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Michael Lattanzio / Blog

Reinvent your Band or Artist.

The 3 sheets of a Cover Band

If you’re like me you’ve played in or have seen many cover bands performing at the local pub in your home town, but let’s face facts most times you quickly begin to understand why so many of these bands get ignored and ” under paid”.

Here is a quick but important synopsis of what it means to be in a successful cover band based on years of performing experience, attending and speaking with dozens of bands in the New York City area.

“The Pickup Gig”

We have all done pick up gigs at one time, we basically know or have played on more than 80% of the songs on the bands set lists, sometimes you rehearse, do the gig ,experience an average night, get paid, go home,eat ice cream in front of the TV then go to bed.

You can do more

(First sheet) Recently I came to understand that a great cover band always takes the time to rehearse the songs, here we work out any kinks or issues that anyone in the band may have regarding a particular part of a song or changes that they may not be sure of.

You can chart out the songs to help but you should try not to use charts for the live show.

(Second Sheet)Vocal harmonies can lift a band into the stratosphere and chorus parts become huge when compared to just the lead vocalist singing the chorus. This alone can lead to better gigs, so if possible a few separate rehearsals for vocals will help by leaps and bounds. Record yourself at practice time, rehearsals then listen and watch for ways to improve on anything you do not like about what you hear or see.

Most important

(Third Sheet) Your live show, this is where it must all come together and have the complete and total attention of your audience. You should have at this point rehearsed all your material so now is the time to look at each song in the set list(s) and imagine creating a special moment in each song .Focus on how the band looks on stage (pretend you are the audience) the band should always be dressed slightly better than the audience.

Try not to start with your best or most exciting song as the first song in the set instead choose a song that introduces the band in an interesting way (this is a lot like a first date) you don’t want to come on too strong initially slowly work your way to that big climax. This may sound strange but introduce the band after the first song especially if no one really knows the band yet. . (Hello, how do you do)

Now keep going thru the songs in your head visualize what the song is about is the song a tear jerk-er ? Or is the tune more of a groovy song where the words have no real meaning, either way visualize the lead singer singing the part are you being drawn into the moment? There should be frequent eye contact with the audience and a smile works wonders, try not to stare at the floor or over the heads of the audience this is an instant turn off. The band should be balanced across the stage try not to stand together on one side of the stage, if the guitarist decides to take a solo on the right end of the stage the bass player might move up and to the right to fill in any gaps on the stage thus recreating that important visual balance.

During solo parts the lead singer may want to step back and away till the next verse then come back to center stage again etc .Try different things to see what works best for you and if your band mates are OK with it video tape the show and review it. Guitarist should never solo in the same spot and it sounds crazy but the audience may think you’re playing the same solo all night long. (True story)

Band mates should keep still when the singer is making a connection with the audience if not it can cause a misdirection and confuse the audience so pick and choose the time when the band will all come together like for chorus parts or that big ending of a song etc..

“None of us ever say we are going to hear our favorite band, we always say we are going to see our favorite band”.

Like I said we’re in the video age so please take advantage .

Every Band needs a Plan !

Here’s a story you can relate to, recently I was asked to drum for a band that was fronted by a gorgeous 24 year old model, she had spent the last 14 years singing in her church is an amazing dancer and possesses a personality that I instantly gravitated to. I won’t mention her name here but I have to say she does possess all the qualities of an up and coming star. Although she had never performed with a live band before I knew it would not take her very long before she mastered her vocal/stage performance and got snatched up by the entertainment industry. I was being paid for the rehearsals and performances and was happy when the band leader asked me to help with the arrangement’s of the songs that were both original and cover material, things were going along pretty well for the first 2 to 3 months until I began to realize 2 things, For starters I wasn’t sure which direction the band leader was going regarding the band’s sound, style, genre etc so I decided to ask for a list of the “band goals” and a plan to where the band was heading. When I never got a reply I quickly started to realize the type of situation I was in. Secondly the other 2 musicians in the band had hit their musical apex as far as their musicianship and ability to continue writing and arranging the music for our young singer. They had started turning to me more and more for musical ideas, input and the arrangement of the music. Originally I just came on board to play drums not produce or lead the band that is a totally different responsibility and work load that would consume most of my time, not to mention the fact that the band leader was taking all the credit for my ideas and work and had no intention of sharing in the its success. Now like I said I was getting paid to learn the material rehearse and perform the live shows so maybe I should just kept my head down and my mouth shut like I always do and let it run its course till the next gig comes around but this time felt different I couldn’t just sit back and watch this creepy “band leader” take advantage of the young girl .The band leader had clearly been very lucky to have found her and had no idea what to with this naïve talent except exploit her for his own benefit. If you’re anything like me you know the feeling you get in your gut when you sense something is going very wrong. The question in my mind now is do I take the “moral high ground “and tell her she is being taken for a ride by this so called band leader? Or should I just walk away after the next 2 performances?(I have already agreed to do) Either way I will expose this rat for what he is to his face before I leave. Mike

Acoustic or Electronic ?

Hello Drummers, This post applies to keyboardists and guitarists too. Recently I pick up a set of Roland T30 V drums for the sake of being able to practice at the late and early hours of the day. (with out my wife and neighbors looking to shoot me again). I am sure as drummers you know what I'm talking about. To my surprise I found myself playing the T30's more and more as I explored the various kit's,editing samples, creating my own personal drum kit's and recording into my sequencer (Roland samples are studio quality). Realizing a total of 3 weeks passed before sitting behind my acoustic drums, I have to tell you at first I felt a little out of place (no kidding) it took about 30 minutes before I felt comfortable playing my acoustic kit. After that experience I made sure I bounced back and forth between the Electronic and Acoustic drums and at the same time noticed that these are very different animals of the same species. Here's what I mean the acoustic drums are complex regarding their sound because all the drums are vibrating together creating certain overtones and harmonics as you play them and I missed that while playing the electronic drums. What the electronic drums offer are great isolated drum sounds and other synth samples you can add to your kit that sparks different creative juices always different with each unique drum kit you bring up and I love that about them. As of right now I am looking to fusing the 2 worlds together and create a hybrid drum set (maybe bringing the best of both worlds together). How would this fit into my recording and live performance ? Still working on that one.Please let me know what experiences you have had on this subject would love to know and learn from you. Thank you for reading. Kind Regards, Michael Lattanzio Drums 4 Hire

Every Band has a shelf life.

It's true unless your the rolling stones that is and even the stones have become bigger then themselves.The process is a natural one as if one great song pops up after another and then a few years later something happens the song well runs dry.So if you have enough good songs and you can keep the band together you may continue to tour and play those dozen or so great songs on tour.I guess it maybe about handing off the baton to the younger folks and let them have their time to create until the well runs dry for them and it is time for them to pass it on to the next generation.So this maybe part of the song writing process and the music industry as a whole should understand and accept.We never really hear or talk very much about this important and natural process maybe just maybe this is what music is really all about.Creating the legends that we all aspire to and having our turn to create something just as great and then stepping down when we know our time is over to give the next artist a real chance. I hope some one can drill down deeper on this subject and bring the true process out from behind all the glitter and bright lights.