My Gripe About State College Cover Bands

Before I moved to State College, I was a much different man. I didn't hate the Philadelphia Eagles/Flyers, I didn't drink, and I didn't hate cover bands. I hadn't been exposed to Philly fans just yet, I hadn't turned 21, and my father was/is in a cover band. The way his band conducted business, I figured that all bands were playing music for a common goal: to have a good time. Of course, growing up in an area that regularly has original music shows, I was used to the balance that was there. The Youth Center had original bands and the bars had cover bands. Once in a while, the two groups would cross paths. But it wouldn't be a battle royal over what was better, but a chance for cross genre bands to share war stories and compare live shows. All in all, pretty balanced.

Then I moved to State College. At the time, the Crowbar was still in existence and flowing different bands through the area. When I turned 21, my bar odyssey began. I went from bar to bar, looking for the music scene that had been rumored to be here when I was still in High School. Unfortunately, I didn't find it. The Crowbar was the only place that had it. A couple of years went by and the Crowbar closed its doors and became the Cell Block, a dance club where bands were pretty much forbidden to play. So it came that the only music in State College was cover bands trying to make a paycheck from their favorite artists.

Now, why do I say it that way?

As I mentioned, I grew up with my father being in cover bands. Every Saturday night, he was out playing in a different bar, playing for hours on end and having a good time. Good turn out or bad, my dad's band would play as hard as they could. And, even though they usually procured a guarantee, he didn't make a big de4al about the money. It was just an attitude I thought all musicians had: who cares if we make money? Lets just go and have fun.

As I see the cover music scene in State College, it seems like it isn't about that. For the last 2 years, there have been a few cover bands in the area that haven't changed. They still have the same members they've had since college, still using the same songs they played in college to make money off of the bars or to hit on the dumb co-eds who can sing along to the songs they see on MTV.

Maybe thats one of my main problems with State College cover bands: they aren't playing music that deserves covers. When I see a cover band, I don't want to see some dumb modern "rock" song that I've seen on MTV's "Fresh Hits" or whatever its called these days (Does MTV even have music anymore?).

So, it all comes down to a couple of questions: whats more important to the State College bar owners? The same stale hippies copying crappy music? Or is it that the State College cover bands really have no respect for music and just want to choke as many dollars as they can out of it?