What does it take to become a popular cover band? In the competitive music business, sometimes having talent isn’t enough. Spit-Roast Muppet puts their innovative take on music to the test.
The band
The five members of Spit-Roast Muppet aren’t trying to be rock stars. Before they started the band six months ago, they were all involved in the original music scene.
Kevin Kruse, guitar; Shaun Beckett, guitar, Colin Hearns, on drums, and Dave DeVoe, lead singer, were originally in the band called Lost in Vex. George Prekel, who plays bass, was in the band Beyond Mirth with Dave DeVoe.
So most of the guys have been playing together for 10 years, and four of the members went to school together.
“We pretty much decided to do it for fun,” said DeVoe.
“We heard all these bands doing the same songs,” said Hearns. “We wanted to mix it up.”
“We decided to go against the grain,” said DeVoe.
The music
To have an original sound compared to all the other cover bands, they picked out underplayed songs from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s.
“We specialize in remaking ’80s songs and making them sound like music today,” said Hearns.
“We try to stay away from the generic radio songs,” said DeVoe.
Their song list has become so coveted by fans that they have to hide the set list during a show. Whenever they rehearse, they will try to come up with obscure songs that people haven’t heard in awhile.
“We always have a couple new songs every gig,” said Hearns.
“We like to surprise them,” said DeVoe.
According to DeVoe, it’s the song selection that makes them so popular.
“We play what we like,” said Hearns.
Each member has a favorite song to perform including: “The Promise,” “Life is a Highway,” “Take On Me,” “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” and “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic.”
Another specialty of the band is to play an eight to 10 song medley, which is an amazing number of songs to play without a break.
They have about 60 songs that they continually rotate.
Each of their versions of a song has their musical stamp on it that is enhanced by their vocal skill with harmony.
The fans
The guys have a high percentage of female fans, which other bands would kill for, because women will also eventually bring men.
“The only people that sign our mailing list are girls,” said Hearns.
“The second set is all dance songs,” said Kruse. “The girls love it and sign our mailing list.”
“And plus we are just a bunch of nice guys,” said Prekel. “We get through with a set and talk to the crowd. There aren’t any egos.”
The shows
Spit-Roast Muppet recently played at The Whiskey Bar in Hoboken, where they play once a month. It was Scott Rush from Media 51 productions who signed the band and got them into that room. At their last show, the room was packed for the first set. Even people standing in the front room were craning their necks to see them play.
One of the opening numbers was “Take Me Home Tonight,” which displayed excellent harmony by Dave DeVoe and Shaun Beckett.
DeVoe is a great front man, while his good looks surely keep the girls interested, his talent as singer keeps fans coming back. His voice has a sensuous quality, which on some songs sounds exactly like the singer he is imitating. He doesn’t play favorites with the crowd; instead, he sings to the entire room.
During that set they played a medley of songs that were instantly recognizable yet special because you probably haven’t heard them in awhile. The set list included: “Hungry Like the Wolf,” “Summer of 69,” “Unbelievable,” and “Head Over Heels.”
They played a slower version of “Sledge Hammer” and “Moving Out,” which also included more drums than the original and “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” included a guitar solo by Kruse.
The energy in the room was palpable. Most of the happy crowd was dancing and they sang along with DeVoe on several songs. Even though the songs are old, these guys are clearly new. The crowd stayed through the second set.
Future plans
Right now their biggest concern is building and keeping up a fan base, and expanding their list of venues. They’ve also played at The Red Lion, The Wobbly Barn, Casey O’Tools, Rock Bottom and more. If all goes well, they intend to play the Shore circuit this summer.
All of them will continue writing original songs on the side, but the band plans on keeping both worlds separate.
“Eventually, we want to incorporate some originals in with the covers,” said Hearns.
“But if we did that, eventually we would be covering ourselves,” said DeVoe.
“We want to keep it fun,” said Kruse. “We never want to be a cover band that takes themselves too seriously.” Mostly, they are happy just playing together.
“We will definitely be playing together in five years,” said Hearns. “I think we are tested,” said Kruse. “We’ve been together for 11 years.”
Spit-Roast Muppet will play at The Whiskey Bar in Hoboken on New Year’s Eve. For more information please call (201) 963-3400 or visit www.spitroastmuppet.com.