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Age gaps?
- Thread starter peaveyuser
- Start date
personality is more important than age. think of it from his side too....it may be hard to find thrashers in their 30s around you. I'm still a relative newbie on bass but in my 30s and my musical interest is more likely to draw younger players.
Hit it, hit it hard and don't look back unless there are personality issues.
Hit it, hit it hard and don't look back unless there are personality issues.
Of course you should treat him as an adult... If you do, then maybe he'll treat YOU as an adult in return.
You don't need to treat him as a PARENT, unless you want to be treated as a child.
Just turn up, do your job and have fun. There are WAY bigger potential issues than a guy who's 30. Just see how it goes.
Ian
Thats what i meant heheh makes more sense coming out of you
Like everyone else has said, it's almost always a good thing to be playing (and learning) with older, more experienced musicians.
a good thing to remember is that (most probably) the "older guys" would like to nail the same chicks that YOU would . . .
just trying to put it all in perspective.
this guy would like to bang the hot 16 year olds, that are abundant at all age gigs
thats creepy but there are plenty over 18 year olds there too
As long as the drummer can keep time, and in cahoots with the bassplayer can lay down a deep groove to keep tight all songs on your set list, then you shouldn't care less if he's 40, has twelve toes, or looks like Peewee Herman (well, you know what I mean).
Everyone over 21 is just an old poser trying to bring you down. Don't let this old guy infiltrate your ranks and try to poison you with all his old man-ness
not to mention, what are you going to do if he throws out his back or breaks a hip during a show? This is especially a concern since you're a thrash metal band.
I say kick the guy out of the band and put him in the morgue where he belongs.
not to mention, what are you going to do if he throws out his back or breaks a hip during a show? This is especially a concern since you're a thrash metal band.
I say kick the guy out of the band and put him in the morgue where he belongs.
D) since the age difference I might have to treat this guy as an adult, which I rather not doD hey I know it sounds bad but look where I'm going with this). The reason is I'd like to be myself and have no authority figure, everybody should be equal. Therefore I'll talk to band members as I do with friends, laid back attitude.
You should treat him as an adult, as he likely won't be into pulling wedgies, or sticking his dirty shorts in your face, or pis*ing all over the toilet seat, or lighting his farts on fire, or flinging boogers, but otherwise he's just a regular guy like you. You shouldn't worry about him being an authority figure. Don't ask him to buy you booze - that puts him in an uncomfortable position that he will either avoid in the future by avoiding you, or he'll resent you for it. But don't worry about drinking it in front of him either, or smoking, etc. He'll be the first to tell you he ain't your dad and bloody well doesn't want to be.
The older I get, the more I notice how funny it is when you go to a rock show (Tool, Primus, Rush, Metallica, whatever, etc., etc.) and the average age of the crowd is a lot closer to 16 years old than the guys up on stage rockin' the arena. Age & experience go hand in hand for a reason. 
I hate age discrimination of any sort--I hated it when I was young and it seemed that the culture was geared towards the middle aged and old (think Art Linklatter vs VHI or MTV); I hate it now when I'm older, and twenty somethings make incredibly lame assumptions about my musical tastes ("wow...you like the bass on Luna and Teenage Fanclub albums? I didn't think we'd be into the same kind of music..."). I actually had some chyck in a band I auditioned for suggest that there would be insurmountable "cultural differences" between us because of my age. I guess she assumed that growing up with texting constitutes a major generational divide--a clash of civilizations. Fortunately, I've found some cool guys in their twenties (and thirties) to be in bands with who don't have that kind of bias. One of them even said to me that he appreciated my point of view on our sound because it was based on having listened to a lot of bands over the course of many years. The fact is, at 50, I still remember how hard it was being 24 and trying to find one's way in life, and I also know about the challenges of getting older. I don't talk down to anyone because of their age, and I think I've got some perspective to offer the kid who wants it. I think everyone should treat potential bandmates (and actual ones) as individuals, and not stereotypes. I've met some set-in-their-ways, inflexible and "old" 18 year olds, and some intellectually nimble, open-minded, non-judgmental "young" 75 year olds. You really can't know that in advance based on a date of birth. Long rant...sorry...it's a sore subject for me these days.
also if he's 30 and been into thrash since the begining he probably has a great record collection.so he can turn you on to great bands you've never heard of.also being 35 myself and still playing noise,thrash,hardcore,i found most people in "the scene" are at least 25 these days.
The best drummer I played with was in his 40s.
I was in a cover band at the time. I was youngest at 22, the singer/lead guitar was mid 20s. Guy was worried about playing with us since we were so much younger (he thouhght we cared; we didn't). He finally comes down and, BOY, could he play! He'd been playing drums longer than I'd been alive! We only jammed with him for a few months, but it was so rewarding, and he had my mouth hitting the floor constantly!
Wish I hadn't lost touch with him, was a privilage and an honour to play with him!
The best thing about playing with this guy was the humour I could use on him (I take a lot of humour from my dad -- it's weird sarcasm, etc), and he was old enough and wise enough to know I was joking
Screw the age thing, it's all about if they're a good player and a good person!
I was in a cover band at the time. I was youngest at 22, the singer/lead guitar was mid 20s. Guy was worried about playing with us since we were so much younger (he thouhght we cared; we didn't). He finally comes down and, BOY, could he play! He'd been playing drums longer than I'd been alive! We only jammed with him for a few months, but it was so rewarding, and he had my mouth hitting the floor constantly!
Wish I hadn't lost touch with him, was a privilage and an honour to play with him!
The best thing about playing with this guy was the humour I could use on him (I take a lot of humour from my dad -- it's weird sarcasm, etc), and he was old enough and wise enough to know I was joking
Screw the age thing, it's all about if they're a good player and a good person!
Give the dude a chance. If he's a cool guy...awesome! If he's creepy, or if he's a big ol' drunk or druggie...lose him!
Also, what do you want out of the band at this point? You can't play bars yet, and surely he must know this. Are y'all just wanting to do the garage thing for a while and see what happens? Well, if the "cool person" criteria are met, there should be no problem.
The fiddler/mando/guitarist that just asked me to work with him, and the harmonica player I work with, are both 10-15 years older than I. They're awesome, and, really, I like working with mature people. There's so much less drama...they just don't have patience for it anymore, so they're real focussed, in my experience, anyway.
See what happens.
Cherie
Also, what do you want out of the band at this point? You can't play bars yet, and surely he must know this. Are y'all just wanting to do the garage thing for a while and see what happens? Well, if the "cool person" criteria are met, there should be no problem.
The fiddler/mando/guitarist that just asked me to work with him, and the harmonica player I work with, are both 10-15 years older than I. They're awesome, and, really, I like working with mature people. There's so much less drama...they just don't have patience for it anymore, so they're real focussed, in my experience, anyway.
See what happens.
Cherie
My old band jammed with a guitar player who was 40 when we were 17. Age shouldn't be an issue. Being able to play the music is what is important.
Most convincing reply yet.
Well we can play at bars and clubs, just at all ages shows. There are some venues that sit a good amount of people and serve alcohol just not to minors. So we can get a decent gig but just not as many options.
