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Author Topic: Why do original musicians hate cover bands?  (Read 22201 times)

Steve Cook

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Why do original musicians hate cover bands?
« on: February 21, 2012, 04:43:12 PM »

This one I just don't get.  There's a snobbery amongst original musicians towards cover bands.  At least in my area there is, and some things I read online. 

 
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Charlie Zureki

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Re: Why do original musicians hate cover bands?
« Reply #1 on: February 21, 2012, 04:45:39 PM »

This one I just don't get.  There's a snobbery amongst original musicians towards cover bands.  At least in my area there is, and some things I read online.

   Ok... and... your point is...?

  Hammer
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Steve Cook

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Re: Why do original musicians hate cover bands?
« Reply #2 on: February 21, 2012, 04:58:45 PM »

   Ok... and... your point is...?

  Hammer

Ok, thanks.  Light bulb went on--it's generally musicians on the 'local' level, and few on the regional, and none that I know on the national level.
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Charlie Zureki

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Re: Why do original musicians hate cover bands?
« Reply #3 on: February 21, 2012, 05:25:48 PM »

Ok, thanks.  Light bulb went on--it's generally musicians on the 'local' level, and few on the regional, and none that I know on the national level.

  Hello Steve,

   I think that original bands that hate cover bands are "hate'n" for one of two reasons... either they themselves can't play these covers well enough to get gigs   Or... they are just haters...hoping that their music will get the appreciation that they think it deserves.  (wether it's true or not is another whole bag o' rosin)

 
  I don't necessarily see cover bands and original bands as competition, but, I suppose it is market dependant....

  Good Luck,
  Hammer   
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Lee Brenkman

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Re: Why do original musicians hate cover bands?
« Reply #4 on: February 21, 2012, 06:17:31 PM »

This one I just don't get.  There's a snobbery amongst original musicians towards cover bands.  At least in my area there is, and some things I read online.


As others have noted, it's on the local level of rock bands that I've known about this being the case since about 1964.

Some of it is artistic snobbery on the part of people who consider themselves "true artist" and a great deal of it is envy that a good cover band can regularly command more money and work a wider variety of venues than a band that only plays those "songs no one has ever heard of"

There was also, in my younger days a real strong divide between "real", "traditional" folk musicians and the "commercial" ones.   This has died down considerably since the days of the Kingston Trio's heyday and what Utah Phillps called "the great folk music scare of the 1960s" but I occasionally still see the "Real folk musicians have day jobs" bumper sticker.  The implication is that, if you do it "professionally" you're not a REAL folk musician.

Me, I just go with the "two kinds of music, good and bad" crowd.
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Bob Charest

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Re: Why do original musicians hate cover bands?
« Reply #5 on: February 21, 2012, 06:24:49 PM »

Me, I just go with the "two kinds of music, good and bad" crowd.
+1 - Like Duke Ellington said "If it sounds good, it is good."
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Tim Tyler

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Re: Why do original musicians hate cover bands?
« Reply #6 on: February 21, 2012, 07:02:20 PM »

+1 to Lee.

Added to the artistic "snobbery" and jealousy, is a great hypocrisy... bands/artists who want to have recognition and great popular acceptance (ie. - "hit record"), with the inevitable honor of having this work of art covered by other bands...

-Tim T
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Bob Leonard

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Re: Why do original musicians hate cover bands?
« Reply #7 on: February 21, 2012, 07:08:08 PM »

+1 - Like Duke Ellington said "If it sounds good, it is good."
I have to go along with that. We play mostly covers of 60's and blues tunes and in the past I have had people ask me why I continue to cover older songs. My reply has always been that I'm doing nothing more than what has been done since Elvis started covering great black artists in the 50's. We have our own style and the cover sounds like us and no one else.
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Steve Cook

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Re: Why do original musicians hate cover bands?
« Reply #8 on: February 21, 2012, 07:46:42 PM »

+1 - Like Duke Ellington said "If it sounds good, it is good."

Pretty simple formula, and it's one I've based my band upon.  There's only 2 rules. 

In tune. 

On time.

And I didn't want to sound like an arrogant jerk, but to me it does appear that the 'haters' lack the talent and discipline to play 3 hours of covers.  Luckily there's not much for direct competition, as the clubs here are either original OR covers, rarely both.

I might be getting a biased view on this here, because this forum is full of experienced pro's.  I might go over to sevenstring.org and see what their opinion on this is.

 I'm 42, had my first 'paid' gig when I was 18. Graduate of McNally/Smith and 2 years of Jazz studies at the University level, which means I can play a wrong note and explain for 2 hours how it was really the right one!  What I have noticed, compared to 20 years ago, is back then, when you went to see another band, you stood back in the corner with your arms folded and would diss the band and hit the notes the singer couldn't hit.

Thankfully, that's changed.  But the artistic snobs....it would be nice i they would realize that we are all brothers and sisters and unity is stronger than contempt.
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Woody Nuss

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Re: Why do original musicians hate cover bands?
« Reply #9 on: February 22, 2012, 01:26:52 AM »

Because one is art and the other is craft. You don't "create" covers.
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Re: Why do original musicians hate cover bands?
« Reply #9 on: February 22, 2012, 01:26:52 AM »


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