KC's Cover Bands: Pick 'Em

Above: Teacher'z Pet do a mean Van Halen.

While waiting for the doors to open at the Beaumont Club last Friday night, I listened to a cover band perform at the Westport venue's outdoor space.  I amazed a colleague by knowing every word to each song by the likes of Van Halen, Guns N' Roses, Journey and REO Speedwagon.  The Star, for obvious reasons, doesn't regularly feature cover acts.  That doesn't mean, however, that they can't be exceptionally entertaining.  Do you enjoy seeing cover bands?  If so, which local acts can you recommend?  Or do you prefer "tribute" projects dedicated to one band like Led Zeppelin, Kiss or the Beatles?

| Bill Brownlee, Special to The Star

Comments

[Terry]

The Licks (Rolling Stones)

[Jeff Brown]

The Zeros - Eighties & Nineties new wave and alternative rock. They are very good at what they do, and very entertaining.

[pellboy]

I don't mind them in small doses such as as an opening act (The Zeros)or while at a bar or houseparty or an event where the live music is not my sole reason for attending. I certainly wouldn't pay anything more than a couple of bucks for a cover/tribute act.

[Ryno]

the ZEROS.

[livinkcstyle]

THE RENT. I saw these guys at Raglan Road a couple weeks ago and they had a ton of energy and a huge variety of songs

[bill]

ZEROS are silly ass fun!

[J]

KC/DC do good justice to AC/DC. They have two singers, one that does Bon Scott and the other does Brian Johnson. Both do pretty good jobs of sounding like the genuine article.

Rattle and Hum also are a pretty fun time. They pull off U2 very well nice light show and effects.

I would recommend you all go catch these tributes, its worth the $5 bucks to see them. As for some of us, this is about as close to seeing the actual bands that we've got. Seeing its a pretty sure thing AC/DC is done after this year and who knows when U2 will come back around.

[Josh]

Are there any Beatles tribute bands around KC?

[Ashley]

Dolewite!

[Matt]

The Zeros...all the way. I enjoy every New Years Eve with them and at the Brooksider. I love the hot girls getting up on the stage with them--always a good night of fun!!

[Emily]

The Rent. The lead vocals has an amazing voice and tons of charisma. They know how to choose appropriate songs that mix well with the audience at each event. They are a lot of fun!

[Greg]

i'll second dolewite, sucka. i saw a beatles cover band at crosstown station a month or two ago that was entertaining. i'll pay cover charge for cover band, but i'm not likely to buy a ticket.

[Binc]

There is a very good Beatles tribute band in town: Liverpool. Their show starts at the beginning (1963? I would have to check their set list to get the exact year, but suffice it to say, early enough!)and goes all the way to The End.

[Matt]

Retroactive is a great high-energy 80's band. They put on a great show and it's always a good party.

[Pat]

I generally go to original shows, but on a slow weekend and for a few bucks and a band I like, why not. Rattle and Hum at Grinders last year was good. Seen the above mentioned Liverpool and they're also good. Disco Dick & Mirrored Balls, OK but only when getting in early enough to avoid the cover. Not local, but Dr. Zhivegas used to play regularly and were very tight.

Best I've seen around, although not local, Dread Zeppelin.

[Jeff]

The Zeros - great Eighties New Wave covers..

Venus Envy - local all-girl band, they do some very convincing Muse, Sabbath, Zeppelin, Blondie, etc..

[Scott]

90 Minutes gives the 90's some attention and does well, they play all over the metro too, tonight at jerry's bait shop in lees summit, come listen.

[Speedy-Zero1]

The Zero's - get it done right.
Friday Night at Fuel/Raouls 8:00 PM

[Charley.]

The Zeros and Dolewite are two of my favorites. On The Fly is a lot of fun too.

This band doesn't perform anymore, but I loved Gringos El Diablos and their death metal version of 80s love songs.

[Penny]

Of course, everyone knows the best cover band in town is "Led Zeppelin V". The band members are Billy Brimblecom, Jeff Harshbarger, John Huff, and Brodie Rush.

They only play twice a year at the Record Bar, in the summer and xmas. So you have to watch for them, but it's worth it.

Check them out:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZEKsevTPO4

[robert moore]

Thick Lizzy and Rat Salad (Sabbath).

[Sin City Disciple]

Nice call on Dread Zeplin!

[Drew]

Check out Nervous Rex! They are one of the better cover bands around.

[BlondeVixen]

THE RENT has the hottest lead singer and plays the best songs to party and dance to!

[tothe9s]

I vote the rent

[Ellen K.]

I like both original music and covers. And I like bands that do both.

A tribute band doing songs from a band I like can be good. I love Liverpool (Kansas City's Beatles tribute band).

But it's also nice to hear miscellaneous covers, whether by an all covers band, a band that does a mix of covers and originals, or a band that does originals but throws in a few covers.

Retroactive are a great band. Playing a great selection of 80s songs. Good stuff. Fun.

[Keith in KC]

....another vote for The Zeros! I dig those guys. I will say that KC/DC gets extra credit for playing outdoors (!) the night before Thanksgiving at the Power & Light District. I left the Willie Nelson/Billy Bob Thornton show at the Midland that night and heard this glorious racket emitting from about a block away. I went to investigate and got to see the band do four or five songs on a rather frigid night. They actually were pretty good............

[Spud Boy]

I know we are trying to stick to local bands, but as someone brought up Dread Zeppelin, I'd like to say that witnessing HAYSEED DIXIE stomp around stage playing Bluegrass versions of Metal songs at lightening speed, is a pretty wonderful thing to behold.

[Less than Zero's]

I seem to be in the minority as I saw The Zero’s open for The English Beat at The Voodoo Lounge a couple of years ago and thought they were God-awful. I also caught Rattle and Hum at the Crossroads a couple of years ago at a free show with The Rumblejetts and thought they were OK at best. I think those are the only KC based cover/tribute bands I’ve seen. I’ve seen a few out of town bands that do the tribute thing with a twist and they were all excellent; Hayseed Dixie (bluegrass), Dread Zeppelin (Elvis/Reggae) and Lez Zeppelin (all female).
I sometimes catch the tail end of the set of a little, heavily tanned guy going Elvis at Knuckleheads. He has about a dozen old ladies squealing away in the back room one evening a week. I can take that in two minute increments.
Does Led Zeppelin doing Muddy Waters count as tribute or thievery?

[Less than Zero's]

Oh, I forgot, I did see Sharp Dressed Man doing ZZ Top at the Merle Jam weekend at Knuckleheads recently. They were quite good, but they might not be from the KC area, I'm not sure.

[Tony Cheray]

one tribute band everyone needs to see is the Australian Pink Floyd Show. I seen them six times and yet i never see a review of the show here. for anyone interested here is a link to there Yutbe channel. http://www.youtube.com/user/tapfs
i consider my self a huge TAPFS fan
check them out and leave a msg here

[Bill]

I'd take a good cover band over a lot of the local original music bands in town. Most of them think original is a synonym for good. It isn't. Very few musicians can write, play & sing well. When I go out I don't want to be musically educated or challenged. I want to have a good time...listen to some music, drink some beer and maybe get laid. A good cover band is perfect for that.

[Geordan]

"I'd take a good cover band over a lot of the local original music bands in town."

I admire a band that does original music, but many younger bands should probably start off playing covers or half covers/half originals, as many of these bands at a young age really have nothing NEW to say or offer. Case in point, BEAUTIFUL BODIES has to be one of the absolutely WORST bands EVER in this city. Some gal who is not nearly as hot as SHE thinks she is, caterwauling over some really pi$$-poor musicianship. Cut your teeth first, gain some experience, and THEN I might wanna hear what you are screaming about......

"listen to some music, drink some beer and maybe get laid."

......Bill, your Mission Statement has been duly noted.

[trainor]

Less than Zeros has a good point about Aussie Pink Floyd. I've never seen them live, but have on KCPT. They play note-for-note perfect renditions, have one of Floyd's light shows (true!) and make you believe you're at a Pink Floyd show. They'll be in KC again this coming September. - mike t.

[trainor]

'scuse me... i attributed my comment to Less than Zeros and should have been Tony Cheray. - mike

[Randall]

Thik Lizzy, for covering songs worth covering and doing them well.

Stone in Love and Summer Breeze, for having fun with serious cheese.

Liverpool is good, too.

[onthemark]

A local cover band that is always a good time is 'Four Fried Chickens and A Coke', they do a lot of Blues Brothers style of music. One big party!

As for tribute bands, I went to Sandstone last year and saw the Dream Concert and was pleasantly surprised at how good the bands were! I saw tribute bands for The Doors, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd. I plan to go again thsi year, it is worth checking out. Like a previous poster noted, it is about as close as we are gonna come to seeing the real thing...

[pellboy]

I seem to be in the minority as I saw The Zero’s open for The English Beat at The Voodoo Lounge a couple of years ago and thought they were God-awful.

Posted by: Less than Zero's

I almost mentioned this myself. That's why I referenced small does. They started out ok that night but when they were forced to play longer because the Beat was late, it got old quick and they were scrambling to play songs that they even knew much less had rehearsed. What was supposed to probably be just a 30-40 minute warm-up was unreasonably (at least for them) stretched into an hour-plus set. I'll give them a pass for that performance and even some credit for hanging in after being forced into a pretty tough situation but I guess there's a reason why they're still just a bar band. I actually felt kind of sorry for them that night. Luckily, the Beat made up for it later.

[Nivek9]

Monkey Finger. Good fun on a Saturday night. They do requests. Fronted by a former KCFX DJ.

[Bob]

The Rent.

[stebney]

More votes for Stone In Love and Summer Breeze...

[Mike A]

The Licks- Rolling Stones band.

[mary]

there is a new cover band called Overserved! They play a real good set of classic rock. I saw them at Blayneys last week. I think they are at swagger sat. july 11th

[anonymous]

RE: Pellboy. The Zeros are actually comprised of former members of Outhouse, an original act from the 90s that had a record deal with Mercury and toured with KISS. So they weren't always just a "bar band". But it's a preview of what a lot of these current original acts will end up becoming by the time they hit their 30s and have families but still want to play music :D

[Jesse W]

i saw the rent play at californo's about a month ago outside and they were AWESOME! We were there for a rehersal dinner and were supposed to leave after dinner but everyone stayed to dance and drink with them. the rent is my KC favorite.

[Larry M]

Sellout - 80's stuff mostly. 7 piece band. Everybody but the drummer sings - and does a good job. Costumes - you have to see them!

[anonymous]

What I find amusing is when I'm at a bar with a cover band playing, and I step outside to hang with some friends who are having a cigarette; and then some other people show up but when they're told there's a cover for the band they start complaining loudly about paying five dollars to see a band and then storm off all offended. And I just think, "Shut the f**k up, you whiny little b*tches".

[Rent Fan]

The Rent are great. I was in P&L and ran into their lead singer at a bar. He got up and did an amazing MJ medley. Check these guys out!