Young cover bands?

[ckcondon]

As we keep hashing out the future of live music, I'm wondering what the future holds for cover bands. Not corp/wedding stuff, but covers in bars/clubs.

I don't go out too much anymore when I'm not gigging, but for the most part I don't see many young (twenty-something) cover bands. Most are over 30, experienced players with varying setlists.

At 46, I came of age during the 80's heyday of touring cover bands. I WANTED to be in a killer cover band playing all the badass songs I loved listening to. I still enjoy learning new songs whether it's a classic or a brand new Maroon 5 or Pink song...

Do any young players aspire to play covers anymore?

Then of course the question that begs to be asked is if you are 21ish and in a cover band, what does your setlist look like compared to us geezers? ;-)

[jeff42]

 

a lot of agency bands are filled with fresh faced kids. 

here is some song lists i found from a few bands: i just copied and paste so there may be dups

3OH!3 - Don't Trust Me

 

ADELE/GNARLS BARKLEY - Rolling In The 

Deep/Crazy MASHUP

 

ALL-AMERICAN REJECTS - Gives You Hell, Dirty Little Secret

 

ALEX CLARE/ELLIE GOULDING - Too Close/Lights MASHUP

 

AMERICAN HI-FI - Flavor of the Weak

 

AVRIL LAVIGNE/THE TING TINGS - What The Hell/That's Not My Name MASHUP

 

AVICII - Wake Me Up

 

BASTILLE - Pompeii

 

BEATLES - Twist & Shout

 

BIG N RICH- Save A Horse (Ride A Cowboy)

 

BILLY JOEL MASHUP - Only The Good Die Young/ Still Rock n Roll To Me

 

BLACKSTREET - No Diggity

 

BLINK 182 - All The Small Things, What's My Age Again

 

BLUR - Song 2

 

BON JOVI - Livin' On A Prayer

 

BREATHE CAROLINA - Blackout

 

BRITNEY SPEARS - ...Baby One More Time/Womanizer/I Wanna Go/Till The World Ends 

MASHUP

 

BRITNEY SPEARS/MIKE POSNER/KATY PERRY - Womanizer/Cooler Than Me/I Kissed A Girl MASHUP

 

BRUNO MARS - Locked Out Of Heaven, When I Was Your Man

 

BRYAN ADAMS - Summer Of 69

 

CARLY RAE JEPSON / KATY PERRY - Call Me Maybe/Teenage Dream MASHUP

 

CEE LO GREEN - Forget You

 

COOLIO/DESTINY'S CHILD- Gansta's Paradise/ Survivor MASHUP

 

CUPID/CALI SWAG DISTRICT/SOULJA BOY - Cupid Shuffle/Teach Me How To Dougie/Crank That 

MASHUP

 

DARKNESS - I Believe In A Thing Called Love

 

DESTINY'S CHILD/BRITNEY SPEARS -Say My Name/ Hold It Against Me MASHUP

 

DIRTY HEADS - Lay Me Down

 

DROPKICK MURPHY'S - Shipping Up To Boston

 

EDDY MONEY - Take Me Home Tonight

 

ENRIQUE IGLESIAS/BRUNO MARS/PITBULL - Tonight I'm Loving You/Grenade/Hey Baby MASHUP

 

EVE 6 - Inside Out

 

FALL OUT BOY - Sugar We're Goin Down, My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark

 

FAR EAST MOVEMENT/USHER - Like A G6/DJ Got Us Falling In Love MASHUP

 

FLO RIDA/BLACK EYED PEAS - Club Can't Handle Me Right Now/I Gotta Feeling MASHUP

 

FLO RIDA/COBRA STARSHIP - Good Feeling/Good Girls Go Bad MASHUP

 

FLO RIDA/FUN MASHUP - Whistle/ Some Nights

 

FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE - Cruise

 

FOUNDATIONS - Build Me Up Buttercup

 

FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE - Stacy's Mom

 

FUN - We Are Young/Carry On Mashup

 

GIN BLOSSOMS - Hey Jealousy

 

GOOD CHARLOTTE - Anthem, Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous

 

GOTYE / LADY GAGA - Somebody I used To Know/Just Dance Mashup

 

GYM CLASS HEROES ft. ADAM LEVINE - Stereo Hearts

 

HARVEY DANGER - Flagpole Sitta

 

HOT CHELLE RAE - Tonight Tonight

 

HOUSE OF PAIN - Jump Around

 

ICONA POP/LA ROUX - I Love It/Bulletproof Mashup

 

IMAGINE DRAGONS- Radioactive

 

IMAGINE DRAGONS/LUMINEERS - It's Time/Ho Hey Mashup

 

JASON MRAZ - I'm Yours

 

JESSIE J/BLACK EYED PEAS - Price Tag/Where Is The Love Mashup

 

JESSIE J / KATY PERRY - Domino / Firework Mashup

 

JET - Are You Gonna Be My Girl

 

JIMMY EAT WORLD - The Middle

 

JOHN MELLENCAMP - Jack And Diane

 

JOURNEY - Don't Stop Believin'

 

JUSTIN BIEBER/TYGA MASHUP- Rack City / Boyfriend

 

JUSTIN BIEBER/SEAN KINGSTON - Baby/Beautiful Girls MASHUP

 

JUSTIN BIEBER/WILL.I.AM- #this Power/Scream & Shout MASHUP

 

KANYE WEST/2PAC ft. DR.DRE - Stronger/California Love MASHUP

 

KARMIN/WHITNEY HOUSETON - Brokenhearted/I Wanna Dance With Somebody Mashup

 

KATY PERRY - I Kissed A Girl, Roar

 

KATY PERRY/FOSTER THE PEOPLE - Last Friday Night/Pumped Up Kicks MASHUP

 

KE$HA - Tik Tok, We R Who We R/Blah Blah Blah/Your Love Is My Drug MASHUP, Die Young

 

KILLERS - Mr. Brightside

 

LADY GAGA / GOTYE - Just Dance / Somebody That I Used to Know Mashup

 

LIT - My Own Worst Enemy

 

LMFAO/USHER - Shots/OMG MASHUP

 

LMFAO/ZOMBIE NATION - Party Rock Anthem/Kernkraft 400 MASHUP

 

LMFAO/PSY - Gangnam Style/ Sexy and I Know It Mashup

 

LONELY ISLAND - I Just Had Sex

 

LORDE - Royals

 

LUKE BRYAN - Country Girl

 

LUSTRA - Scotty Doesn't Know

 

MACKLEMORE - Thrift Shop, Can't Hold Us, White Walls

 

MAROON 5 - This Love, Payphone, One More Night

 

MICHAEL JACKSON/ WILD CHERRY: Billie Jean / Play That Funky Music Mahsup

 

MILEY CYRUS - Party In The USA, Wrecking Ball

 

MILEY CYRUS/RIHANNA - We Can't Stop/Umbrella MASHUP

 

NEIL DIAMOND - Sweet Caroline

 

NELLY - Ride Wit Me, Hot In Here

 

NEON TREES - Animal, Everybody Talks

 

NINE DAYS - Absolutely (Story Of A Girl)

 

NSYNC/BACKSTREET BOYS - Bye Bye Bye/Everybody (Backstreet's Back)/Larger Than Life MASHUP

 

OASIS - Wonderwall

 

OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW - Wagon Wheel

 

ONE DIRECTION - What Makes You Beautiful, Best Song Ever, Story of My Life

 

OTIS DAY AND THE KNIGHTS - Shout

 

OUTFIELD - Your Love

 

OWL CITY & CARLY RAE JEPSON - Good Time

 

PANIC AT THE DISCO - I Write Sins Not Tragedies

 

PARAMORE - Misery Business, Still In To You

 

PHILLIP PHILLIPS - Gone, Gone, Gone

 

PINK - Raise Your Glass, So What

 

PITBULL/CALVIN HARRIS- Feel This Moment/Feel So Close MASHUP

 

PITBULL & KE$HA - Timber

 

PROCLAIMERS/BEATLES/GUNS N' ROSES - I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)/Hey Jude/Paradise City MASHUP

 

QUEEN/FLO RIDA/LUDACRIS - Fat Bottomed Girls/Bottoms Up/What's Your Fantasy MASHUP

 

R. KELLY - Ignition Remix

 

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS - Under The Bridge

 

RICK SPRINGFIELD - Jessie's Girl

 

RIHANNA/LADY GAGA - S&M/Bad Romance MASHUP

 

ROMANITCS - What I Like About You

 

ROBIN THICKE/DAFT PUNK- Blurred Lines/Get Lucky MASHUP

 

SEAN KINGSTON/FLO RIDA - Fire Burning/Low MASHUP

 

SELENA GOMEZ - Come & Get It

 

SMASH MOUTH - All Star

 

SNOOP DOGG & WIZ KHALIFA - Young Wild & Free

 

SPIN DOCTORS - Two Princes

 

STEVE MILLER BAND/SHAGGY - The Joker/Angel MASHUP

 

SUBLIME - Santeria

 

SUBLIME/SUGAR RAY - What I Got/Fly MASHUP

 

SUM 41- Fat Lip

 

SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA - Don't You Worry Child

 

TAYLOR SWIFT - We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, I Knew You Were Trouble, 22

 

THE WANTED/NICKI MINAJ - Glad You Came/ Starships Mashup

 

THIRD EYE BLIND - Jumper, Semi-Charmed Life

 

TAIO CRUZ/KATY PERRY - Dynamite/California Gurls MASHUP

 

TLC - No Scrubs

 

TOM PETTY - American Girl

 

TRAIN - Drive By

 

VIOLENT FEMMES - Blister In The Sun

 

WHEATUS - Teenage Dirtbag

 

WHITE STRIPES/GARY GLITTER - Seven Nation Army/Rock'n'Roll (Penn State Football Style) MASHUP 

 

WILD CHERRY / MICHAEL JACKSON - Play That Funky Music/Billie Jean MASHUP

 

WILLOW SMITH - Whip My Hair

 

YELLOWCARD - Ocean Avenue

 

ZAC BROWN BAND - Chicken Fried

 

ZEDD - Clarity

ADELE - Rolling In the Deep

 

ALEX CLARE - Too Close

 

ALL-AMERICAN REJECTS - Gives You Hell 

 

AMERICAN HI-FI - Flavor Of the Weak

 

A$AP ROCKY - Problems

 

AVICII - Wake Me Up

 

BACKSTREET BOYS - The Call, Larger Than Life, I Want It That Way

 

BEYONCE ft. JAY-Z - Crazy in Love

 

BIG & RICH - Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy

 

BIG SEAN - Dance (A$$)

 

BLACK CROWES - Hard to Handle

 

BLACK EYED PEAS - I Gotta Feelin', Let's Get It Started

 

BLINK 182 - All the Small Things, Feeling This

 

BREATHE CAROLINA - Blackout 

 

BRITNEY SPEARS - Till the World Ends, Toxic

 

BRUNO MARS - Just the Way You Are, Locked Out Of Heaven, Treasure

 

CALVIN HARRIS - Feel So Close, Let's Go, Sweet Nothing

 

CAPITOL CITIES - Safe and Sound

 

CARLY RAE JEPSEN - Call Me Maybe

 

CEE LO GREEN - Forget You

 

CHRIS BROWN - Kiss Kiss, Look At Me Now, Turn Up the Music

 

CHUCK BERRY - Johnny B. Goode

 

COLD PLAY - Viva la Vida, Fix You, Paradise

 

COBRA STARSHIP - You Make Me Feel

 

DAFT PUNK - Get Lucky

 

DAVE MATTHEWS BAND - #41

 

DAVID GUETTA - Without You, I Can Only Imagine, Titanium

 

DRAKE - Forever

 

ELLIE GOULDING - Lights

 

ELTON JON - I Just Can't Wait To Be King

 

FALL OUT BOY - My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark

 

FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE - Cruise

 

FOO FIGHTERS - Learn To Fly

 

FLO RIDA - Club Can't Handle Me, Low, Good Feeling, Wild Ones, Whistle, I Cry

 

FLORIDA-GEORGIA LINE - Cruise

 

FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE - Stacy's Mom

 

FUN. - We Are Young, Some Nights

 

GARTH BROOKS - Friends In Low Places

 

GAVIN DEGRAW - I Don't Wanna Be

 

GNARLS BARKLEY - Crazy

 

GOO GOO DOLLS - Slide, Iris

 

GOTYE - Somebody That I Used To Know

 

GUNS N ROSES - Sweet Child O' Mine

 

GYM CLASS HEROES - Stereo Hearts, Ass Back Home

 

HARVEY DANGER - Flagpole Sitta

 

ICONA POP - I Love It

 

IMAGINE DRAGONS - It's Time, Radioactive

 

INCUBUS - Pardon Me

 

JAY-Z AND KANYE WEST - Ni**as in Paris

 

JAY -Z- 99 Problems, Holy Grail

 

JASON MRAZ - I'm Yours

 

JET - Are You Gonna Be My Girl

 

JIMMY EAT WORLD - The Middle, Sweetness

 

JUSTIN BIEBER - Baby, Boyfriend, As Long As You Love Me, Beauty and a Beat

 

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE - SexyBack, Suit and Tie, Mirrors

 

KANYE WEST - Heartless, Gold Digger, Clique, Mercy

 

KARMIN - Brokenhearted

 

KATY PERRY - Last Friday Night, E.T., I Kissed a Girl

 

KE$HA - Your Love Is My Drug, Blow, Die Young

 

KID CUDI - Erase Me, Pursuit of Happiness

 

KID RICK - Bawitdaba

 

THE KILLERS - All Things That I've Done, Somebody Told Me

 

KINGS OF LEON - Use Somebody

 

LADY GAGA - Poker Face, Bad Romance, You and I

 

LFO - Summer Girls 

 

LIL JON - Get Low

 

LIT - My Own Worst Enemy

 

LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem, Sexy and I Know It, Shots

 

LONELY ISLAND - I Just Had Sex, I'm On a Boat 

 

LORDE - Royals

 

LUDACRIS - How Low, What's Your Fantasy

 

LUKE BRYAN - Country Girl

 

LUPE FIASCO - Show Goes On

 

LUSTRA - Scotty Doesn't Know

 

MACKLEMORE - Thrift Shop, Can't Hold Us

 

MAJOR LAZER - Bubble Butt

 

MAROON 5 - Harder To Breathe, Moves Like Jagger, Stereo Hearts, Payphone, One More Night

 

METRO STATION - Shake It

 

MICHAEL JACKSON - Billie Jean, Man In the Mirror, Black or White

 

MILEY CYRUS - Party in the USA, We Can't Stop

 

MUMFORD AND SONS - I Will Wait

 

MUSE - Uprising

 

MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE - I'm Not Okay (I Promise)

 

NELLY - Hot In Here

 

NEON TREES - Animal

 

NERO - Promises

 

NEW FOUND GLORY - My Friends Over You

 

NE-YO - Let Me Love You

 

NICKI MINAJ - Superbass, Starships, Pound The Alarm

 

NINE DAYS - Absolutely

 

NIRVANA - Smells Like Teen Spirit

 

NO DOUBT - Hella Good

 

NSYNC - I Want You Back

 

OASIS - Wonderwall, Champagne Supernova

 

ONE DIRECTION - What Makes You Beautiful

 

OUTKAST - Hey Ya!

 

OWL CITY & CARLY RAE JEPSEN - Good Time

 

PINK - Raise Your Glass

 

PITBULL - Give Me Everything, Hey Baby, International Love

 

PSY - Gangnam Style

 

QUEEN - Don't Stop Me Now

 

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS - By the Way

 

RHIANNA - Umbrella, We Found Love, Birthday Cake, Diamonds

 

ROBIN THICKE - Blurred Lines

 

SISQO - The Thong Song

 

SIR MIX-A-LOT - Baby Got Back

 

SKRILLEX - Bangarang

 

SUBLIME - Santeria, What I Got

 

SUM 41 - Fat Lip 

 

SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA - Don't You Worry Child

 

TAKING BACK SUNDAY - Cute Without the 'E'

 

TAYLOR SWIFT - Love Story, I Knew You Were Trouble, 22

 

TAIO CRUZ - Dynamite

 

TENACIOUS D - Tribute

 

THE ATARIS - Boys of Summer

 

THE WHO - Baba O'Riley

 

THE USED - Taste of Ink

 

TLC - No Scrubs

 

TOBY KEITH - Red Solo Cup 

 

TRAVIE MCCOY - Billionaire

 

TREY SONGZ - Bottoms Up, Two Reasons 

 

TYGA - Rack City

 

U2 - With or Without You

 

USHER - DJ Got Us Falling In Love, OMG, Yeah!, Scream

 

V.I.C. - Wobble

 

WILL.I.AM. - Scream And Shout

 

WEEZER - Say It Ain't So

 

WHEATUS - Teenage Dirtbag

 

YLVIS - The Fox

 

ZAC BROWN BAND - Toes

ZEDD - Clarity

 

 

this is the songs we do from this list:

3OH!3 - Don't Trust Me

 

ALL-AMERICAN REJECTS - Gives You Hell,

 

BEATLES - Twist & Shout

 

BIG N RICH- Save A Horse (Ride A Cowboy)

 

BILLY JOEL MASHUP - Only The Good Die Young

 

BLINK 182 - All The Small Things

 

BLUR - Song 2

 

BON JOVI - Livin' On A Prayer

 

BREATHE CAROLINA - Blackout

 

BRUNO MARS - Locked Out Of Heaven

 

CEE LO GREEN - Forget You

 

DARKNESS - I Believe In A Thing Called Love

 

EVE 6 - Inside Out

 

 

FLO RIDA - Club Can't Handle Me

 

FLO RIDA - Good Feeling/

 

FLO RIDA

[Kevin T]

I notice the same very few if any under 30s cover bands . There is no band culture in high school today just Djs . They next gen seems to be all orig and Djs . Just as well with the way bars are closing / dropping live music here

[ckcondon]

Hoping this doesn't get too bogged down in another original vs cover debate.

What I've seen is that the "glamour" of cover bands is pretty much gone.

Younger ppl go to a bar and end up watching guys their parents age play songs that could be close to 50 years old. There are few venues that have big stages and fewer bands that put on a "big show".

Not much motivation to put a band together, build up 40 songs and jump in the mix.

Guess its easier to record in your bedroom, put it on Youtube and have your friends leave comments on how awesome you are.

[TIMKEYS]

 

---

ckcondon wrote:

 

Hoping this doesn't get too bogged down in another original vs cover debate.

 

What I've seen is that the "glamour" of cover bands is pretty much gone.

 

Younger ppl go to a bar and end up watching guys their parents age play songs that could be close to 50 years old. There are few venues that have big stages and fewer bands that put on a "big show".

 

Not much motivation to put a band together, build up 40 songs and jump in the mix.

 

Guess its easier to record in your bedroom, put it on Youtube and have your friends leave comments on how awesome you are.

---

 

after a while its not much work to put a band together.  Send out set list with the key sigs to guys who can do their home work and work on the fly ,, and hit it live with no real rehearsal.  it takes the right kind of players to pull this off though. 

[Vito Corleone]

 

---

ckcondon wrote:

 

Hoping this doesn't get too bogged down in another original vs cover debate.

 

What I've seen is that the "glamour" of cover bands is pretty much gone.

 

Younger ppl go to a bar and end up watching guys their parents age play songs that could be close to 50 years old. There are few venues that have big stages and fewer bands that put on a "big show".

 

Not much motivation to put a band together, build up 40 songs and jump in the mix.

 

Guess its easier to record in your bedroom, put it on Youtube and have your friends leave comments on how awesome you are.

---

 

I think that in many ways the entire concept of "being in a band" is an older-generation thing.   Something your parents or your grandparents did.   

But young kids still do it.  Or at least still make music.   And they always will.  Music is just too cool and too integral to who many people are.    They may not form bands and play in bars anymore, however.

But hey, they didn't do that 100 years ago either.  Music and musicians existed and prospered in different forms back then.   It might just take some other form.  Or maybe it just needs to be gone-from-the-scene long enough to become "cool" again. 

Maybe after 20 years of live music being virtually non-existant, young  kids will start forming bands again and playing out live and the whole thing will start all over again.  

[StratGuy22]

There's a half decent scene in my town. And in th big cities there's lots of original music going on. Everyone's cutting CD's or the new thing is vinyl/download cards. They are all in their 20's. plus I just started an open mic that went over really good with that group as well. There's 2 other open mics that cater to older people, so that's good as well. We are all in contact wih one another so we don't do them on the same night.

 

Bob does his the first week of the month

I'm the second week

Terry does the third week

I do the 4th week

 

All at different venues.

 

With the younger original bands Everyone plays one set, they split the door etc etc.

 

Old farts like myself play the event scene. NYE weddings, Christmas parties etc.

 

Here's the latest original gig I did sound for:

 

4 bands:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Again, my band is too old to play for these kids but I have a great rig so I put it to use a lot.

[mstreck]

---

ckcondon wrote:

Hoping this doesn't get too bogged down in another original vs cover debate.

What I've seen is that the "glamour" of cover bands is pretty much gone.

Younger ppl go to a bar and end up watching guys their parents age play songs that could be close to 50 years old. There are few venues that have big stages and fewer bands that put on a "big show".

Not much motivation to put a band together, build up 40 songs and jump in the mix.

Guess its easier to record in your bedroom, put it on Youtube and have your friends leave comments on how awesome you are.

---

I don't get it either. 

I was talking to a no-nonsense venue owner last weekend and he told us how he originally came to hire us. A mutual friend called him to tell him that he had to come see us at a show we played last November. Well, he saw us a couple of years ago back when we were primarily playing classic rock and he really wasn't interested. He asked our mutual friend what song we were playing at the moment. The answer was "Raise Your Glass" so he came to check us out. He said he originally intended to stay for five songs, but ended up staying for another two and a half hours. He said (and I'm not kidding) that he decided to hire us the moment we played "Call Me Maybe" and saw how much fun we (and the audience) were having with it. In particular, the fact that our lead guitarist was jumping up and down when we played it is what sold him. He also loved that we play lots of current pop and very little classic rock  - if we would have played what we played years ago, he would have walked out.

We aren't a young band, but we have two members that are in their mid-20's. Other than us, I have seen ONE band of young players (all in their 20's - all very talented) make a dent in our local "scene" within the past five years. Every other local band that gigs regularly consist of players that have been around for years and are still playing mostly classic rock. The "old guard" seems to be the only guard - by default.

My point is this: there are opportunities for young players to form a cover band and get jobs by playing "their generation's" music - the demand is there! For the record, I'm glad they're aren't more young bands in our area. I'd rather compete against the dad bands that don't want to put *any* effort into a "show".

On a somewhat-related note, one local venue decided to go "hip hop" last Friday night to appeal to the college kids. I don't know what happened, but two hours into it, they posted on their facebook page that there would be no more hip hop nights and they would be bringing back "rock and roll bands". They also announced they would be having "bike night (colors allowed)". I'm guessing that we won't be playing there anytime soon. I'd rather play at the beach anyhow.

[Blackbird 13]

 

For what it's worth.. I have a few friends in the 25-35 range who are making 25K to 40K a year playing in bars, but it's a struggle.

 

I also agree with the idea that there is opportunity there for younger cover bands to come on the scene and be successful, but I also agree with guido, that it's all about presenting your band as a viable entertainment option to a 20-something.

[twostone]

My guess that it's some what common knowledge that you stand a better chance of fame and fortune  when your young playing original like ABC and Rocking Robin which is don't think is to very musically challenge songs compared to masters such as Bach and Beethoven. 

[Lee Knight]

I'm impressed with David/Guido's understanding and support of younger musicians and their different paths as compared to our upbringing and experience.

 

I learned by copying and playing every night of the week for 4 hours in front of people. At 17 I was performing full time. You get good. But the thing is... A lot don't too. I knew guys that had only the ability to copy. That's fine. But that wasn't where I wanted to be.

 

Now-a-days I see kids 16 to 25 playing their own music in coffee bars. Short sets, Small ensembles or solo. And like back in my day, some are inconsequential and some are truly great.

 

So really, who cares if the Beatles did it first with covers so that's the way it should be today!?!? The world will change. It doesn't care if we disagree.

 

Just listen to some of the indie folk music happening now to realize that the world of music is going to be fine, even if they don't do things the way we did.

 

I'm happy with change.

[Vito Corleone]

Depends a lot on what your goals are. If your goal is to be a skilled player who can play lots of styles of music in a variety of situations? Sure. But if your goal is to write the next big hit single? Playing with those old dudes probably isn't going to help as much.

[TIMKEYS]

 

---

guido61 wrote:

 

Depends a lot on what your goals are. If your goal is to be a skilled player who can play lots of styles of music in a variety of situations? Sure. But if your goal is to write the next big hit single? Playing with those old dudes probably isn't going to help as much.

---

 

They dont have to be older to be better or farther down stream.  One of the big secrets of success ist to surround yourself with solid talent.   I dont care what business you choose.   You can write a the next big hit but odds are you wont ever become a hit without the people who can help move it along the way.  The world runs on suction.  

[Vito Corleone]

Well yeah. You can't have the next big hit without experienced producers or a record label or money behind you or whatever. But that's a different subject from what we're talking about here which is simply about the band level

 

Think back to the 60s. I don't think The Who or the Stones or CCR got where they did because they started out playing covers with more experienced players and surrounding themselves with more solid talent.

[ckcondon]

So to wrap it up, I think we all agree that reasons many of us got into cover bands (cool scene, big stages, steady money, touring opportunity) are long gone. Couple that with the fact that you can youtube any artist and see them perform anytime you want, and demand dries up. I used to go to clubs to watch bands play stuff I couldn't see unless I went to a real concert.

I loved hearing good bands play Zeppelin, VH, Ozzy etc. It was loud, there were lots of lights and beautiful women all over the place. Fun times.

There will always be young musicians trying to share their gift with others, it just seems that "our way" of doing it in bars and clubs isn't very appealing to the next generation.

[TIMKEYS]

they all had influencesand.Keith Richards heavily influenced by Chuck Berry.you look at Rock n Roll most of its roots come from the old blues artists. Rock n Roll Hall is not conceived in a vacuum and is more in evolution of previous styles artists and types of music.

 

 

[Lee Knight]

And new young performers don't have influences? I'm confused, Tim.

[Kevin T]

Whay we need for this dicussion is some 15-25yo young folk to tell us how they plan on performing their art ...?

[Kevin T]

id think MF Has a vested interest ln the future market of muso tool/toys .us old farts will soon.age out

[TIMKEYS]

 

---

Lee Knight wrote:

 

And new young performers don't have influences? I'm confused, Tim.

---

 

sure they have influences and thats the point i was making.   They all learn from someone or  some other band.  Dave seems to think self taught musicians go into a basement and pop out with the next big hit without ever playing with other bands or musicans. 

[Vito Corleone]

 

---

TIMKEYS wrote:

 

they all had influencesand.Keith Richards heavily influenced by Chuck Berry.you look at Rock n Roll most of its roots come from the old blues artists. Rock n Roll Hall is not conceived in a vacuum and is more in evolution of previous styles artists and types of music.

 

 

 

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Of course they had influences.  Everyone does.  But again, that's a different topic.   You were trying to make the case that musicians can learn a lot from gigging with more experienced players.  And, of course, they can.  But that doesn't really have anything to do with whether they are going to write and create better original material or not.

 

[SLScott86]

Playing ball with the music business is exhausting. If you focus on "making it," it's way more exhausting than it is to just do it because you love it. In my case, I can focus on what the sweet stuff the band has done didn't do for us, which is easy to do at a mindless desk job, or I can focus on how freaking awesome it's all been and look forward to the next album, regardless of who buys it. Does focusing on playing ball with the industry increase your odds of making a living playing music? Of course. But in absolute terms, how much? From almost no chance to a very slim chance? And if that's a fun sucker, does it even help that much compared to being a band that's having a blast? A large percentage of the game is half mental.

[fenderbender9]

I just read a post about the value of mentors and that is where I decided to chime in here. I'm 19 and I was fortunate enough to grow up close to Memphis and found my way into a few circles. I got to play with some frickin' phenomenal seasoned musicians and it was truly what preserved and increased how passionate I am about music. What the experience has also offered me is a well-versedness that allows me to play to the older crowd in a room while still having the knowledge of what is current allowing me to also appeal to younger crowds. I'm okay with covers if I'm going into a gig for the cash. It takes a lot of time and exposure to really do well playing solely originals, so I see a gig as what it is. I have also played with a few younger groups and it is getting harder to find people with the ability to do covers with a bit of originality. However, I am hopeful that there will be a future market for cover bands that isn't just the four chord mainstream pop and 'rock'. I find new songs to be very restricting and not conducive to solos and improvisation.