Is there a perceived age barrier for cover bands?

gjbassist · #1 06-04-2011, 04:31 PM

If you walk into a club and see a cover band made up of guys in their 50's playing Green Day or Cake does it turn you off?
Currently my band (made up of guys from 45 to 60) does mostly 70's classic rock and some blues tunes. We play a lot of ZZ Top, Clapton, Hendrix, Grand Funk, etc. I would like to add some songs from the 90's and newer such as Cake, Green Day or even Nirvana.
Do you think people have a preconceived idea of what a band should play based on the age of it's members? On the other side of the coin I guess the same thing could be said for a band of 17 year olds doing old blues tunes.

I<34080 · #2 06-04-2011, 04:42 PM

Well, the it's not like the 90s could be called recent anymore, the members of Greenday are closing in on 40 themselves, so a band of 50 year olds doing covers of them wouldn't turn me off more than a band of 20 year olds covering them.

But there really aren't many gigging cover bands with members under 40, and personally, I can't stand cover bands anyway

E-At · #3 06-04-2011, 04:45 PM

As long as you don't try to look as if you were Green Day or Nirvana, I think it's alright.
If you think you would have fun playing those kind of songs then do it, but remember not to try to act like 20 year old punk rockers

Fassa Albrecht · #4 06-04-2011, 05:37 PM

I can't see a problem. You could argue the opposite and say that to play classic rock covers (say for example, Rush and Led Zep) you have to be 30+. Works both ways.

In an ideal world, I'd love to be in a Level 42 tribute band. I'm just 22, so why should this be a barrier to me wanting to play a specific type of music if I enjoy it?

mpdd · #5 06-04-2011, 05:41 PM

been working on some early oasis, jamc, misfits, cramps, iggy pop covers myself, i'm staying away from nirvana

personally, i don't like to play songs that there is a chance you might hear on the radio except for the animals

bunnykeeper · #6 06-04-2011, 06:50 PM

Was just thinking about this a few hours ago! A drummer buddy and I are putting together a 70s-90s pop-punk cover band for sheeps and giggles, and we're both in our early 40s (we also both played in punk bands in our teens/20s). I was wondering if we might be a bit too old (my university students are into Green Day), but after reading these replies, I feel a bit more at ease about it.

**Staccato** · #7 06-04-2011, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bunnykeeper

Was just thinking about this a few hours ago! A drummer buddy and I are putting together a 70s-90s pop-punk cover band for sheeps and giggles, and we're both in our early 40s (we also both played in punk bands in our teens/20s). I was wondering if we might be a bit too old (my university students are into Green Day), but after reading these replies, I feel a bit more at ease about it.

^^^ That's a relief-considering my age!

Pilgrim · #8 06-04-2011, 06:58 PM

My band is from 50 to about 61...we play surf and it doesn't bother anyone. I think that surf music is ageless.

OTOH, if we wanted to wear spandex and play hair metal games, we would quite obviously be laughed out of the place. If we didn't die laughing at ourselves first!