Cover Gigs
May 12, 2009 Filed in: Touring
Do cover gigs damage
one’s artistic integrity?
No. If anything, playing a show where one is encouraged to play a good percentage of cover songs widens accessibility to a narrowing live music audience.
Last Friday, my comrade Mark Kano and I played a lengthy gig at the Piedmont Ale House in Burlington, NC. In speaking with the promoter, it seemed that it would be a good idea to play a wealth of cover songs. You know, things like “Fire and Rain” by James Taylor, or an ever pleasing classic like “Faithfully” by Journey.
An old part of me used to scoff at these kinds of shows. This past weekend, I gleamed a new value from playing a cover style gig. Personally, I loved it. I look forward to playing here again.
The original music market is fading. I wouldn’t say dying, just because people will always be writing songs. And, someday, original music will have a resurgence. Now a days, it’s getting harder and harder to get a show at a club and be able to play all-original songs, all the time.
For me, the value in playing cover songs is in their instant “relate-a-bility.” A passerby stops in for a pint and some chips, hears a song, recognizes it, likes it, and decides to stick around for a few more songs. Eventually, this guy or gal buys a CD, takes it home, and possibly becomes a fan.
At this past weekend’s show, we both sold quite a few CD’s of original music to people who had never heard of either of us, either individually or because of Athenaeum or Collapsis. Although we played some of our originals, most of the sales came right after well-executed cover songs.
Back in the early 1960’s the Beatles used to play 12-hour gigs in Germany. Most of the songs were cover songs. Part of what made them a good band, and later on, good songwriters, was an exposure to a wealth of well-crafted music. 45% of the music on their first four albums was not original (although all of Hard Day’s Night was original).
Cover songs seem like a window into an artist’s soul. The songs a songwriter chooses to cover can show off his influences and tastes.
Cover songs are also a valuable teaching tool. If you want to learn how to write a good song, try playing a couple. Dissect them, study them, and then, when you are ready, allow them to influence your writing.
Does that mean we should all just do cover gigs?
No. But it does help me see the value in doing a few cover songs now and then, especially at shows where very few people may know who I am.
Mark and I had a great time at the Piedmont Ale House last weekend. Thank you to all who supported this fun night. We’ll be back in June.
No. If anything, playing a show where one is encouraged to play a good percentage of cover songs widens accessibility to a narrowing live music audience.
Last Friday, my comrade Mark Kano and I played a lengthy gig at the Piedmont Ale House in Burlington, NC. In speaking with the promoter, it seemed that it would be a good idea to play a wealth of cover songs. You know, things like “Fire and Rain” by James Taylor, or an ever pleasing classic like “Faithfully” by Journey.
An old part of me used to scoff at these kinds of shows. This past weekend, I gleamed a new value from playing a cover style gig. Personally, I loved it. I look forward to playing here again.
The original music market is fading. I wouldn’t say dying, just because people will always be writing songs. And, someday, original music will have a resurgence. Now a days, it’s getting harder and harder to get a show at a club and be able to play all-original songs, all the time.
For me, the value in playing cover songs is in their instant “relate-a-bility.” A passerby stops in for a pint and some chips, hears a song, recognizes it, likes it, and decides to stick around for a few more songs. Eventually, this guy or gal buys a CD, takes it home, and possibly becomes a fan.
At this past weekend’s show, we both sold quite a few CD’s of original music to people who had never heard of either of us, either individually or because of Athenaeum or Collapsis. Although we played some of our originals, most of the sales came right after well-executed cover songs.
Back in the early 1960’s the Beatles used to play 12-hour gigs in Germany. Most of the songs were cover songs. Part of what made them a good band, and later on, good songwriters, was an exposure to a wealth of well-crafted music. 45% of the music on their first four albums was not original (although all of Hard Day’s Night was original).
Cover songs seem like a window into an artist’s soul. The songs a songwriter chooses to cover can show off his influences and tastes.
Cover songs are also a valuable teaching tool. If you want to learn how to write a good song, try playing a couple. Dissect them, study them, and then, when you are ready, allow them to influence your writing.
Does that mean we should all just do cover gigs?
No. But it does help me see the value in doing a few cover songs now and then, especially at shows where very few people may know who I am.
Mark and I had a great time at the Piedmont Ale House last weekend. Thank you to all who supported this fun night. We’ll be back in June.
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Diversions
May 04, 2009 Filed in:
Books, Films, and Other Diversions
Diversion – a place or
thing that provides amusement or entertainment.
This past week has been busy. Most of it has been fruitful, but it’s been fairly standard stuff—co-writing, song production, technical details, all-things-musical, etcetera, and etcetera.
All work and no play makes me rather dull. So, to avoid the doldrums, I made sure to enjoy several asides this week.
Diversion #1: Ft. Bragg Fair
This came as a last minute suggestion, but it was a welcome one. My wife and I headed to Fayetteville last Saturday for a brief, yet fun trip to the annual Ft. Bragg Fair. It was most enjoyable and diverting. Highlights included the Tilt-a-Whirl, the Zero-Gravity, a stunt show, the Hollies on the Zipper, and funnel cake.
Perhaps the greatest surprise was the excellent Thai restaurant we found in Spring Lake, NC, just north of Fayetteville. Thai Esan had some of the best Thai cuisine I’ve ever had. I didn’t know what to get, so I ordered what sounded best: Yum. It was an Asian salad. It was just as good as it seemed.
I was raised in Fayetteville. I used to enjoy going to the fair every year, even up through the times I would come home from college. I like the carefree atmosphere. Still, to this day, I can only score an 86 on the strong man hammer. Some things never change.
Diversion #2: Ulysses
I had previously sworn off James Joyce’s Ulysses as being pretentious and confusing. Recently, we had been cleaning out a few closets at home. I found several audiotapes, most of which were lectures by the late Joseph Campbell on the life and work of Joyce. I digitized the tapes so I could listen to them in the modern iPod format.
I couldn’t help but re-listen to these absolutely awesome interpretations—I think this would be the only appropriate time I could think of to use the term exegesis, but I despise how the word sounds—of Joyce’s writing.
Maybe a 33-year-old brain can process this book better than a 21-year-old one, but the concepts seem more lucid to me now. When a book is often in the top three of just about every educated person’s “best of the twentieth century” book list, there’s usually a cogent reason. The sheer magnitude of it blows me away.
Yes, the Cyclops inspired “Throwaway, A Race Horse.” That and what was going on in 1997, which is a long story. Far too long for today.
Diversion #3: Wolverine
A lesser-known actor named Judd Omen played a character named Mickey in Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. In one of the film’s final moments, as a hyperbolic action film about Pee Wee’s bicycle is played at a local drive-in, Mickey turns to Pee Wee and says, “Great so far, Pee Wee. Action Packed!”
I have that same response to just about every action movie I see. I’m really not too hard to entertain. I like simple action movies. Wolverine was satisfying in that regard. I read a review today that Wolverine was far too simplistic to be considered socially meritorious. Why does Wolverine have to have social significance? I mean, it’s about a guy who has Steel-Plus claws and is indestructible.
Most regard X3 (the last X-men movie) to have been not-so-good. I had a difficulty following it, but I thought it has some good moments. Wolverine, for me, re-piqued my interest in the X franchise. That, and, well, it’s inspiring how far some actors will go to get completely “ripped” for an action movie.
Diversion #4: Thierry David
I was thumbing through the New Age music channel on TV about a year ago. I came across this killer hook over this relaxed back beat. I’m not usually into New Age stuff, but I wrote down the name of the artist. Later, I did a search on iTunes. I found Thierry David.
I don’t know how to pronounce his first name. I Americanize it and just call him “Terry.” Anyway, his stuff is really good. It’s ambient music with hooks. Well-written relaxation pieces. I could easily hear his stuff at a Yoga class or at a dinner party.
Zen Pause is my favorite. I have three others: Ocean Rhapsody, Evasions, and Zen World. He has about twenty other albums, but I only connected with the latest stuff. I like his newer sound best.
I often put on Zen Pause first thing in the morning. It is the most played album in my iTunes library.
Diversion #5: The Smitt
My dog turned 5 a few months ago. He’s a champ. I love Smitty. If you can afford it and have the space, I recommend a big dog. Smitty is a black Labrador Retriever and is 100% love.
Labrador Retrievers come from Canada and are formerly known as “Lesser Newfoundland Hounds.” They like to retrieve things and love to swim. Smitty isn’t very good at either, but enjoys trying. In fact, when it comes to other dog’s retrieving spoils, he’s quite often a crook. He steals tennis balls from other dog’s efforts and tries to get credit for it.
I walk Smitty everyday. I enjoy that.
This past week has been busy. Most of it has been fruitful, but it’s been fairly standard stuff—co-writing, song production, technical details, all-things-musical, etcetera, and etcetera.
All work and no play makes me rather dull. So, to avoid the doldrums, I made sure to enjoy several asides this week.
Diversion #1: Ft. Bragg Fair
This came as a last minute suggestion, but it was a welcome one. My wife and I headed to Fayetteville last Saturday for a brief, yet fun trip to the annual Ft. Bragg Fair. It was most enjoyable and diverting. Highlights included the Tilt-a-Whirl, the Zero-Gravity, a stunt show, the Hollies on the Zipper, and funnel cake.
Perhaps the greatest surprise was the excellent Thai restaurant we found in Spring Lake, NC, just north of Fayetteville. Thai Esan had some of the best Thai cuisine I’ve ever had. I didn’t know what to get, so I ordered what sounded best: Yum. It was an Asian salad. It was just as good as it seemed.
I was raised in Fayetteville. I used to enjoy going to the fair every year, even up through the times I would come home from college. I like the carefree atmosphere. Still, to this day, I can only score an 86 on the strong man hammer. Some things never change.
Diversion #2: Ulysses
I had previously sworn off James Joyce’s Ulysses as being pretentious and confusing. Recently, we had been cleaning out a few closets at home. I found several audiotapes, most of which were lectures by the late Joseph Campbell on the life and work of Joyce. I digitized the tapes so I could listen to them in the modern iPod format.
I couldn’t help but re-listen to these absolutely awesome interpretations—I think this would be the only appropriate time I could think of to use the term exegesis, but I despise how the word sounds—of Joyce’s writing.
Maybe a 33-year-old brain can process this book better than a 21-year-old one, but the concepts seem more lucid to me now. When a book is often in the top three of just about every educated person’s “best of the twentieth century” book list, there’s usually a cogent reason. The sheer magnitude of it blows me away.
Yes, the Cyclops inspired “Throwaway, A Race Horse.” That and what was going on in 1997, which is a long story. Far too long for today.
Diversion #3: Wolverine
A lesser-known actor named Judd Omen played a character named Mickey in Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. In one of the film’s final moments, as a hyperbolic action film about Pee Wee’s bicycle is played at a local drive-in, Mickey turns to Pee Wee and says, “Great so far, Pee Wee. Action Packed!”
I have that same response to just about every action movie I see. I’m really not too hard to entertain. I like simple action movies. Wolverine was satisfying in that regard. I read a review today that Wolverine was far too simplistic to be considered socially meritorious. Why does Wolverine have to have social significance? I mean, it’s about a guy who has Steel-Plus claws and is indestructible.
Most regard X3 (the last X-men movie) to have been not-so-good. I had a difficulty following it, but I thought it has some good moments. Wolverine, for me, re-piqued my interest in the X franchise. That, and, well, it’s inspiring how far some actors will go to get completely “ripped” for an action movie.
Diversion #4: Thierry David
I was thumbing through the New Age music channel on TV about a year ago. I came across this killer hook over this relaxed back beat. I’m not usually into New Age stuff, but I wrote down the name of the artist. Later, I did a search on iTunes. I found Thierry David.
I don’t know how to pronounce his first name. I Americanize it and just call him “Terry.” Anyway, his stuff is really good. It’s ambient music with hooks. Well-written relaxation pieces. I could easily hear his stuff at a Yoga class or at a dinner party.
Zen Pause is my favorite. I have three others: Ocean Rhapsody, Evasions, and Zen World. He has about twenty other albums, but I only connected with the latest stuff. I like his newer sound best.
I often put on Zen Pause first thing in the morning. It is the most played album in my iTunes library.
Diversion #5: The Smitt
My dog turned 5 a few months ago. He’s a champ. I love Smitty. If you can afford it and have the space, I recommend a big dog. Smitty is a black Labrador Retriever and is 100% love.
Labrador Retrievers come from Canada and are formerly known as “Lesser Newfoundland Hounds.” They like to retrieve things and love to swim. Smitty isn’t very good at either, but enjoys trying. In fact, when it comes to other dog’s retrieving spoils, he’s quite often a crook. He steals tennis balls from other dog’s efforts and tries to get credit for it.
I walk Smitty everyday. I enjoy that.