My band in the works

[pbf98]

If you were to go see a live band that does covers, what songs would you want / like to hear.

The fate of a band can depend on their choice of songs. Their setlist must appeal to a wide spread amount of people. So if you could choose some, what would you say?

I am asking because I have started another band again, and wanted others opinions, not just what I like and want to play, but what people want to hear.

So thank you for your time

 

[Speed Daemon]

Most of the bands that play covers are either tribute bands, or play to a genre and/or period in time. Right now, '80s hair band covers are popular. If you want to stay ahead of the curve, you might try doing grunge. It's only a matter of time before that's the latest nostalgia music.

FYI I heard (from a TV in Chicago, over the phone) that Pearl Jam is playing at Wrigley Field this summer. To make an exception to their self-imposed rule of "lite rock and Country only" for their nighttime concerts means that '90s music must be coming back. IJS

 

[pbf98]

The band I just left completly skipped over the early 90s, they were strictly late 90s, 00s and up
I liked most of the songs, but it got old fast. I left and took the drummer and bass player with me haha. My roots in music come from AC/DC and bands similar

So far we are planning on the following songs:

All the Small Things - Blink-182
Basket Case - Green Day
Brain Stew - Green Day
Born to be Wild - Steppanwolf
My Own Worst Enemy - Lit
I Wanna Rock - Twisted Sister
We're not Going to Take it - Twisted Sister
School's Out - Alice Cooper
Fake It - Seether
Gasoline - Seether
Blitzkrieg Bop - Ramones
Beat on the Brat - Ramones
The Jack (played with gonorrhea an intro to the jack) - AC/DC

 

[Speed Daemon]

That looks good to me. Not too much in any direction, the occasional oldie.

Where is your band going to be playing? Anywhere close to Wisconsin?

 

[pbf98]

That looks good to me. Not too much in any direction, the occasional oldie.

Where is your band going to be playing? Anywhere close to Wisconsin?

We are located in Central MN, there is always the chance that we might gig closer to the state of WI, but only time will tell! haha

I'm now in the process of purchasing the equipment we need, being that the guy that we left behind had all of it before

 

[Speed Daemon]

We are located in Central MN, there is always the chance that we might gig closer to the state of WI, but only time will tell! haha

I'm now in the process of purchasing the equipment we need, being that the guy that we left behind had all of it before

New equipment, eh? You mean like a PA system? Lighting? Stuff like that? I'm assuming that most band members would own their own instruments and related stuff like amps.

I used to do that sort of thing for a living, and still do some stuff for fun. Let me know if I can be of help in selecting good equipment. And if I may make a shameless plug for Full Compass Systems, it's a great place to get good pro gear, and not too far away.

 

[pbf98]

yep, pa setup. All instruments are owned by the members as well as amps.

I was going to go the initial cheap rout that would end up costing more at the end by buying cheap equipment to get us by, then someone told me why not start out buying the best that you want in the end just one piece at a time. So that is what I'm doing, since right now we only need for practice im getting two mics & stands and one powered Alto professional pa speaker, then when we need too, i'll get a 2nd pa speaker then that would be enough to play live in the places around here. Then a little further down the line I'll be getting a couple JBL powered speakers and a passive mixer.

The only thing I am not too keen on is the setup, but with the initial stages of setup it will be fairly straight forward plugging wire to speaker haha

 

[Speed Daemon]

I haven't been a big fan of powered loudspeakers in PA applications in the past, but for a new band that doesn't have all day to set up and tear down gear, it's a pretty handy feature.

Don't get a passive mixer though! You'll really need a good active mixer so that you'll have more control over the inputs, some basic EQ and the ability to run it from out in the house if you get someone to be the band's sound mixer. With prices as low as they are (a Yamaha 10 channel mixer for $100), you're not saving much by getting a passive mixer. What happens if you have microphones and line level inputs? Can't do it with a passive mixer alone!

I'd be happy to help if you like. Although I haven't designed a PA system in years, I still buy plenty of pro audio gear and have plenty of knowledge that comes from doing something for a long time. I could suggest a couple of mixers to begin with.

The Alto lineup looks pretty good. Start with a TS112A and a couple SM58 mikes, get another TS112A, a mixer, then add a TSsub18 and/or another pair of TS112As for more punch/coverage. That's what I'd do anyway...

 

[mikedt]

Most of the bands that play covers are either tribute bands, or play to a genre and/or period in time. Right now, '80s hair band covers are popular. If you want to stay ahead of the curve, you might try doing grunge. It's only a matter of time before that's the latest nostalgia music.

I think grunge tribute bands are nothing new, even back in 2000. I was living in Penzance, Cornwall at the time, and there was a pub band there called NOvarna. No prizes for guessing who they were paying tribute to.

They played mostly Nirvana songs, but they did some Red Hot Chilli Peppers songs as well. Problem was they wean't too good. LOL

 

[Speed Daemon]

I think grunge tribute bands are nothing new, even back in 2000.

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.

 

[pbf98]

a 10 channel for $100 thats pretty darn cheap especially Yamaha! haha

I'm not quite sure I am using the right word when I said passive, cause the ones that I'd be considering would have phantom power which is what powers microphones that need a power source.

But any suggestions are welcome, I am fairly new to buying this kind of gear. All i have bought before were two recording mics and a 4 channel mixer that I could record with using my computer. Especially if you can also help me save money while doing it.

 

[Speed Daemon]

a 10 channel for $100 thats pretty darn cheap especially Yamaha! haha

I know!!!

Back when I was doing gigs, the single most expensive part of a sound system was the mixing console. Even the cheapest, bargain basement models cost thousands of dollars. Now you can get really feature-packed consoles of even higher quality for only hundreds!

I'm not quite sure I am using the right word when I said passive, cause the ones that I'd be considering would have phantom power which is what powers microphones that need a power source.

I haven't seen any passive mixers that provide phantom power, although it's technically possible. So we can be clear on terms, passive components don't use any powered electronics for gain or buffering anywhere in the signal path. Most of the time this is done for cost reasons, but some "purist" home audio preamps are passive "to preserve the audio signal". On the pro end, my PreSonus Central Station has a passive signal path, but uses powered switching relays, metering and headphone amps.

If you've been in small bands, I'll bet you've seen your share of powered mixing consoles, which put the mixer and power amps on the same chassis. Maybe that's where the confusion is.

But any suggestions are welcome, I am fairly new to buying this kind of gear. All i have bought before were two recording mics and a 4 channel mixer that I could record with using my computer. Especially if you can also help me save money while doing it.

I'd be happy to. The first place where I'd start is by advising you to save money by not rushing to a top name like JBL, that commands premium prices for its reputation. At this point in your band's career you don't need to worry about ultimate sonic quality or top shelf gear. IME smaller venues are the places where a band's gear is most likely to be damaged or stolen by the audience or the venue owner. Besides, these small companies make really good stuff!

Can you give me a basic idea of what your PA and monitoring needs are?

 

[Granite1]

I just saw a LedZeppelin cover band called Get The Led Out. Did a show in Greensburg, just outside of Pittsburgh, this past Saturday.

Holy Crap was I very suprised!!!

They rocked out, and they did it superbly.

The drummer did the solo from Moby Dick with his bare hands just like John Bonham did it! Really impressed by this band, a must see.

 

[pbf98]

My mixer needs is a minimum of 4 mic inputs (xlr) more is always nice for room to grow. I've found a few, and even the yamaha one you were referring to. I really like Behringer brand mixers, I have a small one and used many of them in the past, and have really liked what I got from them.

As far as monitoring needs I am puzzled haha. The more I have thought of it though the more I have been considering powered vs unpowered pa cabs, and I think I would like to stick with powered

 

[Speed Daemon]

My mixer needs is a minimum of 4 mic inputs (xlr) more is always nice for room to grow. I've found a few, and even the yamaha one you were referring to. I really like Behringer brand mixers, I have a small one and used many of them in the past, and have really liked what I got from them.

I own a Behringer UB802 that I use as a utility mixer. It's plenty for home use, and has done double duty for doing a FOH mix for public speakers while feeding audio to my camcorder. Behringer is a great example of the good but inexpensive stuff that's available today.

As far as monitoring needs I am puzzled haha. The more I have thought of it though the more I have been considering powered vs unpowered pa cabs, and I think I would like to stick with powered

If they had made powered stage monitor speakers back in the '70s and '80s, I would have used them. When you're on a budget, you can use the effects send bus on the FOH mixer to make a passing monitor mix. (My definition of hitting the big time is when you can afford the equipment and personnel to have a separate stage monitor mixer.) This is where knowing the particulars on how different brands and makes of mixers work. Sometimes it works better to take the monitor mix at the pre-EQ point, and sometimes, like when channel EQ is used for feedback suppression, using post-EQ is best. Since the entry-level mixers rarely have buttons to select between pre/post-EQ, it pays to shop wisely for the features that you'll be relying on after the sale.

IME you can get by without miking the drummer (and save a lot of money) if you can get the amplified instrument players to cooperate by not cranking up their volume to steal the show. IME that level of cooperation is hard to accomplish, but it's key to having a band, rather than a collection of soloists, so...

So if your band is disciplined enough to not walk over each-other, you can get by with miking only the vocals and electronic instruments. One keyboard player who I worked with was so deaf that even though I had all his instruments on the FOH console, I had to keep them shut off most of the time because his own monitor was more than enough to fill the house. Getting that "rip your face off" sound is fun, but if you want to have your hearing when you're 30, you need to learn to play quieter, and leave it to the FOH PA to beat on the audience.

 

[pbf98]

At this point I didn't really plan on micing the drums being the places we'd play are to small to really notice the effect that it would do. I was thinking about just running 4 mics for vocals.
Right now I'm looking at this mixer: Behringer XENYX X1832USB USB Mixer with Effects | Musician's Friend

Its got 6 mic inputs from future growth, its got the built in effects, it has a 9 band eq, and it has sub outs for future growth and use.

I am use to a mixer much like this, I use to run sound at my church and they had one similar except it had i believe 20 channels, and I really liked the ease of use of it.

As far as cooperation I believe it is there, we have practiced a couple times with out a pa system and we worked it out so we could hear each other and not drowning each other out

 

[Speed Daemon]

It looks like you made a great choice! That should give you a lot of options.

 

[pbf98]

well placed the order! Went through amazon vs musicians friend since they actually had it in stock there. So I will be getting the mixer by next saturday mics I will be ordering next week, and the speakers will be after my tax returns haha

 

[pbf98]

well I was going to wait to buy everything else, but I could wait no longer.. just ordered everything we need to begin full practice.

Musician's Gear Speaker Stand Kit | Musician's Friend

Alto TS112A 12" Active 2-Way Speaker | Musician's Friend

Kustom PA Kustom PA112S Powered Sub | Musician's Friend

Audio-Technica M4000S 3-Pack Mic and Stand Kit | Musician's Friend.

Only one PA speaker for now a few months down the line will add another so we can gig with the setup

 

[Speed Daemon]

Take photos!!!

 

[pbf98]

Oh I will! My band mate and I are getting together this weekend to do some finishing touches on our band room, and then set it all up. It's all supposed to be here tomorrow haha

I love getting things from ups, its like getting presents on Christmas

 

[Bob Maxey]

If you were to go see a live band that does covers, what songs would you want / like to hear.

The fate of a band can depend on their choice of songs. Their setlist must appeal to a wide spread amount of people. So if you could choose some, what would you say?

I am asking because I have started another band again, and wanted others opinions, not just what I like and want to play, but what people want to hear.

So thank you for your time

Actually, I think the fate of the band depends on much more than the songs they decide cover. Crap is crap, you know? Things like musical talent and the ability to sight read music is part of my personal equation. And sometimes, I like to remember the original performances through the cover band's talent.

Let us start with this query: what genre? I doubt most rock and roll cover bands could cover something by AKUS or Earl during his days with Bill Monroe. Their success depends on many factors. So I might not like your cover of "Honky Tonk Swing" or "Mule Skinner Blues." Then again . . .

And few country bands would likely be able to "cover" Beethoven and his Violin Sonatas Nos. 9 or Sibelius Symphony No. 2.

Before I stopped playing the Coronet, we covered music like Stars and Stripes forever as well as stuff from the Music Man. Not your bag, likely. Not sure your Coronet playing would equal mine, if I still had a lip.

I generally do not like cover bands. not too many translate the music well. I prefer not too good original music to "at least they tried" covers. There are a few local cover bands here in SLC, but they know their place. A few cover music well in most cases.

And sometimes, well, Epic Failure!

So due tell, what is your genre?

 

[Bob Maxey]

well I was going to wait to buy everything else, but I could wait no longer.. just ordered everything we need to begin full practice.

Holy mother of Kittens. You ain't got no banjos ordered? What the heck is up with that? And you call yourself a cover band? Earl is rolling in his grave.

 

[Speed Daemon]

Oh I will! My band mate and I are getting together this weekend to do some finishing touches on our band room, and then set it all up. It's all supposed to be here tomorrow haha

I love getting things from ups, its like getting presents on Christmas

Me too! Yesterday I heard a "knock-knock" on my front door, and found that a book on "guerrilla lighting" for video had arrived. Yes!!! When I was at my peak, every day a guy would come with a whole cart full of packages for me. It was like I was a one man factory!

Are you able to record your sessions? The mixer has USB, right? You know what I'm getting at...

 

[pbf98]

It does have a usb interface on it, which is one reason I was set on buying it! haha If we were to mic everything to record we might need another mixer with the drums requiring 2- 3 mics for a decent mix on them, then two guitar amps, that leaves only 1 or two vocal inputs haha.
But you wana know the best part of recording? Our drummers dad has a recording studio with drums that have been mic'd well.

Around here in MN "cover" bands are actually quite well received and its one way to showcase your own material. You get the audience going by playing songs they like and know, and then you throw in a few of yours in the middle or the end.
That is a very similar way to how Van Halen got their start. They played mostly covers and at the end of their set, they'd play 5 or 6 of their own songs. And I got the bootlegs to back me up
Our Genre is Rock.. from classic to new age rock and all in between is what we will be playing.


And here is a picture of all the gear i got yesterday with my Marshal in the back haha