Welcome to the official website of The Great Cover-Up, Tucson's most ridiculously awesome charity event.
12/4/06 -- SCHEDULE CHANGES AND ADDITIONS NOTED BELOW
Check out the schedule changes below. This is the final schedule, barring some unforeseen tweaks (or tweakers). Please contact us immediately if there are any problems.
THE GREAT COVER-UP 2006 FINAL SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, DEC. 7th
(please note that at midnight on Thursday, the Great Cover-Up will defer to the Optimists Club... regular Optimists are encouraged to attend both events and get they dance on after midnight)
11:30 PM - Provocative Whites
11:00 PM - Latino Solido
10:30 PM - The Swim
10:00 PM - Infernal Racket
9:30 PM - Distortionists
9:00 PM - The Sound Guys
8:30 PM - Feed
8:00 PM - 5ft2
7:30 PM - doors open
FRIDAY, DEC. 8th
12:30 AM - Found Dead on the Phone
12:00 AM - Love Mound
11:30 PM - Lagoon
11:00 PM - Luca
10:30 PM - Ernie and the Hotrods
10:00 PM - The Splitters
9:30 PM - Music Video
9:00 PM - Al Perry
8:00 PM - doors open
SATURDAY, DEC. 9th
1:00 AM - Los Sombis
12:30 AM - Great American Tragedy
12:00 AM - Fukuisan! Go
11:30 PM - Spacefish
11:00 PM - Bombs for the Bored
10:30 PM - Therapists
10:00 PM - Sabatino Killers
9:30 PM - Ghost Lodge
9:00 PM - Redlands
8:30 PM - Saint Rorschach
7:30 PM - doors open
GREAT COVER-UP 2006 COVEREES:
Sweet, Eddie Money, The Time, My Bloody Valentine, Billy Idol, Marilyn Manson, Pavement, The Monkees, AC/DC, Eric Clapton, The White Stripes, Thin Lizzy, Siouxie and the Banshees, Jay-Z, Nico, Reservoir Dogs Soundtrack, Sade', Bjork, The Zombies, Bad Company, Tower of Power, Shonen Knife, Buzzcocks, Wilco, Modest Mouse, and REO Speedwagon.
2006 Great Cover-Up Poster Courtesy of Bradley Zimmerman:
FUNDRAISING INFORMATION:
As we've done almost every year, we're donating all proceeds from the Great Cover-Up to The Brewster Center Domestic Violence Services. After the tremendous success of last year's event, in which over $7600 was raised, the bar is set rather high. We are, however, optimistic that we can surpass that record in 2006.
THE FULL DEAL IS BELOW
On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, December 7th, 8th and 9th, 2006, Club Congress will host the 10th Annual Great Cover-Up. The event is organized by Tucson Weekly music editor Stephen Seigel and Rialto Theatre GM/Tucson Weekly contributor Curtis McCrary. Bands interested in submitting should send their top three choices and any details about how they plan to present their performance (costumes, special moves, video backdrops, foodstuffs, etc.) to:
thegreatcoverup+2006@gmail.com
to be considered for this year's event.
ALL SUBMISSIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY SUNDAY, OCTOBER 29th at MIDNIGHT. Bands will be notified of acceptance on an ongoing basis, but all accepted bands will be notified no later than SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 5th AT MIDNIGHT, giving each band at least one month to prepare. We will do our level best to give notification as soon as is possible.
Here's an overview of the Great Cover-Up's history, courtesy of Stephen Seigel (in last year's Soundbites column announcing the event):
In case you've slept through the first (nine), here's a little backstory: The idea for the event was stolen wholesale from our friends in Champaign-Urbana, Ill., where The Great Cover-Up was the most anticipated musical event of the year. I had attended a few of those while living in Illinois in the early '90s and thought it was just about the most purely fun musical event I'd ever attended. When I moved back to Tucson in 1995 and told my friend, Shoebomb singer-guitarist Melissa Manas, about it, she decided to take action and organize one here. The first Tucson incarnation was held at Club Congress in 1998, where it has remained every autumn since. When Melissa became pregnant after a couple of years, I decided to make sure the Cover-Up stayed alive; with the help of numerous folks over the years--most notably current Rialto booker (and occasional Weekly contributor) Curtis McCrary, who has co-organized for the past several--I've had a hand in the event for the last (seven) years.
A brief explanation, then, of what the The Great Cover-Up actually is: Local bands--somewhere in the neighborhood of 34 (in 2005), each of which usually performs original material--perform a 20-minute set of cover songs by an artist of their choosing. Some live out their rock-star fantasies and choose a band that's inspired them; some prefer the comical route and stage a piss-take; others fall somewhere in between those two. Part of the fun is that you never know who's performing what beforehand, or how they've chosen to approach it.
And perhaps the best part of all: Every penny raised by the event goes directly to the Brewster Center, a local service organization that provides shelter, crisis intervention and advocacy for victims of domestic violence. Each year the goal remains to surpass the monetary tally of the previous year; (in 2005), we've got our eyes set on $6,000, which we nearly hit (in 2004). (Note: 2005's actual total was approximately $7600 raised for the Brewster Center. Way to go, e'rybody.)
COMING SOON: THE POSTER FOR 2006's TENTH ANNIVERSARY EVENT
(below is the event poster for 2004's Cover-Up, awesomely designed as usual by Bradley Zimmerman)
Here's Chango Malo as Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band from 2005:
(photo credit: James Hudson, Tucson Scene)
SOME GUIDELINES FOR BANDS THAT ARE INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING:
- The Great C0ver-Up is primarily about having fun. Remember this important maxim and you cannot fail
- A backline will be supplied consisting of a full drum kit (three toms, a snare, a kick, hi-hat, throne, and three cymbal stands), two guitar amps (a Fender Twin tube amp and a Marshall stack-style amp) and a bass amp and cabinet. Bands must supply their own instruments and cymbals. Please keep extra gear to a minimum to help us with changeover between sets. There's only ten minutes, y'all!
- Everyone appreciates when a band goes the extra mile. That could mean anything from putting on a costume, or taking a chainsaw to a guitar, or channelling that asshole Bono so well you actually become an honorary Irishman.
- Remember that people are there mostly to see songs and artists with which they are familiar. In other words, give 'em hits, baby! It might be cool among your nerd friends to do "Pearl of the Quarter" when you cover Steely Dan, but the people, they want to hear "Hey Nineteen." And some people, inexplicably enough, like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, but they're not going to make for the best artist to Cover-Up.
- When submitting a list of bands that you might like to cover, be sure they are in order of your preference. We will do everything possible to give you your first choice. Make sure that's the one you want to do most.
- Slots are limited to approximately thirty, and we get more submissions every year than we can schedule. Please don't be discouraged if you're not selected, or if you are selected but don't get your ideal time slot. This is not a reflection on you or your band, and we sincerely appreciate your interest in participating. If you don't get selected this year, don't give up.
- Regarding time slot, bear in mind that people tend to come out early for The Great Cover-Up, so what might otherwise be a crappy slot in another circumstance is a great slot at Cover-Up. In other words, there are no bad Cover-Up slots.
- Time slots are limited to 20 minutes. It is essential that this guideline be followed as we're on an extremely tight schedule and we seek to accomodate as many bands as possible. Please help us out in this regard by not going over your allotment.
- Please be sure you have the time to commit to learning 20 minutes of someone else's material. To put it bluntly, come correct or don't come at all -- there's always someone else that would love to have your slot.
Below: Seven to Blue as Buddy Holly (photo courtesy James Hudson/Tucsonscene.com)
