Under ‘cover’ in the Q.C.
November 5th, 2009 by Eric Mullis in Eric Mullis, Opinion
First off, I’m not going to be bashing cover bands. I’ve played in cover bands and can think of many songs that I’d like to cover in my band. Instead, what I’d like to do is pose a question that I hope will get some discussion going.
Charlotte has many cover bands and many events that pay them well to perform. They pay them well because there is a reliable cover-band audience in Charlotte. A classic-rock tribute band is a guaranteed sell in the Queen City but an indie band that plays it’s original music is often a risk.
Not all cities are like this. Audiences in Asheville and Athens, Ga., for example, would likely laugh a cover-band off of the stage since they only want to hear original music. They simply don’t want to hear a band that is trying to sound like an established act. Now that’s a curious fact and I don’t want to speculate too much about it. After all, it’s difficult to make safe generalizations about a city since many individuals and groups feed into a city’s identity. I’d like to look at this another way.
I was discussing this issue over lunch with a fellow musician and he made a profound observation about classic-rock: Everyone who loves classic-rock bands had to discover them at some point.
At some point, that music was new and awe-inspiring for those listeners.
That seems right. I can remember the first time I heard Pink Floyd. I wasn’t even sure what I was listening to. I knew that it was different, weird, and a little terrifying. But I was intrigued. I had to hear more.
So, why do many listeners lose interest in discovering new bands and new music? What happens to the wonder?
I have a couple of guesses:
1- Nostaligia. That music takes many listeners back to younger days when life was more enjoyable and things made more sense. New music doesn’t provide that same sense of security and doesn’t make one reminisce.
2- “Classicism.” The best music has already been recorded and nothing will match it. Ever. No one will ever be able to match the likes of Zeppelin, Journey, or what have you.
These might be true, but I think that it has more to do with (3): Laziness.
Finding new music these days most often means actively looking around. It also means that you’re likely going to hear a bunch of stuff that you don’t like. Take a listen to WNCW or WSGE and you’re hear all kinds of quality music, but there might be quite a bit that doesn’t match your tastes. So, you’re going to have to sift through and find what you like.
But, experiences of musical awe and wonder are waiting those who are willing to explore a bit.
November 5th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
I think you hit the nail on the head with #3. It does potentially take a lot of time and effort to find new music and then of course support it. What I also think is people don’t realize that there are cheap ways to do this – you mentioned WSGE, but there is also The Evening Muse which for a few bucks you can hear a variety of new music (of all kinds) as well as their open mic nites. Great post, great quest, great observations.
November 5th, 2009 at 6:55 pm
Many Thanks!
November 6th, 2009 at 10:48 am
For me, being able to sample a group’s music online is a great help. I like having a “sneak peek” at what’s available so that I can make an informed choice, and if I can find samples of a group’s music online, then I can listen again, or send a link to a friend who may also be interested.
I do enjoy the “oldies” and “beach music” — but again, I like to sample the quality of the group that’s playing it; some groups may choose to play my fave music, but they make it painful to listen to.
Interesting blog; keep it coming!
November 6th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
There are several other factors I’ve noticed… just a few observations:
1) Accessibility: Music has become so accessible in today’s world it is a now an oversupplied commodity by volume, at least as far as the everyday listener is concerned. New and emerging original music has less value to many since there is already enough for most of them to listen to while they drive or sit at their desk or work out at the gym. The largest competitive advantage on a large scale is celebrity, so that the Pop machine is set up that way and in turn creates additional barriers to entry for new artists.
2) Digital Music: Improvements in technology now allow one person to create or at least mimic what used to take several. It cost less for a bar owner to hire a one person DJ rather than a 5 person band. This has accumulative effect on what patrons expect to hear when they go out. The opposite of this would be a city with a better developed scene, e.g. Nashville (Broadway excluded) or Athens, GA where people expect to have a certain experience. This effect can also be seen by the usually stark delineation between bars with music vs. music venues with bars.
3) Logistics: It’s easier to learn a cover than to write and polish original material. Not to mention the risk of trying something new in front of strangers or allowing yourself to be vulnerable when penning out a song that means something to you. The process of ‘doing it the hard way’ is painful, and if you can get instant ‘rock star’ or financial gratification by doing covers, then many folks will opt for the path with the least resistance. With that said, you get out what you put in, so there is a glass ceiling and other compromises for cover bands.
4) Fear & Lack of Leadership: Crowds can & do respond to good original material, especially of the artist or group knows how to work a room. There seems to be a certain tentativeness among local musicians, not just performing, but booking too, that is making it unnecessarily more difficult to get exposure. A good leader can overcome this quickly.
5) Media Involvement: It bothers me that most Charlotteans have never tuned into WSGE or WNCW. I know state/publicly-funded budgets are tight (especially after losing state funding recently) but how about a billboard…. or something?? Fox News Rising and Edge are the only local TV shows that seem to offer exposure for local groups. Where is WCNC or WSOCTV on this? And the Observer barely covers local music and makes artist pay for featured placement. The Loaf does a pretty good job, but could definitely throw more high profile events. The recent homebrew event was great. CL has the clout around town.. and we can get some momentum going with those types of events because larger media like to be associated with Buzz. WFAE and WBT or kind to feature local groups on occasion.
6) Scene Maturity: Charlotte has seen phenomenal growth over the past 10 years that is almost an anomaly. This is a natural maturation process that needs to take place and cannot keep pace easily. There are great local musicians and there are places for them to earn money playing music, but the reality is, the artistic infrastructure is not developed enough yet to make it easy for a ‘scene’ in the traditional sense to develop. It’s still being done… it’s just slower than most would like since it’s not easy.
There are a lot of great things happening now, and I’m happy to be a part of it. I think with more leadership, networking amongst local players, and growth of the city, Charlotte is on the verge of big things for original music
… man, I can’t believe I just typed all that.
November 8th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
Many thanks J.
When I was thinking about this I thought about it from the perspective of the audience, but you’ve nicely pointed out that it has to do with the musicians as well.
You’re definately right, it’s way easier to get a group of musicians to agree on a bunch of songs and just learn them. Much harder to work through writing good music.
I also agree with your point about feeling musically safe. You can’t be %100 sure that your song will go over well on any particular night, but you can bet that a cover will!
thanks again,
e.
November 8th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
p.s.
why doesn’t WFAE have local music sessions like WNCW’s “Studio-B”?
I’m going to send them an email now!!!!
November 8th, 2009 at 9:29 pm
My bud Michael Earle, has this to say:
I think it has a lot to do with what audiences in charlotte want out of a live entertainment experience. Charlotte is still building it’s creative culture; and, though there IS a contingent within the QC that would rather see an original band (signed or indie, though “signed” is a concept fast approaching the way of the Dodo, but that is a different blog post) than a cover band, sometimes a club has to book a reliable act for getting butts through the door. Those folks are used to an entirely different paradigm for music consumption than we are. When we were destroying our first period grades to stay up late to watch 120 minutes or spending our extra money on blank C-94 tapes to fill with all our favorite adolescent sturm und drang to trade with our buddies, these folks were hearing an Establishment (read: mainstream) band on the radio or on the afternoon eMpTy-V broadcasts, going out and purchasing the official record item, waiting diligently for them to come around, and then paying big bucks to go see them.
And though that system has had its creative high points, too, (i’m thinking DGC’s backing of Sonic Youth here as a prime example) what you end up with is a lot of people who never got to see a band because there aren’t any arenas close to their hometown. Or, they were too young to go to concerts and therefore never got to see Zep or the Who.
Of course some of the cover band audience just needs something familiar in the background to drink to and riff on conversationally while trying to get laid. But that, in my opinion, is a tride and true Rock and Roll trope and is just as valid as any other more “authentic” approach to the music.
Then you have the benefit of a cover to the musician. My band, The Poontanglers, just did a set on Halloween at snug harbor dressed as Zombie Lynyrd Skynyrd. We split the set between Skynyrd songs and our originals. We all commented to each other while learning the songs (including “Freebird” so, yes- “FREEBIRD!!!!!!!” is now a heckle we are completely inured against) that learning the intricacies of those songs was improving our technique by leaps and bounds. And we were having TONS of fun doing it. Those seem like pretty compelling reasons to be in a band to begin with. I have played in one off one band dedication bands before, as well, and it’s fun to give tribute to a band you grew up with and finally act like Black Francis or Kim Thayil on stage instead of in front of your mirror at home (YOU ALL DID THIS).
And lastly- the shit makes money. And we as a socioeconomic group, us musicians, are perennially broke. It makes a huge difference in your motivation to keep playing when the bartender gives you $240 at the end of the night rather than $30.
this was too long, sorry i am a motormouth.
November 9th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
I agree with Earl on much of that. Maybe a good direction for local groups is blend the sets 50/50 originals and covers. I think the formula is actually pretty easy and benefits the musicians as much as the audience. By selecting good covers you learn how to work different demographics, how to approach different song styles when writing, and how to entertain even the coldest/stiffest of rooms.
I mean, if you lose the crowd on an original then hook them back with a cover… then try to figure out what it was about that cover that brought’em back. Was it entirely because it was familar? Or, could the original use some tweaking. And, by picking b-side or more obscure covers you can get kudos from fans of those artist, while stepping out side your own comfort zone and adding a new dynamic to your show. This makes sitting in with different groups that much easier too… because chances are you’re gonna sit in on a cover… so the more you know the better!
What I and my band try to do is shore up our originals as best as possible so when we introduce the to a room of potential fans they sound polished and impressive to some degree. We then add some covers to add context for our the genre by reinforcing that vibe… then we also have standards that everyone knows, are easy to invite guest up one, or just get girls dancing… and girls dancing is like gold in the music economy. it loosens the room… and people drink more… then the bar owner is happy… and since the audience and bar owner is happy, the band is happy… see? everyone is happy because girls dances… and I still got to play original material…. yes, today is good, hahaha!