General Music Chat

You know the trendy drill that people often use: "You're too old to do anything with music anymore.

Do you think that statement is overrated?
Is it only acceptable to be an established musician if you started out in a band that you grew old in, i.e. got your meal ticket early?
Do older people lack the stage presence they once had when they get gray?

Lately, I've been slowly seeing older musicians come out of the woodworks...slowly...but I'm noticing that. Especially Blues musicians. Jazz is very accepting towards older folks it seems. Some genres discriminate age.

Electricians? Thinkers? What are your thoughts?

In my youth it always struck me as funny how the best bands and musicians we're "old men".

I honestly believe the youth and glamor ideal of bands is resultant from a number of factors. First and foremost is the television. Music videos ETC.
And the trend in southern California towards all the glamorous ( yet damned ugly ) gay assed looking bands dressed in leather and feathers. LOL


No ... take a look at whom your truly accomplished musicians are and were ( out side the TV / video pop circle ).
Other than a few very popular exceptions, they are the older generation. And always have been.

ZZ Top have been old since they were young.

Mighty Mighty Bosstones always dressed like their grandads.

You know the trendy drill that people often use: "You're too old to do anything with music anymore.

That’s like saying you’re too old to paint, to act, to be a poet, the ability to play an instrument or to sing is determined by the state of mind and the physical ability.

During the FM era nobody cared about looks which is now important for success, people only cared what a singer or a band sounded like.
So all you guys who can still kickass on your instrument and still want to make it, think …breast implants.

I think the age factor has more to do with the marketing end.

As musicians, I don't think any of us would trade in our experience.

To a record company, all they care about is what sells...and my guess is that it's easier to sell to a younger audience (at risk of sounding condescending-a younger audience is not only more impressionable, but also more free with their $$).
There's also the relative factor, meaning that a young audience is more likely to relate to people close to their own age (or maybe the "relative" factor is that kids don't want to accept that someone who's old enough to be their dad is "cool". ).

If it's one thing I have learned, record labels are all about the easy money. Why work to sell something, when they can put out a product that already has (in their perspective) mass appeal?

My town is full of really good musicians. And for the most part they are older guys who have paid their dues. They're out there picken and recording all over the place. But the younger guys are in totally different bags. And they are very good at it.
I may not associate withe their music, but some of it is really good. So as long as there's enough work for everyone, we'll all play in different bands together.

Where as age and experience always seem to add to talent, I see a lot of young people that have it at a young age. All the musicians I loved when I was growing up started in their teens. Neil Yong, CSN, Jackson Brown, James Taylor, Joni Mitchel...etc all were very young when they had their big hits. A lot of the people that are going to make it seem to make it when they are young. I think the Business has a lot to do with along with maketing... but uber talented people seem to make it when they are young.....And then they just burn out or get really good....

13 year old girls buy more music than any other group.
It's all demographics in the entertainment business.

Yes the FM era was quite different from now as you were primarily heard and not seen.

If you have an exceptional song or skill the labels will still look at you, but you don't really need a label anymore if your willing and able to do the grinding self promotion.

If you have the cash you can shorten that road but how many "artists" have that?

Blues jams around here have a great mix of young & old. Most of the bands getting the gigs aren't all that young, either.

Adults who have been on the stage for years develop a stage groove and they keep that groove. Have you noticed that the older musicians get the less they need to share the stage with smoke or water or theatrics. THey don't need to bite the heads off of bats or perform naked. They just do it. They understand their stage presence and their ability ages ( like a fine wine ) with them. When Prince was young, I was not a fan at all. But now that he is older he now shares his music with his audience instead of throwing it at them.

It's funny. I got into music when I was 6, I mean I had a record collection. Age didn't seem to matter when I was that age because I thought everyone was like my parent's age. I just enjoyed the music. When I started singing on my own, you have to think the 80s was full of musicians from the 60s and 70s making comebacks like Tom Jones, Tina Turner, the Stones were stilling doing their thing. I remember a local band in LA back then called the Bonedaddies. The leader was this older gentlemen named, King Cotton and he was like 60 back then. He was the most interesting cat you'd ever meet and we thought it was cool that he was as old as he was.

This age limit thing seemed to be imposed in the late 90s when the corporations took over pushing out artists like N'Sync and the Disney era of pop tarts. Most people don't care. It's like all of a sudden it's become Logan's Run when trying to get your career off the ground. However, my other "son" (I inheirited him because his son and my daughter are best buds, so he comes to my house to raid my frig and do his laundry), he has a metal band. He was telling me how all the younger kids love the 80s metal and the older rock. He said they don't like the new music that's out now.

I say f**k it, I'll do this until I can't stand anymore and I'll just keep finding ways to reinvent myself and make myself look cool doing it, wrinkles and all.

Chaeya

Personally, if I were to really jump off at doing anything musically, it would be now. Not only do I still have the dexterity, I can pull off more things than I ever used to. With that being said, I'm also wiser in the way I approach things, which is why I should record new and better sounding stuff to do myself some justice. I think I've earned it somewhat.

Everybody blooms at different times...some go good starting out the gate, and others( like me) progress with time.

Eventually, I think all these old stereotypes and myths will be abolished, especially because musicians are going to have to go it alone without labels. The image factor won't have anything to do with age, it will be more about an honest presence.

The only difference I notice about my age is how beat up I am from doing stupid sh*t as a kid. Other than that, I'm in better shape now than I ever was.

And like Chaeya was saying about her other son, it's true, kids don't like a lot of the new music today. I think it's safe to say that most of it doesen't "stick". So it seems like open season for anyone who has something memorable to offer.

Anyways, this is a subject that has been swimming around in my head for years. If anybody has any more thoughts on this, I would love to hear them.

I think the age factor has more to do with the marketing end.

As musicians, I don't think any of us would trade in our experience.

To a record company, all they care about is what sells...and my guess is that it's easier to sell to a younger audience (at risk of sounding condescending-a younger audience is not only more impressionable, but also more free with their $$).
There's also the relative factor, meaning that a young audience is more likely to relate to people close to their own age (or maybe the "relative" factor is that kids don't want to accept that someone who's old enough to be their dad is "cool". ).

If it's one thing I have learned, record labels are all about the easy money. Why work to sell something, when they can put out a product that already has (in their perspective) mass appeal?

I completely agree with your statement. The only shitty part of this reality though, is that no good music is being created or recorded in the music inductry these days. Everything is just so overproduced and superficial. If things change, I don't care whether they are old or young though. All of the bands that I like are now between the ages of 40-65.

I'm wondering if the high skill level, being both musicianship and technical abilities, has to do with the way some of the best classic rock musicians were trained and if people are as dedicated to the instrument as they were back in the 60s-80s. It seems every guitar player is just being spoon fed ALL of the information in today's world. It's accessible everywhere, online, friends, tabs to make it easier for those who don't read music to play their favourite/popular songs, so many different approaches and ways to get the information, and so on. I think part of that has killed innovation and creativity because now everything is so cut and dry...They choose a song, look it up, learn it, done, next. Just a thought...
Also though, a huge part of it is the increased number of distractions that youth have today; being TV, computers, videogames, an increase in social expectations, more pressure for youth to go to school and get jobs that take up so much of their time and energy while parents and other adults in the community discourage art and music as an equal and non-comparison to other more "important" jobs, the cost of instruments and lessons, having to be knowledgeable and have a strong sense of theory and playing ability in order to join high school bands which discourages youth into even trying out due the the possibility of rejection...All of these things surround the issue of why youth aren't as "interested" in creating music, not to mention the change in popular genres from the 60's + vs. what is popular in today's music scene. The motivation just isn't there for kids to work hard towards something as much as it was back then.

This is a great subject kru. I am getting involved with a band
of 6 that the youngest is 40. I am 53 and can still sing and write
my ass off. This venture feels just as exciting as when I was
younger and involved in bands. In fact more so because I believe
in the quality of the people I will work with and I believe they
believe in me and feel they are not wasting time.
It's never too late to make music. If it's quality it stands up.
If it doesn't, just work harder and think out of the box.
I believe there are sooo many very talented people out there
that feel they are too old to make meaningful music anymore.
It's simply not true. All that is needed is the energy and to
believe in yourself.
So you guys like me that have a few years on you should pick up the
paper or the phone or the computer or go to a open mike,
whatever it takes to connect with other music makers and dammit
just make it happen.

Playing alone in your house is not where you belong.

Too old to be in a band eh?
That's funny - I hear a lot of inexperienced children in bands on TV, and I think they're way too young (and inexperienced) to hold my interest.
It takes a whooooole lot more than enthusiasm (and mugging pretty face for the camera) to impress me.

But - that's ok.
Because they are not trying to impress me.
And - neither are the guys with tons of expereince trying to impress the children - we don't have to.
.
Guess it's a 2 way street.
.
But - it's all good with me.
.
They play the stuff they like to hear, and we play the stuff we like to hear.