REVIVALIST BANDS
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN “TRIBUTE BANDS”, “COVER BANDS” AND “REVIVALIST BANDS”?
There are broadly three types of bands who focus on performing and recording material written by other artists.
Tribute Bands are performers who make a living by recreating the music of one particular artist. Sometimes in a serious vein… occasionally with a humorous twist. Bands such as Bjorn Again, Dread Zeppelin and the Fab Faux are dedicated to playing the music of Abba, Led Zeppelin and the Beatles respectively. There are also Tribute Bands who salute the Who, Stones, Pink Floyd and many other classic rock acts.
Cover Bands are groups who perform a broad variety of crowd-pleasing material for audiences who enjoy the familiarity of hit songs. Such bands draw from Top 40 hits of different decades to provide a pleasurable nostalgia-based entertainment in bars, on cruises and at events such as weddings, family celebrations and corporate functions.
Revivalist Bands are performers who are inspired by an entire genre of music and who are dedicated to curating and recreating that genre and introducing it to younger audiences who have not experienced that music first-hand. Unlike Tribute Bands and Cover Bands - who rely primarily on audiences seeking a nostalgic experience - Revivalist Bands usually seek new young audiences for whom the music is fresh and enjoyable purely on its merits rather than because of any nostalgic value.
For example: Sha Na Na started in 1969 as a celebration of the doo-wop music of the 1950s – a genre that was not initially fashionable during the hippie counter-culture era. The Blues Brothers started in 1978 as a living salute to the blues, soul and R&B music of the 1950s and 1960s that was not in vogue by the late 70s. The Black Crowes formed in 1985 - dedicated to reviving 1970s style blues-rock. The Commitments – a touring band featuring performers from the award-winning 1991 movie – has been performing its soul revival revue for 16 years.