cover bands and local radio

[MeYatch]

so you play in a cover band, what do you want to do?
keep the song list fresh, and play songs people know and want to hear.
seems simple enough.

however with the loss of essentially all modern rock stations from the area, how do people hear new music?
there's satelite radio, I don't have it, the only one I know that does is ken.
there's the internet, but the internet doesn't cram new music down your throat like radio does.
I can seek out new music, I can learn to play it, the rest of the band can learn to play it, but how can you get any kind of crowd response?

we played animal I have become about a month ago, and the crowd looked at us like we were from outer space.

its hard enough for me to play new music, most of new popular music, is not that good, in my opinion. but I don't want to be solely a classic rock band.

so I find a song I like, after weeding through 90% crap, and the band learns it, nobody butchers it, but the crowd still doesn't care, because nobody's heard it.

Whats a cover band supposed to do?

[SpellboundByMetal]

well, maybe not trying to play whats on the shitty radio might help, man. Your original songs were good....why not just keep writing them?

[brokenstrings]

Ya, Mitch is right. We occasionally look at the billboard top 20 to see what is up and coming. Months ago we picked up on the 3 Days Grace song Animal I Have Become. We thought it was cool and in our style so we decided to learn it just when it was breaking on to the charts. At that point Rocky 105 was still kicking ass and playing modern tunes. The song still didn’t get any radio play on that station until a month or 2 after it hit the billboard charts. Even so, we attempted to play it out and got a reaction that was lukewarm. It seemed that no one knew it.

Now that Rocky has its balls cut off it’s gonna be even worse as there is no outlet in Altoona at all. The Satellite thing is ok, but no one listens to that other than in there cars from what I can tell. Radio is the shit when it comes to getting the message out, or a song stuck into someone’s head.

This area is destined to be stuck in the stone age as far as modern music is concerned. Ya there are a great classic tunes, but there still is good music being produced. Maybe not as much as back in the day, but none the less there is good tunes if you’re willing to sift through the modern garbage as well. This isn’t exactly a small area either and in my experience most areas of this size have a radio station that is fresh. I guess Sweet Home Alabama across the airwaves 5 times a day is the apex of radio in this area.

[BDR]

Trial and error, bro. We try to strike a good balance in our playlist between new stuff and older favorites. The older stuff is easier to peg as being "good picks" than the new stuff, simply because it's either stood the test of time or it hasn't.

We learn new stuff weekly. Some songs hang around for the long haul, others have gotten one or two shots and we've moved away from them. Best advice I can offer, from cover band member to cover band member: Stay educated about what's hot by listening to whatever you can (regular radio, satellite radio, keep tabs on the charts, listen to and WRITE DOWN requests you get from your fans), use your own judgement as a music listener (what would I dig if I were in the crowd?) and be ready to dump the song you spent X amount of time learning if it doesn't work.

And remember: The charts are based on national record sales and requests to radio stations all across the country. This is, of course, influenced by how well a record company markets a tune/band, but airplay is still based on what people want. Songs chart because the majority of music listeners in each genre dig the songs, based on the aforementioned criteria.

r:>)

[lonewolf]

WRITE DOWN requests you get from your fans

I don't have to write them down. It seems like the only request I ever get is for Neil Young. Do you think this might be a conspiracy? I just tell them that Neil Young is out of my league and continue the setlist...I have nightmares of playing "Keep on Rocking in the Free World" and wake up in a cold sweat...Somebody PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!!!!

[BDR]

WRITE DOWN requests you get from your fans

I don't have to write them down. It seems like the only request I ever get is for Neil Young. Do you think this might be a conspiracy? I just tell them that Neil Young is out of my league and continue the setlist...I have nightmares of playing "Keep on Rocking in the Free World" and wake up in a cold sweat...Somebody PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!!!!

Funny stuff ... Keep on rockin', Jeff.

r:>)

[ASB10]

If you think that this is a problem in Toon town....try going to even more rural portions of the state where it seems to take new music much longer to invade....

We played "Mr. Brightside" by The Killers (a Top 40 hit nonetheless) in a redneck bar one night to absolute crickets.....and we were the biggest drawing band in this bar....and they just walked off the dance floor and stared at us, and shrugged like they didn't know the song - when everywhere else we played, it was a crowd pleaser - so we followed with Sweet Home to win them back.....case study in rural bars right there

You have plug away with newer material....everyone will catch up sooner than later, and you'll be the cool band for playing it first.....

[Banned]

If you want to get sneaky, you can slip a song into your bumper music for a while before you start playing it. Even if they haven't heard it on the radio much, your regulars will find that your new song is strangely familiar. . . .

It's also a possible way to gauge which songs will go over, if you have the sort of crowds that react visibly or vocally to the bumper music.

[RAM Z]

I've kinda noticed that before too Jimmy. Someone always slips something in the c.d. player we've been work'n on or are gonna play that might not be well known or new, not really for that same reason but, I have noticed people bob'n their heads and talk'n about a certain song that is played before the show . Very good idea dude !

Sorry for this raido heads but, I ride to work with a friend who has X.M. and it IS the shit ! Every thing new anything old and everything all the time ! They play stuff before I ever hear any local rock staion play it or anyone is talk'n about it and besides I can listen to eighties metal all day every day if I want . I will have my own X.M. radio very soon. I think if you wanna play new stuff that nobody else is play'n yet or hasn't really heard is listen to X.M. or Sirrius (sp) because that's where you'll hear it first.

[MeYatch]

thats just the thing, I want to play new material, that people do know. Yeah, I want to get the heads up on it, and learn it while its still fresh and hasn't been played out.
but what I'm thinking is all this new good stuff isn't ever going to be familiar to people around here, because there are no more local modern rock stations.

[DirtySanchez]

You've got a very small window between a song becoming big and it being played Out. Play what you like and have fun doing it. Energy and Enthusiasm go a long way.

[brokenstrings]

That playing a tune before the show to get a hint whether it will work is some real Tactical Thinking. Ill have to put that one in my bag.

[RobTheDrummer]

I don't think it's so much on new songs, old songs, etc. It's how you perform them and entertain. I've seen bands pull out a tune that you would think would never go over, but they rock it out! So don't worry so much as in what you do, but how you present it. We are giving a product, you gotta remember that, and people want quality if they are taking their time to see you!

[bassist_25]

and people want quality if they are taking their time to see you!

Rob Bonsell for President....wait no! Rob Bonsell for Supreme Ruler of the Universe!

I've said this before (maybe hundreds of time before), but I'll say it again: People do not give the audience enough credit. The way some people talk on here, you'd swear the clubbing public were a bunch of uncultured, sheepish morons. While they may not be hip to all of the underground music out there, I can assure you that they're not all the dimwitted goobers that some of you make them out to be. They know when your singer's out of key or when the mix sucks. Don't believe me. I dare you to walk into a crowded room and sing out of key for the entire night. Or tell your soundman to set up the cross-over so everything turns to mud through the subs. See if you have half the audience you started with at the beginning of the night.

This smug post has been brought to you by bassist_25, the politically correct Doug Cruse. bassist_25 is sponsored by old sKool Sexy Pheasant Pharms. Because if it ain't sexy, it ain't worth a bird. We now return you to your thread, already in progress.

[HurricaneBob]

Kudos Rob! That's funny cause we have some regulars who come see us, don't drink and they will give us hell when they know were going through the motions. Some even mention a particular show that they thought was our best and are still waiting to top that. Its a nice kick in the ass for your fans to know if your on or not. With our schedule its tough to play your best every night, some nights i would rather be on the couch.

As far as radio, dont forget some people still buy new music and spread the word.

[BDR]

Here, here ... quality of performance is definitely critical, no matter what song you're playing. As Bobby said, most fans can sense when you're going through the motions, especially fans who see you frequently.

While I prefer to see large crowds at our shows, I always dig it when we have a light crowd and those in attendance make comments like, "You guys played like there were a couple hundred people here." Too many times, bands give up on the evening because ... "there's not enough people in the crowd so what's the point?"

You gotta remember that, even if there are only five people at your show, they all paid the cover and bothered to come see you, so always give them the show they came to see. Next time, they'll bring their friends along.

r:>)

[Banned]

That's especially true for the singer/frontman. That's why Rob is such a good one, and others less so.

Anyone can work a crowd that's large and drunk and rowdy. That's nothing special; seducing a nymphomaniac doesn't make you Casanova. The true test of a frontman is how they handle an empty or unresponsive room. Most, unfortunately, will turn their tail and give up without much of a fight.

[RobTheDrummer]

Yea right...it's all about the drummers baby...

DRUMMERS RULE!!!!

....sorry I'm drunk and just got laid....

[songsmith]

That's especially true for the singer/frontman. That's why Rob is such a good one, and others less so.

Anyone can work a crowd that's large and drunk and rowdy. That's nothing special; seducing a nymphomaniac doesn't make you Casanova. The true test of a frontman is how they handle an empty or unresponsive room. Most, unfortunately, will turn their tail and give up without much of a fight.

This is the one area I wish I had more skill. I tend to get cozy with small audiences, and lose sight of the fact that it's a show.
It's funny... when I was young I enjoyed being a frontman more than actually singing. Now I like singing MUCH more than fronting, and playing whatever instrument even more than singing. Hindsight allows me to see how I've evolved from a partyboy to someone several people actually want on their stage. That's so cool.----->JMS

[AtoMikEnRtiA]

Yea right...it's all about the drummers baby...

DRUMMERS RULE!!!!

....sorry I'm drunk and just got laid....

'


lies! hahahahaha

[BDR]

... when I was young I enjoyed being a frontman more than actually singing.

Singing has been and always will be my passion, that's why going in to karaoke bars doesn't bother me so much. Any chance to "sing" as opposed to scream is a treat for me.

The cool thing about fronting is you make it what you want to make it. There are times when I'll be in "stand up comedy mode" (usually when warming them up in the first set), or I'll be leading the crowd in a jumping up and down session (it's cool how people will do what you tell them to do just because you're on stage, holding a mic), or we'll slow it down and I'll just flat out sing which for me is the most fulfilling.

Then, you'll have those crowds, no matter how many in number, that just sit there and look at you ... that freaks me out a little but, as with any brick wall, if you hit it often enough with a hammer, it will crack at some point. And it's not necessarily that they're not digging what's happening. In many cases, they're just a "sit-down-chill-out-and-rock-out" kind of crowd. you can tell if they're digging you if they're paying attention.

Biggest thing I try to do is involve everyone in attendnace, no matter the venue, in the "party". We want the fans to know that we're not there necessarily to be appreciated for our talent or chops, but rather we want each of them to feel like the party was thrown for them specifically.

I'm not really sure if any of that made sense. It's Friday. I'm beat.

r:>)

[DirtySanchez]

Jimi brings up a very good point.
I've been to shows where I was part of a small crowd and had a great time. Yet I've also been to shows where the frontman was not only visibly disappointed but commented to the small crowd by saying things like "thanks for coming to band practice". Shit happens, sometimes shows have a bad turnout, sometimes empty one minute then POW, where the hell did all these people come from at 11:30? Everyone who posted has the right idea play like you were playing to a roomful of record execs looking for that next big thing and genuinely have fun.
That's why Fedup plays all originals, we play what makes us happy, so we're always having fun onstage. If we did covers we would only do it to draw a crowd and it would backfire because the enthusiasm wouldn't be there.

[rug]

and the crowd looked at us like we were from outer space.

...this is the kinda response we usually get during our sets..... i take it as as a compliment to our originality. rock on...

cheers
rug

[AtoMikEnRtiA]

and the crowd looked at us like we were from outer space.

...this is the kinda response we usually get during our sets..... i take it as as a compliment to our originality. rock on...

cheers
rug

you guys are one of the most unique acts ive witnessed. so anybody who feels you come from outer space looking at that as originality should be taken as a compliment - i know i was very impressed with your difference from almost every other band ever..

[bassist_25]

Yet I've also been to shows where the frontman was not only visibly disappointed but commented to the small crowd by saying things like "thanks for coming to band practice".

Yeah, I've seen similar shows, and it's always a big turnoff when the band is visibly disappointed by low crowd attendance. It makes me not take an interest in the band ever again. We all like to feel like big rock stars with packed rooms, but any musician who has spent any serious time gigging has played his or her share of empty rooms. I usually look back at those gigs and laugh because the circumstances are often times funny, such as the time we played at a club who had the brilliant business strategy of having live entertainment in the club while opening up a strip club *cough* I mean, gentleman's club across the street. Now where do you think all of the people are going to be that night? Anyways, I have three words for you: One armed stripper. Yes, you heard me correctly.