By Tom Volk of Burning Daylight
It’s important to choose a good cover song. Your audience is the primary reason for being onstage, and your needs and wants are secondary. This focus on your listeners will always serve you well.
The key is to find your niche genre(s), and it should become apparent after only a few discussions with your band. It should be a genre every band member likes ideally, but something every member tolerates will suffice as a fallback. If you’re a solo artist, it’s even easier to choose songs and easier to reinvent yourself with every performance.
Once you have your genre, choose some artists as a wish list. For each artist pick two or three songs. A good way to start is do internet searches with “(insert artist) songs,” with the (insert artist) part being the actual artist name. Visit a few links that pop up, which should be lists of that artist’s songs. Try to sort by popularity or number of searches if it allows. By this method you’ll see what is most sought after for that artist. That’s what people want to hear!
No one expects you to know more than 3 songs for an artist. In fact, they are probably more concerned with you having variety across several different bands within your target genre.
Pick the song, and search the lyrics. Have everyone give it a rough try, not looking for perfection but looking to see if you can establish a groove. Then, you can refine from there if you get that magical feeling. Getting that feeling is something that only you and your band can know for sure.
If someone doesn’t know their part, but everyone else is onboard, that’s okay! Just let that person have some practice time between now and your next meeting. Don’t throw away a great choice, because it takes a little work to achieve the sound you want.
Choosing songs that the lead singer or a lead musician is most comfortable with is a good place to start, but it’s not the only source of content. Never discount any ideas, because you never know where it may lead. You could discover an entirely new style or at least one that suits your musical act the best.
If you are at a gig, and someone requests a song by an artist, but you don’t know the specific song, offer other songs by that artist. They will feel like you have listened to their request and personalized their experience. You will have a fan for life!
Remember that the listeners are always right. Though they may be fickle, they are your precious resources, who must never be taken for granted.
