About 100 people stand or sit in the dimly lit interior of People’s Bar and Grill, having already witnessed most of 35″ Mudder’s set for the evening.

With the action of the mosh pit briefly on hold, fans of the band relax their tired, sweaty bodies.

“We only have time for one more song,” Mudder vocalist C-Bone announces from the stage.

The crowd starts buzzing, and someone shouts, “Doves Cry!” Another voice cries out, “Prince!” and is quickly joined by others.

“Do you want to hear some Prince?” C-Bone asks, responding to the chorus of voices. His question is met with cheers.

As guitarist Brian Calek begins the signature intro solo of Prince’s hit, “When Doves Cry,” ears perk up and heads turn. People who were barely paying attention to the band move to watch. The familiar tune grabs the interest of nearly everyone in the bar, and the mosh pit explodes.

It’s a phenomenon that seems to be working its way throughout the music industry. Following the success of Limp Bizkit’s cover of George Michael’s “Faith” and Orgy’s remake of New Order’s “Blue Monday,” an increasing number of bands, especially of the hardcore genre, are putting their faith in songs that have already been hits.

“After those huge cover songs, everyone’s trying to break off of that,” Roadrunner Records publicity coordinator Pat Lowe says.

Whether released as singles or existing as deep-album tracks, these cover songs are finding their way onto heavy band recordings. The all-encompassing explanation for this trend is somewhat of a mystery — some bands may hope a cover song will expose them to a mainstream audience, while others may only desire to acknowledge an influence or show some humor.

However, the flood of remakes shows no sign of stopping.

Powerman 5000, Coal Chamber, Dope, Fear Factory and Machine Head have all recorded cover songs that have been released as album tracks over the past year or so. Some are being pushed as singles, while others appear as just another song on a record. And as the February 2000 issue of Guitar World points out, a majority of the songs are ’80s hits.

Cover songs can be a positive addition to a new band’s first album, and they don’t necessarily have to be singles to have impact, Lazer 103.3 Program Director Sean Elliot says.

“You can come upon a song that maybe you haven’t heard in a while that a band has put a different twist on,” Elliot says. “But it’s still familiar, so you’re able to kind of sing along.”

The tracks are most likely a continuation of the practice of bands like the Beatles and Led Zeppelin, whose first albums feature a significant amount of covers, American Records A&R Representative George Drakulias says.

“Sometimes I think it is probably the bands expressing their influence or their sense of humor,” Drakulias says.

Mudder may disagree with him. Sure, traveling to Minneapolis to record a remake of “When Doves Cry” may seem like the band’s attempt at showing their comical side. They were even produced by former Revolution (Prince’s old band) keyboardist Dr. Fink.

But C-Bone tells a different story, revealing something that he and others think is prevalent in the industry.

“We did it because a certain record label, but I can’t say who, told us to do it,” he says.

C-Bone explains that after shopping Mudder’s old recordings to various record companies, the label representatives were not quite satisfied. They wanted something more radio-friendly, he says. So, they requested the cover song.

“We didn’t want to do it,” C-Bone says, “We fought it. But you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do to get where you want to be.”

Music industry insiders view this with some skepticism. Elliot says he believes Mudder is not alone, and many labels are demanding that young neo-metal bands record cover songs. In the August 1999 issue of Alternative Press, Coal Chamber singer Dez Fafara indicated that he had reservations about including their version of Peter Gabriel’s “Shock the Monkey” on the band’s sophomore release, “Chamber Music.”

“I don’t think the bands are as gung-ho in doing it as the labels are insisting that a band do it,” Elliot says.

However, if it is going to make or break a deal, it may be worth it, especially if it guarantees label support. Backed by a record company, a band can travel further and play for more people.

Drakulias is also wary of the cover song trend. He thinks it is okay for new bands to record a cover song as a sort of stepping stone. However, he says a cover song alone is not enough to establish a band.

“If you don’t have anything else to say on your own, or if you don’t really have a point of view or a sound, it’ll be a short run,” he says.

Some bands, like Orgy, have indeed broken into the industry and become popular solely because of a cover song, Elliot says. According to the Billboard Web site, Orgy’s debut “Candyass” steadily rose up the charts mainly because of the band’s version of “Blue Monday.” Others, like Limp Bizkit, have effectively used covers to boost their popularity, pushing them over the top.

“When [Limp Bizkit’s ‘Faith’] was released, they really started to break, and their sales went through the roof,” Elliot says.

The same thing may happen to 35″ Mudder. Lazer 103.3 has been playing the Prince track for awhile now, and the response has been positive.

“When we play it, the phones light up,” Elliot says.

Local audiences have embraced the song when Mudder has performed it. It was well received at the Staind concert at Supertoad in Des Moines, and it has caught the attention of people unfamiliar with the band.

“We played in Chicago at the Metro in front of a bunch of people who didn’t even know who we were,” C-Bone says. “They were kinda just standing there until we played that song, and then they kinda got into it.”

And the label’s response has been to ask the band to go into the studio to record with a professional producer.

Though the song may sell a lot of records for Mudder, it is not a guarantee of multi-platinum success. There are dangers for bands that release cover songs.

Some songs just don’t work as remakes. Drakulias cites Fear Factory’s cover of the Gary Numan’s “Cars” as an example.

“Some things should just be left alone,” he says.

Another problem with cover songs is over-saturation. There was a time when Lazer was playing Metallica’s “Turn the Page,” Foo Fighters’ “Baker Street,” and Orgy’s “Blue Monday” in the same rotation. All are cover songs.

“It’s like trying to be a contemporary radio station when all you’re doing is rehashing old songs,” Elliot says.

“You can only listen to cover songs for so long,” Lowe says. “You’ve got to be able to listen to something new.”

And there is always the problem of being labeled a sell-out.

“Everybody within the music scene around here’s going to point their fingers at us and call us sell-outs,” C-Bone says.

In spite of this, he is optimistic about the band’s future. “When Doves Cry” may or may not be the deciding factor in the fate of 35″ Mudder.

“If it comes down to it, and we get a deal and it’s on the record, and it gets on the radio and sells a lot of CDs, then so be it, ” C-Bone says. “It takes a lot of hard work to get there — sometimes you gotta do things you don’t want to do — like do cover songs.”