So, in a cover band situation, how do you deal with ...

close2u

Yes, things need to get done without too much humming and hahhing.

Bidley

Handsome_Chris said:

Not really. Everywhere you look there will be a form of leadership. The example @monquixote just gave us is a form of Situational Leadership. This basically is where the most capable person takes the lead as the situation dictates.

The same person doesn't have to be the leader all the time, but I'd suggest that any group needs leadership all the time.

I agree, but this is entirely different from what was mentioned earlier in the thread.

The idea that I'm now saying that no decisions should be made is ridiculous!

Handsome_Chris

Oh.

PolarityMan

I think alot depends on what sort of covers band you want to be. When we play covers (maybe 2-3 times a year) we play in specialist venues that have good passing trade that is broadly familiar with our genre. This works pretty well because it means we can basically play whatever we feel like and can get a reasonable response. At a gig last year the song that went down the best was by Coheed and Cambria for instance.

Now that kind of gig isn't sustainable, a big city might have one or 2 places that kind of gig will work but we like it as a change to the half hour set, 5 band, tuesday night type gigs that we typically get with our originals stuff.

I also agree that bands definitely need leadership, and this is probably even more important for originals bands than covers bands but it doesnt have to be overbearing. I write 90% of the music, including the bass and drum parts so I naturally end up taking the lead with the musical aesthetic, whereas our lead singer has control over the vocals and harmonies.

This does cause some friction occasionally, especially with the drummer but if we didn't have it we'd be all over the map stylistically and the majority of our songs wouldnt work as well as they do now.

fretmeister

Pyroman said:

  Just do a Death Metal version of Sex on Fire.  Either you'll NEVER be asked to play it again, or it'll become your signature, and you'll get to mock that stupid song every night.  Win-win!

Xentrix did the metal version of 'Ghostbusters' for that reason.

Got them signed! (and I believe sued by Columbia, but you can't have everything!)

Kebabkid

fretmeister;137229" said:

In a covers band I wouldn't expect to like more than 50% of the set list.

Yep, I get that although I've been lucky to play in bands where I really like most of the material, namely funk and classic rock bands, but they're few and far between and no, I'm not always playing what I like. At the end of the day, you ALL need to agree on are what songs go down well with your audience and they're the ones that'll probably determine what songs you should be playing. Most cover bands, and especially the function bands I've been in, have been about crowd pleasing.
All the best and if you deliver well and look like you're enjoying it, let the audience be the judge but make sure you're having fun and that this aspect doesn't bring you down or leads to resentment within the band.