Help me start a cover band

[PorkPieHat]

I don't really think it's possible to actually make money in a cover band, once you factor in the hours spent practicing and money spent on equipment, but w/e.

People want to hear songs they know, so Sioxsie whatever is prolly not a good idea. They want to hear lameass stuff that has been played out on the radio. You can sneak in the occasional 'heritage rock' tune here and there, but for the most part the only people that want to hear cool songs to play like Whipping Post or YYZ or Rocket Queen are other musicians.

[Ricky_Bobby]

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I don't really think it's possible to actually make money in a cover band, once you factor in the hours spent practicing and money spent on equipment, but w/e.

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This is wrong. My crappy cover band made 10k in 2001 and we sucked and played dive bars. I'm sure it's tough to make enough income to survive but I don't think that is the OP's goal. A good cover band can pull decent money, but it depends a lot upon the music scene in your area.

As far as music goes I think you'd be wasting your time playing music that people don't know or can't dance to. The songs that I enjoyed playing the most were rarely the ones that got people dancing.

My advice is if you are going to be a cover band, cover songs that people know the words to, can dance to, and get played on the radio, and play them as close to the original as possible. Nobody wants to hear a cover band play obscure music or try to put their own creative spin on popular songs. If people wanted that they wouldn't go to see a cover band in the first place.

Cover bands are definitely looked down on by other musicians, but don't think that you can find some middle ground that will appeal to everybody. If you're going to be a cover band, do it right.

[amplify]

I Touch Myself
Hit Me Baby One More Time
F*** Tha Police
Unchained Melody

[TIEdup14]

I was in a bar one time with a cover band and they played Authority Song. It was fun.

Hi everyone

[TIEdup14]

also when do you sleep with your lead singer?

[jaffa]

I occasionally play bass in a covers band, as well as my underground pretentious experimental band..we mostly play in pubs in the local area. As fun as it is to play the proggy stuff, you'll find it hard to get repeat bookings in places that pay well, people want stuff they can sing along to/dance to.

I've posted this before in some other thread on covers bands, but this is our setlist :

The ones with stars by them are, in my opinion, the most fun to play.

Roadhouse Blues - The Doors

Matinee - Franz Ferdinand

Spitting Games - Snow Patrol

Can’t Explain - The Who

The Great Escape - We Are Scientists

People Are Strange - The Doors*

The Importance Of Being Idle - Oasis

Dani California - The Red Hot Chili Peppers

Summertime Blues - (we do the Who's version)

You Really Got Me - The Kinks

Hundred Mile High City - Ocean Colour Scene

Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand*

SOS - Abba*

Stumble and Fall - Razorlight

Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division

Can’t Buy Me Love - The Beatles

Hey Joe - Jimi Hendrix*

Song 2 - Blur

I Get Around - The Beach Boys*

Hit Me Baby One More Time - Britney Spears

London Calling - The Clash*

Turning Japanese - The Vapors*

I Predict A Riot - Kaiser Chiefs*

I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor - The Arctic Monkeys*

What You Waiting For - Gwen Stefani*

Teenage Kicks - The Undertones

No One Knows - Queens Of The Stone Age

Somebody Told Me - The Killers

Also, in response to the person who was unsure of the profitability of a good covers band, we can often charge around £600 for a regular gig (3 in the band so £200 each), £1000 for big events or new years etc. After a few gigs you've pretty much covered all your fixed costs.

[burningyen]

Your average cover band makes a LOT more than your average originals band. But I disagree that you have to play the songs exactly like the originals as long as you do them in a way that's fun for the audience and not some progged-out experimental odyssey.

For a female singer (I haven't heard her voice yet), I would start with stuff the kiddies are listening to these days, like Fergie, Gwen Stefani/No Doubt, Norah Jones, Alicia Keys, Nelly Furtado, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears (I bet Toxic would be a fun song to cover!), Mariah Carey, Sheryl Crow and Shakira. Also whoever does that milkshake song.

Then you can throw in older stuff like The Pretenders, Linda Ronstadt, Donna Summer, Olivia Newton John, Joan Jett, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, Sheena Easton, Pat Benatar, Cindy Lauper, Madonna, Whitney Houston, Sinead O'Connor, Sarah McLachlan, PJ Harvey, and Aimee Mann/'Til Tuesday.

If you want to get gender-bending and do some male lead songs, you could try Prince, Led Zep, really any classic rock with the high tenor vocals, Soundgarden, the list is endless.

Good luck!

[nutfloppa]

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I don't really think it's possible to actually make money in a cover band, once you factor in the hours spent practicing and money spent on equipment, but w/e.

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I am not trying to make a living at this. Just my mortgage payment and some beer money. (I have a small house in not the greatest area) As far as hours spent we have practiced twice and plan on few more before out first gig. So maybe 15-20 hours at most. After that the gigs become our practice. And as far as equipment we all have been playing a long time and have everything we need.

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Also, in response to the person who was unsure of the profitability of a good covers band, we can often charge around £600 for a regular gig (3 in the band so £200 each), £1000 for big events or new years etc.

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Are you saying that your average cover band can make £600 a night? I think I need to move to the UK. Around here (Detroit) your looking at about half that for your average 3 set gig.

Thank you everyone for your responses. Maybe I worded my post bad but I seem to be getting people telling me to play popular music. I am aware of this. I don't plan on busting out the King Crimson or anything like that. What I was looking for was songs/bands that have been popular over the last 4 or 5 years. Stuff that they play on the radio way too much and that your average person would know. We pretty much have it covered up until the late 90's. I am just completely in the dark as to what is hip since then. Any more ideas would be appreciated.