Guitar Gear Forum

The pay has obviously been a welcome surprise. Cause it’s FAR exceeded what I expected. And I knew tribute bands make more but on the same token, we’ve garnered a bit of a good name. First time at Pops was 230 people or so, so we gained over a 100 just 3 months later. I’m the same token, a couple of the guys in this band have done cover/tribute shit before. Which I never had nor had interest in. This was the o only oppurtunity that felt like, Why not? I had nothing else going at the time. The one dude who’s been getting all the great out of town shows and pay used to basically tour with an AiC tribute aome 20 years ago and the other guy promotes the shit out of the shows. I mean just online/Facebook stuff but they seem to know what they are doing and I know he drops $200-400 to “boost” the promos depending on our guarentee. So there’s a bit of “spend money to make money” going on, but we’ve also seen if the venue is good and they see us boosting posts they seem to follow suit. So there’s a bit of a game to play to get these out of state shows happening. But so far so good. But this weekend in Iowa City we agreed to a low guarentee to basically cover our expenses and then 90% of the door. And we haven’t seen the venue post shit! Haha. I don’t get it. Even tho they don’t have a ton of skin in the game, why would they want a substandard show.?? But we agreed just to get out that way but when the venue has no skin in the game they certainly ACT like it! Haha. Fingers crossed I guess.

Endtime wrote: ↑Thu Apr 04, 2024 5:17 pm The pay has obviously been a welcome surprise. Cause it’s FAR exceeded what I expected. And I knew tribute bands make more but on the same token, we’ve garnered a bit of a good name. First time at Pops was 230 people or so, so we gained over a 100 just 3 months later. I’m the same token, a couple of the guys in this band have done cover/tribute shit before. Which I never had nor had interest in. This was the o only oppurtunity that felt like, Why not? I had nothing else going at the time. The one dude who’s been getting all the great out of town shows and pay used to basically tour with an AiC tribute aome 20 years ago and the other guy promotes the shit out of the shows. I mean just online/Facebook stuff but they seem to know what they are doing and I know he drops $200-400 to “boost” the promos depending on our guarentee. So there’s a bit of “spend money to make money” going on, but we’ve also seen if the venue is good and they see us boosting posts they seem to follow suit. So there’s a bit of a game to play to get these out of state shows happening. But so far so good. But this weekend in Iowa City we agreed to a low guarentee to basically cover our expenses and then 90% of the door. And we haven’t seen the venue post shit! Haha. I don’t get it. Even tho they don’t have a ton of skin in the game, why would they want a substandard show.?? But we agreed just to get out that way but when the venue has no skin in the game they certainly ACT like it! Haha. Fingers crossed I guess.

yeah man, your Slayer tribute is the best I've seen so I'm not surprised it's doing well. It's not hard to find 300+ Slayer fans in any major city, and your band does them justice so yeah it will do great.


I just hope you don't get too "spoiled" with the tribute life/money and put your original shit on the backburner because your original stuff is ALSO some really good shit. I enjoy listening to it. I wish there was an album of it I could listen on Spotify etc when I am driving or getting high or whatever and not only forum clips of it.

And I am not saying you would give up on it, but I 've seen a lot of guys that are actually great musicians with their own music get sucked in into the cover/tribute thing and never put their original bands back together again.. Vegas was the apex of that, because down there if you get into a band with a major casino schedule you can make some serious money.


Although, there is nothing wrong with doing just that tbh. It's definitely a legit way to work with music. We've been planning to do a Heart tribute eventually and we already have invites for whenever it's ready. But it's hard for me because it cannot take my attention off my original music, even if no one buys it, even if the audience is small, even if there is no money.. that's my muse and I am chasing it for life lol

I think having some kind of casino gig like that would be ideal for me. Don't have to travel, make a shit ton of money, treat it as your "day job", then do the original stuff like I normally would. I don't have the patience to learn other people's songs note for note, though.

ninjaraf wrote: ↑Thu Apr 04, 2024 6:43 pm I think having some kind of casino gig like that would be ideal for me. Don't have to travel, make a shit ton of money, treat it as your "day job", then do the original stuff like I normally would. I don't have the patience to learn other people's songs note for note, though.

The casino gigs are a black hole. Do your originals when? Every Thursday - Saturday night, you're playing. Maybe some weekdays too. Good luck finding a Monday-Wednesday night original metal gig. Or people to play with you given that you're not available on weekends.

I spent a few years around that scene in Vegas and 100% of the guys doing that, do only that and no original music anymore. Even guys who once played with national acts.
It is a well-paying dead-end job. For many, it's enough. The guys I know that are doing it are NOT unhappy. The way they see it is at least they are playing music for a living and don't have to deal with an office job. And I get that. I don't hate on them. But it's not for me.

I just mean I would be writing stuff anyway. It wouldn't be a lot different from now, except my weekdays would be freed up haha. My band used to practice Tuesday nights, and we barely play shows anyway lol. I could see if you're trying to take your original stuff super serious, but let's be honest...lolol. Plus the whole office job shit wears me out. I barely have any mental energy left at the end of the day after commuting and working for 12 hrs to do much else anyway.

Guitarbilly wrote: ↑Thu Apr 04, 2024 6:41 pm

Endtime wrote: ↑Thu Apr 04, 2024 5:17 pm The pay has obviously been a welcome surprise. Cause it’s FAR exceeded what I expected. And I knew tribute bands make more but on the same token, we’ve garnered a bit of a good name. First time at Pops was 230 people or so, so we gained over a 100 just 3 months later. I’m the same token, a couple of the guys in this band have done cover/tribute shit before. Which I never had nor had interest in. This was the o only oppurtunity that felt like, Why not? I had nothing else going at the time. The one dude who’s been getting all the great out of town shows and pay used to basically tour with an AiC tribute aome 20 years ago and the other guy promotes the shit out of the shows. I mean just online/Facebook stuff but they seem to know what they are doing and I know he drops $200-400 to “boost” the promos depending on our guarentee. So there’s a bit of “spend money to make money” going on, but we’ve also seen if the venue is good and they see us boosting posts they seem to follow suit. So there’s a bit of a game to play to get these out of state shows happening. But so far so good. But this weekend in Iowa City we agreed to a low guarentee to basically cover our expenses and then 90% of the door. And we haven’t seen the venue post shit! Haha. I don’t get it. Even tho they don’t have a ton of skin in the game, why would they want a substandard show.?? But we agreed just to get out that way but when the venue has no skin in the game they certainly ACT like it! Haha. Fingers crossed I guess.

yeah man, your Slayer tribute is the best I've seen so I'm not surprised it's doing well. It's not hard to find 300+ Slayer fans in any major city, and your band does them justice so yeah it will do great.


I just hope you don't get too "spoiled" with the tribute life/money and put your original shit on the backburner because your original stuff is ALSO some really good shit. I enjoy listening to it. I wish there was an album of it I could listen on Spotify etc when I am driving or getting high or whatever and not only forum clips of it.

And I am not saying you would give up on it, but I 've seen a lot of guys that are actually great musicians with their own music get sucked in into the cover/tribute thing and never put their original bands back together again.. Vegas was the apex of that, because down there if you get into a band with a major casino schedule you can make some serious money.


Although, there is nothing wrong with doing just that tbh. It's definitely a legit way to work with music. We've been planning to do a Heart tribute eventually and we already have invites for whenever it's ready. But it's hard for me because it cannot take my attention off my original music, even if no one buys it, even if the audience is small, even if there is no money.. that's my muse and I am chasing it for life lol

Definitely appreciate you saying that man! And yeah most of the stuff I consider fully done and made was done back in the days where CDs were still the norm. As for World of Shit. And I’ve totally slacked on getting those uploaded somewhere since. BUT, and I believe I can safely say this , I’ll never stop doing my own stuff. I actually struggled mightily doing this Slayer shit even. I came to terms with it as, a good way to get on stage and “feel” like it’s my own show(maybe 85%) the same, get on stages I never would have. And experience that “headliner” type lifestyle. Lol. Cause we played out of state the last month or so. And after the 3rd one, I’m like Damn, I think i really could have done this for a living. I think at some point we all sorta rationalize, (really cause we didn’t quite get the break) that life on the road wasn’t REALLY for me. But after doing a bit and living that schedule of being the headliner, so we get the early soundcheck, which does mean we have to leave and travel first thing in the morning, but whatver. After we soundcheck we get 4-5 hours to go to the hotel, chill out, nap, go get a dinner Somehwere before the show and then go back to the venue and do the gig. Then afterwards, we get all the extra time to load back up , maybe hit a shitty late night Reataurant like Denny’s(we have a great story at one in Saginaw lol), sleep in and then leave whenever we ready. When I got back in town after the last show I really felt bummed. Like damn, I want at least another week or 2 of doing this. It’s been a blast.

So yeah, long way of saying, I do enjoy some of the “business” aspect of playing like this, but just last night I was supposed to learn a song . It’s one I don’t know well, at all. Just KNOWING the song and how it goes even. And I totally blew it off cause I was working on my own shit yesterday and I wanted to keep doing that. So they practiced it without me yesterday. Lol. For now, it’s just a cool gig, where I’m actually making money that counts… So I’d be kinda dumb to let it go now. Cause I was really considering bailing just a few months ago, but the out of town shows made a good impact on sumthin I’d actually miss out on if I quit.

But new WoS is coming. Actively working with a guy who’s gonna do vocals, we are getting together weekly. So no more waiting on another person to do it on their own. I’m real motivated to get fully done new music out and properly posted online etc

Endtime wrote: ↑Thu Apr 04, 2024 1:24 am You tell me!? Hah. But I think it works well for what I want.

https://app.box.com/s/9avqu2sszmnp5ermkl7t3tymvrgfie42

yeah, that dosent suck

RaceU4her wrote: ↑Sat Apr 06, 2024 12:06 am

Endtime wrote: ↑Thu Apr 04, 2024 1:24 am You tell me!? Hah. But I think it works well for what I want.

https://app.box.com/s/9avqu2sszmnp5ermkl7t3tymvrgfie42

yeah, that dosent suck

Haha thanks man. As I’m sure you know, drum tones influence guitar tones in ways most probably don’t understand. So using these less processed drums, it just by relation keeps the guitars from sounding like they do with a more processed style of drums. But I really am Happier with these mixes than I have been in awhile. So in theory I may have gotten better tones, but when I hear the guitars in and Out if the mix, they sound like I want em. So, so far so good.

And I think the initial clip in this post is an example of what I’m saying cause those were different drums from drummers Roland Brain. And just those little differences added a dryness that isn’t really In This clip. Weird how much it changes Guitar but Ive experienced this plenty of times before. I used to think that I only needed a good kick drum and everything else would follow, but I think I’ve gone as far as to say The entire kit will influence the end result of the guitars… Just ramblin here lol

Guitarbilly wrote: ↑Thu Apr 04, 2024 6:51 pm

ninjaraf wrote: ↑Thu Apr 04, 2024 6:43 pm I think having some kind of casino gig like that would be ideal for me. Don't have to travel, make a shit ton of money, treat it as your "day job", then do the original stuff like I normally would. I don't have the patience to learn other people's songs note for note, though.

The casino gigs are a black hole. Do your originals when? Every Thursday - Saturday night, you're playing. Maybe some weekdays too. Good luck finding a Monday-Wednesday night original metal gig. Or people to play with you given that you're not available on weekends.

I spent a few years around that scene in Vegas and 100% of the guys doing that, do only that and no original music anymore. Even guys who once played with national acts.
It is a well-paying dead-end job. For many, it's enough. The guys I know that are doing it are NOT unhappy. The way they see it is at least they are playing music for a living and don't have to deal with an office job. And I get that. I don't hate on them. But it's not for me.

Tbh I live in St louis and it sucks for metal, considering I grew up in Albany, NY anyway.

There's some decent weekend shows but most of the better shows are actually on Tuesdays and Wed. I'm sure there's other cities with the same stuff.

I'm going to see filth and Cryptopsy soon, Cryptopsy is on a Wed and pretty sure filth is on a Monday but I do get what you're saying about that.

When I made the jump from originals to covers my only caveat was that I wanted the band to perform like we were putting on a rock concert.

I consider myself a performer, and I'm as interested in the performance aspect as I am the music aspect.