Ask a fan why he or she is willing to pay money for a band that plays cover songs, and the answer is often that they “know the band.” This knowledge means they know the popular song list. The band is judged on how well they cover familiar tunes.
A cover band might work for weeks or months to mimic their idols with no promise of a payoff at the end. Cover music can pack a venue. Bands that keep up with current music develop a following that might be mystifying to a musician who just wants to perform his own songs. Here’s a look at a few bands that make it work.
Undisputed
It’s not that Frankie Palmer of Undisputed doesn’t want to play original music. It’s just that he knows the demand for cover tunes. “When people are out on the weekend,” said Palmer, “they want to hear songs that they know.”
In the 10 years he has been performing professionally, he has seen bands members leave because they couldn’t keep up with the demands of home and performing four to five nights a week. “A lot of guys can’t take being away from home,” Palmer said. “You have to love it. It’s like a marriage. It’s a lot of stress.”
Palmer is a personal trainer during the day, which fits well with the performance schedule. All five members are committed to the four to five scheduled performances and the weekly rehearsal. The two newest members, Jason Soltys on keyboard and guitar and Matt Watt on drums, are veterans of the music scene. Jon Woolley, guitarist, is the youngest and Matt Troyano has played with Palmer through all three transitions. They all strive to stay current by learning three new songs a week.
Palmer said that the best part about being in a cover band is learning songs you like and playing them. According to Palmer, Hudson County fans like the familiar favorites more than others. At the Whiskey Bar in Hoboken, Undisputed puts on a rock show. With the raised stage, advanced sound system and light show, the focus is on the band. Palmer said it is one of his favorite places to play because of the setup and because the fans are “looking to cut loose.”
The band covers the rock songs, “I’m Not Okay,” “Somebody Told Me,” “This Love,” and “Slither.” The band plays pop music, but tries to keep it fresh. Palmer connects to the audience as he plays and takes requests. The downside is the requests for older songs that are played all the time. “Brown Eyed Girl” and “Living On A Prayer” are two songs fans request all the time.
“You work so hard to stay current,” said Palmer, “and people want to hear something that is all played out.”
Aside from becoming tired of a song, Palmer has no regrets. He would like to see the band work on some original material, but he gets most of his satisfaction from the audience response to the music and the connections that he makes with the fans. Tina Aloi and Diana Castore have been coming to see the band for a year. “I usually hate cover bands,” said Castore, “but I really like these guys. They are very passionate and they involve everyone.”
Yo Cuz
According to John LoPresto, lead singer of Yo Cuz, 1994 was the year that cover bands became popular. Mike Fortunato, lead guitar player, suggested to LoPresto that they get a band together. Lopresto, a former Jersey City resident, said people who remembered him from other bands would come up to him and ask, “Hey, Yo Cuz, where you playing this weekend?” They thought it was funny to goof on the local vernacular and decided to use it as the band name.
They became the house band at the Cadillac Bar on Thursday nights. “No one was playing rock covers,” said LoPresto. The band played songs from Live, Stone Temple Pilots, Jane’s Addiction, and Pearl Jam, music which appeals to male fans more. The bar hosted a Battle of the Bands competition, with two different bands playing in the two rooms. The cover songs were popular in a way that Lopresto had not experienced with his original music.
In 1988, LoPresto was in an original band and completed a demo of five songs. They started shopping it around when Lopresto discovered he had a cyst on his vocal cords, which forced him to quit the band. He was in and out of the hospital for surgery. He didn’t sing for four years.
In 1992, he went to vocal coach Mario Lisanti, from Hoboken, in order to learn how to support his voice. “We started from scratch,” LoPresto said. “But I did something people said I couldn’t do, which was come back and sing. Going four years without singing was tough.”
The band started performing the local circuit and the shore bars only to stop again in 2001. LoPresto said the combined personal and national stress of that year caused him to have problems with his voice again. He had to undergo more surgery and stopped singing.
He was well again in 2002 and the band got a monthly gig at The Whiskey Bar. All four current members, Lopresto, Lou Nuccio on Bass guitar, John Patten on drums, and Mike Fortunato have full-time jobs and other interests. “When you get older the dynamic changes,” said LoPresto. “You have to make a living.”
They don’t rehearse together anymore, so instead it is up to everyone to learn the parts of a new song. According to LoPresto, the band mixes music and comedy. They plan on playing as long as everyone still enjoys it. They all still live in Hudson County.
The Rory Daniels Band
Rory Daniels always knew he wanted to be a musician. He was playing professionally since he was 16. Daniels has been the lead singer and front man of the band for nine years, yet he was considering taking a year off when the band he was playing with for years decided to split.
The latest reincarnation of the band includes Jeff Rataski on drums, Steve Bryant on guitar, and Rob Tanico on Bass guitar. “When Rob and Steve became available I couldn’t stop playing,” said Daniels.
All four members are seasoned professionals that have played for years and have vocal talent. Daniels didn’t want to let the opportunity of playing with such talent go by. The band still plays covers, but they are working on harmonies and are trying to move away from the songs that everyone does. “If someone asks for it [a popular song] I’ll try to play it,” said Daniels, “but I try to play new songs.”
The band plays covers of Prince, Train, U2, and Bon Jovi. Daniels said the familiar songs are popular because people want to unwind and have a good time. They want to hear songs they know. “Jessie’s Girl” and “Brown Eyed Girl” are popular fan requests. “Basically anything with ‘girl’ in it is overplayed,” said Daniels. “Sometimes I’ll tease the audience and do the guitar intro to “Jessie’s Girl” and then play something else.”
According to Daniels, you rarely see the same faces in Hudson County, maybe just one or two. “People move out of Hoboken in three years,” said Daniels, “But you’ll see that person in LBI in the summer or Vermont in the winter.”
This kind of fan loyalty adds to the competition among cover bands. It’s a friendly competition, but one that doesn’t go away. “You see guys from other bands checking out the set list,” said Daniels. “They try to see what works with the crowd. I once had a guy steal my set list before he moved to Florida.”
The band’s current set list is well liked by the crowd. Last Saturday, the band played to a packed room at the Whiskey Bar in Hoboken. For the second set the band played “Saw Her Standing There,” to the delight of the crowd. The band was able to show off the three part vocal harmony that is becoming a signature of the new members. For “Mustang Sally,” Daniels got the crowd to sing along, only to go into an acoustic opening of “Little Red Corvette.” They also played “Jessie’s Girl” finally, because the people asked for it. Daniels takes requests during the last set and usually ends the night with girls dancing on the stage.
Szabi Nagy, who was at the show said, “They are one of the best bands I’ve seen at the Whiskey Bar. They play really tight and put on a great show.” Karen Finn, from Hoboken, said she first saw Rory Daniels at the shore a couple of years ago. “They are so good now,” said Finn. “I was blown away. I knew Rory was a good singer, but they sound like they’ve been together for years.”
Daniels thinks that the band will continue to grow and might start doing some originals mixed in with the covers. He has a CD of his original music coming out soon. He’ll continue playing the songs people love while getting his original music out there.
Undisputed, www.undisputedrocks.com , is playing Friday, June 10 at the Whiskey Bar.
Yo Cuz, www.yocuz.com , is playing Friday, June 24 at the Whiskey Bar.
Rory Daniels, www.rorydaniels.com , is playing Saturday, July 9 at the Whiskey Bar.