Choosing Material?

[rsadasiv]

If you are in an originals or an uncommon covers band...

 

How do you choose material? What elements are you looking for when you select a song? Do you have an evaluation process? Of the songs you select, what distinguishes the songs that stay in your repertoire vs. those that get dropped?

[SpaceNorman]

 

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rsadasiv wrote:

 

If you are in an originals or an uncommon covers band... 

 

How do you choose material? What elements are you looking for when you select a song? Do you have an evaluation process? Of the songs you select, what distinguishes the songs that stay in your repertoire vs. those that get dropped?

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I realize that your question is directed to originals bands and "uncommon covers" bands ... but I'll throw in my two cents as a covers band guy because I think the process is the same (or should be ...) regardless of the type of band.

How does an originals band "choose" their material?  I'll point to the obvious here - I would think that they write it. 

As far as process goes ... I think it's the same for all bands.  Put simply, successful bands try to put themselves in their audience's shoes and either select or write something that they think their audience will enjoy.  The more narcissistic bands will write/select what they like - expecting it will be embraced by their audience (and no doubt lament how stupid people are if their audience doesn't embrace it). 

With regards to what stays and what goes - it's definitely the same for successful originals / "uncommon covers" bands as it is for "regular covers" bands.   Songs that get a warm reception stay - songs that go over like a f*rt in church get dropped.   Again, there's the caveat for those with narcissistic tendencies - they play what they like - and whine about how stupid folks are if their audience doesn't embrace it). 

 

[rsadasiv]

 

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SpaceNorman wrote:

 

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rsadasiv wrote:

 

If you are in an originals or an uncommon covers band... 

 

How do you choose material? What elements are you looking for when you select a song? Do you have an evaluation process? Of the songs you select, what distinguishes the songs that stay in your repertoire vs. those that get dropped?

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I realize that your question is directed to originals bands and "uncommon covers" bands ... but I'll throw in my two cents as a covers band guy because I think the process is the same (or should be ...) regardless of the type of band.

 

How does an originals band "choose" their material?  I'll point to the obvious here - I would think that they

write

it. 

Not every new song is going to be great, or even work for the band. Even if the material comes from a band member there must be some process for deciding if you want to play it or not.

[Chicken Monkey]

We pick songs strictly democratically--we each being in one at a time, and learn them all. Some never gel with the band, even after key changes, etc., so we keep those on the back burner in case they get requested. Others make it on stage, but the audience doesn't care. Those we keep around just in case--we play to a lot if different audiences, and a dinner crowd might love a song the beer garden didn't notice. There's also a few dull songs that come in useful for pacing a set--there's always going to be a place for mid tempo rockers.

The songs that become mainstays, OTOH, make themselves evident.

[SLScott86]

Yup. It has to be "us" if we are going to play it. This is a pretty broad thing, because we each have vastly different influences. Our music is something we all like. Covers are much harder to please everyone.

 

Comfortably Numb and Welcome Home (Coheed) are the two that I think suited us best. Master of Puppets slightly less so, but it gets a great response, because everyone knows it. Subdivisions is the same way, though a step down in both regards.

 

I think the crowd HAS to know it. Anything obscure we've tried has fallen flat, as should have been expected. So it has to be something a crowd will love on the song alone that we can do justice, or something we'll knock out of the park that the crowd is familiar with, or an appropriate point on that spectrum.

[TIMKEYS]

 

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SLScott86 wrote:

 

Yup. It has to be "us" if we are going to play it. This is a pretty broad thing, because we each have vastly different influences. Our music is something we all like. Covers are much harder to please everyone.

 

 

 

Comfortably Numb and Welcome Home (Coheed) are the two that I think suited us best. Master of Puppets slightly less so, but it gets a great response, because everyone knows it. Subdivisions is the same way, though a step down in both regards.

 

 

 

I think the crowd HAS to know it. Anything obscure we've tried has fallen flat, as should have been expected. So it has to be something a crowd will love on the song alone that we can do justice, or something we'll knock out of the park that the crowd is familiar with, or an appropriate point on that spectrum.

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I been playing in a classic rock trio with tracked drums where most of the stuff is low hanging fruit.   Stones, petty, CCR, Doors, some roots blues, Dire Straits, santana ,, you get the picture.  So far the  band is comming together but the tue night crowds are yet to show up.  Its just that time of the year after the holiday weekend and before school lets out.  We have tue nights until further notice, to try to get somthing going.   No one is doing an early rock show.   It should hit the venues demo pretty well.    Its a variety rock and roll show that showcases a lead guitar front man.   I sing one song and need to step up to the plate on another one.  Its been a scramble to get this thing up and running.  We hit three shows a week right out of the gate , and now are on the regular every tue night rotation.   Be nice to get things settled down so i dont spend two hours a day in the woodshed.    Is the stuff too much of a weiner roast , who knows.