Band Chemistry

Band Chemistry
Here are a few top tips to help with your band. Getting this bit right makes everything else far easier. Battle the world, not each other!

Quick Advice
Pick your band members wisely (the easiest way to avoid bad band chemistry)
Talent isn't everything. Sounding good is only half the battle - you need to gel as a band. If you're having fun together, the audience will feel it. If the guitarist and singer can't stand each other, the crowd will pick up on that, too. You might be able to fake your way through it, but you better be great at it. Otherwise, your audience won't respond well.

Know your goals.
If you each know what you want out of the band, you'll have a lot less problems. If you agree on what you want (just playing locally versus becoming world famous versus something in between) then you're all set. But what if the drummer loves playing shows, the singer desperately wants to be famous, and the bassist is just hoping to pick up a date? Well, now you know that your drummer will say yes to any kind of tour, the singer will want to tour in big cities, and the bassist will want big crowds and post-show mixers. Know what will make everyone happy, and go for it.

Let go of the egos.
Just because it's your idea, doesn't mean it's the best one. Be flexible - especially with the minor stuff. Does it really matter if the guitarist wants to move the third song on the set list up a spot? Be civil to each other, and try not to take anything too personally. Remember, you are in this to have fun, right?

Know when to cut your losses.
If someone in your band isn't working out, know when to say goodbye. Don't avoid it because no one wants to be the bad guy. Draw straws if you have to, or approach it together, but take care of it. It's always better than the alternative - practices becoming further apart until one day you realize you broke up without knowing it.

Have fun.
It will solve virtually any problem.

Unsigned Promotion Advice 2011

It’s a tough time to be a musician, or the right time, depending on who you’re listening to.

Whether you’re afraid or fearless, one thing that’s certain is that a little advice on being a musician in the digital age won’t go amiss.

Hence this 5 tip mash up, geared towards helping you navigate the digital market as a DIY musician.

1. Drive your live audience online

Interaction with the audience during live performances is key: it helps you connect with your fans. It’s also a great time to increase your online following, so be sure to let your audience know about your website, Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare or any other social sites where you can be found.

2. Content is the most important aspect of a website.

The most important aspect of any website is quite obviously the content and presentation. If you’re creating your own musician’s website ensure that your font is both consistently legible and professional looking. Images, video and music are all acceptable forms of content – and should represent who you are as a musician. Don’t forget to leave links to your social networking sites like YouTube, Twitter and Foursquare.

3. Website Rule #1: No flash!
   Flash doesn’t just get in the way of your content. It’s also not compatible with many browsers. Sure Flash websites are good-looking, but what good is a site that can’t be accessed by everyone? It’s best not to forget that your website is a place for fans to go when want to learn more about you and to make a connection.
   
4. Email marketing is effective

This being the age of social media, you’d be quite surprised to find that email marketing is still very effective. The below chart shows not just how well email marketing works, but how it is used in other business.

Use emails to remind fans of upcoming gigs, connect on tour, or to announce upcoming releases.

5. Follow 25 new people a week on Twitter

This is an easy way to increase your followers on Twitter. We suggest following 25 new people that you’d like to follow you on Twitter each week. Don’t forget though that you need relevant followers, so start by adding your favourite music magazines and work your way up to people following bands/ acts similar to yours.

The flying death circus that navigated the land of eon with the bejewelled sword of neon and the band of pre-dawn space avenging monkey dancers

Long Band Names

I don’t recommend giving your band an excessively long name. I’m not referring to names with two parts like "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers" or "Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention" that flow — but rather the flat-out, unnecessarily long band names.
Here are some examples:

· When People Were Shorter and Lived Near the Water (9 words, 49 characters)

· The Presidents of the United States of America (8 words, 46 characters)

· …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead (10 words, 44 characters including ellipsis)

· I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness (7 words, 35 characters)

· I Can Lick Any SOB In The House (8 words, 31 characters)

While "The Presidents of the United States of America" can be nicknamed and referenced as "The Presidents,"the rest of the names don’t have a lot of options unless you want to go the Excessively Long Acronym route. Here are some reasons to avoid a long name for your band:

· Does not flow in conversation

· Can be difficult to remember

· Often does not sound like a band name

· Website domain name will need to be different than your name (unless you want to make the mistake of using the actual long version) Note: There is a 67-character limit on domain names

I’d like to add that the occasional song or album with a long name is okay, but Fiona Apple went too far with her "When the Pawn" album title that is 450+ characters in length!

What do you guys think? Do they work?

Any other long band names that are worth noting?

Do you have a long-winded band name?

Band of The Month - The FIx

Well it's that time aain and this months winners are hard rocking quartet The Fix. We caught up with the guys to see whats new with them, plus see how they are promoting thier music.

How did you guy’s form?

I moved to London 3yrs ago from the midlands with the sole purpose of forming a band. Lots of advertising and meeting people in pubs and practices. It took me two years before I met Mike (Bass Player) and then another six months to meet Fando (Lead Guitar). Phil (Drums) I found on a musician advertising site.

We get on really well and that was as important as being able to play and create.

“Bob” is an awesome track and demonstrates a very unique style – how did that track come about?

Thanks man! I write most of my songs on acoustic guitar and have a vision in my head when I do. I remember it taking me quite a while to write, I always start with music and came up with the verse riff first. The chorus came very naturally but it was the breakdown that took time to perfect.

The lyrics were an idea i’d had for a while and something that isn’t your standard theme. I called it Bob after the character that i’m singing about, I’m really proud of it and it’s probably my favourite track to play live.

What is your general writing process?

All of the songs on the current EP were written by me on my acoustic guitar at home that I already had written for a band. Now we’ve started writing at practices together. Someone will bring an idea to the table and we’ll generally allow each other to find a part to play. We’re not afraid to suggest other ideas or constructively criticise either and I find it healthy to do so.

During the writing I’ll usually have an idea of what I’d like to sing about forming and just have to feel it out and think about it. I take time over my lyrics as I think they’re incredibly important. What do you find most difficult about being an unsigned act in 2011?

Getting noticed. I know nowadays there are more ways than ever before to get your stuff out there to be heard and people can watch you on youtube or myspace but with that comes the problem of the other million billion other acts out there trying to do exactly the same. Hopefully our quality can stand out haha.

What are your top tips for other unsigned bands?

I played a gig with a previous band once and the band we were supporting were due to sound check first. They were a local band and we were travelling from stafford to manchester. We got there on time but were doing our check after the headliners as is standard. They strolled in 45mins late, were rude to the sound engineer and had no interest in acknowledging us when we said hi.

Basically the opposite of that! Be professional, be polite, be respectful. We haven’t done anything yet, we’re an unsigned act trying to get noticed and one of the things I believe people appreciate is professionalism, politeness and respect. What goes around comes around.

Also, don’t just record something, stick it on myspace and wait for the call to come. Don’t kid yourself, you’re going to have to work your arse off! What is your fantasy band line up?

That is just so unfair!

Ok lets give it a go

Vocals - A choice between Eddie Vedder, Guy Garvey and Tom Waits Guitars - John Frusciante, Josh Homme, Johnny Greenwood and Dean Deleo Bass Guitar - Robert Deleo, John Paul Jones or Paul Mccartney Keys - Ed Harcourt or Ben Folds Drums - Dave Grohl, John Bonham or Stewart Copeland

Tell us an amusing band story

This is a story from my old band.

When we did one of our tours we would hire a van, two in the front and all the equipment and the other 3 in the back, in the dark with an old sofa and a matress.

Our lead guitarist had a bladder the size of a flea and constantly needed to use the facilities. On one of our longer drives back from a gig, that call of nature came again but no service station in site for at least 20 miles. Unable to hold out he found an empty plastic milk bottle and proceeded to do the deed.

Unfortunately for him he hadn’t realised there was no lid or cap and so for the next 20 miles was holding an open bottle of piss in the dark in the back of a van.

During those 20 miles there were many swerves and close calls as piss sloshed back and forth from the open bottle when all of a sudden the services were upon us. A sigh of relief as we pulled in, then, we hit a speed bump into the services car park, the bottle flew from his grasp and drenched the back of the van in stinking hot urine. The amps, the sofa, the matress and 60% of the band completely soaked!

Those last 100 miles were very quiet indeed!

What are your views on Band Assist?

Fantastic, Some good sound sensible advice from people who have seen it done it and got the t-shirt. Real friendly and nothing but good things to say about you guys!

What’s next for you?

We’re recording our second EP in June, before then we have photo shoots, gigs at the bowery (8th april), the troubadour (11th may) and are starting to put together our website. Lots of hard work, fun and cups of tea ahead!

Some More Unsigned Band Tips

Get your music on Spotify, for the exposure, not for the royalties.

It’s easier than ever to get your music on Spotify so there is no real excuse not to if you have good quality recordings that you’re happy for the world to hear. The sharing and playlist functionalities on Spotify by far outweigh emailing a social networking link to a friend and it could really boost the viral spread of your music. I’m constantly creating and sharing playlists to friends/industry and if I really like one of your tracks then it’ll be slotted in there between a Muse B-Side and a Susan Boyle cover of Sympathy For The Devil.

Prepare a 12 month plan, setting yourself SMART objectives.

I’m not expecting a full business plan here guys, just have a think about what you want to happen in 2010. Do you want to record an album? Focus on touring? Improve your online presence? Think of 5 achievable targets for the rest of 2011, being realistic here is key – if you formed 3 months age don’t put down “Headline Reading Festival”. Like anything your music career is about small steps. So if you have been going 3 months maybe one objective should be to play your first gig by May? If you have been around for a few years maybe your aims should be to play 3 new cities this year, or get on a smaller festival or get over 100 people to a gig. When you have your 5 objectives you need to draw up a battle plan of how to get there. More soon.....

To Cover or Not?

Is an age old question. Should unsigned bands cover well known bands? Should you start or end with a much loved tune or simply stick to your own material.

I am in two minds here to be honest:

When a Cover Works:

In previous bands and projects we have often thrown a well known cover that everyone can get into - think "Whole lotta love" by Zepplin, "Paradise City" by Guns or "sex is on Fire" by the kings of Leon. They can really grab the audiences attention and make them engage with you then you can take them along the trip with your tunes or finish with a much loved song to end on a huge crescendo. Yep I have had some of my best audience reactions from playing covers live plus it's so easy to learn someone else's stuff.The Problem

The problem is no matter how good your stuff is due to the audiences familiarity with the cover your material just won't stand up. You run the risk of people simply going away remembering that 1 song (albeit, an awesome rendition of it) and you can fast become the band/artist that covers "xxxxxx". I have also seen many a fine musician love the reaction to a cover that they throw in another, then another and soon your playing 50% original and 50% cover versions.

My 2 Cents (about 4p for us Brits)

I have a few feelings on this one:

1) have 2-3 create covers in your arsenal ready to bring out if a crowd is flagging and you want to grab their attention. Do not play them in consecutive gigs and replace them every 3-6 months, so you don't get too known for that song alone. The constants should be your material.

2) Make it different - many artists have changed a cover significantly and really made it their own. In fact many launch their careers in such a way. Look at Limp Bizkit with Faith, Robbie Williams with Freedom or the late Sid Vicious with My Way!

3) A little bit of honest plagiarism. Lets face it you probably have a few artists in your CD collection that most people won't have heard of but one or 2 of their songs are simply awesome on first listen. Why not cover them! DON'T Claim they are yours, just don't claim anything! This is honestly what Metallica did in their early days - they didn't have enough songs to fill a set so padded it out with obscure yet catchy covers.

Use covers sparingly and cleverly. Plus if you are going down the road of altering an original to make it your own be prepared to play it a fair bit, as people really latch onto this.

Good Luck
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Raising the Bar

When I work with musicians both professional, part-time, and amateur more often than not they all have something in common. That is they are not marketing themselves to the outside world. Sure, some carry their business card and a few have a website. There are a few with a demo or even a CD they have recorded. The real problem is that they do not have a cohesive plan for raising their profile to meet their own goals.

A professional musician does not automatically get playing jobs. The phone isn’t ringing off the hook for their services. More often than not the person hiring the musician has people that he or she works with and knows. Going with an unknown or a new player is often not the first choice for the music director or contractor.

A part-time or amateur musician can really benefit from raising the profile especially if they want to acquire more playing jobs or move from volunteer work to paying jobs.

Word of mouth has its place and can be very helpful. The bottom line is that the musician needs to take steps to get out there and make themselves known to the world at large. That means developing and implementing a cohesive marketing plan and implementing it.

And don’t forget BA is your free resource so if you need any advice or tips just get in touch!!
Till next time!

Tips on Flyer

A flyer is one of the most basic tools that a band has for promoting shows and improving name recognition. For many bands, flyers are the only reliable way to promote, so it's worth the time to design and print a really high quality flyer. Here are a few tips for making a great flyer that can get more people to your band's shows.

1. Use the odd. By putting weird pictures and words in your flyer, you can attract attention; remember that people will see your flyer in passing, and that they won't necessarily stop to read it unless something on the flyer gives them a good reason to. Draw peoples' attention with something interesting, and the easiest way to find interesting is to find he weirdest thing you can. Some bands use shocking images on their flyers. If you're in a metal band and that's your audience, it's fine, just make sure you're not going to offend anyone that can call off your gig (like the owner of a venue).

2. If your band is touring, you only have to design one flyer. Leave a large blank section at the bottom of the flyer with WHEN and WHERE written in black, then fill these areas in when you've got a show booked and send them out to the venues and bands that you're playing with. If you can put a few around town before you play, that's even better. Using a single flyer lets you order a ton of high quality prints at a fairly low price.

3. Get your flyers professionally printed. They'll be way more likely to catch the eye than cheap, grayscale printed flyers, and if you order enough online you can get them for a pretty low price. They don't have to be the huge flyers, but getting a few glossies will help your band promote its shows and get more people to show up to the gig, which is the point of the flyer in the first place.

4. Make sure the relevant info's on the flyer. You'd be surprised at how often this is missed. Get the right info on the flyer, including other bands playing the show and the myspace or website information for every band involved (and the venue, if possible). This can be written in, in marker, it doesn't matter, it's just all got to be there. Use a weird description for your band's sound, and maybe even include a few reviews. Give people a reason to show up

Love/Hate relationship? Try Hate/Hate

Today, we are going to cover that strange, curious condition that afflicts most bands eventually. The formal medical term is "insecurity-induced musical estrangement syndrome," more commonly known as "I hate my %$#% [choose instrument player] and I'm going to beat his dumb ass disorder." How do you get along with people that drive you crazy? It's hard, but I have some ideas.Let me get this straight. One guy in your band shows up for gigs drunk. Another has developed a coke problem and, as a result, can't afford to pay his share of studio costs for your new CD. The other guy is always fighting viciously with his girlfriend and it negatively affects the band. The last guy acts like a spoiled 5-year-old, constantly complaining and implying that without him you'd be nothing. You just can't stand him. You, on the other hand, are perfectly normal and rational and can't understand why fate has determined that you must play in a band with these boneheads. Yet, when you play together, there's this THING that happens, this magic that has never been present in any other musical situation you've been involved in.

Does any of this sound familiar? It certainly mirrors some of the band experiences I've had over the years. Egos, drugs, dysfunctional relationships and plain old musical disagreements often get in the way of bands functioning at 100 percent and reaching their full potential. If your band is suffering through these kinds of problems, there are a few things you can do to try and improve your relationship with one another.No one ever said that being in a band is easy. It is really like a family, complete with all its positive and negatives. The key, though, is to remember that you don't have to love one another; you just have to get along. Rock and roll history is rife with examples of incredible bands who constantly fought with one another and are still here to talk about it. The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, The Kinks, Guns N' Roses, the Black Crowes, Megadeth and Black Sabbath are but a few.

The first step is to locate the problem. Sometimes it can be simple: the guitarist has a drinking problem. Other times, especially when it is primarily a clash of egos, it is much more complicated. Still, you obviously cannot fix the problem until you know what its origins are. You have to do some work to figure out why people behave the way they do. That may require more than just a prima facie understanding of human psychology and behavior. If necessary, read a psychology book or talk to a counselor. Do whatever it takes to get a grip on what the real root cause of the problem is.The next step is trying to fix it. Don't ever presume that just because you were the person who recognized the existence of a problem, you may not be partially to blame for it. Even if you are the "rational and responsible" guy in the band, you may have unwittingly contributed to the genesis of this problem. As with most disagreements, there's your side, my side, and the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

There are two critical components to working through any personal disagreement. The first is communication and the second is respect. Talking through a complicated issue is very difficult. The only way for it to work is for both sides to be willing to discuss their concerns rationally. Both parties must do everything possible to avoid getting emotional and upset or to take things personally. In theory, at least, it is in everybody's interest for people to get along. Don't push people's emotional triggers simply to upset them, as that ultimately benefits no one. Do everything you can to respect your bandmates and their position, even if you disagree with them. If people believe that you are trying to invalidate their opinions, chances are that they will respond by becoming defensive and you will accomplish nothing. Remember, your goal here is to find common ground and for all sides to be conciliatory. If your discussion degenerates into a screaming, insult-laden argument—or worse, a fistfight—you may be searching for new members in the morning (and getting some stitches tonight). If necessary, find a neutral third party to help you talk through your problems. Perhaps a counselor or your A&R person or manager can help.

Once you work through the major issues, the focus must be shifted onto relationship maintenance. This means revisiting issues as they crop up and also being willing to take on new problems early, before they grow bigger. All involved must be willing to have respectful, nonjudgmental band meetings frequently to work on that old cliche of "building bridges." If you respect each other and, maybe more importantly, respect what you each bring to the band, you will do what is necessary to ensure domestic tranquility.

Awesome Performance

Now I am totally against any form of organised dance routine but a bit of choreography wouldn't go a miss here!!

Ok so we have had a few emails about writing lyrics. This can be really tough for some people. The focus on fronting a band and singing well is not enough you need the words and they need to be real so listeners can relate and believe in you. Bands are emotional creatures and people live them.

So here are a few top tips

#1:
Is there an incident which happened that you think may have some song value? Write a song about that incident. If it were something you personally experienced, then that's probably even better.

#2:
Practice writing lyrics that have absolutely nothing to do with anything you've actually experienced. This could really add more variety to your lyric writing. Was it something experienced by someone you know? Write about it.

#3:
Take a very good concept and write several songs about it. Each song should give a different twist or perspective to the concept. This may very soon add up to a complete concept album.

#4:
At times, you may have written a song with a great melody but you just don't like the lyrics. You should probably just keep the melody and completely rewrite the lyrics, based on a new topic.

#5:
Write lyrics about something you have read about in a newspaper or magazine. Or perhaps something you saw on tv. How about your favorite movies? Do they have interesting ideas for writing lyrics?

One thing that can really enhance your lyric writing is brainstorming. This is one preliminary step that we sometimes neglect when we write lyrics. As songwriters we should try to dig dip to come up with ideas. Sometimes we simply underestimate our imaginative capabilities.
A good rhyming dictionary is a very useful lyric writing tool. It has helped me get out of a lot of jams. Just reading through the entries can really inspire you. Why beat your head against the wall when you can use a good rhyming dictionary to help you write lyrics?

More soon but I hope this helps!

Winehouse Blunder

So constantly wrecked mess but incredibly talented Sid Vicious look-a-like; Amy Winehouse is in trouble again. This time she is said to have insulted the King of the Zulu Nation by getting drunk and falling asleep. This made us think of the amount of times we have reviewed bands and acts where one member is clearly smashed. Never a good idea - we know there is notmally a large amount of waiting around plus alcohol is a great wa to help stage fright but sadly it does not help performance.

You normally have 1 chance to impress people and if you are sloppy and a mess people won't want to see you again. Every gig is your wembley, you must build you base from day 1 and keep people coming back.

How NOT to Promote your music!

So You Tube is a great way get your music and act out there but you need to consider what you are putting out ther and is it a good representation of your music. So here is how NOTto do it:

Lesson 1: If you can't afford decent effects do use any!



2) If you put in a bad performance, learn from it for Heavens sake don't put it on the Internet!



more to come soon

Don't Do this - It's NOT the Law!!

Hello all

I was speaking to a couple of guys the other day who have just finished recording a 10 track album which they are really please with and after a brief listen I think they may have recorded something quite special. Anyway we got round to talking about Copyrighting their music and they informed me they had sorted it already. Wow I said how much did it cost you (knowing that some people charge an absolute fortune to do this). Nothing they said. It turns out they have believed the old “poor man’s copyright” story.

If you have never heard of this let me quickly fill you in. The concept is simple. The idea of copyright is to prove (in case of plagiarism) that you had a particular idea first. So under the “poor man’s copyright” theory you burn a CD, put it in an envelope and send it to yourself. Then when it arrives never open it and keep it in a safe place. The idea is that the piece of mail will have a date stamp on it proving that the music on it was created at that particular time. So in 10 years time you can sue the latest Simon Cowell robot that is stealing, and I imagine murdering, your song.

THIS IS A MODERN DAY MYTH AND WILL NOT STAND UP IN A COURT OF LAW

Sorry to break it to you but there is no provision for such an activity in Copyright Law. It is kinda obvious why as it is so open to being faked. You could send yourself an empty envelope, not seal the envelope and put anything in it, etc,etc. I know a load of bands think that this is ok and will give them some level of protect but it will not give you any protection at all. In fact you could even in extreme examples face a lawsuit of your own for such a move.

Copyrighting is not that expensive anymore, particularly if you do it online. I have heard about 2 UK companies that offer Copywriting for a good price (Please note: I have no affiliation with these companies – see no affiliate links and no need to mention Band assist. Plus I have not delved 100% into them so do a bit of due diligence yourself):

Copyright Services – provide a 5 year copyright for 1 song for £39 or 10 years for £65

Protect my work – do things a little differently and you pay £25 a year then it only costs £1 per song after that (at the moment they seem to be offering 5 free songs when you sign up.)

Copyrighting your work is always a good idea – there are a lot of bad people out there looking to make cash from others hard work – but it is not essential to copyright everything straight away. If you have the funds get it done, if not just focus on the music – you can always write another Rock Anthem!

Till next time

Should you compete?

I often get asked about battle of the bands competitions and their value. There certainly seems to be a great deal of scepticism surrounding them with many of you thinking they are fixed! Now I can’t speak on all of them but in the past I have heard from a member of a panel that before the final of a national competition she was instructed to vote a certain way as a deal had been put in place. It also seems to be a common phenomenon that these competitions are simply vast money making machines where bands have to sell ticked at quite expensive prices.

The Negatives

Well selling tickets at an over-inflated prices can damage your gigs around the same time as people can’t attend both (so plan gigs carefully in this period). A lot of promoter for battle of the bands actually award points for selling tickets which puts some people at a severe disadvantage and it would seem popularity/number of friends is more highly valued than talent. Personally I have never bought a CD due to the artists number of friends, maybe I’m missing out! This does mean that bands at college or school tend to do pretty well here as they have a vast pool to draw on.

The other issue is does not doing well in such a competition make you look bad? If you came dead last, potentially through no fault of your own, does this mean people may write of your music in the future?

My Advice

On the plus side due to the increased pressure to sell tickets these events are usually really well attended and can get you in front of a larger crowd, many of which may never go to gigs. So you could actually pick up a few fans and sell some CD’s. The key thing here is to play harder and better than you ever have. Win over the crowd rooting for another act and try to pick up as many fans as possible. Treat it as a real opportunity and don’t focus on winning plus make sure everyone in the band feels the same. Your aim for this gig is to gain fans not win prizes.

Finally even if you don’t win you can put a positive spin on it stating you go through to the final or even the fact that you were selected to play in the first place above other acts.

See you soon

Should you covet covers?

It is an age old question. Should unsigned bands cover well known bands? Should you start or end with a much loved tune or simply stick to your own material.

I am in two minds here to be honest:

When a Cover Works:

In previous bands and projects we have often thrown a well known cover that everyone can get into - think "Whole lotta love" by Zepplin, "Paradise City" by Guns or "sex is on Fire" by the kings of Leon. They can really grab the audiences attention and make them engage with you then you can take them along the trip with your tunes or finish with a much loved song to end on a huge crescendo. Yep I have had some of my best audience reactions from playing covers live plus it's so easy to learn someone else's stuff.

The Problem

The problem is no matter how good your stuff is due to the audiences familiarity with the cover your material just won't stand up. You run the risk of people simply going away remembering that 1 song (albeit, an awesome rendition of it) and you can fast become the band/artist that covers "xxxxxx". I have also seen many a fine musician love the reaction to a cover that they throw in another, then another and soon your playing 50% original and 50% cover versions.

My 2 Cents (about 4p for us Brits)

I have a few feelings on this one:

1) have 2-3 create covers in your arsenal ready to bring out if a crowd is flagging and you want to grab their attention. Do not play them in consecutive gigs and replace them every 3-6 months, so you don't get too known for that song alone. The constants should be your material.

2) Make it different - many artists have changed a cover significantly and really made it their own. In fact many launch their careers in such a way. Look at Limp Bizkit with Faith, Robbie Williams with Freedom or the late Sid Vicious with My Way!

3) A little bit of honest plagiarism. Lets face it you probably have a few artists in your CD collection that most people won't have heard of but one or 2 of their songs are simply awesome on first listen. Why not cover them! DON'T Claim they are yours, just don't claim anything! This is honestly what Metallica did in their early days - they didn't have enough songs to fill a set so padded it out with obscure yet catchy covers.

Use covers sparingly and cleverly. Plus if you are going down the road of altering an original to make it your own be prepared to play it a fair bit, as people really latch onto this.

Good Luck

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