(Not So) Weekly Mailbag! Vol. 2: More Covers than Bed Bath and Beyond

You may have noticed by now that my Weekly Mailbag feature is, uh, not very weekly. Fact is, 50% of it is I'm lazy, and 50% of it is that negative reviews are the only things that generate significant amounts of feedback. (And POORLY WRITTEN feedback at that.)

Still, occasionally I get a tidbit worth sharing. Here's part of an interesting exchange I had with Dave, the bassist of a new band called Kadarka Blu.

Dave wrote:

Date: Feb 14, 2006 11:29 PM
Subject: Re: Local band info

Hi there-

I am in a local band called "Kadarka Blu"(http://www.kadarkablu.com/) and we are currently finishing up a demo CD. We will be ready to start playing out within a couple months. My question to you is, even though we're doing a good job of writing/recording some original music, because I am fairly new to this (as is most of our band with the exception of the drummer) I have made it clear that I think we'll NEED to play covers to begin booking gigs. My bandmates are really against this, and honestly I would LOVE to focus on just originals but for now I feel like we need to just get our foot in the door and I am also concerned that there are few clubs in CT that book bands playing mainly originals.

I was wondering if you had any thoughts on this topic, and maybe suggestions of certain clubs, best open mics(we are thinking of trying Sully's this Sunday), etc. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!

Dave(Bass player)

I responded:

Hi Dave,

Thanks for writing! I'm so psyched that you asked me to weigh in on this.

As you've sensed by now, the bars in the greater Hartford area tend to like their covers. A lot. Too much, actually.

If your aim as a band is to stay financially viable, pay for your equipment, and put some cash in your pockets on the side, then yes,you will need to play covers. The fact is that all the most desirable local rock venues (The Hungry Tiger, The Red Door, All-Stars, Bourbon St., etc.) have cover bands regularly-to-exclusively. Even Sully's, who is probably the most supportive venue of original music in the Hartford area, has a fair percentage of cover bands.

What a lot of bands overlook -- and it's really unfortunate -- is the vast number of venues towards the south of the state that push original rock really hard. As you get closer to New Haven, bars get friendlier and friendlier towards originals, until -- poof! -- you're at someplace like Cafe 9 or Rudy's that brings in asskicking original rock pretty much every night of the week. It *is* possible in CT -- or anywhere, for that matter -- it's just that Hartford chooses not to do it. (More on that in a minute.) If you guys are willing to drive, I cannot urge you strongly enough to get in touch with the New Haven area bars and build a fanbase down there. If you get your foot in the door in that area, you'll be able to make money AND keep your original-rock integrity intact -- which, to me, is like having your cake and eating it, too :)

If you want to get a feel for how Hartford-area bands confront the cover vs. originals problem, you should all come out to the Snow Slam in Hartford on the 23rd. I don't say that to plug my own event ... There are a few bands playing that you should keep your eyes on. Magnesium Jake and Kaya will probably play a mix of covers and originals -- Tenet and Pushboxx may do some originals, too. The Snow Slam is our cover band event; in the summertime, the Band Slam is much more focused on originals, and will give you a better feel for bands who are set up similarly to yours.

If you've been following my column, then you probably know some of my main problems with the whole cover band scene around here. Most bands play 90% covers and then throw in an original to comfort their guilty conscience. With so many bands doing that, newcomers like you guys get screwed because you have to figure out to what degree you want tofollow the trend.

So, that's problem #1: bands are too eager to cave to the covers trend. (Problem #1.5 is that a lot of the songs they coverssssssssuck.) Problem #2 is that local bar/club owners are too restrictive; they mostly want cover-heavy bands. Problem #3, and this is the super-difficult one, is that you have dudes like Mark Tannenbaum, who basically books and promotes every single popular cover band and every single popular bar. At some point most successful bands around here have to make a decision as to whether to work with him or not. It's ultimately your choice. He can get you gigs at the best venues, which will get you a big fanbase and move tons of merch. But then, there's that whole, you know, selling your soul thing. Look at http://tannentunes.com/ to get a feel for what's going on behind the scenes here in CT.

SO that's the long answer. It *is* possible to make it as an all-originals band -- but not recommended in the Central/North part of the state. Down South = much easier and much more fun. (Hey, if I live up by Torrington, and *I* drive down there to review shows, they must have somethin' good.)

As for good venues -- check out the link to my blog at the end of the e-mail. There's a list on the side of the blog that has links to all my favorite venues. No crap allowed on that list! :) So that may be a good starting point.

I wish you guys luck, and definitely send me a demo when you're done with it -- I'm excited to hear it.

Take care, and thanks again for writing,
Dan