If you could/had to start a tribute band, who...?

[Velcro]

I'd probably cover a variety of old blues artists: Mississippi John Hurt, Charlie Patton, Lead Belly, Son House, Robert Johnson, Blind Lemon Jefferson and a few others.

 

[Death by Uberschall]

One band, and one band alone:

Pink Floyd

I'd call it "Pigs on the Wing"

 

[reinhold]

Death From Above 1979

Well that's one way to get a thread locked here. :laughing7:

I would personally enjoy it however. 

 

[jackthehack]

"Tribute bands" suck. Nothing is more boring than listening to some band play song after song from the same band and play every exact lick from the LP/CD. Exponentially bad if they also attempt to dress up like the band they're attempting to emulate.

I'd much rather play in/listen to a band that either does their own music and/or does their take on a songs from a variety of bands of the same genre.

 

[Torment Leaves Scars]

"Tribute bands" suck. Nothing is more boring than listening to some band play song after song from the same band and play every exact lick from the LP/CD. Exponentially bad if they also attempt to dress up like the band they're attempting to emulate.

I'd much rather play in/listen to a band that either does their own music and/or does their take on a songs from a variety of bands of the same genre.

Pretty much agree with this.  I'd much rather listen to someone's crappy originals than rehashes of classics, but that's just me.  I just didn't wanna be the first person to say it.  :toothy12:

 

[Justinginn]

Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, or As Cities Burn

 

[dNA]

Mariner's Revenge is super easy to play for guitar too, it's like 2 chords and that's about it because it's all accordion-driven.  The Decemberists are my favorite current band besides Andrew Bird, but no one can cover Andrew Bird.  Just getting the sound he gets with he gear would be really hard because of that Janus Horn thing, plus you have to be a whistling master AND classically trained violinist AND be really good at live-looping.  But The Decemberists wouldn't be that hard to do, and their songs are so awesome and fun to play. 

A year or two ago I was thinking it would be rad to do a gospel style version of Modest Mouse's The View with a huge choir.  I don't know why.  My favorite songs by them are Steam Engenius and The Good Times Are Killing Me.  I have a banjo that I hardly ever play because I'm too busy with guitar, but at some point I want to learn some of their banjo stuff, like Bukowski.

yeah. nobody's gonna pull off Andrew Bird. his technical approach is very refined on many levels. you'd have to be really obsessed to copy him very accurately. But that'd be impressive.


That version of The View sounds awesome. Are you familiar with any of their earlier material? I wasn't a big fan of We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, but it has some great songs. I love the wild energy they had earlier on. You should see videos of them playing live right before they got big. It reminds me of watching early Nirvana videos. it's just so good

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Musically, the people I know personally that play in them, it is a give up.

FWIW, I think Clapton would be a good one for a few reasons.
  -He's done it long enough there's a deep catalog where you could just play the hits or deep cuts and still be musically happy.
  -A lot of his songs aren't his songs, between covers and colabs.
  -He has a broad fan base.  A lot of people love him, few really loathe him.  It'd be an easier sell than the obscure, though awesome, references I've seen.

Of course, the Cream fans won't be writing Tears in Heaven, Father's Eyes, or Change the World requests on napkins. 

 

[hannaugh]

Mariner's Revenge is super easy to play for guitar too, it's like 2 chords and that's about it because it's all accordion-driven.  The Decemberists are my favorite current band besides Andrew Bird, but no one can cover Andrew Bird.  Just getting the sound he gets with he gear would be really hard because of that Janus Horn thing, plus you have to be a whistling master AND classically trained violinist AND be really good at live-looping.  But The Decemberists wouldn't be that hard to do, and their songs are so awesome and fun to play. 

A year or two ago I was thinking it would be rad to do a gospel style version of Modest Mouse's The View with a huge choir.  I don't know why.  My favorite songs by them are Steam Engenius and The Good Times Are Killing Me.  I have a banjo that I hardly ever play because I'm too busy with guitar, but at some point I want to learn some of their banjo stuff, like Bukowski.

yeah. nobody's gonna pull off Andrew Bird. his technical approach is very refined on many levels. you'd have to be really obsessed to copy him very accurately. But that'd be impressive.


That version of The View sounds awesome. Are you familiar with any of their earlier material? I wasn't a big fan of We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, but it has some great songs. I love the wild energy they had earlier on. You should see videos of them playing live right before they got big. It reminds me of watching early Nirvana videos. it's just so good

I have rhapsody, I should really listen to the earlier stuff one of these days. Like most people who like them, I got on board for Good News For People Who Love Bad News.  I feel like I'm the only one who really liked We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank.  I had to listen to it a whole bunch of times before I started to like it, but now I like it just as much as Good News.  I just love how the songs mutate into total insanity after a while... "Somehow you will die someday and something's gonna steal your carbon!"  I don't know how they can write music with so much dissonant stuff going on and yet it all comes together and works, it's really amazing.  

It's funny, I've introduced a lot of my friends to their music, and the first reaction is always "What the hell is this?", and then I'll get a message 6 months later from the same person saying "I finally wrapped my head around Modest Mouse, and it's freaking awesome!".  

 

[dNA]

I have rhapsody, I should really listen to the earlier stuff one of these days. Like most people who like them, I got on board for Good News For People Who Love Bad News.  I feel like I'm the only one who really liked We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank.  I had to listen to it a whole bunch of times before I started to like it, but now I like it just as much as Good News.  I just love how the songs mutate into total insanity after a while... "Somehow you will die someday and something's gonna steal your carbon!"  I don't know how they can write music with so much dissonant stuff going on and yet it all comes together and works, it's really amazing.  

It's funny, I've introduced a lot of my friends to their music, and the first reaction is always "What the hell is this?", and then I'll get a message 6 months later from the same person saying "I finally wrapped my head around Modest Mouse, and it's freaking awesome!".  

they're definitely a weird and somewhat challenging band at first! I was the same way when i was a teenager. I remember the day i was walking with my headphones on, listening to a mix CD my friend made me of Modest Mouse tunes and the tune "Paper Thin Walls" just hit me. it was en epiphany.

Their early stuff doesn't have the glossy mainstream production either, so it's almost like listening to a different band. But most of the lyrical and songwriting fundamentals are there. The weird sarcastic wordplay, the really stark changes, the awesome guitar playing, the groovyness of the band. It's just a lot more raw sounding , like you'd expect to come out of Seattle at the end of the 90's. I'd just recommend working your way chronologically backwards. If you liked Good News, The Moon and Antarctica is like that but a lot darker and more atmospheric - it's their major label debut. Before that is when the production sounded very different.

oh, and Parting of the Sensory is easily my favorite tune on that album. That outro is the most in tune with what i love about that band. it's just pure energy.




Oh lord. and if anyone covers Clapton, please don't ever play Tears in Heaven. I just can't hear that song anymore.

 

[hannaugh]

Oh lord. and if anyone covers Clapton, please don't ever play Tears in Heaven. I just can't hear that song anymore.

They played it at my friend's funeral while everyone was going up to give their condolences to her parents, how is that for sadistic?  I can never hear that song again. 

 

[reluctant-builder]

I would never want to do a tribute except in the form of a cover, amidst a set-list of my originals.

I have interest in playing mostly my own music but I am happy to pay homage, occasionally, to my inspirations.

I have not one iota of desire to play only covers, though, and especially not of only one band's material.

 

[stubhead]

"Tribute bands" suck. Nothing is more boring than listening to some band play song after song from the same band and play every exact lick from the LP/CD. Exponentially bad if they also attempt to dress up like the band they're attempting to emulate.

Pretty much agree with this.  I'd much rather listen to someone's crappy originals than rehashes of classics, but that's just me.  I just didn't wanna be the first person to say it.

I actually agree with this too, with the exception that I've heard some great cover tunes - "All Along the Watchtower?" - that sometimes pulled the best efforts out of bands who didn't write great themselves. I thought when I said this:

if you could only play one band's or writer's music in a band, who would it be? 

- that of course you could do anything to

it was with the idea that you could improve on the previous playing, not mimic it. Think of the words and the impact, not necessarily the delivery... it would be hard to do a Dave Matthews cover without singing it better, or a Modest Mouse cover that didn't sound worse. Don't you wish Yes had been a Bob Dylan tribute band? :toothy12: :toothy12: :toothy12:

"SIBERIAN KHATRU"
(Anderson/Wakeman/Howe)

Sing, bird of prey
Beauty begins at the foot of you, do you believe the manner?
Gold stainless nail
Torn through the distance of man as they regard the summit

Even Siberia goes through the motions, hold out and hold up
Hold down the window (outbound, river)
Hold out the morning that comes into view (bluetail, tailfly)
River running right on over my head

How does she sing?
Who holds the ring and ring and you will find me coming?
Cold reigning king
Hold all the secrets from you as they produce the movement

Even Siberia goes through the motions, hold out and hold up
Hold down the window (outbound, river)
Hold out the morning that comes into view (bluetail, tailfly)
River running right over the outboard, river
Bluetail, tailfly
Luther in time
Dood'ndoodit, dah, d't-d't-dah

Hold down the window
Hold out the morning that comes into view
Warm side, the tower
Green leaves reveal the heart spoken Khatru

Gold stainless nail
Torn through the distance of man as they regard the summit
Cold reigning king
Shelter the women that sing as they produce the movement
River running right on over
Then over my head outboard, river

Bluetail, tailfly
Luther in time
Suntower asking
Cover, lover
June cast, moon fast
As one changes
Heart gold, leaver
Soul mark, mover
Christian, changer
Called out, saviour
Moon gate, climber
Turn round, glider

I think this is a song about fly-fishing - but I'm not 100% on that.

 

[bagman67]

"SIBERIAN KHATRU"
(Anderson/Wakeman/Howe)
[ blah blah blah wankage ]

Seems to me to be a song about "you prog people are easy to fool with this pseudo-heavy crap." 

I JOKE!  I JOKE!  I've listened to and enjoyed a lot of Yes myself.  But some days it's hard to see what's fun about some of the more self-absorbed prog stuff.

Now, if you could take Siberian Khatru and somehow make it into a ska tune, you'd have accomplished something...

Here's a cover band I like - Big Daddy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUUcLQO9KqQ

 

[crash]

One band, and one band alone:

Pink Floyd

I'd call it "Pigs on the Wing"

Normally, that would be my first choice too, but there is already Australian Pink Floyd, who have pretty much perfected the Pink Floyd live show.  Nick Mason even said "they are better than we were".  I'll be seeing them in about 3 weeks :cool01:

 

[dNA]

I also want to point out that there exists an established Pink Floyd tribute band called "Pigs On A Wing" that is best known because it includes some members of the popular jamband STS9

 

[stubhead]

That Big Daddy group is great! Nowadays I don't ever hear about half this stuff and it's already gone... :sad1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISujjBWWPcM&feature=related

Celine WHO????

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

There can be more than one.  There's a Pink Floyd tribute band here, and atleast 3 SRV tributes.  What's funny, the Pink Floyd tribute has all the drama of a normal band.  I thought it would be pretty cut and dry as far as instrumentation and parts to play.  Apparently not.  One of the members even quit one and started another.

 

[DocNrock]

MAIDEN!  :headbang: :evil4:

I'll play Adrian Smith's parts and Ocrist can play Dave Murray's parts.  We'll leave Janick Gers parts out.

+1.  I first decided to learn the guitar after hearing "The Trooper" on the radio.  Dave Murray has been my fundamental influence.  And I definitely agree with leaving out Janick's parts.  :laughing7:

That said, I agree with what others have said about tribute bands, in general.  I've not been in a tribute band, but have been in two bands in the past.  One did primarily covers and the other exclusively originals.  I had much more fun in the band that did originals.

 

[erogenousjones17]

I'm late to the party, but I had to say that it really made my day to see someone (pabloman, waaaaay back on page one of this thread) mention Social D. Definitely my favourite band ever.

For me it'd be the Misfits, replete with the corpse paint and weird hair. Go big or go home, right? I think it'd be fun to sing those awful, campy, gory lyrics. And it'd be cool to finally be in a band with "whoa-ohs" for once.  :laughing7:

That said, I think tribute bands are kinda lame, and must get really boring after a while. Covers are one thing; but to be limited to one artist's repertoire? I dunno... But where I used to live, there were three active Green Day tribute bands. Three.  :doh: