General Music Chat

ok, i know this subject has come up before....most recently in bob's "difficulty finding band member's" thread.

that whole MUST BE BETWEEN THE AGE OF __ AND ___ bit.

i've always played with anyone that can play regardless of their age. yeah, i get it... if you're a bunch of 16 yr old HS kids you probably don't want to play with someone your dad's or grandpappy's age (and the other way around too).

but when "serious" musicians put these kinds of restrictions on who they're willing to consider it casts real "serious" doubt on their priorities.

one of my favorite justifications (and this coming from bands of dubious talent) is ...."well, we won't be able to get signed if we have an old guy in the band." riiiiight, as if THAT is the only thing that could possibly prevent it from happening.

i've gotten so tired with being written off because i was over 35 (or whatever arbitrary age was deemed acceptable that in one ad i have up i included pics and this:

Pics are there 'cos mom love pics of her little boy....and for those whose first question and over riding concern is "how old are you?"

in another ad i've included this:

Relevant: that you can play and you're not a jerk

Irrelevant: your age... as long as you're old enough to drive to the gig and you're not too old to carry your own equipment.

Playing the Devil's Advocate, I think the reason most of the bands looking for members have age restrictions is because the reality of it is:

1) old guys tend to let their looks go (hair, waist-line, clothes, etc)
2) old guys don't keep up with music (the last time they bought an album was 20 years ago)
3) old guys want to play blues or jazz, not exactly what younger people want to hear
4) old guys tend to be jaded, they've heard it all before and are bored
5) old guys don't have much of a support system; their friends and family stopped coming to see them long ago

The things they don't realize:
1) old guys have been playing a long time and can probably play circles around the younger guys
2) old guys are better off financially and have better gear
3) old guys have less family pressures (kids are gone, wife understands)
4) old guys know a lot of people in the game, from other musicians to promoters to venue owners

We live in an image conscious age, if you want to play music for people, be presentable!

these are all at best "tendencies". and though applicable to some...like all tendencies....they don't apply to everyone. i'll put my boyish good looks and fit 6 ft 190 lb frame up against most younger........GALS. ha, bet ya thought i was gonna say "guys".

hell, i didn't even mention my winning personality!

as for music....most of the older musicians i know are NOT into jazz. yeah, blues....true enough, but most i know are still rockers. and not necessarily just "classic rock".

my thinking is that it's always best to keep an open mind and keep your options open. otherwise.....you never know what you might be missing out on.

,,,Planet Guy ... excellent Thread and points ...well said and even more relevant now than ever before.

Jimmy your Post is great and very true. Well stated.

I agree with you both and admire your views in this.

I played with a band Friday night and we were smoking. My tired old ass somehow kept up with them! (I was on bass for this one)

All the guys were pros with lots of band experience. No plans to gig yet just seeing how it plays out. Did half orig / half cover.

I confess I do use a handtruck these days to move the amp and I'm not as pretty as I used to be but once we're plugged in and tuned up - it's off to the races.

And when the singer hit that harp I dropped twenty years!

Talbot

Hell if you dont fit thier age requirements why does it bother you?

I would much rather know that up front than go thru the hassle of meeting up and then finding out.

And quite honestly, if an add says 30 and under, why would I want to respond anyway?

I know this is just a discusion, but still whats the big deal?

Im 50 I dont want to play with teenagers, I dont really want to play with 70 yr olds either. LOL!

Hell if you dont fit thier age requirements why does it bother you?

it's the whole goofy concept that a band needs someone under 35...as if a 40 yr old couldn't POSSIBLY fit in. it's because i don't like being dismissed out of hand (and off handedly) by an ad that say says "50 and under". at the ripe age of 56 would i be a bad fit for that group that had 50 yr olds in it?

I would much rather know that up front than go thru the hassle of meeting up and then finding out.

well, so would i. i'd also prefer to know they didn't want to play w a jew up front. if their ad said that would you dismiss it w the same shrug of the shoulders and put forth that same logic?

And quite honestly, if an add says 30 and under, why would I want to respond anyway?

i can't imagine why ANY serious musician would want to respond. i certainly wouldn't and don't. but i have seen ads for reggae and funk bands that appealed to me and i felt pretty certain i'd be a good fit for...until i saw the age restrictions.

I know this is just a discusion, but still whats the big deal?

Im 50 I dont want to play with teenagers, I don't really want to play with 70 yr olds either. LOL!

well, when i was still in my teens i was lucky enough to play w some older musicians who didn't feel that way and they tolerated my green know nothing ass. and i learned quite a lot from them. i like to think maybe they learned something at some point from me too.

no 70 yr olds?.....wow, you're likely missing out on some good musicians. i know there are some killer players (and cool people) around these parts that can still bring it!

jw....barring you having some major physical calamity, do you think you're gonna be a better or worse musician at the age of 70? my guess is you'll be better. (cos' you ain't no slouch now!)

s'all good. different strokes for different folks.

See - to John, it does matter, so it's not just the younger generation putting these restrictions out.
But I don't think its as much THE AGE but what that age represents - younger players don't have the experience, may feel entitiled, may think they know it all. I do get a kick when I see an ad saying "I've been playing 5 years" or '10 years' and they are 22 years old.
70-year-olds may not know anything written after 1965, may want to pack up at 9pm to head to bed .... And definitely tend to want to do a lot of slow blues numbers!

The youngest in my band is 24 or so .... the oldest 56

I do get a kick when I see an ad saying "I've been playing 5 years" or '10 years' and they are 22 years old.

Mike
Tis true mostly .... but our Vocalist is 22 or 24 and is a music teacher who can sing and play many instruments well beyond my abilities !

The players I have the most in common with musically tend to be fifty-something classic rockers. That said I regularly play with a wide age spectrum from gifted high school vocalists, college music majors, 30-50 yr old session players, to 70s horn and keys players.

Some of these players already have a dozen album credits and world tours in their resume' but we are playing with a completely different focus than monetary gain. I respect what each player brings and they (mostly) respect what I bring. We have no illusions though. With a few notable exceptions, nobody is out there waiting to buy our next CD.

I suppose age becomes more important if you want to create an image for that Sony Productions MP3 artwork.

Deadguitars,

That is a great looking bunch of players and I totally dig the studio!

DeadGuitars

Holy smoke - you all look so wholesome! I'll be back in a minute - I'm going to go hide my Lou Reed tapes.

Talbot

It seems to be mostly a pop music concern, that became more of a rock music concern in the MTV era, and ever more so now in this age of desperate self promotion where a desire to conform to industry standard expectations is produced by a 'cargo cult' mentality.

I don't see it amongst musicians in jazz, latin or classical genres. Some of those old folks charge $100 an hour for lessons, so to be in a band with old folks like them can be a valuable educational experience.

Sir Paul is 71 today. I probably wouldn't kick him out of the band.