Members Badside Posted November 21, 2005 Members Share Posted November 21, 2005 It's decided, after 5 years, I've had it!It might seem stupid, seeing that we are finally getting some hard earned respect, we are doing great gigs, we never have to share a stage, we're well paid, we don't having to worry about bringing our own friends to every gig to have some kind of a crowd, we're playing out almost every weekend sometimes on big stages with powerful PAs, etc... I guess a lot of guitarists would die to be at that level. But... that may just be the problem. We've peaked! I mean, what more can we expect as a cover band? Playing even more of the same gigs? Plus, being in a cover band means having to entertain people until closing time, that is 3AM. Every freaking night! If I'm lucky and the venu is close enough that I don't have to sleep at the hotel, that means I'm back home about when my son is waking up. Then I have to choose between sleeping half the day off and not seeing him, or not going to bed and being in an horrible mood all day long. Even a saturday only gig ruins my whole weekend, then I'm back at work on monday, even more tired than friday when I left.And the money? Let's be real! It was fun at first cause it paid my gear, but I already own everything I want, I have my LP, my Strat, a Marshall stack, a few pedals, a wireless, etc. I make all the money I need with my real job, I don't need gig money.But the real reason: I've always dreamed of doing my own stuff, releasing at least one good record. When we got together at first, we have some originals (written by me), but then we started doing more and more cover gigs and we just kind of forgot about the originals. We've been talking about releasing some stuff for a few months now, but it just never happens. So basically, I'm leaving the world of well paid gigs for the world of hard work that almost never pays off. Am I stupid for abandonning this world? Am I the only one in that situation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rim Posted November 21, 2005 Members Share Posted November 21, 2005 You are absolutely doing the right thing. Can I give you my audition CD to give to your ex-bandmembers? Seriously, though, too bad you don't feel you can't do both the cover band gig and work on your originals. And please tell me you will give or already have given your band enough notice ahead of time to find a decent replacement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wikwox Posted November 21, 2005 Members Share Posted November 21, 2005 Good luck! I tried original bands several times and the solo studio thing as well. I expected nothing and indeed nothing happened. In the end what I like is live performance. I stick to Jazz and Blues because I can improvise all night. It's fun and I like the money part as well. My current band has lots of originals and plays them every night. We're putin' out a CD, once again I expect nothing but who knows? Once again, good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Thundercranium Posted November 21, 2005 Members Share Posted November 21, 2005 If you don't need the money, and you're not enjoying the gigs, you are making the right decision, no question. If, on the other hand, you enjoy playing the gigs, except for the late nights (believe me, I sympathize - I am the stay-at-home-dad for a 15 month old boy. It's awfully hard to get up with my son at 6 when I don't get home from a gig until 1 or 2 and I can't sleep 'till 3 or 4) you might want to consider going the corporate route. I'm assuming from your post that you play bars. If not, read no further! My experience is that corporate gigs pay sooo much better than bar gigs, they usually start and end earlier, and, as a rule, you are treated better. It's rare that I'm home later than 2 AM, and most nights I'm in bed by 1. It's still tough to get up with the little guy the next morning, but not as hard as it would be if I were getting to bed at 4 or 5. It sounds like your band is good enough to make the leap. The corporate gig does tend to be more demanding and less forgiving. Give it a thought. Just my $.02 - feel free to ignore me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lee Flier Posted November 21, 2005 Members Share Posted November 21, 2005 Hell no you're not stupid at all! Hey, if you're already financially secure, and have all the gear you want, there's no reason not to do exactly what you want to do with music, and what makes you happy. That's one of the reasons I ended up getting another job even though at one time I was making really good money between gigging and audio engineering... I was having to take a LOT of gigs where I didn't dig the music, just to pay the bills. After awhile it kind of felt like being a hooker all day and then going home from work and trying to enjoy having sex with your husband. It just was killing the joy of music for me and nothing is worth that. So, now I'm in an original band like I've always wanted, we're about to release our second CD, and we take only the gigs that we think would be cool and/or gain us a wider audience. Sometimes we do a cover gig here or there to raise extra money for band projects, but otherwise, we're happy not to be dealing with the cover scene. Good luck to you! I definitely agree with you that a lot of times you have to close one door before another will open. Let us know how your search for band bliss is going! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Badside Posted November 21, 2005 Author Members Share Posted November 21, 2005 Originally posted by Thundercranium It sounds like your band is good enough to make the leap. The corporate gig does tend to be more demanding and less forgiving. Give it a thought. Cool, just find me some corporate gigs where the crowd wants to hear us blast off some old Metallica Cause if there's no headbanging involved, I'd rather stay home! But that's just me, the only thing I like about playing out is hearing my Marshall stack roaring behind me and looking at people in the audience screaming and jumping up and down. I'm not here to "Play that funky music" I'm not saying I only want to play metal, we do anything with guitar in it from Pink Floyd to Pantera, but I'm not interested in playing to a crowd that thinks AC/DC is too heavy. But thanks for the idea, I've already thought about this and put it on my "backup plan". Maybe in a few years... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wheresgrant3 Posted November 21, 2005 Members Share Posted November 21, 2005 I totally understand where you are at and I admire you for taking a stance before you get too bitter doing it. I think anyone who gigs with cover bands gets to a burn out point.... sick of the same rooms, songs, and faces in the crowd. The thing that keeps me going (despite the disposable cash) is that it's one of the things I look forward to during the entire week. I love playing live... I love being part of an ensemble... and I love the instant gratification you get when the crowd is totally into what you are doing. Of course that can all be accomplished with originals as well, however finding the chemistry to colloborate on original music is a different sort of "high". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Badside Posted November 21, 2005 Author Members Share Posted November 21, 2005 Originally posted by Lee Flier That's one of the reasons I ended up getting another job even though at one time I was making really good money between gigging and audio engineering... I was having to take a LOT of gigs where I didn't dig the music, just to pay the bills. After awhile it kind of felt like being a hooker all day and then going home from work and trying to enjoy having sex with your husband. It just was killing the joy of music for me and nothing is worth that. You just freaking nailed it! That is exactly how I feel and never realized it. Playing the same cover songs every week is killing the joy of making music and it's one of the reason I've been having such a hard time writing good stuff lately. I'm not playing music for fun anymore, but out of obligation... I've been accepting a lot of gigs just cause I've never had to nerve to refuse them. We've been working with some established bookers for the last year and I always fear that if I refuse one of them lousy gigs, they won't give us the good ones. But let's get real: the more you accept lousy gigs, the more they keep coming! Cause when those venues call for a band, they refer the ones that accept lousy gigs... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Badside Posted November 21, 2005 Author Members Share Posted November 21, 2005 Originally posted by wheresgrant3 and I love the instant gratification you get when the crowd is totally into what you are doing. But you get to a point where you realize that they are not into what you are doing, they just love the song you are playing, someone else's song. It's still a great feeling, like when you nail a tough solo live and you see thumbs up in the audience. But the more it happens, the more I want to play MY stuff and see the crowd loving it. It might never happen though, but at least I want to try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guitar Centaur Posted November 22, 2005 Members Share Posted November 22, 2005 Originally posted by Lee Flier After awhile it kind of felt like being a hooker all day and then going home from work and trying to enjoy having sex with your husband. It has to be said......... PICS?!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lee Flier Posted November 22, 2005 Members Share Posted November 22, 2005 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted November 22, 2005 Moderators Share Posted November 22, 2005 Having walked out of bands for similar reasons in the past, I have a sense of what you are feeling. When it stops being fun, and becomes a 'job', then it is time to make a change. Maybe you are overreacting to the tedium, but I think I would try to re-interest the band in playing more originals. Mix them in with the covers, keep them fresh, and take input from other band members who may secretly want to write as well. See how the audience reaction is to the 'new' stuff...and see if it is worth recording the songs with this band. I only say this because you already have a relationship with the band, they have played some of your songs in the past. The only question in my mind is why did the originals fade from your setlist? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Thundercranium Posted November 22, 2005 Members Share Posted November 22, 2005 Originally posted by Hardtailed Cool, just find me some corporate gigs where the crowd wants to hear us blast off some old Metallica Cause if there's no headbanging involved, I'd rather stay home! But that's just me, the only thing I like about playing out is hearing my Marshall stack roaring behind me and looking at people in the audience screaming and jumping up and down. I'm not here to "Play that funky music" I'm not saying I only want to play metal, we do anything with guitar in it from Pink Floyd to Pantera, but I'm not interested in playing to a crowd that thinks AC/DC is too heavy. But thanks for the idea, I've already thought about this and put it on my "backup plan". Maybe in a few years... Fair enough - rock on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lee Flier Posted November 22, 2005 Members Share Posted November 22, 2005 Originally posted by daddymack I only say this because you already have a relationship with the band, they have played some of your songs in the past. The only question in my mind is why did the originals fade from your setlist? Not to answer for Hardtailed but I've run into this kind of thing a lot. It takes a lot of imagination and hard work to come up with the right arrangements for an original song as opposed to learning covers of already recorded stuff, and a lot of musicians just aren't up to it for whatever reason. Our bass player had that issue with his former band - the guitar players just would NOT work on his songs. They had demos of them but they only would listen to the demos long enough to learn the chord changes and play a perfunctory part, and then usually forget the changes during a gig. Therefore, the way they played them was pretty boring. In our band now, we play some of those same songs but we spent a lot of time working up cool parts, dynamics and arrangements. Being able to hear the parts, and the finished product, in your head when you listen to a rough songwriting demo is a skill that a lot of players in cover bands just don't have. Granted, sometimes a song just sucks or a musician just doesn't have talent at songwriting. But a lot of times it's band members' unwillingness to be creative that makes bands unable to make the transition from cover to original. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lee Flier Posted November 22, 2005 Members Share Posted November 22, 2005 Originally posted by Hardtailed We've been working with some established bookers for the last year and I always fear that if I refuse one of them lousy gigs, they won't give us the good ones. But let's get real: the more you accept lousy gigs, the more they keep coming! Cause when those venues call for a band, they refer the ones that accept lousy gigs... So, so true... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guitar Centaur Posted November 22, 2005 Members Share Posted November 22, 2005 Originally posted by Lee Flier Not to answer for Hardtailed but I've run into this kind of thing a lot. It takes a lot of imagination and hard work to come up with the right arrangements for an original song as opposed to learning covers of already recorded stuff, and a lot of musicians just aren't up to it for whatever reason.Our bass player had that issue with his former band - the guitar players just would NOT work on his songs. They had demos of them but they only would listen to the demos long enough to learn the chord changes and play a perfunctory part, and then usually forget the changes during a gig. Therefore, the way they played them was pretty boring. In our band now, we play some of those same songs but we spent a lot of time working up cool parts, dynamics and arrangements. Being able to hear the parts, and the finished product, in your head when you listen to a rough songwriting demo is a skill that a lot of players in cover bands just don't have.Granted, sometimes a song just sucks or a musician just doesn't have talent at songwriting. But a lot of times it's band members' unwillingness to be creative that makes bands unable to make the transition from cover to original. I auditioned for a band a while back that wanted to do half covers and half of their "originals". They played a number of them for me, and to be honest, they were pure uninspired drek. The problem I find with most peoples original stuff is that there's no hook. Nothing to set it apart from all the other 3 chord droning minor sounding crap that players in their 5th year come up with. I can only think of one band in our area that has any originals that are even slightly "catchy", and even some of their arrangements border on being "canned". I have a zillion "riffs", but have never been any good at arranging or following a song through to completion, so I don't even try. Some of the "songwriters" in my area would do well to learn from my restraint! hehe! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rim Posted November 22, 2005 Members Share Posted November 22, 2005 Originally posted by daddymack Maybe you are overreacting to the tedium, but I think I would try to re-interest the band in playing more originals. This is actually a very good idea and something I would try. Your band already has a loyal following so originals will get a big audience. I wouldn't switch to all originals, but I would definitely sneak in an original on every set. Make sure the originals fit in with the style of covers you already do. If you find your audience requesting your originals - what a trip that would be! And the more successful your originals are, the more I would introduce into the set. Who knows, you may even get to the point where you're doing all or mostly originals. Take advantage of what you already have! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Meatball Fulton Posted November 22, 2005 Members Share Posted November 22, 2005 Originally posted by Hardtailed Am I stupid for abandonning this world? Am I the only one in that situation? Nope, I left a top 40 band almost 20 years ago and never looked back. Like you I have a good day job so money is not an issue and I choose gigs based on whether it turns me on musically (top 40 didn't). I can't say I make tons of money but I do make a (small) profit every year and have a lot of fun playing many different kinds of music, I've gigged with some heroes of mine, recorded a few CDs, played some prestigious stages...nothing to complain about here!! BTW I'm much busier now than when I was playing top 40. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RupertB Posted November 22, 2005 Members Share Posted November 22, 2005 I think you've got to go where your muse takes you. If thats into the realm of original projects, then go there and damn the material sacrifice. If you're writing music that feels right to you, you've got a rare gift (even rarer if other people want to hear it too) that shouldn't be ignored. If you have the time & energy for it, finding a dual-identity band would give you the best of both worlds. Several bands I've been aquainted with have gigged under one name as a cover band and released material & gigged as an original project. I've been a cover band guy for 25 years, playing large and small rooms. Writing music has always felt "forced" to me. I'll continue to work on it, but until I find my "writers voice" I'm going to refrain from adding to the volume of poorly crafted music. I want to play music I like and I get to do that most weekends. It just happens to be music that other people wrote. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cherri Posted November 22, 2005 Members Share Posted November 22, 2005 Booking can be frustrating for an original act. If you don't sound like other bands, how can they catagorize you? Hardtailed, there's no better feeling than looking out at a packed dance floor, seeing people singing along to songs you wrote. It's indescribably delicious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members squealie Posted November 22, 2005 Members Share Posted November 22, 2005 I've been exactly where you are Hardtailed. Just don't take it for granted. There are a lot of great guitarists out there, but there are so FEW good live bands. Just don't put yourself in a position where you are dying to get back on a stage, and can't because of personell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vanlatte Posted November 22, 2005 Members Share Posted November 22, 2005 It's been said already but it's worth repeating; you are doing the right thing because that's what *you * need to do! It's all about perspective; you have been doing this a while and it sounds like you long for something new. I can totally relate although I am coming from the opposite direction: I spent the past 2 1/2 years in an original band. I enjoyed the music, the creativity aspect and seeing our music come to life. We did not play out very often, about once every 3 months or so because we were always working on new music and recording. Or planning to record I realized that I am a "live" type of a person; I am at my best on stage and love seeing the crowd respond. From all of the original bands I have been gigging with and hanging around I started noticing that the only real people that were "digging" it were wives/girlfriends and a few select buddies of each respective band. Even the crowds from the other bands just seemed to be wating around for "their" band to be up. In other words, you would never see the entire place up and moving with any one band the way you do when a good cover band is rocking out. Everyone plays for their own reasons; some want to make it big; some just want to record; some just want to play live while others like a little bit of each. I came to the realization that "making" it is not a goal for me; playing quality music (I dont care who wrote it as long as its good) is good enough for me. It's kind of neat when you think about it: some of us are tired of the original scene and some of us are tired of the cover scene....I guess that's healthy for both scenes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Burgess Posted November 22, 2005 Members Share Posted November 22, 2005 But... that may just be the problem. We've peaked! I mean, what more can we expect as a cover band? Playing even more of the same gigs? The Beatles were originally a cover band... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vanlatte Posted November 22, 2005 Members Share Posted November 22, 2005 Originally posted by Burgess The Beatles were originally a cover band... Really? What did they cover? Mustang Sally? No, seriously. I didnt know they started out that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators MrKnobs Posted November 22, 2005 Moderators Share Posted November 22, 2005 Originally posted by Lee Flier After awhile it kind of felt like being a hooker all day and then going home from work and trying to enjoy having sex with your husband. You have a husband? Now we need to look and see who had 22nd Nov. in the pool for when you'd mention "husband" in a post. Turning back to the topic, I'm another grizzled veteran of cover bands. My thinking is if you're not doing it to pick up girls or to gain stage experience and chops (every cover tune is a guitar lesson in disguise), then it's just another job and not a particularly pleasant or highly paying one at that. I'd never play in a cover band again. The biggest part of the thrill for me is seeing the dance floor fill up and the CD stack sold out because of songs I've written. In conjunction with the lovely Pebblestar, of course. Terry D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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