As a member of the Toronto wedding band community the question of whether you can or can’t play original tunes at weddings has arisen countless times. If you’re in a wedding band, or looking for a Toronto wedding band then this blog post may be of use to you.
Personally, I have been on both sides of being a songwriter and being a cover musician. Nowadays, my focus is almost 100% on covers with originals pretty much in the back of my mind. Still, I find myself frequenting open mics and open jams throughout the city of Toronto which is mainly made of musicians who perform solely original music. So I’ve definitely had my fair share of debates on the patios of these open mics with many of my fellow musician friends.
So the debate goes like this: Are you considered an ‘artist’ if you solely perform other artists music? The thinking of one who is pro-original is how are you showing your own originality by performing other artists’ stuff? And if you’re doing it for the money, then you’re a sellout and are not a true artist. Oh, these accusations and questions SEEM like they make sense, but in actuality it’s just a load of…kooky talk, as Kramer from Seinfeld says.
Firstly, an artist (Yes, even a cover musician!) who chooses to go in the direction of covers rather than original music cannot be accused of not being an artist. A friend of mine once told me that the most important thing when playing a song is to ‘make it real.’ Believe it. Feel it. Love it. As a busker, when I play a song and I feel the joy of that tune and the emotion behind it, all of a sudden the money pours in. When I play by rote, and just go through the motions then I make nothing. There are many musicians out there who are extremely talented – top level guys who play covers almost exclusively. And they play them like they’re their own. If you can feel another artists music and make it real and connect to the audience, then it doesn’t matter if the tune is your own or another artists, because the main ingredient when making art is to CONNECT.
Now of course, there is the second accusation which is the cover artist is a sellout. This is one that doesn’t really need much discussion, since we live in a transient world where money is a must in order to live, eat and breathe. In my eyes, if an artist has chosen cover music as his or her path in order to make ends meet and is able to get by without a ‘real’ job then I say all the more power to that person. They do what they love and make money doing it. I don’t see what’s so bad about that.
Clearly there are differing opinions within the Toronto wedding band community and I would love to hear yours in the comments below.
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