# What Kind of Band Do You Play In?



## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Just curious as to what everyone's playing situation is.


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## Guest (Oct 19, 2017)

I currently play bass with a local basement band. We're weekly jammers. Covers.
Not really going the gigging scene yet, but if something comes up ..
Last night I joined/auditioned for a second band. Bass there as well.
I'm actually freelancing with them at the moment because they're not sure of future plans, as far as I can tell.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

K I've added the poll choice jam with friends as by cover band I meant a working cover band.


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## Guest (Oct 19, 2017)

Not to purposely throw a wrench into the mix, but ..
There's 'play with myself' via loopers, multi-track etc.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

For at least 20 years (if not more) a friend has been holding jams in his garage. I have attended these sporadically, depending on what has been happening in my life. We have always maintained phone contact. The jams are now only acoustic and I have started attending a few recently.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

laristotle said:


> Not to purposely throw a wrench into the mix, but ..
> There's 'play with myself' via loopers, multi-track etc.


Darn, "Play With Myself" would have been a much funnier poll choice but it won't let me change it now.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

I played in original bands in Vancouver and Toronto until I was 30 and then I called it a day when someone quit the band and I just couldn't deal with wading through the crazies again to find another replacement yet again.

"Hey I'm calling about your ad for a drummer!"
"Cool, what kind of drums do you have?"
"Well I don't have any drums right now but let's jam dood!"
Repeat

Now I play at home by myself, a buddy and I get together and jam/record, various campfire jams and occasionally I attend a folky song circle type thing with an amazing fiddle player.

Rarely touch the electric these days.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Guncho said:


> I played in original bands in Vancouver and Toronto until I was 30 and then I called it a day when someone quit the band and I just couldn't deal with wading through the crazies again to find another replacement yet again.
> 
> "Hey I'm calling about your ad for a drummer!"
> "What kind of drums do you have?"
> ...


lol, that sounds really familiar. 

We once auditioned a bassist and decided to call him back for a 2nd run a week later. He couldn't remember auditioning for us and got upset when I mentioned a few things he'd told us at the audition (info about his old jam space and stuff, nothing personal). He legit seemed upset that I knew anything about him! Nothing more weird than musicians 

I'm in a working cover band. Been in the band for 9 years. Everything from Motown to Top 40. Lots of fun!


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## 4345567 (Jun 26, 2008)

__________


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

nkjanssen said:


> This band...
> 
> February, by National Divide
> 
> We used to gig a lot. Not nearly as much anymore. For single-set shows, we'd be 90% original with a couple of covers thrown in. If we had to do 4 sets in a night, by necessity we'd end up playing 75% covers.


Hey man I just listened to a couple of your songs and you guys sound really good.


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

Active with 3 different groups plus jams with others when i have time. I have been fortunate to be in bands non stop since 1978. I still enjoy playing and hope to for a long long time.......


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## 4345567 (Jun 26, 2008)

__________


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

99% Originals band that hits the road and plays the places.

Our last tour for 2017 is two weeks away already!


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Budda said:


> 99% Originals band that hits the road and plays the places.
> 
> Our last tour for 2017 is two weeks away already!


Nice.

Looks like you are a playing a show with Protest The Hero.

My sister is good friends with Tim's wife.


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

I'm in 2 bands right now. One is an original acoustic blues quartet, Carolyn Fe Blues Collective 4 (singer, 2 guitars and upright bass) and a 5 piece blues/R&B cover band called River Blues, that I'm in the process of forming, should be out and gigging early next year.


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

My personal live project is on bypass. I'm currently playing bass with as many projects as I can fit in my schedule, I usually arrange different prices for rehearsals and shows. Most of the work I get as a guitarist nowadays is making recordings online, I have a fixed price per song no matter if its acoustics, electric or both. 
Still I have plenty of time to work on my recording project and I'm about to release my second album in 2018.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

New poll option added. 

Session musician


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

Guncho said:


> New poll option added.
> 
> Session musician


I can't see the poll on my phone, (was commenting without knowing that) I will enter later from my computer and vote.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Guncho said:


> Nice.
> 
> Looks like you are a playing a show with Protest The Hero.
> 
> My sister is good friends with Tim's wife.


We played with them last december and shared a jamspace with them before that (never met then). I would love to play with them again!


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## Scottone (Feb 10, 2006)

hollowbody said:


> lol, that sounds really familiar.
> 
> We once auditioned a bassist and decided to call him back for a 2nd run a week later. He couldn't remember auditioning for us and got upset when I mentioned a few things he'd told us at the audition (info about his old jam space and stuff, nothing personal). He legit seemed upset that I knew anything about him! Nothing more weird than musicians


Bass players are a different breed. A few years ago, we had one contact us re: a Craigslist ad and agreed to meet at Grossmans where we were playing an open mic. The guy took a video of one of the tunes and posted to YouTube but never introduced himself or responded to follow up emails


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Scottone said:


> Bass players are a different breed.


And for this reason I may have to become one.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

Korn/Smashmouth cover band..., we are looking for a bass player


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

Solo act. (I just had to pick one that wasn't on the list.)

Our cover band is on hiatus, so right now it's just me and my guitar. I host a weekly open mic and play a mix of instrumental and vocal covers.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

Five piece cover band. All sorts of 60's. 70's, 80's, 90's material and even a few songs from this century. Previously had a rockabilly / top 40 band that was lots of fun but not much work. More work for this new type of band (more commercial) but still, not much work out there. Even less if yous gots to get paid. 

I also jam with friends and open mics. Both acoustic and/or electric. Love to play!


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## losch79 (Jul 11, 2016)

I've been auditioning for a few a local bands recently, and everyone seems to be playing covers. It's cool getting out and jamming on some old staples but I just can't bring myself into doing the weekly bar scene every Friday or Saturday for $60 a night. All the bands I have played in since high school were a 50/50 mixture of originals and covers but that was over decade ago. The scene down this way now is mainly geared towards covers... there isn't many venues left to play originals that pay outside of one or two that I can think of.


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## Scotty (Jan 30, 2013)

greco said:


> For at least 20 years (if not more) a friend has been holding jams in his garage. I have attended these sporadically, depending on what has been happening in my life. We have always maintained phone contact. The jams are now only acoustic and I have started attending a few recently.


This is what I'm considering lately...getting off my couch and sit in with a few jams.


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## Steve_F (Feb 15, 2008)

A loud one.

(originals)


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

High/Deaf said:


> Five piece cover band. All sorts of 60's. 70's, 80's, 90's material and even a few songs from this century. Previously had a rockabilly / top 40 band that was lots of fun but not much work. More work for this new type of band (more commercial) but still, not much work out there. Even less if yous gots to get paid.
> 
> I also jam with friends and open mics. Both acoustic and/or electric. Love to play!


Weird, in Toronto Rockabilly and Top 40 is nearly a guarantee for work. Top 40 for sure - we've gone the other way, switchin from 60's/70's/80's/90's to mostly Top 40 to keep finding work. Rockabilly went through a phase where it was SUPER popular here, but it's kinda slowing-down now. Motown/Soul/Funk is huge here now. Strange how needs change from city-to-city, eh?


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

2, an originals hard rock that has degraded to a very occasional buddies band despite having some amazing material, none of the others are as into it as I am it seems. 5 years, played out once, been working on an album for a year with about half of it in the can.

A Tragically Hip tribute, since about April. We had some momentum but have had personnel issues, and are auditioning singers Sunday *shudder*


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## 4345567 (Jun 26, 2008)

__________


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

nkjanssen said:


> I play bass, but am more into Limp Bizkit / Sugar Ray.


Those are both timeless acts. I would go see you guys.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

losch79 said:


> I've been auditioning for a few a local bands recently, and everyone seems to be playing covers. It's cool getting out and jamming on some old staples but I just can't bring myself into doing the weekly bar scene every Friday or Saturday for $60 a night. All the bands I have played in since high school were a 50/50 mixture of originals and covers but that was over decade ago. The scene down this way now is mainly geared towards covers... there isn't many venues left to play originals that pay outside of one or two that I can think of.


Yeah when it comes to original bands I would think anything outside of a major city or a college town would be rough.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

hollowbody said:


> Weird, in Toronto Rockabilly and Top 40 is nearly a guarantee for work. Top 40 for sure - we've gone the other way, switchin from 60's/70's/80's/90's to mostly Top 40 to keep finding work. Rockabilly went through a phase where it was SUPER popular here, but it's kinda slowing-down now. Motown/Soul/Funk is huge here now. Strange how needs change from city-to-city, eh?


I should have been clearer. We were a combination of R'billy and "Top 40" with a few naval gazers thrown in (Whipping Post, fer instance). We only had one set of R'billy and I think if we would have gone totally that way, it may have gotten better. But it took more time/commitment than a few of us had and ........ most of those R'billy players are smokin' hot. It was a lot of work to learn the Chuck Hughes or Jim Heath or Brian Setzer stuff we were already playing. We needed to find a R'billy band with an Edge type guitar player. LOL


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## cdntac (Oct 11, 2017)

We're just three guys who get together to have some fun and occasionally play in front of people doing some classic rock from bands such as ZZ Top, Nugent, Aerosmith, Cream.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

High/Deaf said:


> I should have been clearer. We were a combination of R'billy and "Top 40" with a few naval gazers thrown in (Whipping Post, fer instance). We only had one set of R'billy and I think if we would have gone totally that way, it may have gotten better. But it took more time/commitment than a few of us had and ........ *most of those R'billy players are smokin' hot.* It was a lot of work to learn the Chuck Hughes or Jim Heath or Brian Setzer stuff we were already playing. We needed to find a R'billy band with an Edge type guitar player. LOL


Yup! That's why I stay away from that stuff 

Country is another genre that I try to avoid. Those guys are just too damned good. It's a style that I'm really unfamiliar with and I'm too busy to sit down and really work on my chicken pickin', even though I know we'd book some pretty sweet gigs if we had a good chunk of country material in our back pocket.


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## Judas68fr (Feb 5, 2013)

I regularly gig with a singer-songwriter who put together a band. When I go to France to visit family (around Christmas time usually and once during the summer), I usually have a few recording sessions, either with one of my former bands, or with a studio I used to play for when I was leaving there, as a session guitarist.


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## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

bw66 said:


> Solo act. (I just had to pick one that wasn't on the list.)
> 
> Our cover band is on hiatus, so right now it's just me and my guitar. I host a weekly open mic and play a mix of instrumental and vocal covers.


Where is your open mic? I live around the corner from you! Maybe we can hook up! That would be fun!


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## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

I play mostly covers but have done original stuff I am working on!

I have two bands that I play in currently. 

One is more advanced then the other. 

It's all about having fun, shooting the shit with like minded people and learning!


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

At one time or another I've been in all the options, but right now I'm almost bandless. I have an on-again-off-again violin/guitar duo that covers swing, celtic, light classical, and blues tunes. We both read well so prep is minimized. I play acoustic.

Last spring I quit two long term cover bands. One was a basic blues/rock outfit with a little country blues tossed in. I played almost entirely electric guitar with a little lapsteel for variety. The band actually folded when I quit. The other was backing an Irish singer doing mostly contemporary Irish singer-songwriter stuff and a little celtic. I played a variety of acoustic guitars. The remaining band members found a new guitarist and additional singer to keep gigging. I quit both bands to free up time and mental creative space for solo recording projects.

A friend who plays anglo concertina comes over every couple of weeks for a jam, and though we used to gig as a duo, he's not able to anymore, so we just jam.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

Lola said:


> Where is your open mic? I live around the corner from you! Maybe we can hook up! That would be fun!


PM sent.


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## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

After taking years off to raise my kids I got back in to playing 20 years ago and have pretty steadily been playing out since. Currently I'm in a Dance/Party/Top 40 cover band that does about 50 gigs a year - I've been playing with these guys forever. I also got recruited several years ago into an acoustic duo that entertains at senior citizen's homes, about 60 times a year. The most rewarding work I do believe it or not. Most recently I was invited in to a project with a kick-ass female vocalist. 2 practices so far and it's going very well. I'll have to say that it's a lot of work starting from scratch - we're trying to add 10 new songs a week and be ready to gig for December.

I'll also do occasional acoustic top-40 duos with other local musicians. I used to do a lot of this but found playing in restaurants and lounges to be less than rewarding most of the time - kinda like "musical wallpaper" was how I felt.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

2 bands at the moment. Both originals with the odd chance of a cover. Done the cover band thing, it doesn't satisfy me and gets tiresome (maybe less so if not limited to a single artist/group), but it can be fun on an occasional sit-in basis.

Also working on a solo thing, but haven't played out or recorded anything yet. There's a bunch of covers (known songs) that might be included there, as well as 'covers' of songs written by friends that nobody would recognise or songs I wrote and played in bands, reinterpreted, if any of that counts (I would guess not).


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## 4345567 (Jun 26, 2008)

__________


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Maybe like a classic album?


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

Yeah, one off tribute shows can be fun; done one of those before.


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

allthumbs56 said:


> After taking years off to raise my kids I got back in to playing 20 years ago and have pretty steadily been playing out since. Currently I'm in a Dance/Party/Top 40 cover band that does about 50 gigs a year - I've been playing with these guys forever. I also got recruited several years ago into an acoustic duo that entertains at senior citizen's homes, about 60 times a year. The most rewarding work I do believe it or not. Most recently I was invited in to a project with a kick-ass female vocalist. 2 practices so far and it's going very well. I'll have to say that it's a lot of work starting from scratch - we're trying to add 10 new songs a week and be ready to gig for December.
> 
> I'll also do occasional acoustic top-40 duos with other local musicians. I used to do a lot of this but found playing in restaurants and lounges to be less than rewarding most of the time - kinda like "musical wallpaper" was how I felt.


Good for you for doing the senior homes. I also think it is very rewarding. They really enjoy the old songs and it makes them forget about all their aches and pains for awhile. Congrats.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

A sincere and huge 'Thank You' to everyone here that plays in senior's residences and/or children's care/treatment facilities.


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## dcole (Oct 8, 2008)

None.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

allthumbs56 said:


> After taking years off to raise my kids I got back in to playing 20 years ago and have pretty steadily been playing out since. Currently I'm in a Dance/Party/Top 40 cover band that does about 50 gigs a year - I've been playing with these guys forever. I also got recruited several years ago into an acoustic duo that entertains at senior citizen's homes, about 60 times a year. The most rewarding work I do believe it or not. Most recently I was invited in to a project with a kick-ass female vocalist. 2 practices so far and it's going very well. I'll have to say that it's a lot of work starting from scratch - we're trying to add 10 new songs a week and be ready to gig for December.
> 
> I'll also do occasional acoustic top-40 duos with other local musicians. I used to do a lot of this but found playing in restaurants and lounges to be less than rewarding most of the time - kinda like "musical wallpaper" was how I felt.


Agree on both accounts.

I hate being musical wallpaper.

And I love when I can play for very appreciative groups, like seniors. I had a friend 'drying out' for a couple months - great player - and we went to his facility every couple of weeks, partially to keep him playing and in the loop, but also because the other 'patients' were so damn appreciative. We left every time feeling like a million bucks. Money can't buy that feeling (although I'm willing to accept huge donations just in case my theory needs to be disproved ................ ).


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## johnnyshaka (Nov 2, 2014)

No band...I make some kind of racket in my living room and that's about it. I've been doing the lessons thing for about 6 months and it's definitely helping but I can't imagine playing "out" anywhere as I still get nervous playing in front of my instructor during our lessons...lol!

From time to time my daughters (piano and uke...they are the real musicians in this house...I'm a poser!) want to jam with dad so I'm more than happy to try and play whatever they want me to play...maybe one day I'll surprise them and be able to play their requests!!

Hats off to you guys/gals who do get out there and do your thing...keep on rockin'!


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## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

greco said:


> A sincere and huge 'Thank You' to everyone here that plays in senior's residences and/or children's care/treatment facilities.


Thanks back. I love the seniors because they appreciate what you do. Numerous times I've been approached by family members who tell me how their aging parents can't remember their own names but they can sit and sing along with every song we do. The stuff we do is a little old and boring but it's the soundtracks of these people's lives and it's great to look out and see how you're touching them. The side benefits are pretty good too - I get to scope out my future living quarters and everyone calls me "young man".


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## nnieman (Jun 19, 2013)

nkjanssen said:


> I've played in plenty of cover bands and don't really enjoy it anymore either, but I've always thought it would be fun to do a tribute show. Not a full-time tribute band as my main gig, but just a one-off... like playing a certain album start-to-finish for a single show.


Ya that would be fun as hell.

Neil young everybody knows this is nowhere would be a fun one.
Covers but a lot of room for jams.

Nathan


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## Farkozoid (Oct 14, 2017)

greco said:


> A sincere and huge 'Thank You' to everyone here that plays in senior's residences and/or children's care/treatment facilities.


We have one here in town and I've been considering it. My only issue: Time. If I'm not doing it yet I will, once time allows. My grandmother ran an old age home IN her home while I grew up. I played for the "old folks" every time I brought my guitar over. It probably did more to shape me as a guitarist than I realised at the time. To see some of the older folks all teared up over an old Hank Williams tune from days passed is a powerful thing. "My brother/father/whoever used to LOVE/play/sing that song". You can just see the memories dredged up and it's really something.

As far as the band I play in: Covers, but offbeat stuff you don't really hear (mostly "standards" I'd classify them as) and then the odd Jam night, and some original stuff every now and again.


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

Farkozoid said:


> We have one here in town and I've been considering it. My only issue: Time. If I'm not doing it yet I will, once time allows. My grandmother ran an old age home IN her home while I grew up. I played for the "old folks" every time I brought my guitar over. It probably did more to shape me as a guitarist than I realised at the time. To see some of the older folks all teared up over an old Hank Williams tune from days passed is a powerful thing. "My brother/father/whoever used to LOVE/play/sing that song". You can just see the memories dredged up and it's really something.
> 
> As far as the band I play in: Covers, but offbeat stuff you don't really hear (mostly "standards" I'd classify them as) and then the odd Jam night, and some original stuff every now and again.


Shows how powerful music really is. When we play nursing homes, we see people who suffer from dementia, Alzheimers etc... tapping their fingers and trying to sing along. It chokes me up.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

The work release program got cancelled so it’s just me now; the bass player and the drummer gonna be gone for awhile ... lol


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## Lemmy Hangslong (May 11, 2006)

Currently and for the foreseeable future a cover band


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

Was in a "Party Band" in the Niagara Region, but I live closer to K/W so it was best to leave them to it. We would cover anything that wold get people up and moving. We knew our audience. They didn't care if you could play side A of Rush Hemispheres, but would lose their minds if we played Jenny, What I Like About You, or (sad to say) Blurred Lines. I am (technically) in an acoustic duo, although we don't get together much anymore, but we still play the occasional gig. I don't think we're still together, but he does. 
My last few gigs have been solo. Campfire stuff. I'll take any song and strip it down, then redo as an acoustic. I'll try anything, and don't care if it's Depeche Mode, or Johnny Cash.


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