I talked about this subject a bit on my show on Radio Ugly (yes, I have an Internet radio show!) on Monday, but I thought it bore some elaboration. It’s a favorite subject of mine, and not as heavy as some of the other subjects I have on my mind to write about in the future.

My friend Becca and I went out this weekend to a local venue and saw this great local band, Crooked X. They’re all about 12-13 years old, and they play metal music like you wouldn’t believe. They’re more talented than many musicians two and three times their ages. Most of the music they play is original, but they did a couple cover tunes. The first was the song that had endeared them to me the first time I saw them, a scorching take on Metallica’s “For Whom The Bell Tolls.” Their second cover was incredibly inspired; in medley with another song that I can’t remember now, they played a metal take on Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick In The Wall.”

If the novelty and sheer jaw-drop factor of such young kids playing such mature licks weren’t enough to impress, their treatment of these two classic songs clinched the deal. It also reminded me of why it is that I love cover songs so much (when done properly) and why I think they can be a very important part of a band’s repertoire.

To do a cover song properly, in my opinion, takes a very delicate mix of elements. The song has to be at least somewhat recognizable to the listener to be an effective cover song; if you completely rearrange a song it almost ceases to be a “cover” in the strictest sense of the word. I’m actually listening to a Wyclef Jean “cover” of Queen’s “Another One Bites The Dust” right now that makes me think of this, even though it’s probably more a remix than a cover. Secondly, the cover needs to have a bit of the personality of the band in it. Whether it’s taking a prog rock tune and turning it a bit metal, adding some synth where there was none, or just adding some signature licks, there has to be something besides just a rote regurgitation of a song we could simply go home and listen to on the original CD. (Of course this goes for playing just about any song live as well, but it also applies to recorded covers.)

For me, the true benefit of covers comes in concert. For any band, a cover is a fun way to pay tribute to an influence and just have a good time. Musicians are music fans too, and there is a great deal of fun to be had playing a favorite song and putting yourself in the shoes of an admired musician. It could be argued that playing another band’s music is unwise, when you want audiences to hear your original music. You have limited time, and want them to get their money’s worth. However, for opening bands, I think one well-chosen cover song can work wonders even the best original material might not necessarily.

At many of the shows I’ve been at, as I mentioned before in my entry about opening acts, I have found that the fans there to see the headlining act are often ambivalent toward the openers, if not overtly hostile. The majority of the time they have never heard of, or at least heard the music of, the opening bands, and that takes away a lot of the engagement. When they know the music, you don’t have to fight for their attention; they’re already anticipating and waiting. A cover song that is well-known, engaging, and that can be given a bit of characteristic sound of the performing band can reel in that ambivalent and inattentive crowd in a heartbeat.

I have seen this happen several times. The Vanished and Kill Hannah both have versions of “Rebel Yell” that whip crowds into a frenzy. When Crooked X sang Metallica, the polite yet somewhat listless crowd snapped to attention. Several people around me at Warped were obviously not sure what to do with Gym Class Heroes, but they launched into the familiar chorus of Fall Out Boy’s “Dance Dance,” and suddenly those fans were there with them, and they really got into the rest of the set. Aiden recorded “Die Die My Darling” by one of their major influences, The Misfits, and have been performing it in concert this whole year, exposing fans who had never even heard of them before to the music and making them curious about hearing more of the originals as well as engaging Misfits fans who may not have wanted to give them a chance.

Cover songs a great way to forge a connection with the audience, to give the unfamiliar band onstage something in common with people that didn’t come to see them and often times see them only as half an hour more until the real reason they came. It invests them, and then they’re hooked and waiting to see what will be played next, and are that much more likely to want to hear more. I know I can’t possibly be the only fan that first got hooked by a great cover, then reeled in by great original music backing it up, then left with the CD from the merch booth because by the time the set was done, I couldn’t get enough.