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tele7

03-06-2006, 07:49 PM

<a href="http://www.stars-productions.com/AR/_media/thenerds_track1.mp3">http://www.stars-productions.com/AR/_media/thenerds_track1.mp3</a>The Nerds on Ron & Fez.  I have not seen a good cover band in a while.  Any suggestions?

FUNKMAN

03-06-2006, 08:09 PM

how about INDAZHIT?actually it was a name i came up for one of my 'form a band'  attempts that fizzled...it was a play on words for when you're jammin it, you are getting "in the shit" so i came up with INDAZHITonly problem was most people couldn't pronounce it as it's spelled and would say shit or zit instead of zhit. i considered it to be a conversation piece. i liked the way it looked and the way it sounded when pronounced properly...anywayi saw The Nerds 19 years ago at The Playpen, i think it was in South Amboy. I hear Dog Voices was a pretty good cover band...

tele7

03-06-2006, 08:23 PM

INDAZHIT.  Intersenting name.  It makes me think of the "Thousand Yard Stare" from Full Metal Jacket.  I've seen Dog Voices a few years back and they were pretty good, but all these "A" bands seem to play the same songs.  IMO, what's missing is a good 80's alt rock cover band that plays the Pixies, Dino Jr. Replacements etc. 

This message was edited by telecaster7 on 3-7-06 @ 12:33 AM

FUNKMAN

03-06-2006, 09:10 PM

telecaster7 wrote: INDAZHIT.  Intersenting name.  It makes me think of the "Thousand Yard Stare" from Full Metal Jacket.  I've seen Dog Voices a few years back and they were pretty good, but all these "A" bands seem to play the same songs.  IMO, what's missing is a good 80's alt rock cover band that plays the Pixies, Dino Jr. Replacements etc.  This message was edited by telecaster7 on 3-7-06 @ 12:33 AM i agree with your sentiment on not playing the same old covers.  being more diverse i believe could be better even with songs a little less familiar to the audience 'but are the bands favorites'  because ultimately it was the energy that you put into the songs that was gonna catch the audience. in other words, if you're actually really enjoying what you're playing and playing it well, i feel it's gonna be contagious with the audience... just an opinion

fezident

03-07-2006, 02:23 AM

Meh.I know The Nerds.  Without the gimmick, they aren't really all that good.  I was in two extremely popular coverbands that kinda did the same circuit as they did.  I was proud of what I accomplished.  The Nerds are basically a comedy act.  If that was their intention, then I guess they can be proud of what they've accomplished to.As for the rest of it, Coverbands get a bad rap because there is only one percent of those bands that take it seriously.  Really seriously. The best gear.  Serious rehearsals. Thousands of dollars per night.  Playing in front of several hundred ppl per show. Corporate sponsorships. Endorsement deals. 16 gigs a month. Travel. Road crew.  Sound and lights. etc etc. Then there is the other 99 percent that are nothing more than a few guys (and one quasi-attractive female singer) who want to just be a bar band and make 100 bucks per man and get free beer.  Usually playing "Laid" by James and "Blister In The Sun" by The Femmes.

Crippler

03-07-2006, 06:49 AM

I have not seen a good cover band in a while.  Any suggestions? I've only seen them once, and I may have been really drunk, but I enjoyed "Tripp Fabulous."

FUNKMAN

03-07-2006, 09:01 AM

there's only one name in Cover BandsCRANKCASE

JimBeam

03-07-2006, 09:08 AM

I've sen the Nerds a bunch of times in Danbury CT, and not in a few years, but they were only entertaining if I hadn't seen their schtick in a while.If I saw them every month or saw when they played they were very lame.Same goes for The Zoo.That lame singer always stops in the middle of a set and is like " Do we have any NY peope in the audience ? ", " Do we have any Yankee fans ? " blah blah blah" Does anybody have to go to work ?  Doesnt work suck ? "EverytimeSo f'ing weak.

fezident

03-07-2006, 09:19 AM

Classic!I played Bass for The Zoo for a few years and, the fact that the lead singer stopped really caring was the EXACT reason I left that band.  Eventually....every other member left one by one.  Only the lead singer is remains.  Many people from that band have gone onto "real" careers in the music industry. Playing with anyone from Hall & Oates to The Used to Movin' Out (the musical) to getting record deals of our own.I do have fond memories of it though.

fezident

03-07-2006, 09:19 AM

WTF?

This message was edited by fezident on 3-7-06 @ 1:21 PM

fezident

03-07-2006, 09:19 AM

Duplicate deleted. Mint.

This message was edited by fezident on 3-7-06 @ 1:20 PM

JimBeam

03-07-2006, 10:10 AM

So Fezident you obvioulsy know what I'm talking about.I used to watch you guys play at shitless Tuxedo Junction in Danbury.Did you ever play with them when they played a small bar/restaurant in Katonah NY apltly named the Katonah Bar * Grill ?They added a moderatley hot chick a few years ago.

coffeeal401

03-07-2006, 10:22 AM

Sabbra Cadabra, B Street Band.

fezident

03-07-2006, 07:30 PM

Jim,Yes.  I've played the Katonah Grill.  It's very small but, it was a "strategic" gig for us.  The owner of that bar owned another (larger) bar somewhere in CT.  Plus, we were from Long Island & NYC.  We would do the Katonah, and then....drive straight on to Boston, NH, CT, VT, Rhode Island, or wherever the the next gigs were.  The Zoo has ALWAYS had hot chicks in front.  You MIGHT be thinking of Jill Gioia. ( <a href="http://www.jillgioia.com/">www.jillgioia.com</a> ) who was a fantastic singer.  She tours with the Trans Siberian Orchestra now and, of course, has her own solo stuff.  Or you MIGHT be thinking of GINGER. Who looks like every blonde porn star you've ever seen but, in reality, she is the nicest, sweetest, most likeable girl on Earth.Now, they've rehired one of their former girls named BRIGID.  She very much resembles Jenny McCarthy.  She had a deal on MCA Nashville but, the record got dropped.  She's a good one. I just filled in with The Zoo last month.  They needed me for 3 shows and I was happy to go back and play the clubs & bars again.  It was like getting back together with your ex-girl for a few days of familiar sex.  I loved every minute of it but, was very quickly reminded as to why we broke up.

Death Metal Moe

03-07-2006, 07:32 PM

I have VERY mixed feelings about cover bands.  I'm gonna back out of this one.

fezident

03-07-2006, 07:39 PM

Moe, is the reason you hate coverbands because of the whole "original bands have no venues to play because all the good venues only hire covers" thing?Or...is it something deeper? Did a member of coverband steal your dog?? Inquiring minds wanna know!

Dirtybird12

03-07-2006, 07:43 PM

I used to play drums for a grateful dead cover band called GOOD SENSE it was a blast.  improv fun. Other than that, I've never had the itch to jam out someone elses song

DeltaPin

03-07-2006, 08:12 PM

HyperactiveReleased a couple of CD's with original songs several years ago which were good.

kevcala

03-07-2006, 08:17 PM

I forgot about those guys, they were a good show.  My friend's and I used to see them down L.B.I. DeltaPin wrote: HyperactiveReleased a couple of CD's with original songs several years ago which were good.

tele7

03-07-2006, 08:36 PM

DeltaPin wrote: HyperactiveReleased a couple of CD's with original songs several years ago which were good.Pat the drummer was a crazy bastard and a great guy.  I played a gig with him in NYC.  He had this old Slingerland drum kit with a 24" bass drum.  He smoked a cigarette the entire gig.  7 Minds were also pretty good.  They were into the whole SKA thing.

Dirtybird12

03-08-2006, 12:21 AM

I speak for nobody but myself when I say: Give me a good original band in a shitty venue over a shitty cover band in a good venue ANY day. I never really respected or liked the weekend warrior who bugs his friends and family to come down to the local bar & grill to watch Bob the security gaurd "rock out" with some fucked up rendition of WALK THIS WAY or BACK IN BLACK. to me it's like karaoke with instruments. I think the main difference is - the weekend warrior views playing music as a fun little escape on the weekends by playing some fun tunes with his buddys and making a few bucks - Thats a hobby. The original band views playing music as life/ work. Writing, practicing ,  recording, playing anywhere even if it's for a fruit basket and beer.To the original band who has worked their ass off, to see some cover band getting good money pisses them off because it;s almost like they feel they cheated. They didnt work - it's lazy - theres no passion - theres no real skill in wearing another mans coat. No soul. I will never understand the idiot logic that cover bands have. I can't imagine a band of musicians getting together and saying - 'ok whos song do we do now?SUPPORT LOCAL BANDS THAT PLAY ORIGINAL MUSIC. In DC the best venues ARE for original bands - black cat, velvet lounge, phantasmagoria in wheaton md, 9:30 club may be the one of the best venues in America - and they all cater to original music. anyway thats my take on it. Now that Im older I dont care as much. But there was a time when I hated cover bands and everything they stood for. I will never respect a musiician who is unable to compose an original song yet still has the balls to get on stage and play someone elses material an call that shit a BAND.  It's glorified karaoke. the worst is these idiots who actually RECORD other peoples material. Cheap, lazy and pathetic. btw <a href="http://www.thecosmiccircus.com/xm/break.mp3" target="_self">here is a red hot chilli peppers cover</a> that I recorded a few months ago. 

This message was edited by CircusFreak on 3-8-06 @ 4:24 AM

curtoid

03-08-2006, 03:15 AM

Yeah - ditto what Perry said - thankfully there isn't as big a market for cover bands in the DC metro area as there seems to be elsewhere. 

fezident

03-08-2006, 04:49 AM

This is gonna sound weird but, what Perry said is only true when it happens to be true. Know what I mean?Or to put it another way, it's like when people say, "I hate cops.  They're dirty.  I hate dirty cops".  Okay, fine.  But...that really only applies to the the dirty ones.  Not ALL cops.The cover band thing, like anything else, has good apples and bad.  Are there lazy cover bands who are in it for the wrong reasons?  Hell yeah. Are they in it because they are passionate about "the art" of creating music? Probably not.  Are they "expressing themselves" and do they do this because they have all this "stuff bottled up inside of them that they just HAVE to get out".  Nope.Okay. Fine.  Duly noted.But, you better frickin' believe that they ARE cover guys out there really do use that circuit as "the minor leagues".  At the end of the day, it IS plugging in playing live.  It IS putting on a show.  It IS rehearsal. It IS getting paid.  It IS travel.  It IS spending THOUSANDS of dollars on all the gear, roadcases, In Ear monitors, Etc etc.Like I said in my earlier post, I have played in cover bands with guys that have gone on to do HUGE MASSIVE HISTORIC things.  Like my friend Lukasz G, who not only plays guitar for the SNL band every week but, also wrote and produced a little song called "Since U've Been Gone" by Kelly Clarskon (which just won a Grammy). Additionally, he has written massive hits for the Backstreet Boys, Pink, and others.  NINE DAYS "Absolutely" (this is the story of a girl.....) is another one that "made it".  I used to play RunDMC covers with Stephen from THIRD EYE BLIND. Then, they had a hit or two or three and, he even produced and cowrote a track on the RunDMC CROWN ROYAL record.  Other guys have I've played with are on tour now with The Used.  In fact, my old drummer in The Zoo is appearing on Conan O'brien this thursday with his new project called STREET DRUM CORPS.   Jen AND Jill from my bands both tour with TransSiberian Orchestra, Movin' Out, and other lesser knows shows. My old drummer Jon Sawicki from a band called Toybox (with Jen, above) is now the captain of the touring company for STOMP.  After close to ten years, they gave him a fuckin shitload of money to write, create, and star in his own performance art show in London.  Which will soon be reproduced in Vegas.The list goes on and on.Then there is my resume.  Hall & Oates, Blue Man Group, Mandy Moore, LFO, LeAnn Womack "I Hope You Dance" (which also won a grammy....although, I personally didn't get one) a record deal with my own band COWARD back in 97 (okay, we didn't exactly set the charts on fire but, still!).  Etc. And these are only the people from MY scene!  Think of how many squillions of bands out there started out "playing Zepplin covers" or some shit like that!  I wouldn't be surprised if The Beatles themselves started out playing covers.  (I could be way wrong on this one.  I don't know what the hell "Skiffle" music even IS!)And, what about the guys who play WITH other artists.  The drummer from Billy Joel didn't write those songs.  The guitarist in Nine Inch Nails or Peter Gabriel didn't write THOSE songs.  The new Bass player with The Who didn't write those basslines.  Are they "hacks"?   Are they weekend warriors?  Nope, but basically....it's a cover gig for those dudes.  My point is.  In a lot of ways, the original band guys could be considered weekend warriors too.  Not ALL.  But, definitely SOME. Right? Some of those guys have lukewarm jobs five days a week and then get together for their weekly rehearsal.  Maybe they get really creative at that rehearsal.  M

Death Metal Moe

03-08-2006, 06:03 AM

And that’s my problem Fezident. I know people who play in cover bands that are VERY good musicians and genuinely nice people. I know it takes dedication and skill to play your instrument well, I’ve been trying to do just that going on 11 years with the drums. It takes a lot of dedication. There are cover bands that take it very seriously and do it well. I also respect a lifetime dedication to music and am not going to sit here and try to figure out each band’s reason for being in this.ButHow can I NOT get a little pissed when I see 4 guys half ass Freebird in some bar and get paid $500 bucks to entertain some drunks when I KNOW how hard it is to create music? Unhallowed sits at practice trying things out, writing, re-arranging, sweating, arguing and finally putting something together we’re extremely proud of while some drunk assholes just keep playing a piece of music until it matches the tape. My guitarist Bob eats breathes and shits Unhallowed’s music.I played a club with a heavy cover band one night. The owner shared with me that they get $2000. I was shocked and fucking sick. And they weren’t even that great. They half assed every song that I stayed to watch before I left. He also shared with me that they didn’t even turn a profit at the door for him, so shame on him if you ask me.I mean it may be sour grapes here, but I’ve driven to Alabama for 100 bucks to try to get my music and band name around, and some coverband that hasn’t created ANYTHING gets 100 bucks a guy to rehash old rock? It’s not right. But in the end, it doesn’t matter what’s right or fair, it’s what makes money. I understand that. Clubs make money with these bands. People don’t want to try anything new, they want the same old bullshit fed to them over and over again. And they get it at their local bar on cover band night.

JamMaster

03-08-2006, 06:59 AM

Fezident and Moe I agree with both of your assessments.I played drums in several cover bands and original bands up here in Westchester until just recently (I blew out my back lifting my drum equiptment)  I know everyone in the curcuit up here.  Some of them are hacks and some are trying to make ends meet to support their original bands. Two good friends of mine in 2 different bands were just signed..(albiet indie labels, but someone believes in their music) and things are starting to roll with them (The Benjamins and Crashbox).  Unfortunately people do not want to hear original music up here. It really is sad.  They want to hear songs they know and that is what bars cater too.  It's about money.I am not sure where you guys are from..but up here if a cover band is not good..you will not get hired at that bar again.  What is even more sad, you could have the talent and chops of RUSH and play covers perfectly and if you dont bring people to the bar...too bad..so sad..we dont want you.I went through that with my band Dirty Penny...we couldnt bring people to the bars.  I had to compete against bands that have been around longer, with a huge fan base. Ie Snappahead, Archives, Whoz yo Daddy.  The funny thing is I am friends with all the guys in all those bands.  They were proven bands that everyone had fun at.  We couldnt pull anyone away.Fezident....I was going to try out for The Zoo when their drummer left..I think it was a couple of years ago.  I hurt my back the first time a week before auditions.  That would have been a sweet gig to get.Anyway Im rambling....just wanted to chime in