Quote:
Originally Posted by mikedt
I think grunge tribute bands are nothing new, even back in 2000.
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No, it's nothing new, that's not the hook. Here in the US we have a "20 year" phenomenon, where whatever music was popular 20 years ago becomes popular once again. It's scientific fact that middle-aged men tend to have spontaneous nostalgia, which probably explains it. Whatever the reason, "oldies" radio stations make huge profits by doing this. So can a cover band that covers the right decade.
When I was growing up in the '70s I had to listen to so much doo-wop music, and watch so many '50s nostalgia shows like "Happy Days and "Sha Na Na" that I am damaged for life, I'm sure. In the '90s, Disco was all the rage again, and I died a little more inside. You get the general idea.
It's not so much getting something fresh as it is getting something that will draw a good audience. By using the 20 year rule, you get the well-heeled middle age crisis crowd
and kids who are too young to remember it when it was new.
BTW, at least here in the US, tribute bands usually cover one group only. Some bands cover a genre, but I don't think there's a name for bands that cover a period of time.