A house band is a band that plays regularly at a particular venue or event. House bands can do everything from play every Saturday night at the local club to play every Saturday night on SNL.
The way house bands work varies greatly from gig to gig. Some house bands are called on to exclusively be cover bands, while other play only original material and still others play a mix of both. House bands may also be called on the be the backing bands for touring vocalists.
For musicians, being part of a house band can be a great gig, since it means a steady paycheck. The drawback of a house band job is that there may be limited ability to work out original material. Plus, the steadiness of the work makes it difficult to tour and promote your own music, so if you have ambitions beyond house band work, keep these cons in mind.
