New Orleans Cover Bands and Dance Bands - JMO Has you "COVERED!"

The ability to read an audience and give them exactly what they want is what Jimmy believes has allowed JMO to become the premier party band in the New Orleans Music scene. JMO have been around in their current configurations for 33 years making them one of the oldest lineup in the city.

“Ive had people tell me to you should play original material and write your own music but Elvis never wrote a song in his life. You wouldn’t say he was in a cover band, would you?

In a town where you can walk down Frenchman street and hear five different “original” musicians all riffing on “St. James Infirmary” (a song they didn’t write) making the determination that JMO and other New Orleans cover bands like them aren’t on the same level is a hard sell to Jimmy Maxwell.

I always say it takes a lot more talent to band that replicates dozens of different artists in an night as opposed to an original band that can come out and just “be themselves”.  I have to sound like Chuck Berry on one song and then the next song we have to sound close to Van Morrison.

For music producer Robert Maxwell, switching form playing in a cover band to an original band requires a musical separation, but he amount of talent and hard work he puts in remain the same. In addition to recording and producing, and playing drums in a popular cover band, he stay busy full-time.

Music requires 100% dedication. People see cover bands as a lesser form of music, but I don’t agree with that. Is it  easer to play your own music as opposed to someone else’s music? It depends. I know a lot of original band musicians who couldn’t play a cover to save their life. and I know cover band musicians who can’t jam with original bands.