Cover Band or Original Band?
The common belief amongst
my hometown St. Louis natives is that I hate cover bands. This isn’t totally true. The only reason I even mention it is
because a musician friend was asked to join a cover band and called to get my opinion
first. My answer to him was, “What
are you asking me for? It doesn’t
matter what I say…you should just do what you want”.
I find cover bands boring
and uninteresting both to play in as a musician and to watch as an audience
member, but then I don’t like sports either. Do I think I’m above it or too good for it? Nope. I played in cover bands when I was a kid in grade
school. When some of us play cover
tunes from the age of ten upwards into our twenties in various forms playing in
everything from R&B bands to marching bands, we tend to get burned out on
the idea after a decade or so.
If you are a musician that
has never played in a cover band, I highly advise that you get the experience
somehow. Playing in a cover band
will make you a better musician and put you on the fast track to boosting your
creative vocabulary. In addition,
learning and playing cover tunes will give you an abundant source of material
to steal from…ahem…I mean be influenced by if and when you build up the courage
to write your own material.
Some people think that
“courage” is a strong word to use when talking about bands…I’m not one of those
people, obviously. It takes
courage to pour your heart, soul, and ideas into an original tune and perform it
onstage at the risk of being booed or having some pencil neck heavily criticize
you unfavorably with words in a local rag. If you’re the sensitive type, a cover band is the perfect
safe haven because your feelings are kept nice and safe by hiding behind other
people’s tunes. No pain and all gain.
You’re learning and you’re earning.
My friend asked my advice
because he never played in a cover band before. My quick answer to him was, “yes, do it”. I’d be a hypocrite if I said anything
else. I’ve played in cover bands
as both a drummer and a bass player.
My only additional advice would be to play covers in as many styles as
you can because it will make a musician more versatile and essentially more
employable.
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