Your make perfect sense! Cover bands need to die... Like farmers should die for growing the same stupid crops over and over again. If I see one more person eat a red apple I swear I'm gonna kill em! I eat grass therefore I'm an original consumer? Not really... people ate that and desided it sucked thousands of years ago.
Your statement would only make sense if you, or anyone, is so completely original that they could actually stand alone historicaly. It's never happened in the history of man (maybe Mozart writing clasical pieces at age 5... but na he heard it in church) but I'm sure your the first. Let's not even talk about the fact that unless you write the song on the spot you are covering yourself. If you could, and you can't truely, some how never listened to and emulate anyone elses songs yours would probably suck due to ignorance. Music , like many things, culminates in society like it or not.
Is playing only songs like margaritaville and hotel california a sell out? Sure. With the operative word being sell. It's what's selling in central PA kinda like levis jeans or Honda cars. If your not into money I dig that. Do your thing dude. This is partially because audiences/artists here are closed minded to small unproven artists and clueless to who isn't on the radio. Your right that could be improved along with attendence to new performers shows. However, the Whitaker, Hershey, HMAC, Gulifties, The Dragon Fly, The Forum and a few other venues are still filling with national 'Originals' even if in fact they may or may not play 'covers'. That's not the issue. The issue is; Do they Suck? Do they have a market?
Like most semi-hardliners I'm gonna guess your OK with artists that play their own songs mixed with a few covers done originally. I am. Most of their originals sound just as much like a cover as the actual copies do. That is just moving the line in the sand not actually sticking to your philosophy.
Ok, let's start with some old artists that should die for their lack of inginuity.
Andre Segovia
Django Rienhardt
(wish I knew some old schooler composers that I was sure did covers but I know almost every classical performer does)
-also every Spiritual, Military, and Political group since recoreded history have had anthems and montra songs. Those F'n Posers should die immediatly particularly if they reside near me!
Now, lets move on to some groups you have heard and probably don't even want to admit you use literly same chord and lyric style ;
-Frank Sinatra,the entire rat pack and their peers (They hired song writers then)
-The whole Jazz style was based on 'improving' old standards (but those guys were just a bunch of copy cats right?)
Not your bag? Maybe your more;
The Beatles, The Stones, Zepplin, Jimmi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Aerosmith, Metalica, The Black Crows, The Greatful Dead... the list goes on and on. All cover boys.
Let's get broader;
Country music; Covers everywhere
Rock "
Soul "
Funk "
Folk "
Classical "
World "
Regae/ska not so much... it's almost the same song the whole time with different lyrics... har har
Metal If the singer growls he isn't original ! etc...
Rap Do they write music most of the time or just sample?
Theatre All different yet....
Ponder this;
Did Metalica suck on their cover album? YES
Does Jimi Hendrix versions of Bob Dylan improve on them? YES
Did Fuel move to and basically make it from HBG, PA? YES Did they play covers on the way there? YES
If you and your band were all that great you would be glad everyone else was cover in this town.
My favorite quote on the topic writen by a dude I have never heard do a traditional cover;
"We are all Mocking Birds and Magpies" - Pete Townsend (Magpie means; a person who collects or hoards things, esp. indiscriminately.)
Just my and Pete's opinion, and good luck in a better market pal!
You'd have to be a sell out to do the beatles tunes when they are current hits right?
check it out;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkfqVhXtAhg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIbRgVQMjbQ
- Location: HBG, PA
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