1. Bands as Bands
2. Soul Night at the Cavern
3. Honourable mentions: Pity Party at The Handsome Daughter, Trivia Night at The Handsome Daughter, Karaoke at The Good Will Social Club

Do you have dreams of Fleetwood Mac playing an intimate Winnipeg venue? Do you want to shake it off at a Taylor Swift show without breaking the bank? The Good Will Social Club has it covered with Bands as Bands.

Bands as Bands features three local acts covering big-time bands that range from the likes of David Bowie to Beach House. Since the first event in October 2013 drew a crowd of over 200 people to the now-defunct Union Sound Hall, Bands as Bands events have been held three to four times a year. 

The recent Bands as Pop Bands was a sold-out Halloween show with Sc Mira as Britney Spears, Micah Visser as Taylor Swift and Kipp Kocay as John Mayer.

David Schellenberg, booker and talent buyer at The Good Will, is excited by the success of the events, especially for the bands. 

“I love paying these bands a lot of money to do it, because it’s really hard to make money as a local band,” Schellenberg says. Local bands also get invaluable exposure at these events, playing to crowds that may know the band they’re covering but don’t necessarily know them.

Schellenberg was inspired to start the series by similar events popping up in other cities like Edmonton.

In past editions of Bands as Bands, Schellenberg highlights Departures (now Conduct) performing as Devo. “They did the whole jumpsuit thing and the coordinated dancing and jerky movements that Devo did. They had a costume change mid-set, and everyone kept playing,” he recalls. 

“It’s a really good party,” he says. “It’s very joyous.”

Sad to have missed the party? The first ever Best of Bands of Bands is coming up on Dec. 21 at The Good Will.

Published in Volume 71, Number 13 of The Uniter (December 1, 2016)