General Music Chat

I've noticed that it's much harder to find older musicians than younger ones. Could it be that age really does make you set in your ways?

I've been finding older musicians quite tedious frankly. I never really care how old someone is - or these days, how young. But if your age dulls your enthusiasm that is very uncool.

But lots of folks do prefer their own age group. Does a young metal outfit want an old fried guitar player / songwriter? Fixin' to find out I suppose but I'm guessing not.

What I want are guys who still believe in doing their own music. Don't care what age.

When I was 22 playing in hard rock bands my mentor was a guy more than twice my age named Jack Lindsay. He was a jazz player. The first time we jammed with him he took my bass and handed it to my brother, then told me to play piano! (there is a first time for everything and the notes are the same)

We gave it a shot and he wandered off and came back playing a clarinet - very well. Then he broke out the vodka and taught us some arcane scale. It was really great for us.

It will be interesting to see how the various of us deal with the age issue. But I draw it to everyone's attenation that Pinetop Perkins died recently - he was still playing live at age 97!

Talbot

I've been finding older musicians quite tedious frankly. I never really care how old someone is - or these days, how young. But if your age dulls your enthusiasm that is very uncool.

But lots of folks do prefer their own age group. Does a young metal outfit want an old fried guitar player / songwriter? Fixin' to find out I suppose but I'm guessing not.

What I want are guys who still believe in doing their own music. Don't care what age.

When I was 22 playing in hard rock bands my mentor was a guy more than twice my age named Jack Lindsay. He was a jazz player. The first time we jammed with him he took my bass and handed it to my brother, then told me to play piano! (there is a first time for everything and the notes are the same)

We gave it a shot and he wandered off and came back playing a clarinet - very well. Then he broke out the vodka and taught us some arcane scale. It was really great for us.

It will be interesting to see how the various of us deal with the age issue. But I draw it to everyone's attenation that Pinetop Perkins died recently - he was still playing live at age 97!

Talbot

One of the guys I graduated with was Pinetop's caretaker.

If that is the right word.

I don't care about age either. I don't necessarily care if you're even that technical, just as long as you're willing to try hard and play hard.

The question about age had me thinking a lot. I think some people might be stuck in certain time zones, but not all. Then again, there's some younger people who are dead set on playing a specific genre only, so the results are pretty much the same. Big ego doesen't seem to have much to do with it. It seems like either you have one and keep it, you never had too much of one, or you got rid of it somewhere. Of course, everyone has an ego, but an oversized one can get you in trouble. Older players tend to have a good amount of wisdom, but a younger person with common sense is just a beneficial as an asset.

Something I'm still thinking about, and trying to dissect. I suppose my own experiences wouldn't be the best answer to this question overall.

Kru,

Aw shucks Some of you guys are just trying to make us old farts feel better.

At the risk of overstating the obvious: "Ask not what your band can do for you, ask what you can do for your band."

Ok maybe I butchered JFK but the idea is true. You gotta go in with the idea of making a contribution to the project, whatever it is. It won't always be in your favorite, treasured modality but if you hang in there you might just learn something. I encourage all musicians to stretch a bit and play outside their comfort zone if only for a few gigs. Sometimes magic happens.

I play in a circle of about 50 musicians from all walks of life. Some rich, some poor, some with incredible skills on their instrument, incredible ears and some... not so much. My go to comfort zone is 60s blues and 70s classic rock, but in some settings I also play latin, jazz, funk, traditional gospel, contemporary country, rockabilly, fusion, punk, contemporary Christian, folk etc. Sometimes I am the old dude in a room full of 20-something prodigies. Sometimes I am the young cat in a room full of serious jazzbos. It's all good. My goal is simply to make a meaningful contribution to the project. If we can connect musically and share a few magic moments in some way it's a good gig.

Limitations? Yup I got em. I mostly play for joy at this point so I am not looking for fame and fortune. I make decent money in my day job so I have little use for a recording contract with Sony. It would have to be a very special music tour to get me out on the road. I have seen the world and I like my own bed. I am over the weekly 9-1 bar circuit too so that leaves casual gigs, corporate and city shows, B-Days, weddings, worship on Sunday, busking at the beach or the park, holiday events etc.

The official Johnny7 Band is on a break right now as most of our shows are outside from April through October. Looking forward to the coming gig season.

The official Johnny7 Band is on a break right now as most of our shows are outside from April through October. Looking forward to the coming gig season.[/quote]


Here too.
Though we are working on new material, updating older material and videos as well.

Best wishes for the upcoming outdoor season.

Ok. Here's another take.

Phil Collins recently said something like....
When I hear the musical academy awards, I wonder If this is the business I started in? Or something to that effect....

Anyway. When you hear those vocals. that are altered in the studio. Could anyone really tell, who was singing?

I know I can't, they all sound the same, except for some oddities in verse and so on.

The point is this. Manufacturing is ok, it's healthy. But in the artistic world its like scrubbing Da Vinci's name from a picture. Well not that exactly, but who could tell anyway?

For me Chip, an auto-tuner would be insulting.

I am going to make a video of me taking a hammer to an auto-tuner, then I'm going to get some of my pirate friends to hit with their canon. Then I'm going to stomp on it. When it's all finished, I'm going to gently push my hair out of my face, and walk away from the scene with my head held high.

Chaeya

I am going to make a video of me taking a hammer to an auto-tuner, then I'm going to get some of my pirate friends to hit with their canon. Then I'm going to stomp on it. When it's all finished, I'm going to gently push my hair out of my face, and walk away from the scene with my head held high.

Chaeya

Wow, I used to love these guys when I want to party. Now I don't think I do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-LKYO6eSq4

f**k AUTOTUNER

f**k Multi track recorders.
I really hate it when I get a new bands cd and they sound so good, but when I go see them live I feel like I just been riped off because I just wasted 45 bucks. " We need more Shawn Phillips in the world" I like how some artists have used autotune to get a special effect in some songs, but most of the time its over done and really sucks.

Very good points to all of you. There is great truth to the one guy who said that there are only 12 notes on a guitar and we are only capable of creating new ways of making the old music. And I would also have to agree with the person who said genre-dictating has poisoned music to an extent. The genre-dictating thing is especially true in smaller towns. The town I come in has a small Metal scene. But everybody that's into Metal plays the same kind of Metal (Death/Grindcore). I personally hate this style. But everybody in this town wants to be the next great band. And I went to a local band expo showcasing the cream of the crop..And all the bands sounded the same!!! Not only that but if you go to channels like Music Choice Metal and sit there for about 30 mins., you will also hear about 10 bands that sound the same over and over again. There's no originality anymore. People just look at me weird because I play guitar solos. Nobody in this town does that anymore! I mention bands like Judas Priest and Saxon and nobody has clue who I'm talking about. Everybody's afraid to step out of the social circle and do something different. Trendseeking gives you security and a failsafe. That is something I'll never do. Even if MALEVOLENT FORCE has to be a one-man project the next 20 years, I would rather have individuality and integrity in my music than anything a commercial excutive could pay me.
And that's my piece on it....

If you can't hit it without the aid of an auto tuner, just cut your own throat.