The Kind of Music You Hear While Seeing Local Bands?

Excluding original material.

When I say "local" it doesn't have to mean your city alone, but if you go around the world, what do the locals play?

I've been all around North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia, and I'd say 99% of what I hear is music from the 60/70s. Not always the best, but they're usually songs you'd hear on the radio.

One band I never hear are The Doors, and I wonder if its because they don't feel like they (lead singer especially) can duplicate it. I hear Pink Floyd often, "Money" and "Comfortably Numb" (but never "Another Brick In The Wall: Part 2).. "Takin' Care of Business" is another one (even my band played it). I don't hear much Beatles or Stones, maybe a song or two. I don't remember hearing Led Zeppelin, and I think its because the vocals can be tough. I'm sure singers wouldn't wanna burn out their voice before their set is over.

I notice a lot of 4/4 straight-rock beats, maybe a shuffle, and occasionally a blues/waltz, and a ton of 2 or 3-chord songs…

I suspect some cities overseas try to cater to English speaking tourists. I do remember "The Thrill Is Gone" in Thailand, but the band played mostly original reggae…. Many times I/we would be walking, and after hearing music, we'd go in and check them out, or at least try to make out what is being played from the outside. I notice the karaoke very similar to what cover bands play.

Anyway, I'd love to hear your stories, or your theories.. Cheers!

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Can't speak from much listening experience, but maybe as a wanna-be singer and a few crappy cover bands? We covered a few The Doors' tracks and they were fun and groovy, but I was weirdly confident I could pull those vocals off. Was kind of a fantasy to try at least.


The only band I heard cover Zeppelin was a female vocal-led 80s cover band. Heh. "Led." She's the only person I've ever met that could hit that range with any intensity.


I've always been the one pushing for more unique songs, at least when compared to your default cover band set list, just there's no time to spend learning them when most people either wouldn't know it because it was never a pop single or those that do know it only make up like 5 people in the bar. I figure it's time invested relative to pay from the local bar owners who don't really care about the music and would rather pay the cheaper band who sounds like crap but can hit all the top 20s 3-chord singles. Whatever is enough to get people drinking.


Down here, it's now just a single guitar/vocalist doing country covers. Not that there's any kind of a music scene here anyway. Last guy I heard play was at a local mexican restaurant. =\

Live music all over the place here. Metal, punk, hip hop, folk, country, Deadheads, and cover bands galore.

It’s a small but eclectic music scene here. Kinda weird now that I think about it. I even remember seeing a local band play their last show because they were all in HS and going away to college. I must have said “they sound like professionals” at least three times I was so impressed. Then I was sad because it was the last time.

This city will break your heart.

i love to listen 80s and 90s and early 2000s music when i ask them to play old school music

Interesting. I didn't even think about the alcohol aspect. Did you guys do "Roadhouse Blues"? I'm sure I heard that somewhere. Could you pull those lyrics off? If so, can you translate?


When I was in SF, I met a girl at a coffee shop, and asked about what was happening tonight. Once I found out she had a boyfriend, I asked about local music, and she said there was a Led Zeppelin tribute band, all-girl, which makes sense.


I got the idea partly because the bands I was in played mainstream bands, but more deep tracks. We did a few Zeppelin (Fool in the Rain, All My Love), a lot of Steely Dan (and we didn't do "Rikki Don't Lose That Number"), did the obligatory "Money", but also"Time" and "Us And Them" which is basically half of Dark Side of the Moon, some Cream, Billy Joel, John Lennon (Mind Games - great song, boring to play).

College here was more open in music probably because the kids were more diverse than the average farm town community around the state.


We did Roadhouse Blues and L. A. Woman. I was obsessed with channeling Morrison's lazy howls for some reason. I blame Val Kilmer.


We also covered Scarlet Begonias from Grateful Dead. I hated the band but could pull that off spot-on. The band had a painting of Garcia they borderline worshipped after playing it. Steelers Wheel, Stuck in the Middle with You on the set too.


Other, better bands were covering Rage Against the Machine, Tool, and NIN, but this was late 90s.


I'd prefer to hear 70s-90s if I'm out, but I never go out. Our choices were based on what we liked as individuals then voted on whether we could pull it off, hated it, or if it was popular enough that people would recognize it. Or at least fun enough to keep their interest. Mostly it was a compromise of self-respect vs bar owner's figure of beer sales.