play, but the rest of the band says they were hits, so I guess there is that
And we'll play pretty much any of the songs that all the cool kids say you shouldn't play. We don't program very many of them. Some, occasionally.
No, I'm in Maine. My bass player knew the Riders Ford folks from when he used to live in Oklahoma tho...
Xstr8edgtnrdrmrX
Local Boob
they were in the wrong club it sounds like...
Xstr8edgtnrdrmrX
Local Boob
this is how I feel in my country band...I have no connection to the songs, but I make sure to give them my all, out of respect for the patrons, and the artists who wrote the songs, but at the end of the day, none of that music moves me
Xstr8edgtnrdrmrX
Local Boob
yeah...they are ok...I like Prong better in the same style, but that was a fun song to do
my high school banc would learn full albums back in the day just to be able to play through them. Then, we would have a huge list of songs t ojust throw in sets
we also used to do a "request only/stump the band" set where people would call stuff out and we would try to play it. We could get through at least the first verse and chorus of 90% of stuff people threw at us. If it was Maiden, Queensryche, Armored Saint, Judas Priest, Ratt, Dokken, Metallica, Anthrax or Megadeth, we could get through pretty much anything
Erberderber
Senior Member
Sorry for the confusion. It's not so much about not being able to play them out, it's about not being able to play them at all. Over the last 8 years or so, I've played in 5 different bands and no-one in any of them has even heard of the songs I would like to play, let alone want to play them. I'm not really expecting them to either as why would they take the trouble to learn them?Oh well , in that case . Yes I’d like to play other stuff ( more deep/obscure cuts) in a whole band setting , and there’s no problem doing that as long as ( if your a gigging band ) you’re library of and or set list for upcoming shows is gotten down and all set .
If that’s the case , what’s the problem ?
Does your band or people you jam/play with not want to play any of these songs .
Like I say , if you’re gigging and your tunes are all squared away …… is it the other band members that don’t wanna play them for fun and yourselves ? Do they not like them ?
And if not gigging do the band members or people you play with have no desire to play anything other than the most popular and or current thing ?
Maybe it’s me I’m a little confused
A bit more context maybe .
If it doesn’t apply to you and is just an in general question then the above is still true .
As long as there’s a desire to play those types of tunes and it’s a gigging band and the tunes are all good to go then sure .
If it’s a gigging band and you desire to play these types of songs in front of an audience and are frustrated you can’t do it , all the advice and opinions about playing what an audience recognizes and likes still remains.
I Just feel it's a shame that I can't enjoy certain songs that I hold dear in a band context, that's all. Was just wondering if anyone else has had that kind of frustration.
blinky
Senior Member
I play in two coverbands, in the first band we have some gigs but not many, maybe one every other month. We play the hits of the seventies from Bowie, T-Rex, Mott, 10cc etc.
We have rehearsed Genesis "Firth of Fifth" King Crimson "Starless" among other prog classics which is great fun, but we would never play them live I think, we just play them for our own enjoyment. Fair & square.
In the other band we're not going to play in front of people. We can play whatever we want, but I guess our music taste overlaps just a tiny bit, As a drummer it can be a bit boring at times but I try to forget about that and focus on making the music sound good even when I dont like it too much. I get to play the drums and they're nice people. All well I guess.
We have rehearsed Genesis "Firth of Fifth" King Crimson "Starless" among other prog classics which is great fun, but we would never play them live I think, we just play them for our own enjoyment. Fair & square.
In the other band we're not going to play in front of people. We can play whatever we want, but I guess our music taste overlaps just a tiny bit, As a drummer it can be a bit boring at times but I try to forget about that and focus on making the music sound good even when I dont like it too much. I get to play the drums and they're nice people. All well I guess.
Stroman
Diamond Member
Okay, so now I get where you're coming from. My previous response was definitely in the context of a cover band who plays in clubs, etc.
I feel your pain here. I enjoy playing hit songs in cover bands for appreciative audiences. But I also have a great love for New Orleans jazz and second line music, which would fall flat here in the PNW. I'd still like to play it with someone though! I'd also like to explore jazz that I'm not really good at playing yet in a live context, rather than playing to a recording.
Kinda like the deep cuts you're taking about, I think
JimmyM
Diamond Member
Obviously we all have, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone get as worked up over insanely obscure album cuts by other acts in insanely obscure genres as you. If that’s all it takes to bum you out over playing music, then maybe playing in a band isn’t your thing. That’s ok, it’s not for everyone.
EDIT: Reading this makes it seem like I’m insulting you, but that wasn’t my intention. Playing music with others isn’t always easy, and if you’re frustrated to that degree over something that is small potatoes in the long run, it sounds like you’re just setting yourself up to be miserable, and that isn’t something anyone should do to themselves.
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I've also re read the OPs subsequent posts, I differ in that my interest isn't in playing the drums or playing particular songs per se, my interest is in performing gigs. Drumming is a means to an end in that respect.
Unlike the OP there's no way I could "drag" myself out of my house to play songs in a band with no other purpose than to be playing in that moment. Purely my opinion only but I imagine that many musicians lean more towards my camp than the OPs.
Putting it bluntly, scenario A is you're contacted by someone putting a band together with gig dates already booked in the diary, scenario B is you're contacted by someone who asks you to play songs once or twice a week in a practice room.
Which offer would you take?
Unlike the OP there's no way I could "drag" myself out of my house to play songs in a band with no other purpose than to be playing in that moment. Purely my opinion only but I imagine that many musicians lean more towards my camp than the OPs.
Putting it bluntly, scenario A is you're contacted by someone putting a band together with gig dates already booked in the diary, scenario B is you're contacted by someone who asks you to play songs once or twice a week in a practice room.
Which offer would you take?
A J
Silver Member
Cover bands who want to gig, need to play a lot of tunes they don't like. It's perfectly OK to toss in a few obscure tunes, but they better be danceable and recognizable.
In my last band, song selection was determined solely by the lead guy. It was his studio, his PA, his marketing and his band. Unfortunately, his song selection didn't always mesh with what the audience wanted to hear. One tune that came to mind was the classic song "Stormy Monday". We played it exceptionally well but it dragged on for upwards of 10 minutes.
I can't imagine a worse song at a party. It's slow, depressing. You can't dance to it. And worst of all the audience hated it!
The first few notes of the song always cleared the dance floor quicker than a live hand grenade. Looking out over the audience, this is the song in which everyone would go to the restroom, check their texts, get drinks or refreshments, etc... For this guy, it didn't matter. He liked the song because it gave him the "endless guitar solo" experience without concern for the audience.
I begged him to ditch the song but I always got the same answer. "Everyone loves it. And we do it so well."
In an old band, we actually had to jettison a couple songs we loved and played well, simply because they had poor audience reception. One the comes to mind is "Green Manilichi" by Judas Priest. We all thought it would be a great hit, but we were wrong. Another excellent song we ended up dumping was "Perfect Stranger" by Deep Purple. Nobody liked it and we went back to playing "Smoke on the Water". Man.. That was a sad day!
In my last band, song selection was determined solely by the lead guy. It was his studio, his PA, his marketing and his band. Unfortunately, his song selection didn't always mesh with what the audience wanted to hear. One tune that came to mind was the classic song "Stormy Monday". We played it exceptionally well but it dragged on for upwards of 10 minutes.
I can't imagine a worse song at a party. It's slow, depressing. You can't dance to it. And worst of all the audience hated it!
The first few notes of the song always cleared the dance floor quicker than a live hand grenade. Looking out over the audience, this is the song in which everyone would go to the restroom, check their texts, get drinks or refreshments, etc... For this guy, it didn't matter. He liked the song because it gave him the "endless guitar solo" experience without concern for the audience.
I begged him to ditch the song but I always got the same answer. "Everyone loves it. And we do it so well."
In an old band, we actually had to jettison a couple songs we loved and played well, simply because they had poor audience reception. One the comes to mind is "Green Manilichi" by Judas Priest. We all thought it would be a great hit, but we were wrong. Another excellent song we ended up dumping was "Perfect Stranger" by Deep Purple. Nobody liked it and we went back to playing "Smoke on the Water". Man.. That was a sad day!
Erberderber
Senior Member
No offence taken. It's not really a big deal and I don't lose sleep over It
. These songs are not from obscure generes. They are catchy songs you can sing and dance along to but alas never got into the mainstream. I don't want to play them to show off my esoteric taste in music. They're just songs I think would be fun to play and it's a shame I can't, that's all.
JimmyM
Diamond Member
Hmmm…I was thinking that a list of metal songs was posted by you, but I see it wasn’t now. Oops!No offence taken. It's not really a big deal and I don't lose sleep over It
These songs are not from obscure generes. They are catchy songs you can sing and dance along to but alas never got into the mainstream. I don't want to play them to show off my esoteric taste in music. They're just songs I think would be fun to play and it's a shame I can't, that's all.
So what songs are you wanting to play?
Erberderber
Senior Member
Of course I'd choose scenario A. I've played in a covers band playing the usual hits and had people dancing on the tables and got paid for It. What's not to like?
All It was was that I was listening to a song the other day thinking how much fun It would be to play in a band, but sadly, it won't happen.
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