BY MIKEY MIGO
It's 1985. A young musician named Trent Reznor was in a Cleveland band called "The Urge". On this specific night captured on VHS, he and his band performed their cover of Billy Idol's "Eyes Without a Face". Granted this isn't a pure cover band, even the best musicians out there are guilty of and have done their share of bad covers.
For years I've always felt that cover bands were unoriginal and lame. On the flipside, I am always interested when an established band or at least a band I'm familiar with drops a new cover into their set list. It's just the bands who are specifically a cover band seems to me as if they're playing "Guitar Hero" or "Rock Band" for an audience. I'd always questioned WHY these seemingly well trained musicians would not want to put out their own original works.
Is it a lack of creativity? Are these bands playing homage to their heroes? Do these bands cover other people's successful hits hoping to ride their coat tails? Why? Why? Why?
I've seen and heard of many cover bands that are specific to one band. I've seen bands dress up and pretend to be U2, Poison, Motley Crue, Guns'N Roses, and even a Devo cover band in my time. Those are all respectable bands and have some great music to back up their iconic legacies. Surely, there is some skill in recreating the band's music and these bands take their "image" very seriously. But at the end of the day, no matter how good of a mimic it is, it's nothing more than an impersonation. I know many people enjoy a good impersonation, but I have trouble pulling money out of my pocket to support art that's not the suppliers.
There is also the side of it that's actually paying homage to their heroes. If you think about it from the view that these people are dedicating their craft to their favorite acts is kind of respectable. Maybe they grew up listening to the band and dreamed of one day being in the band and playing along side their idols. This is their chance to capture part of their youth even if before only a few dozen dive bar patrons. At the same time, there's a stone cold truth to this. I don't think there is any other way to put it, but there has to be an aspect of "coat tail riding" to a cover band. Sure you may idolize and want to show your respect, but you can do that by carrying on their style or doing a few covers of theirs in the midst of your own work. Why dress up like the artist unless you're hoping to gain some sort of acceptance for it? You can say it's "part of the show", but the show isn't yours.
Apparently these cover bands are in high demand and do a lot of touring to smaller clubs and bars. They're not playing the local arena or anything, but the mass majority of bands isn't and probably never will. These guys are making a good living off touring around, living the rockstar lifestyle, and living a dream. You're not going to see U2 play a show at a dive bar in Portage, Indiana. So for the people who just so happened to end up at a cover band show aren't going to complain too much if the music is good. Like any concert, the patrons are having a good time then mission accomplished. A drunken fan in a bar isn't going to care that you're not REALLY U2's Larry Mullins Jr. To them you're a jukebox.
I've seen a lot of local or bar shows where the band will not get any fair attention until they bust out a cover song. So to say covering your favorite band or song is a completely bad thing would be a lie. Would as many people of heard Marilyn Manson without his cover of "Sweet Dreams"? How much did "Smooth Criminal" help Alien Ant Farm to reach their level of success? Unfortunately we know about Limp Bizkit because of "Faith".
Then you have to take into consideration that some of the best songs in music history are covers. "All Along The Watch Tower" isn't something Hendrix wrote, but rather covered from this guy named Bob Dylan. How about the bands like "Dope", "Orgy", or "Dynamite Hack"? Would the general public remember them AT ALL without their biggest hits, which just so happened to be cover songs? A good cover can help a band get under the public eye, it's just to cover and impersonate an entire band is overkill.
Just because you're stuck in a cover band does not mean you can't move on to much better things. As said already, covers can be a great way for an otherwise unnoticed band to get a crowds attention. If someone is in a cover band, having fun, and bringing enjoyment to people's lives then I see no harm. I just don't see the demand or appeal. It would be like a trained professional wrestler doing backyard wrestling shows. If you have the aspiration to be in front of a crowd then why not share part of yourself with them and perform something closer to the soul.
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