I beleive the basics of any successful band is to know exactly the target cover audience you wish to reach. If your looking to play rock and roll tunes, then know which tunes your audience wants to hear. I'll give you the biggest peice of advice, and as hard as it is to hear, you need to always keep it in the back of your mind when trying to become a successful cover band..... YOUR NOT THERE TO PLAY THE MUSIC YOU LIKE... YOUR THERE TO PLAY THE MUSIC YOUR AUDIENCE WANTS TO HEAR!! We all have our favorites and everyones got their own opinions. But in order to become successful you will need to figure out which songs will capture the audience your trying to reach. If its country tunes, are you looking to attract the younger crowd? Then you may wanna stay away from the old Hank Willams and Patsy Cline tunes, and concentrate on newer artists like Dierks Bentley and Blake Shelton. If its a rockin classic rock audience your lookin to aim towards, then you may want to stick with Led Zeppelin or The Rolling Stones. Know your target audience, and get familiar with what they want to hear.
A good way to get an idea is to go to clubs, or karokee bars and take note of what they are requesting or singing. Ask around, and do your research. There is no bigger waste of time than learning a song, practicing it, and putting in a ton of time into it, just to play it live and watch your dance floor clear out cuz its not what people are into. RESEARCH, RESEARCH... RESEARCH!!!
