Got You Covered takes a look at the nominees in the Best Cover Band category of the Beijinger‘s 2015 Reader Bar & Club Awards (vote here through May 17). This time around we talk to Sam Silverman, bass guitarist for the freewheeling, nine piece R&B powerhouse troop Tavey Lean & The Solid Gold Dream Machine.

The Band:
Tavey Lean & The Solid Gold Dream Machine 

The Current Lineup: 
Tavey Lin (US) – Lead vocals 
Sam Silverman (US) – Bass guitar
Daniel Rothwell (UK) – Trombone 
Itay Kochva (Israel) – Tenor saxophone 
Laurie Bonner (US) – Baritone Sax
Marco Brundelre (US) – Drums
R.C. Granger (US) – Trumpet and Fluglehorn 
Richard Barnes (UK) – Electric Guitar 
Orvil Layne (UK) – Keyboard 

Sample Set List
‘Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag’, James Brown
‘Valerie’, Amy Winehouse 
‘It’s Your Thing’, The Isley Brothers 
‘Suit & Tie’, Justin Timberlake 
’Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)’, Otis Redding

Where you can see them next:
May 30, 10.30pm at 4Corners

TBJ: What kind of songs do you like to cover?
Sam Silverman: We do a wide range of soul and R&B, much more than most bands. Not only do we do 70s and 80s classics by Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye, we also do R&B hits from the 80s, 90s and today, including D’Angelo and Outkast.

Describe your approach to covering a song.
One of our favourite things to do is not just cover a song, but mash it up with others and give it our own twist. The best example would be how we begin ‘Just the Two of Us’, and then mix it up with ‘D*ck In a Box’. That always makes the audience laugh. Or we’ll do a mashup of ‘Let’s Get It On’, and ‘Suit & Tie’. 

What’s the biggest challenge that your band has faced, and how did you overcome it? 
Because we’re a nine piece band, we’re not the ideal act for many venues. A lot of stages don’t have room for us. We’ll play 4Corners a lot, they know how to accommodate us, because it’s Tavey’s bar [laughs]. And we also play at a lot of embassy balls. We’re really suited for gigs like that because we can play from 9pm to 3am.

How does playing so many covers help inform your original material? 
We’re coming up with a full concept album of original material called Pot of Gold. It’s got a lot of futuristic lyrics on it, and we even shot a three act music video that has some cheesy old fashioned sci-fi flick elements. We really enjoy doing those kinds of things, but we also enjoy playing covers. Our band is so big, and we’re all so busy, so it’s nice to have that foundation of songs that we can easily dig into together.

Video: Tavey Lean & The Solid Gold Dream Machine

Do you think bands that play a lot of covers get less respect than those that only focus on original material?
I think the problem is that there are a lot of cover bands that only do it to make money, and they end up sounding mediocre. If you just do it and not take any time to make it your own, then I can see why people might not like that.

What are some of your other favorite music acts in Beijing?
I used to host an open mic at the VA Bar. I appreciate people that can come in and do an open mic, it’s like an incubator for talent and it’s very cool to see. Music is almost like when you study a language – you need a conversation, something that will put you on the spot and force you to take what you learned and use it in interesting ways. That’s what an open mic can do for new talent, and it’s a really great thing to see. 

Follow along with all of our 2015 Reader Bar & Club Awards coverage here.

Photos courtesy of Samuel Silverman