Best Of

Best Cover Bands In Minnesota

March 27, 2014 / 8:00 AM CDT / CBS Minnesota

You have seen them at weddings, bars, private parties and smaller gigs. They play the songs that were on the cover of other bands' albums. That is why they call them "cover bands." Five top metro-area cover bands featured in a previously published article Copycats: The Best Cover Bands In Minnesota brought forth readers responding that CBS Local should also feature Soul Tight Committee and Hairball. As a result, these two popular groups are given top billing here and now. Take a look at three more great Minnesota cover bands that can be booked if you want country, rock or big band.

Hairball
Time Music Agency
Long Lake, MN  55356
(952) 856-2434
www.hairballonline.com

More than just a tribute, these passionate performers give you everything you ever liked about the 1980s, but blasted like water out of a fire hose non-stop, one great act after another without interruption. It is like 20 concerts compressed into two hours of mayhem. The costumes, hair, make-up, pyrotechnics, smoke, lights and sounds are spellbinding. Be swept away by dead ringers for Def Leppard, Motley Crue, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Poison, Whitesnake, Queen, Van Halen, KISS, Queen, Journey, Prince, Aerosmith or Ozzy Osborn. The Alice Cooper act is a crowd pleaser. Workhorse drummer Blake, rock star vocalist Bob and the others stay around to meet and greet and pose for pictures after the concert. The band is such a crowd pleaser that it has generated a large and loyal following.

Soul Tight Committee
(651) 470-4628
www.soultight.com

Fans will find Soul Tight Committee at the Minnesota Music Café on Payne Avenue or Bunkers in North Minneapolis where this 10-piece band electrifies the audience reliving timeless soul, R&B and other 1970s hits. Singers Kathleen Johnson and Michelle Carter lead the vocals with an unmistakable trademark blend. STC's talent has not gone unnoticed as Minnesota Music Awards named the group "Best Cover Band" in 2001. Soul Tight is also available for festivals, weddings and corporate functions in the metro area.

Chris Brooks and the Silver City Boys
(715) 254-1977
www.chrisbrooksband.com

If you are looking for some of the best country in the upper Midwest, check out Chris Brooks and the Silver City Boys. Brooks, a former member of the great but now defunct Mason Dixon Band, started a new project in 2010. This six-piece ensemble tours six states around the upper Midwest and averages 60 songs per night. The group counts everyone from Johnny Cash to Eric Church as influences and prides itself on being able to replicate the studio sounds of a whole range of different country artists. You can catch this band in the Twin Cities at Toby Keith's but it is on the road most of the time.

Mud Dogs Band
(651) 705-6408
www.muddogsband.com

The Mud Dogs have been pleasing weddings, private parties and corporate events since 1998 with rock, country, oldies and dance. This clean-cut variety-dance band is highly booked for events throughout the Upper Midwest. The group keeps people of all ages out on the dance floor all night long, leaving a lasting impression on all of a fun evening and a time well spent.

Bend in the Big River Band
www.brbb.org

Bob Hallquist plays trumpet and percussion while directing 18 other musicians re-creating the time-honored sound of the big band. They play it all, from Gershwin to Goodman and Miller to Mancini. The sound pulsates the heart, connects the cranial synapses and makes toes tap. The band has been playing in church, school and community concerts since 1987. Dr. Mark Lammers assembled Gustavus Adolphus College alumni to form The Bend in the River Big Band.

Robin Johnson was born in Annandale, Minn. and graduated from Richfield High School and then the University of Minnesota where he studied Political Science, Business and Industrial Relations. A writer for Examiner.com, he also consults with a variety of organizations and individuals helping them develop and grow. His work can be found at Examiner.com.