Tribute Bands?

[Lord of Denial]

I keep hearing radio ads for White Zombie and a Black Sabbath tribute bands and I just don't really get why anyone would want to do this.

I get that they love the bands but why sing other peoples songs and music and be totally unoriginal and have zero chance to ever make it to the band you are copyings level of success?

[DonC]

I keep hearing radio ads for White Zombie and a Black Sabbath tribute bands and I just don't really get why anyone would want to do this.

I get that they love the bands but why sing other peoples songs and music and be totally unoriginal and have zero chance to ever make it to the band you are copyings level of success?


Ask Tim Owens. Or that Alice in Chains tribute band. What were they called, again?


Oh, yeah, Godsmack.

[Lord of Denial]

Ask Tim Owens. Or that Alice in Chains tribute band. What were they called, again?


Oh, yeah, Godsmack.



Tim Owens was a million to one shot and the rest of his band is where now?

And Alice and Chains was a huge influence on Godsmack they where not an actually tribute band of the group.

[Sanagi]

I keep hearing radio ads for White Zombie and a Black Sabbath tribute bands and I just don't really get why anyone would want to do this.

I get that they love the bands but why sing other peoples songs and music and be totally unoriginal and have zero chance to ever make it to the band you are copyings level of success?
Completely obvious answer: Some people don't feel the need to be original or to reach enormous levels of success - and besides, being a tribute band almost guarantees some limited amount of success(assuming you can play the songs decently), which is not true if you choose to be original. People want to hear the songs they're already familiar with, but they don't necessarily want to hear something new.

[Athena Bast]

I keep hearing radio ads for White Zombie and a Black Sabbath tribute bands and I just don't really get why anyone would want to do this.

I get that they love the bands but why sing other peoples songs and music and be totally unoriginal and have zero chance to ever make it to the band you are copyings level of success?

Seeing as most bands don't realize Canada exists east beyond the Ontario border we rarely if ever get the big band here..unless it's a country group.

I have a huge tribute band thing in the Maritimes. There's an Alice Cooper tribute band playing tonight called "My Brother, Alice".

[Armless Penguin]

And Alice and Chains was a huge influence on Godsmack they where not an actually tribute band of the group.

And once again, the internet kills sarcasm.

Anyhow, I assume for at least some of them it probably has to do with an inability on their part to actually write decent original music. In that case, it would be easier to pay tribute to another band's songs than have to write your own. But not many bands are producing decent music nowadays anyway, so I guess this really doesn't matter.

[Ontir]

Some people, are performers; but can't write music to save their lives. Some people enjoy performing; but aren't willing to make the sacrifices, or take the risks needed to attain the sort of success that the big bands/acts have. Playing music they enjoy, for receptive crowds, at night, and on the weekends, is their way of fulfilling their artistic needs, and there's nothing wrong with that. If you find a really good cover/tribute band, you might get a chance to see an act, via facsimile, that you'd never get to see live. The members of Björn Again have certainly made a name for themselves, and had a great deal of success, re-creating Abba.

[cadmium_blimp]

I heard Mike Portnoy played drums in a Led Zeppelin tribute band. This must be a lie since nearly all Zep songs rely on a heavy groove.

[J. Robb]

I think tribute bands are a fun way for some talented fans to share the love. The only tribute band I wouldn't like is one that takes themselves too seriously.

[Gozwald73]

Let's not forget that you can still be creative without being original. Your can take an original piece and restyle it to give it a completely new sound - these experiments have been well-recieved in the past.

Hmm... I'm thinking of a lounge-jazz singer but can't recall his name. He did a fantastic version of Radiohead's "Creep"

Some of the techno retakes on songs are shocking though, so I guess it all depends on what style tickles your fancy.

[Spike-X]

I don't blame musicians for forming tribute/cover bands to get gigs. Most people these days don't want to hear new music, they just want to hear the same tired, old songs over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.

[jessecuster3]

Umm Widespread Panic started out as a Grateful Dead tribute band and have achieved a very nice career on the backs fo how they started.


I know for me, and probably a lot of others, bands that you will never get to see live, a good tribute band can take you to a very similar place.

I have been known to see Grateful Dead tributes pretty often and usually the band is sufficiently talented to really take the songs almost to where the original band took them.

[cadmium_blimp]

I think part of the thing is that a lot of people really think it is fun to play "Highway to Hell" and "Iron Man." I'd have to agree. Of course, I'd also want to play some original stuff, too.

[Patriot07]

I don't blame musicians for forming tribute/cover bands to get gigs. Most people these days don't want to hear new music, they just want to hear the same tired, old songs over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.

Most people don't care about new musicians music. They have to establish themselves before they start writing their own music. Hell, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and The Stones all started out as cover bands. They're arguably the biggest bands of all time.

[scratchie]

I get that they love the bands but why sing other peoples songs and music and be totally unoriginal and have zero chance to ever make it to the band you are copyings level of success?You're assuming that they would have a greater than zero chance of success as an original act.

Tribute bands get many more gigs than original bands. If you just want to perform, your best bets are to form a tribute band or a wedding band.

Plus, it can be a lot of fun to play your favorite songs. And it's a lot more fun to perform for an enthusiastic crowd who loves the music you're playing, than to play for a half-dozen pseudo-hipsters with their arms folded.

Also, don't forget that guy from Judas Priest. He went from tribute band to lead singer.