Cover band

A cover band (or covers band) is a band that plays mostly or exclusively cover songs. Other common terms are wedding band, party band and function band.

Cover bands play songs written and recorded by other artists, usually well-known songs (as compared to "original" bands which play music they themselves have written). There are a wide variety of cover bands - some cover bands play material from particular decades, for example a 1980s cover band. Others focus exclusively on the music of a particular group, usually iconic groups, and are called tribute bands: it is not uncommon to find Led Zeppelin tribute bands, Pink Floyd tribute bands, Aerosmith tribute bands, or U2 tribute bands. Some cover bands will play a variety of song styles, of widely different artists, genres and decades. Another type of cover band is one that covers songs in a different genre or style than that of the original composition (e.g., jazz versions of what were originally hard rock songs).

Cover bands are very popular for weddings and corporate events, as well as in bars and clubs because they play many songs guests are familiar with.

Examples

• Draw the Line, an Aerosmith tribute band.
• Björn Again, an ABBA tribute band
• Dirty Deeds, an AC/DC tribute band
• Capitol Offense, a cover band featuring 2008 US Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee on bass guitar
• Derrick & the Rockets, an award-winning Journey tribute band from Fort Wayne, Indiana and recipient of the "Don't Stop Believin" trophy at the 2008 TBP Winter Holiday Party in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
• Dark Star Orchestra, a Grateful Dead tribute band.
• The Famous Monsters, a Misfits tribute band.

Some cover bands perform covers that are of a different musical genre from the originals. For instance:

• Black and Gold one of the leading UK function bands for general covers of popular music .
• Richard Cheese covers rock and rap songs in the style of lounge music.
• Gregorian covers pop and rock songs in the style of Gregorian chant.
• Gabba covers the pop songs of ABBA in the punk style of the Ramones (the name is also a reference to the Ramones' song "Gabba Gabba Hey").
• Nouvelle Vague covers new wave-era bands with a bossa nova twist.
• Me First and the Gimme Gimmes is known for punk covers of other artists, with each album picking a different genre or era (i.e. hits of the 1970s, showtunes, etc.)
• Dread Zeppelin specialized in reggae versions of Led Zeppelin songs, with an Elvis impersonator on lead vocals.
• Hayseed Dixie started as a "hillbilly tribute to AC/DC" and has become a bluegrass tribute band covering many well known rock bands in their own "rockgrass" style.
• 1990's Noasis an Oasis tribute band.
• Run C&W performed bluegrass arrangements of '60s soul music, primarily classics from the Motown catalog.
• Turetsky's Choir, a former synagogue choir from Moscow, is famous for its remakes of music pieces from different styles, ranging from opera classic to pop hits. The band's repertoire usually includes covers only. Some of them are arranged into medleys.

Other cover bands

• Jars Full of Jupiter covers mainly alternative rock and indie rock
• Jimmy and the Soulblazers , covers of '60's and 70's Soul music.
• CYCLE 24, "Arena Rock" cover band from Indianapolis, Indiana.
• The Commonwealth Band ,'60's British Rock cover band" Best in Caucasian Soul".
• The Blazers Band,'60's Pop Music cover band from Alliance, Ohio.
• The Chee-Weez, cover band from New Orleans, Louisiana.
• Total Suspense, a punk rock cover band.

Fictional cover bands

• Saving Silverman featured three friends who were diehard Neil Diamond fans, and they formed a cover band called "Diamonds in the Rough".
• In a Simpsons episode, Otto Mann hires a cover bands called "Cyanide", which he says is a tribute to Poison.
• In the American Dad! episode "Finances with Wolves", Klaus the goldfish swaps brains with the lead singer of an Earth, Wind and Fire cover band, who was abducted by the CIA in retaliation for ripping them off at a summer mixer.