General Music Chat

I hear you about the rush brother.
My friends ask me how I can just quit doing Kung Fu.


I've not quit ... I just switched styles. LOL



I'll be working on the "axe" form latter today !!

To me a band that only does covers doesn't impress me. I won't even audition for a band unless I hear at least two original songs that I feel are strong and well played. As far as getting exposure it's best for starting out bands to play joint gigs with other bands that are in the same over all genre of music otherwise it is likely that not enough people will show up for the gig. For this reason I tend to avoid musicians who have in mind the idea of trying to sound so original that promoters will have no idea who to book them with.
I would agree that most of the people calling themselves song writers and who also expect anyone that might join their band to quit their day job to dedicate themselves to it are indeed kidding themselves. I find that in most cases their songs and or their vocals just are not that good.

Another big problem with musicians who want to do originals is that they typically have a self centered approach in that they will not collaborate or do things in a slightly different way than how they originally decided. Because of the set in stone mindset that most original musicians have I can see why so many stick to cover tunes.

For myself I think it's best to do both.

Well put Nolo. Finally someone with some common sense. The Farleys do exactly that; a 50/50 mix of covers and originals. But the covers we do are so off the beaten track that it just sounds like - us. Most people don't know which is which. We don't announce "this is a cover" or "this is an original" and people love us. The cover band I'm currently in is a different story. They won't even listen to my original material, and their covers are so generic. I may have to give them the heave-ho.

Dang Jimmy
I'm surprised you would suggest that because someone has a different approach to music than you that they have no common sense.

If anything is historically apparent it would be there is no single "right" way to approach the music business.

Well George I'm not saying anyone's approach in particular is wrong, just that Nolo's words make more sense, to me at least. I've seen so many "original" bands that think they are better than cover bands just because they don't do covers, and so many cover bands that are just in it for money and won't do any originals. A blended approach just makes sense to me.

I can see that Jimmy. At least from your perspective. Even last night at rehearsal our visitors really enjoyed and sang along with the one cover we did. But it wasn't our cover that they first heard and brought them looking in the first place.

The key to doing covers, IMHO, is to first be faithful to the music (at least get the chords and lyrics right) and then to make it your own. If you just try to mimic the original you will fail.

On that point we totally agree Jimmy.



See ... oil and water can mix

"....but I have to wonder if that was a one time thing."




Here's another one. This one features David Kempers on violin, of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra (they play covers).


How many do you want? I have all day.

I'm still waiting for Joseph's "professional" artistic critique of these songs.



I know that they are not on his 'skill level', but I value the opinion of such industry pros.

90db, your statement that anyone can write songs was and is a F**ked up thing to say here of all places. You should remove your foot from your mouth and man-up and apologise. Anyone can fart in a can but it doesn't mean they can sing. Anyone can blow in a kazoo but it doesn't make them a musician. Anyone can write roses are red violets are blue but that doesn't make them a writer.

Anyone can put down what someone else does and what that makes them is rude, disrespectful and shallow minded.

Why don't you say anyone can get away with shaving there head.
sans is the only one here that gets away with it.

Also, musicians are not naturaly delusional. What a moronic thing to say you deusche bag.

Also, musicians are not naturaly delusional. What a moronic thing to say you deusche bag.

I was going to respond to your initial post, but I see now that that would be futile.

There is no defence for the idiotic statements you have made to thousands of musicians and writers here. Except for your Cuban Mafia hat you are naked in a sea of roses.