Everyone knows the phenomenon. Given enough time, you can't avoid it. But there will be a time when you are trying to enjoy a quiet drink in your local pub, bar or club, only to contend with someone struggling around the chords of Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway to Heaven', making a poor attempt to mimic Robert Plant's high vocals. Instead, perhaps it's that Top 40 song that's on all the radio stations that you really hate? Maybe, just to be different, they will do the injustice of making an attempt at your favourite song of all time.

This is the cover band; a realisation of the understanding that, while it would be impossible to get John, Paul, George and Ringo into your local for a performance, you can get someone else to play a Beatles track and still have an appreciative audience¹. This breed of entertainment has been a part of Western culture for as long as there has been rock 'n' roll, and probably goes even farther back into music history.

However, even something as trivial as the cover band comes in various shapes and guises, to suit their respective purposes.

The Full Ensemble

The most classic form of cover band sees a full complement of musicians onstage, playing a host of popular songs to their audience. This is typically a singer, drummer, bassist, one or two guitarists, and optional keyboards. This form of cover band originated in pubs and clubs, playing to keep the audience entertained without the risk of original music (which has the potential to drive an audience away from the drinking establishment).

The Two-man Show

Advances in technology have allowed for a new breed of cover band. The two-man show will usually be two musicians of any combination; two guitarists, one guitar and one keyboard, one guitar and one bass, etc. They will be backed up not with a drummer, but a Midi-sequencing system. This piece of technology allows the musicians to program music into the sequencer at home, effectively creating a backing track (usually drums and bass, and perhaps keyboards, strings, guitar solos). Then, when it's showtime, the performers need only select the track, then play and sing along to it.

The two-man show is becoming more and more prevalent for a variety of reasons. Firstly, with the presequenced backing track, the qualities of the performances are consistent, and a certain level of quality is assured. Secondly, two musicians tend to be less trouble for a publican than four or five, and also take up far less space. From the musicians' point of view, less people means a greater share in the money earned for the night's work.

The One-man Show

Mostly, the one-man show has the same premise as the two-man show, although with just one musician sharing the pay with no-one but himself or herself. Often, though, you may find a musician onstage performing by themselves without any backing with just a guitar, a keyboard or a few instruments.

The Cover Show

More of an event than merely something to listen to while at the pub, a cover show will generally cater to a specific demographic. This could be the music of a particular band, or a genre of music (such as 1970s rock, heavy metal or funk), or even something a little more creative, like the music of one entertainer who has been in several different groups (Dave Grohl² is a good example).

The better cover shows will make an effort to play up to their specific show. If the show is dedicated to a popular band, the members of the cover show will try to look somewhat like their counterparts. A singer will generally be recruited by their ability to sing like that band's lead vocalist, a guitarist will be recruited for having a similar playing style, and so forth. Furthermore, the cover show will attempt to give the same experience that you would expect from the band's concert. For a Van Halen cover show, you would hope to see the guitarist showing off with his prowess on the fretboard.

In essence, the goal of this type of cover show should be to recreate the concert experience, so that someone who has never seen the specific act can still get a reasonably good idea of what they would otherwise have missed out on. With so many popular acts having their tickets sell out within hours or even minutes, many people would never get to see their favourite acts.

Some Guidelines for Starting or Joining a Professional Cover Band

• Be prepared to make an initial financial outlay.
  
  While it's true that being in a cover band can pay well (many do it for a living, not needing a regular job), there are some pieces of equipment that you will require. Aside from guitars, amplifiers and keyboards, you will almost certainly need to buy a public address (PA) system, and most likely the Midi equipment as well. This is not cheap. Having well-to-do parents is helpful.

• Be a bitter, cynical, washed-up musician who used to have illusions of glory.
  
  This is far from essential, but a large number of cover bands consist of musicians who used to write original material and intended to take on the world, but who now need to sustain their lifestyle somehow. If you do not fit this criterion, however, there is nothing to stop you from joining a cover band.

• Work hard on your sound.
  
  Nothing gets punters running faster than a terrible guitar tone. Too much treble, twanging guitar chords or uncontrolled feedback won't endear you to the audience, or to the publican, who likely won't hire you back.

• Choose the songs you sing carefully.
  
  A blend of recent and classic hits always goes down well, but you may alienate your audience with a rousing rendition of 'Anarchy in the UK' or 'So What?'³. Similarly, your audience may not appreciate you butchering their favourite song. Let's face it, this has happened to all of us.

• At all times, have fun!
  An audience will respond to your mood, and if your mood is bad, their response is likely to be the same. If you are enjoying yourself, this will come through in the music, and the audience will be more inclined to dance or sing along.

Of course, these are merely guidelines, and are not hard-and-fast rules. You may be asked to play at a friend's party, provide some entertainment at a one-off function, or may even just find yourself at the right place at the right time with a guitar in your hand. In these cases, your approach can be far less rigid, and you will be more easily forgiven for any problems in your set. Just be very careful when you attempt 'Stairway to Heaven'!

The Fun Approach

Not everyone plays cover songs for profit. Most popular acts will do a cover of one of their favourite songs as homage to their favourite artist, and to (hopefully) endear their audience to the music that inspires them. It is not uncommon for a popular act to release a cover of an old song as a single - doing so has helped many careers, from the Beatles to Limp Bizkit.

However, leaving the professional side of music altogether, sometimes a group of friends will get together to play some of their favourite songs. There is no real reason for this, other than to have fun. It doesn't have to sound good, although if everyone involved are good musicians, chances are it will come together nicely⁴.

As a point of interest, prominent author Stephen King often gets together with some of his friends from the literary world to bash out a few of their favourite songs. Clearly, the likes of the world's foremost horror and fiction writer need not worry about any monetary rewards from playing. Even so, you can bet they're careful when they try a certain Led Zeppelin classic!