Why are there so few bands doing "original" materi

Tuesday 17 Jul 2012, 3:34pm

Is it me, but the days of "original bands" starting out, are virtually non existent, especially in Herefordshire where everything is "metal"
Whats wrong with trying something new, is it that it has all been done ?

Tuesday 17 Jul 2012, 11:31pm

Your right in the case of "original bands" starting out are pretty much null but that is simply because there is a band out there for almost any type of music you could name... you have to get people interested in trying some form of "fusion". by that i mean combining elements from multiple styles... the band im in, for example, are fusing Death metal with Egyptian Sounds and lyrical themes, even this has been done in the form of Nile, Melechesh, Scarab, Odious etc, we're tryin to make it more unique by going down the Melodic Death rather than Technical death.

But that's what i mean by almost everything is out there now. Coming up with something completely new and original is extremely difficult and would likely resort to combinations that shouldnt be attempted, like The Wurzles and Cannibal Corpse for example.. The best you can do is keep attempting to find people that will be willing to try and come up with something brand new and unheard off, I imagine though it'll take a lot of time, patience and you'll go through a lot of people.

Saturday 21 Jul 2012, 2:18pm

I've been offering free studio time to local original bands. Advertising on here and a few other local web sites, I got less than 10 bands contacting me !

It seems to be mostly classic rock cover bands in the North West.

Saturday 21 Jul 2012, 8:37pm

I doubt if it has all been done. Take any decade and they would not have begun to dream how the scene would change. If you take classical music, it changed not a jot for centuries and in fact what is being written today woudl not be out of place at one of Loius XVI parties. Dance hall and the big band was around for decades without change. It has really only been since the 60's that we have had supposedly new music spring up every few years. if you really look at the music though its all the same just some guitars are more over driven/distorted than others, some vocalists scream and some use melodies and the various "genres" wear a different uniform so that they may distract further from the unsuspecting that the deep, dark sombre tune played over and over by the local emo was in fact written by the Bee Gees back in the 60's.

There will be new music, such that we cannot comprehend at the moment. It may not happen in our lifetime but it will happen.

Tuesday 24 Jul 2012, 1:16pm

Lack of imagination and the amount of hard work it takes to make an originals band succeed are the main culprits.

It's very VERY hard for originals bands to get properly on the scene because they're expected to "pay to play" and sell tickets on behalf of the promotor instead of just working in conjunction.

Wednesday 17 Oct 2012, 10:43pm

Thanks for your comments, you are all obviously intelligent musicians and your views reflect my own on the matter.
I just remember a time in the late 70's and early 80's when you could go out on a friday night, in Leamington Spa.....walk past a pub with music blarring out on to the pavement and go in, to see something original, not "covers". In those days if you played covers, you were regarded as a bit of a pleb.
My point is the lack of personal ambition from musicians, a lack of individuality, a lack of experimentation, a general complacency or fear, to step out of the box.

Saturday 27 Oct 2012, 11:38am

I agree,
I've been trying to get an original group together for months.
Are people too afraid ?

Saturday 27 Oct 2012, 11:43am

I think you've hit a pretty good word there Slaptastic, afraid, because doing something new means no other band has done its a bit like "well, how do we go about writing this? what if people dont like it?" which obviously puts them off. However there are some of us who are wanting something brand new and un-heard off.. couple of months? thats nothing, try 2 years haha

Saturday 27 Oct 2012, 12:13pm

I must admit when I say original, what I mean are new songs. In a slight funk rock pop reggae ska mashup feel good fusion.
nothing ground breaking genre wise.
Upfront modern Bass lines with a mixture of all various types of Guitar licks and Drum beats.
It's not over complicated stuff.

Saturday 27 Oct 2012, 2:10pm

No-one is willing to try hard enough.

Saturday 27 Oct 2012, 5:10pm

There are BIG problems with original bands... Firstly, I find that a vast majority of original bands are made of young players. Not that this is a bad thing, but unfortunately, many of them don't play their instrument or sing too well,. which in turn can affect their song writing ability. We are in a high tech age these days, which is great for studio creation, but can make life really difficult for live performance sound. Any original performing band should take into consideration, that no matter how good your songs are (or think they are), when you perform them, for most of the audience, it will be their first hearing of them. You have one shot to impress them so as to make them want to hear you again (or buy your album) and any band who thinks that in 2012 they can do that with a couple of guitars, drums and bass with a singer (who is not being backed vocally by the rest of the band members), are probably just legends in their own minds and will remain so. Why do you think that venues don't want to pay money out for an original band at their venue? Because "A" ~ most of them sound the same with nothing special about them. "B" ~ 90% of the younger set of people who go out (18 - 30) that frequent bars are not interested in live bands and are even less interested when the band is playing something they've never heard of. My advice to any band who want's to do their own stuff is.... First record an album of your songs. When you record it, use as much effect and available technology that is available to enhance your recordings to the highest standard that is possible. When you perform, do mostly covers (so you will get gigs "with money!") and drop in a couple of your original songs into your set (no more). Give away sample CD.s containing 3 or four songs to any of the audience that will take them. After a number of gigs with these hand outs, try getting a gig (or putting one on yourself) doing just your original stuff. If your any good, you may stand a chance of getting an audience, if you don't, well maybe you need to ask yourself why?

Sunday 28 Oct 2012, 1:04pm

I have to agree, although I do believe trying to have a fresh sound in your own style for an old cover, like muse for example, is more attention grabbing, and makes it easier to drop in your own songs.

Saturday 22 Dec 2012, 4:42pm

ive been trying to find musos for originals for what seems like ever - not a freakin' thing!!! just metalheads trying to convince me to join 'the next big thing in metal' (no offence intended to the metal scene) but for crying out loud where is everyone????

Saturday 22 Dec 2012, 6:59pm

i know the feeling... cover bands are all over the place.. i am so hooked on doing originals although so many pester the crap out of me to do covers... i still am resistant to covers but have incorporated some covers with my originals. I see it from venues point of view and fans point of view but i also see it from musicians.
venue - wants to keep customers coming in the door with stuff the customer is familiar with.
fans - like what they like
musicians see it as a pain because it kills creativity and makes me as a musician feel crap and i think it does to many others who have their own sounds and their own identity with their music and it just feels like a kick in the face when something you put your heart and soul into is rejected by fans and venues alike. but i also learned that theres one person that has to like the music of the musician, its the same person who understands the situation which it came from ... the musician. if we like our own music then there shouldnt be a venue in the world who can sway us differently. I want to share something i done with you guys now to prove my point. itis a guitar track i recorded not long after the death of one of the greatest friends ever, i like it and it keeps my head up through crap times.
https://soundcloud.com/rachaelxjayne/fallen

sounds like im going on a bit but my point is venues and fans want stuff what they have heard of and are familiar with.

Saturday 22 Dec 2012, 8:13pm

Covers don't HAVE to smother creativity although they often do. The trick is not to imitate the original band but to play in your own style. When Nouvelle Vague do Guns of Brixton, or Love Will Tear Us Apart with their syrupy girl singer, they are creating something original (or they were the first time anyway).

Same goes when Alice Cooper covered Rolf Harris ("Sun Arise") or Soft Cell did Gloria Jones ("Tainted Love") or the Slits did Marvin Gaye ("I Heard It Through The Grapevine") They've all taken work that's already out there and made it original.

Of course, you have to be careful WHAT you cover. If you're a metal band, cover a Country song. If you're a Country band, cover a metal classic and whatever kind of band you are DON'T cover "Sex Is On Fire".

Friday 28 Dec 2012, 3:36pm

Very interesting read!

I'm a bassist in an originals band and we play Alt Rock in Hertfordshire (believe it or not, it's not metal) and I believe it's the drummers. drummers don't do originals anymore!

We have had so much positive feedback and have so many oppertunities to do something with our music but aren't able to use what we have because drummers are so stupidly rare! Our last drummer left due to illness and we've not been able to find another drummer for soon to be 3 months.

I worry that we're gonna hit the point where we realise we aren't gonna get one and I just can't comprehend that happening as this band is brilliant

Wednesday 2 Jan 2013, 1:48pm

Agree with pretty well everything on this thread - mostly Punk/Metal around this area too.
The advice that "umpdv5000" gave earlier is very true, along with "Slaptastic" - change some well known covers into your own style and mix in a few Originals.
One of my daughters is a solo acoustic singer/songwriter - she is 21 and semi-pro with about 5 years Live experience behind her.
She mixed a couple of Originals into her sets from the outset - without telling the audience - it leaves them guessing as to who it was originally sung by and opens up conversation after a gig.
These days she asks the audience what they want to hear and more often than not someone will pipe up "Give us some of your own".
Don't forget to listen to audience reaction as that will give you an indication of what they like - and don't like !
It's the best "judge" of whether you are on the right track. Sorry no Pun intended.
On the question of "Pay to Play" - yeuk !
I started a regular monthly night for "originals" acts doing 30 minute slots - sort of halfway house between Open-Mic and a full support slot - the venue paid a small amount which was shared between the 4 acts to cover their "expenses" (£10 solo £20 Band) - plus the customary Free Drink - which probably puts me in the minority of "promoters" who "Pay to Play" - in this case I Pay - You Play !
If the acts turned up on their own then great - we had someone to listen to - If they brought along some audience then that was good too but all acts were under no pressure at all to bring anyone along. As the "promoter" that is My Job along with the Venue !
Unfortunately, we ran into issues with a very loud Drum & Bass DJ which sort of screwed things and the venue wasn't prepared to start the DJ after we had finished so I'm on the lookout for a new venue to start again.
Finally - Uriel91 and other posts - Drummers !
Short supply - yes indeed.
I've been looking for one for about 9 months now !
Plenty of "I'm really intersted in the project can I have more details" followed by dumb silence !
Really annoying.
If people post on this type of site that they are available then they should be just that, or at least have the decency to write back and say "Changed my mind" - otherwise you waste time waiting for a reply that never comes !

Anyways - HAPPY NEW YEAR to One and All and Happy Gigging in 2013 !!
Lets hope we all find what we are looking for.

Monday 25 Feb 2013, 8:43pm

So there are musos out there who understand, Cover or not to Cover, colleges are turning out shed loads of musicians who all want or think they are going to make it, we used to work for an A&R company engineering the showcases and gotta say that most of the original material sounded the same, different band same sort of style most was in your face stuff and just a quick glance at management was enough like Simon Cowell it takes just seconds. In six months I did'nt hear one band that really knew what was going on little time spent on arrangement and usually one singer fighting against the guitar players I'd luv to know what goes though their heads when they write this stuff, to get anywhere with original material you have to be in the right place right time and have shed loads of luck or know a man who knows a man or you could just get a propper job and save yourselves wasting your life, you should have been born years ago then maybe you would have stood a chance cos now you are only as good as your last single and its back to Tesco.

Monday 25 Feb 2013, 8:48pm

that's because the people who know what they're doing stay away from that crap.

Tuesday 2 Apr 2013, 12:43am

Shame really but Original Bands dont have the platform they used to. In 'my day' everyone wanted to be in an original band with the hope of gigging and recording and then who knows what might happen? Original Bands just have to be really something special because audiences dont always have the patience to listen to songs they do not know - which if they had regular gigs could be rectified into a small following or large but there are limited places for them to play. Its a sign of the times - also some venues wont pay unless you play things people know. Sad but true. Its a dog eats dog world and original bands have to be excellent or get some cover material into their set to keep the punters happy. I do feel sorry for original artistes but I think it answers the question.