bluesman25 wrote: A good example is Government Mule. No way that sound would sell if it weren't for the fact that it's an Allman Brothers spin off.
-you couldn't be more wrong. I hate the allman brothers. lyrically they had nothing to say. govt mule (warren haynes) is a fine guitarist, a good singer, and a fantastic songwriter. I would point to songs like "Fallen Down", "I think you know what I mean", "In my life", "Towering fool"... "Soulshine" as evidence of some good writing, and a distinct style. Sounds like you just heard one song and summed him up... I've made the same mistake myself on various other bands- but I can tell you with certainty that I for one do not listen to govt mule based on the allman brothers experience.
bluesman25 wrote:It seems that whenever the age issue comes up everyone likes to point out their favorite old timer musicians like John Fogerty, Keith Richards, or Bob Dylan or Bonnie Raitt or Stevie Wonder ect. When did those people first achieve success though?
That's a pretty presumtive and unestablished claim. There is no evident cause-and-effect relationship there. I could just as easily explain the fact that these performers where discovered young by claiming they were decent musicians all along and were made great by being 'discovered'.
I have seen many musicians much better than 90% of what has "made it big"... young, old, black, white and I could point to that observation as evidence of my claim that your list of musicians were fair musicians at best -until they were discovered/promoted/doctored-up to be 'good musicians'.
It is at least conceivable that one could be just as great as anyone on your list and 'because of circumstance' never have been discovered. I could easily point to Kenny Rogers as proof of my claim. He was no "spring chicken" when his career really took off.
bluesman25 wrote:If you're middle aged or geriatric, then you have a very slim chance to achieve any real success as a performer in the popular music business (unless you allready have.) Be happy with your Saturday night gig or your Friday night Session player job and thank god for having the opportunity to do something you love.
Just don't beat yourself up because you're 50 and pretty much have zero chance at success beyond the local gigs that bairly pay for the gas it took to drive there.
So, surprise me by telling me which side of the too-old-or-not-too-old fence do you place yourself bluesman25? Cause I would bend down the age range you put on this concept of being too old to make it. I would bend it down to about 19 or 20 yrs old because I think your definition of "making it" is probably a definition american idol is employing when they seek their teen idols. Frankly, 14yr olds are the ones buying cd after cd of music, joining fan clubs, going to the shows... etc. That's who is "making it". Now there's a whole other venue for bands like the bodeans(whom I hate btw) who don't play for 14yr old girls. Yeah they aren't going to "make it big" like britany spears or christina agulara... but they are much more "successful" in terms of producing good music.
And now let me point out that a lot of that music is being produced "behind the scenes" by 5 year old studio musicians. Yeah, 5yr olds. They are all young... do you believe me? Surely the background vocalist/guitarist/bassist/keyboardest on the studio track was a teenager right?
So in summation, if your goal as a 20yr old plus is to "make it big like britany spears" then bluesman is right... you will never make it.
WAIT A MINUTE... YOU'D THINK WITH A NAME LIKE BLUESMAN YOU'D KNOW A LITTLE ABOUT THE BLUES... TELL US ALL... ARE WE ALL STILL TOO OLD TO MAKE IT AS BLUESMEN TOO?
If your idea of rocking is to put on a good show at Joe's fish and crab shack...then rock on old timer! If your idea of rocking is being on the mtv ...you're better off rocking a chair.
"you are young and life is long and there is time to kill today, then one day you find 10 years have got behind you. No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun." -Pink Floyd[/quote]