Help me start a cover band

nutfloppa · #1 07-19-2007, 12:02 AM

I just put together a cover band with the sole purpose of making a few extra dollars. Standard four piece band. (bass, drums, guitar and black female singer) The area I am in seems to have two different scenes as far as cover bands go. You have your typical rock bars where a large percentage of the crowd has had a hard time letting go of the 80's, and then you have the more upscale, yuppie-ish type places where you pay $4.75 for a Bud Light. The amount of money all these places pay seems to vary and has nothing to do with the type of bar so we are looking to play both types of places.

My problem is that I am more into prog/fusion music than pop/rock and so are the rest of the guys in the band. I have had XM radio for about four years now so as far as what is popular now I have no idea. I think the last cd I bought that was somewhat popular was by Incubus and that was in 2001.

So what I am looking for is some song ideas. Our singer is female but we are not looking to only do songs by female artists. She is a hell of a singer and can pull off just about anything. Any ideas what bands are playing on the cover scene now a days?

DarkForceRising · #2 07-19-2007, 12:15 AM

If you have a female singer you should do something really edgy- like P.J. Harvey, Kate Bush and Siouxsie and teh Banshees' covers. Set and costume changes to create the appropriate mood, ldo.

Kiss Them for Me, Christine, Sheela na Gig, Good Fortune and Big Sky would be a few possibilities. Of course, this would be way too awesome and never work.

daryn · #3 07-19-2007, 12:16 AM

i always dream about being in a white stripes cover band. i can't decide if i would rather sing or play the drums. the drums are so basic for their songs but you can still rock out big time on them.

if anyone from mass. is interested let's gogogogogogo

nutfloppa · #4 07-19-2007, 12:24 AM

I think costume and set changes might be a little too over the top for the type of places we will be playing. But props for bringing up Siouxsie and the Banshees. When I started out playing I was into punk/new wave and always liked them.

DarkForceRising · #5 07-19-2007, 12:24 AM

Pics of the singer would also be helpful in determining your best course of action.

Shoe Lace · #6 07-19-2007, 12:27 AM

Can she pull off Cryptopsy?

nutfloppa · #7 07-19-2007, 12:40 AM

pics

DarkForceRising · #8 07-19-2007, 12:44 AM

She's hot! If you're actually in Motown make sure and let me know if you guys get any gigs near near GR.

Moorcheeba comes to mind as a prog/fusion band that might appeal to teh yuppie crowd. I hear a lot of cool stuff on Sirius Chill 35 that would prolly fit the bill, yet I can never remember the names of the bands.

nutfloppa · #9 07-19-2007, 09:07 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Can she pull off Cryptopsy?

[/ QUOTE ]

Not sure this would go over in the places we are trying to play. Although I did play in a band that sounds somewhat like them back in the early 90's.

GoRedBirds · #10 07-19-2007, 09:37 AM

If you want to make money as a cover band (by getting invited back), cater to your audience. In college, I was in a four man cover band and we played the bar scene and played a LOT of eighties stuff. It's just what drunk college kids wanted to hear. I don't know the specifics of the people you're playing for, but a good bet is to play songs that just about everyone there will know well.