A Real Crowd Pleaser
Elizabeth Rector
On my recent concert calendar, The Detroit Cobras were by far my most anticipated show. All sweat and swagger, The Detroit Cobras slid into Denver’s Bluebird Theatre on October 25th. A Cobras review in the Tampa Weekly Planet aptly remarked, “There are a lot of bands who can rock, but the Cobras can roll too." However, I was surprised that the Marquette Tribune, in an article encouraging people to attend the upcoming Milwaukee show, called the Cobras a ‘cover band’. Technically the Cobras are a cover band, but I have never thought about them in this way. Below is Wikipedia’s definition of cover band:
A cover band is a band that plays only cover songs. Most wedding bands can be considered cover bands. Another term is party band. Cover bands typically play a mix of songs from different decades and different styles. Some cover bands play material from particular decades, for example a 1980s cover band. Others focus exclusively on a single group and are called tribute bands. It is not uncommon to find Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd or U2 cover bands. Cover bands are very popular for weddings and corporate events, as well as in bars and clubs. Because they play songs people know and love, cover bands can be a real crowd pleaser.
The Cobras do only play covers and they do focus on material from a particular decade (they turn non-hits from the 50’s and 60’s into larger-than-life hits of today). However, there is no mention of originality in the definition above, and make no bones about it, the Detroit Cobras is an original. There is a perception that if an idea is not brand new, if it is not pushing the envelope, it is not an original idea.
I recently watched a Heavy Metal documentary in which Rob Zombie claimed that after Black Sabbath there is nothing the Heavy Metal genre can do that has not already been done. Does this mean that originality has gone missing from the genre and Heavy Metal is simply a cover genre recreating sounds from the 80’s. Of course not, it simply means that Black Sabbath got it right, and their music continues to inspire.
It is easy to do poorly something somebody has already done well. It is also quite achievable to do something well that was already done well, by following in their footsteps. The Detroit Cobras on the other hand take songs that did not fit the bill back in the hay day of Motown, identify the problem and do it right. In fact, other than lead singer Rachel Nagy’s less than reputable language and past time activities (see Tampa Weekly Planet article) she would probably make a great marketer. Contrary to the cover band perception, the Detroit Cobras represent original thinking through successful execution and this is what marketers should attempt to do more often. Hundreds of great ideas have been executed poorly, what would happen if they were executed right?