Question of the week: Best and worst things about the Roanoke music scene
In a couple of hours, I’m headed over to Kirk Avenue Music Hall, where Ed Walker has called a “gathering of the tribes” — local musicians, promoters, club owners, studio folks, music fans, etc., to get together and work on ways to build up the city’s music scene.
With that in mind, here’s the question: What are the best things about this town’s scene? The worst things?
March 23, 2009 - 2:44 PM
I’m thankful that a place like Kirk Ave. Music has opened in Roanoke. It’s a great place to see/hear music, although it is a little small. My complaints about the Roanoke music scene have always been that we don’t have a good venue for music here and we don’t attract any good bands. I regularly travel out of town to see bands perform in other cities because we don’t have anything like that here. The question is, if we had a venue that attracted better bands, would it draw enough of a crowd to support it?
Good one.
Worsts-
1. Band’s/Venues unwillingness to work together as opposed to competing against one another.
2. The general public’s apathy toward live music. (sad but true)
Bests-
1. Quality. We have some great musicians and bands based in this town.
2. The warm fuzzy small community vibe we have going here. Everyone knows everyone. Tonight will be a great example of this.
3. The proximity of Roanoke to larger markets actually makes it a great jumping off point for local working musicians as well as a great stopping place for touring bands.
4. The variety and quality of our venues here. Any saturday night most people can find a live show they will like, and eat something delicious.
The pros outweigh the cons in a big way. I’ve been playing here for 17 years. It’s a nice little music town.
Three things:
1)Sometimes shows that would draw a similar crowd are scheduled on the same night or in the same week. (Willie Nelson and DSO)
2) A lot of shows are in bars and a large portion of the crowd is not there for the music. Hard to enjoy a show over cell phone rings and inane conversation. (Jefferson Center the obvious exception)
3) No decent outdoor venue
wow, hot button topic here. i’ll weigh in on one of the things that always irked me about music in roanoke:
VENUES!!!
this isn’t necessarily a roanoke thing – it’s more of a Virginia thing – but my biggest complaint is how there are no bars in VA, only “restaurants”. this lends itself to be a complete destroyer of music venues (because people who want to run a “club” don’t necessarily want to run a “restaurant”, but to sell alcohol you gotta sell food)
in almost (if not) all of the other states, this is not a problem.
this is one of the biggest reasons i left VA to pursue music
one of the best things about this town is we have something that a lot of people from out of state are looking at seriously, the magic twig community! i just wish they would get out more to play, they have a lot of great bands in just a tiny collection of people. if anybody hasn’t heard of the young sinclairs, the sad cobras, sunking!, the missionaries, boys lie, or any other magic twig groups they need too! you don’t want to miss out on these guys! other great bands in the area are the bastards of fate, red clay river, the rootstone jug band, illbotz…. we’ve got tons!
Best – Third Street Coffeehouse
I agree with Jake D – if more musicians worked together some amazing things could (and I believe will) happen.
It seems like so many of the people who are passionate about music around here are in bands. When my own band isn’t playing on a particular weekend, my wife and I look in the paper to see what band(s) we want to go see that weekend, but we’re in the minority of young-ish people in Roanoke who do that. Most of my non-musician friends are busy raising families or furthering their careers – and these are people who love music but probably couldn’t name more than a couple local bands, and aren’t that interested in going out of their way to see and support them. It reminds me of something Brian Eno said about the Velvet Underground years ago. He said that everybody who loved the Velvets must’ve gone on to form a band because the Velvet Underground’s music didn’t sell well, but so many great musicians over the years have cited them as a major influence. It seems like a large percentage of people interested in supporting the local music scene play music themselves.
Best:
1) That most small venues in place right now seem to be thriving fairly well (Martin’s, Blue 5, Market Street Pub, to name a few) which will hopefully lead to even more venues and more diversity in acts booked.
2) The continuing perseverance of the underground music scene and bands despite not having as many venues to house such bands.
Worst:
1) Lack of booking indie/alternative/punk/metal national touring acts that draw crowds between or over the 200-300 mark.(see tired Asheville arguement,Orange Peel,etc.)
We get lots of blues and more traditional rock acts, but not so much of the underground scene. The right booking and promo could bring the attendance, I believe.
Also, lack of booking major,national rock acts at the civic center.(booking Nickelback or Kid Rock once every couple years is pathetic).
2) Traditional rock acts and blues bands (which I do enjoy despite my griping here) getting much more coverage than underground type bands(ex.-punk/metal) in club bookings and in local print. And how such bands are generally viewed in many musician’s circles as having less talent than more traditional rock and roll acts.(this applies to most any scene though, not just Roanoke’s)
Lots of good, interesting comments here. Dylan, I’d like to give the punk scene more attention, but few to no bands send me their show info. So please encourage them to do so — and that means you, too (even though you’re technically not in a punk band nowadays)!
Quinn, what band are you in?
Thanks, Tad. That particular comment wasn’t directed soley at you by any means,being that there are a couple other print rags locally, and I know from reading your articles that you have indeed done your share of coverage of some underground bands.
And also, yes, there are some local underground(wearing that phrase out, I am…..)bands who are guilty of not tooting their own horn enough or pushing for more of their own PR recognition, which you have to do!
So, point taken.
(“Dude, we sent one myspace bulletin about this show. Why didn’t anyone come out?”)
And I am guilty of it as well!
Tad, I play guitar with The Pullouts!
Lots of good things covered here. Great discussion. Great people involved. Great meeting at Kirk Avenue Monday night. Roanoke has a healthy scene that needs to get healthier. The scene has to stand up and ask for respect from the community itself. My hope is that the music begins to make Roanoke a destination for others who want to hear it. It’s a good thing that bands are battling each other for attendance each weekend night. That means it’s a scene with options. So Martin’s, Kirk, Awful Arthur’s, the Lantern and all the other Blacksburg and Roanoke spots, are creating options. This place will become a mini-Memphis if Gary Jackson, Dylan Locke, and Ed Walker keep at it. The great thing about Kirk Avenue is that it connects the Jeff Center to Downtown. When Dylan Locke was in Blacksburg, he was connected to the bar scene, which revived that scene mightily. Too bad Dylan and Gary aren’t booking the Civic Center too.
One big problem is that these bands get into their genre and act a bit prissy about it. Jake is so beyond genre, he has a real chance to be the leader that the musicians need. He has the respect of everyone.
The other huge key is Tad. It’s a textbook example of how journalism at its core is community service. Everyone in this music community knows it has a friend in Tad. What’s amazing is he’s able to do what he does without compromising his writing. He’s very honest, and he has a tremendous sense of humor and knowledge of various styles.
Whatever the RT is paying him, it should be tripled.
And let’s not forget two other substantial forces in the business, Jason Martin and Barry at Awfuls. We got something going here. The best thing is that everybody sees it can get to the next level, and from that the cooperation is building.
Last thing, Gary Jackson will make sure the scene has more country acts. We need a little more of that flavor to feed the other genres.
Peace to all
Being an avid fan of music, but not a performer by any means, I am excited to see the existing venues and the opportunities that they offer local bands. I can remember back when I used to have to look for something to do on the weekend, now, local music is being played here every weekend. Perhaps thing could improve in certain areas, but overall I think Roanoke has a local music scene that we can be proud of. Big thanks to Martins, Market Street Pub, Blue 5, Kirk Avenue Music Hall, The Jefferson Center, Third Street Coffee House, and The Coffee Pot, not to mention the other busineses that support local and regional music.
Having moved here about 2 1/2 yeats ago from the Hampton Roads area, I feel like Roanoke has a much better music scene that Hampton Roads. They do have a couple of places like the Norva that get bigger acts more frequently, but the majority of smaller venues there book cover bands for the most part. Roanoke has plenty of great local bands playing original music. When it comes to undergrond/punk/indy venues, they come and go everywhere, this is not unique to Roanoke. Also, the Roanoke Times is much more supportive of the local bands and listing local shows than papers in other areas. I think it is a matter of perspective. Sure Roanoke could be better, but there are other places like Hampton Roads, with higher population bases than Roanoke, that are a lot worse. I think that local bands could do more self promotion and continue to work on finding more alternative spaces like the Water Heater to hold shows. I am definately not one who makes it out to every show, but when I do get out you see the same people regularly. Maybe more self-promotion could help with this.
Listen to Dylan, punk and underground acts — send me your show details a couple of weeks ahead of time. I can’t get them all in, but I promise to give you a listen. Just send your info to tad.dickens@roanoke.com.
Quinn, I enjoy listening to the Pullouts on myspace. I wanted to come out to your show the other week at Market Street Pub, but events got in my way. Stay in touch about upcoming shows.
Thanks for the kind words, Roland. I love what I do! I think Walker has done a lot in a very short time to help coalesce a lot of things, and is doing it for the right reason — he likes to be entertained in his home town. That’s an excellent thing. He and Jackson have made a great start at Kirk Avenue Music Hall, and I think the Paul Thorn show last night might finally have broken that room as a go-to spot for live shows.
Martin and (Barry) Caldwell have something really good going in their joints, too — plus you can get locally brewed beers there.
Here’s to more of the same from everyone!
Thanks for joining the conversation, Jimmy. Here’s a belated welcome to Big Lick. I’m amazed that the Hampton Roads’ scene is inferior. I’m lucky to live in a place where there’s a lot of local stuff to write about.
Well said, Jimmy.
I sometimes don’t get thoughts from my brain onto the page in quite the same way I intend for them to.
Must be all those years of loud music….er,something.
This turned into a very cool and even educational discussion.Glad so many people chimed in.
I really enjoyed reading this thread along with you Dylan. I always like to see and help the local scene thrive as well. The Roanoke scene has had it’s ups and downs, I’ve been playing in this town about 15 years too, and have seen it at it’s low points. But all and all I think the shows are getting better, and more people are coming out. This is a big help to newer venues, who let ALL KINDS of acts play. Market Street Pub is a great place and if they keep diversity I’m sure they will do well. Promotion is a big factor too, alot of people just assume everyone uses Myspace, and they just send out a Bulliten of thier show. But, they probley could get at least 20-30 more heads in the door by just hanging up a 5 flyers in some hot spots around town. I see about 15% of the weekly shows in Roanoke on actual paper flyers, that’s really bad. So to all those who complain about attendance, go hang up some posters!
Also someone mentioned previously that it seemed like the musicians were supporting the Roanoke scene. That is true, most of the people at any of these underground shows are in other bands around town. It’s a tight knit community of bands who all support each other. And if you are in a band and wonder why nobody is at your shows… maybe, you should go to other bands shows and support them too. Get out there and meet the other musicians. No ones gonna come to your show if you don’t go to anyone elses. I think it’s good to at least try and make it to 1 show a month, imagine if everyone did that between the ages of 18-35, Every show would be packed. From Bluegrass to Punk and anywhere in between. ya, I do have a dream!
Great comments. One think I’d like to mention is that we need some venues that start shows a little earlier. While you cats that can stay out till 2 and still get to work are special some of us just can’t do that too often. Maybe some early accoustic acts for dinner or regular acts with the volume down starting at 7 would give us a chance to check in more often. There are some of us who have the children gone that love to get out, just not all night.
Also, its great to see some of the out of town talent come in and play. However, it would be great to see write ups about the local talent that rivals the write ups for the out of town guys. We have some superior talent here that needs those pats on the back.
I’d be interested in hearing responses on this: How useful to the comtemporary scene do people think it would be to have the history of the area’s music better known? Would any folks be interested in a series of get togethers where area recordings of the past could be heard and discussed? How about a guide to the notable events and locations in the area’s musical past? Or does that offer nothing useful to the present and future of our area’s music makers and musical marketplace?
My personal feeling is that many of those who’re involved in music making locally could deepen their enthusiasm and better draw interest from outside if there were a more widespread awareness of the very long and notable musical life of this area. Not in an undiscriminating, rah rah homeboy way, but in a way that recovers the history that has been neglected and lost, illustrating continuity and change of musical endeavors in the area. Too many people that I encounter either simply aren’t interested, or assume that if there were cool or significant history, that it would be wodely known already, while I continually discover otherwise. Am I a lone geek for believing that our area’s musical identity suffers because of it’s unrecognized heritage?
For lack of anywhere else to put this, just wanted to say here that I enjoyed reading Friday’s article on the Southside 220 all ages venue, Tad.
Nice to see something a little outside the norm. Hope it helps the bands and the venue!
In regards to Pete’s comments — I would be interested in something like that but I’m a big music nerd. I don’t know how much of the general population would take an interest in something like that, but I would find it interesting being that I’ve held onto every CD,tape, 7″ vinyl I’ve ever bought or been given by local bands. Not to mention all the fliers saved from bands played in and with.
But yeah, it’d be a cool thing.
Worth mentioning is that there is one online myspace site dedicated to archiving local punk, metal, alternative bands – http://www.myspace.com/starcityarchives
It’d be cool to see more such sites archiving all music genres of local bands.
Thanks, Dylan. I had a good time out there.
I think this area’s music history is richer than deeper than I even realize. You might be a lone geek, Pete, but you could be right about the need to better identify with the valley’s musical past. It probably wouldn’t matter so much to the masses, but people who care do want to know more.
Great point troy2k..
While many people do catch the bulletins on myspace and it is one of my fav tools to use..
You must get your lazy rump out and about and post a few fliers in the hot spots in Roanoke to draw even a bigger crowd..
It drizes me nuts when people gripe that only 5 people showed up to their show.
Don’t expect a good turnout with your one bulletin two days before the show.
I think Roanoke has came a looong way in the local band scene of things..
And it keeps getting better..
For that I am truly excited..
My only gripe..not enough establishments that will host underground acts on a fri or sat..
There’s never been a time that I didn’t host an underground act and the place didn’t have a decent amount of people there..
Just seems that certain underground bands don’t get the same level of respect and recognition as others..
I hosted several all ages underground shows in the sw community neighborhhood and I swear I thought some of the community folk were going to stroke out because they saw punk rock kids rocking their mohawks..or hip hoppers wearing their jeans too low..
oh please stop with your bgot attitudes!!
To my next thought..
Big props to the Market Street Pub for hosting more and more underground acts..
My fav establishment to book a show.,.by far is Martins..
although most hardcore/punk underground acts can only aquire a sunday through thursday spot..at least Jason treats the bands well and makes everyone feel at home..nice venue ..amazing food..so many factors that weigh in that makes this my fav place overall.!
What I highly dislike is how some establishments treat local bands..
I have heard bizzarre stories of one bar owner paying all three bands with cake and only cake..
and the place was packed with people..
and one bar owner telling a local band/a band that really draws a big crowd..//that they would give them 25 bucks for all three bands to play a friday night.
What an insult!
thus the bands told them where to shove their measly 25 bucks!
I’ve done free local band promotions for several years now and i have seen some crappy shifty ways of some local area bar owners.
If you are a bar owner..and you read this..why not give a lil bar tab for the bands..maybe slide them a Free meal their way/…and how about Not ripping them off with the door money..
ESPECIALLY when they are packing Your joint out..
anyways.,sorry for that lil rant at the end….:)
last but not least on my rambling ..Mad props to any band that puts soo much time into what they do and give me and my friends alot of variety of things to do on the weekend..
I’d much rather support what you guys do than blow my money on some of the crapola bands that the civic center brings in!
and mad props to you Tad -for all the support you give our scene!
As Dylan mentioned before if you wanna see some Roanoke music history in the Punk-Metal-and Alternative genre, check out http://www.myspace.com/starcityarchives , it would be cool if this got mentioned in the paper somewhere too just to get the word out, because there is ALOT of history on this site, and alot of local musicians still might not know about it, and they could be on the site themselves! Check it out!
First off, this is not an email to belittle any of the wonderful talent here in Roanoke. I truly enjoy many of the bands locally and respect what they do. My major complaint is that there are alot of unmentioned bands who truly deserve more recognition. I mean, its impressive to honor your heros by jamming their hits to an awaiting crowd but is that what its really all about, seems a little safe to me. The guys and gals out their who are putting it all on the line by stepping outside the box and trying to introduce something NEW to the Roanoke music scene are the ones who really impress me. I mean, what if some of our legendary musical inspirations would have never gone against the grain and just stuck to playing cover songs?
Thank God Aerosmith and Lynyrd Skynyrd wrote orignal music cause alot of bands wouldn’t have anything to play nowadays.
Just seems a bit kareoke to me.
But what do I know?
Problem is, Goldy, you’re preachin’ to the converted.
Most of the folks who have posted on this thread either play original music, book original shows, or at least support that part of the music scene here in Roanoke. Any one of them would tell you that there is no money in it, and to a person, they all hold down day jobs. The reason there is such a prevalence of cover bands in Roanoke (and in almost every other town I have ever lived in/visited) is because that’s where the money is. The club owners know it, the musicians know it, and that’s where many of the fans of live music choose to spend their hard earned dollars.
It is not my place to belittle any person who picks up an instrument and learns to play (though that has not stopped me from doing so in the past). I’ve seen Burning Bridges and TK-421, and they play hard and earn their money. However, very few of their fans are there to hear the original tunes of either band. The money’s in the covers.
There is a strong contingent of great original bands in this town. Just last weekend, Affliction Kid and the Pullouts played a great show to a decent crowd at The Coffee Pot. Having played in a couple of local bands myself, I can tell you, I never saw a dollar amount from a door even approaching what the guys in Burning Bridges make in an evening. It isn’t all about the money to the musicians. But it has a lot to do with who the club owners book, and on what nights they book them.
Brooks,
You made a lot of excellent points, and you’re spot-on on most of them. Playing in a band in any format is hard work. I do feel compelled to speak up on one quote though – “However, very few of their fans are there to hear the original tunes of either band”.
It is absolutely true that in order to maintain a good fanbase in the places we play, we do choose to keep a solid arsenal of cover “hits” in the show. However, some of our originals are just as important (and well received) to our set list as our top covers. Heck, the main reason we were able to get a start in the first place was due to how well “Burn Georgia Burn” was received on local radio. God help me if I ever forget to include that song in the show… I’ll get my behind kicked. “Bed of Stone” – same situation. One of the high points of my night is listening to a crowd sing back the pre-chorus of that song to us. “Information Overdrive” (which, much to my amazement, still gets periodic airplay on WROV’s Homegrown show after 6-7 years), “Disengaged”, “Rebel” – all originals that are “musts” in our set list.
Personally, one of the problems I see is that there is such a split between cover & original (both in musicians AND fans). This area is so black and white in this regard. And unfortuantely, one side seems to hold such distain for the other. Coverbands are sellouts playing old worn out songs to mindless sheep, and original bands are self-proclaimed artist eliteists who expect greatness because they wrote a song. Here’s the thing though… just because you play covers, it doesn’t mean you don’t care about nor put your heart into what you’re playing – and just because you write a song, that doesn’t make you the next great voice in music history.
Why does there need to be such a divide? Music is art is entertainment – regardless of the presentation.
My two cents.
Steve Layne
TK-421
You have a point. BUT… I wouldn’t consider yours a coverband.
Hey Steve,
Well put, and point taken.
Using you guys (and Burning Bridges) was probably poor form as I don’t know either of your bands’ original material very well. I was basing what I wrote largely on the times I’ve seen you guys play. The reality is that you have a huge draw, and a loyal fanbase as well. that fanbase dictates what you guys need to do to get them to come to your shows again and again. Understand, no attempt was made to disparage anything you guys do, mostly I was putting forth the point that it is easy to point to bands that draw crowds and simply shrug and act oblivious as to why they can fill Awful Arthur’s while another band has trouble filling a house party. Clearly, the idea is to please the crowd on hand whether by playing popular covers or by playing the originals they came to hear. I think that jealousy and scene rivalry can sometimes cloud that fact.
Goldy – To some, we are very much so. Doesn’t bother me though, I enjoy what we do – whether its ours or someone else’s. If the audience has a good time, ultimately, that’s all that matters.
Brooks – Great points all around. I’m enjoying your take on the scene here. And if I came across as “Hey hey hey! Wait a minute there…”, it wasn’t my intention.
On the topic of covers vs. original material, what is the role for the rarely mentioned (but frequently done) third option: playing covers that few in the audience are familiar with? One might suppose that the effect is the same as playing an original, and quite often it is; but being a cover, it has the advantages of a framework for the artist to either follow or depart from, as opposed to an original idea that may still be in search of its’ best form; and perhaps a demonstrated level of previous acceptance, although an acceptance that a current audience may not have been a part of.
Obviously this is not about lounge bands who cover the pop hit parade. Although, sometimes a great song can be so good as to survive almost any degree of cover mutilation (see: Idol, American). And entire reputations are sometimes claimed on performing deserving material that has evaded or slipped from wider awareness; only some of these reputations are fully deserved. And apart from either the strict imitators or self-concious revivalists, there are of course thinly disguised covers masquerading as originals, where the tested nature of the repainted song makes it preferred by used music salesmen (see: Pop, Rock, Country and R&B music, Contemporary).
But there is another valid choice, wherein an honest performer will present a cover song to an audience that mostly won’t recognize it, in order not to deceive or ride coattails, but to share something they know to be worthy of continued celebration. The key, besides the ability of the performer, is judgement. It’s about leading the audience to something they’re likely to like, based not on sales figures, but because it’s been liked by ears one trusts-one’s own. It does carry risks; many musicians are straitjacketed by perceived genre boundaries, and others will go insufferably far in advertising their eclecticism or historical awareness, but still I think there’s an important role for the unfamiliar cover song. Through them, creativity can be expressed through imaginative rearrangement, or genre authenticity expressed by a convincing re-creation. It certainly is a time tested means for young musicians to get better, while their own musical minds mature to an original creative level worth presenting to an audience. After all, a poorly chosen unfamiliar cover can flop just as hard as a bad original .
It certainly worked for a cover band from Liverpool who later did the most of any artists to popularize original material.
Pete, That is such a hard to understand response, I got so lost… So are you saying covers are a good thing if no one knows who they are by? I play covers although only 1 per night in our original set, and I see nothing wrong with it at all, the crowd always enjoys hearing it cuz it’s framiliar, it also helps draw people into the originals you write.If your in a cover/tribute band more power to ya, if you rock your ass off and have fun thats cool… I think its fun to go to AA’s and check out TK421, I really enjoy hearing those songs, (M.Crue the most) And I also like to go see the Original bands around town too. Mad props to all the bands in this town, covers or not, how else would S.W. VA rock their faces off without any of us! By the way TAD this thread has a ton of comments, you opened up a can of worms with this topic!
We only play covers of other local bands, just to confuse the hell out of the audience.
No, I kind of get what Pete is saying. Another band that utilized an approach of playing obscure covers was Metallica.They used to do it as well back in the day before they were signed to a major label.
They would play cover songs from obscure bands of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal – bands like Diamondhead, Budgie, Angel Witch and others.
And according to interviews I’ve read with James Hetfield in the past, they wouldn’t even announce things like “Hey this is a cover by so and so….”. They would just launch into the song and people could either recognize the cover or think it was one of the band’s own, possibly creating a nice impression on the listener(or fooling them,however you wish to look at it) that the band they were hearing had some seriously good originals.
I kind of thought that a smart approach to doing covers(in a perfect world that is, not one where you have to play “today’s hits” to get booked in a bar and play what the general population wants to hear). Not just playing the most well known songs by people’s favorite bands, but your own favorites of bands people may not be as familiar with.
For instance, if I were watching a punk band do a cover of Sex Pistols’ ‘Anarchy in the UK’ I would find it somewhat yawn inducing.
But if they pulled out a cover of something like Zero Boys’ ‘Civilization’s Dying’ I’d be more impressed.
Another example of using obscure covers – when Nirvana turned legions of their fans onto the genius of Devo by covering ‘Turnaround’ and onto another band called The Vaselines that few had heard of until they included covers of them on their Incesticide album.
I also dig it when band’s cover a song from a completely different genre of music than they normally play and make it their own,sometimes even improving over the original.
Jumping into the can of worms now …
First, though, I love how this has become a conversation on the merits of cover bands. I’ve played in my share, and I’ve played in original acts. I’ve found that cover bands make more money and get better amenities on the road. I’ve also found that I prefer playing original music.
That said, let’s consider the Beatles. Those guys started out playing mostly covers in small clubs, and it’s clear that they learned from them. Back in those days, just about every band that came up played many cover songs while they worked on their originals and moved up the food chain. (I like Jimi Hendrix’s cover of “Sgt. Pepper” better than the Beatles’ version, by the way.)
Like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones played many many covers — so much Chicago blues. Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” was a cover of Otis Redding’s original. Redding covered the Stones “Satisfaction.”
Someone who is interested in writing her own songs can do no better than dissecting and performing her heroes’ songs. A guitar player friend of mine told me to get a Beatles songbook and a Motown songbook, learn every song — and then I might have some idea about how to write.
I have respect for mostly-cover acts that play their own material in shows. It takes guts, after you’ve played the hits that every fool knows, to then give the crowd something from the band, something that band wanted an audience to hear. Maybe it will suck. Maybe it will be great. As a listener, that’s part of the experience. It’s more interactive, on a certain level.
I’ve known plenty of people in cover bands who love to play those covers. I’ll be thinking: “Good lord, that’s a cheesy song that I absolutely hate, and people are just eating it up.” Then I’ll talk to a band member later, and he’ll say he loves playing it.
I’ve got to go with a cliche here — more power to him. He likes it. His audience likes it. He’s getting paid. He has no angst about it. There’s nothing wrong with it.
That doesn’t mean I have to like the music. But I have to sort of envy someone like that, because I used to get paid good money to smack backbeats on tunes I could not stand, tunes that made me want to open a vein. And here’s someone making good money and actually having a good time up there.
Isn’t that what live music is about?
The Beatles, Stones, and even Metallica present great arguments for including, or even starting with, covers. However, you have to consider (I think) that we’re in a VERY different climate now. All those bands busted their rear ends playing that stuff live, getting better, learning how to be a band on stage, THEN, when they had their act together, they went down the original path.
Today, anyone with two guitar lessons and a PC can record an album. That is fantastic in some respects because it widens the playing field and opens the door to have much more varied music available. The problem is that “bands” aren’t as ready as they used to be, on the whole. We used to have to cut our teeth for years, building a following, proving that we were worth the investment to record an album. Now everyone can do it, so everyone does. But the supply has become greater than the demand. Bands start out with no name recognition, no following, little or no live experience… but they want gigs – lots of em. So what to do, what to do? Well, they play everywhere, for free… for “exposure”. Then a trend forms. The club owner can get 5 bands in his venue per night, promise them a cut of the door to split amongst them. And they’ll all beg him to let them do it, cause “its all about the music”. But then they find they can’t pull the crowds they expected. So what next? Hey, lets give our music away for free too. And lets encourage people to make copies and share it so we can get all that “exposure”. We’ll make our money back selling tshirts.
All the while, we snarl at those sellouts playing radio hits to packed clubs full of drones.
On an individual level, it makes great sense. But here’s the bigger picture… We aren’t honing our craft anymore – we want to run before we’ve taken a first step. And, we’re devaluing what we do as writers and performers. We’re teaching the general public that we need not be compensated – our music/art is not worth it. Sure, there are success stories. But it seems most of the bands that have had some sort of longevity are those who started with a firm foundation.
Bottom line in all this mess – The best coverbands are those that provide a party and play what people want to hear, and the best original bands are those who bust their behinds and have a product solid enough to capture and hold people’s attention. I guess the point I was trying to make somewhere with this misjointed rant is that a scene needs both to survive and flourish. We certainly have that.
Two more cents.
We only play covers of other local bands, just to confuse the hell out of the audience.- Dylan
That’s funny you said that cuz we used to do that, covering, Surge, Integration, Brave New World, Stereobomb… It’s really cool to see the reactions of your buddies when you cover the song they wrote, and you do your own take on them. And also Dylan is right it’s way cooler to see a band do a cover of a song out of thier Genre and make it thier own, than to see the song word for word, and note for note.
I always said I would never want to play in a cover band, but I’ve always been about the tribute bands, I think it would be fun as hell to dress up like early Motley Crue, or Misfits, or the Ramones. Maybe even just once or twice a year! The worst part about a cover band is they can rock something good… then 5 minutes later you hear some dog crap like Limp Biskit or “She’s a Brickhouse”…. I know they don’t really like playing that…
Ok… reading that again, I sound like a crotchety old dinosaur – which I guess I am. Hopefully ya’ll can read through all the “You kids get outta my yard!!!” rambling and find the general idea.
Somebody should take the interwebs away from me at night.