old guys playing originals?

[duff beer]

i dont really see the point of mature aged guys standing around knocking up originals and trying to get gigs where they have to invite all their friends who have to sit through the same old list of originals. I would feel embarased about it. Don't get me wrong i've done originals before but the vox was a younger female that sort of justified it for me.

Do you know that they do that, or do you just assume they do?? Most of the "old guys" I know don't bother inviting their friends any more...they stopped doing that when they were 30.

 

[Zooberwerx]

Damn crab grass is ruining my lawn, too ...

So close to the truth: I was gonna go buy a couple bags of 10-10-10 today but I'm a little under the weather.

As for me, I'm 54 and gigging. Problem is that afterwards I'm stiff all over with the exception of the places that need to be.

Riis

 

[mboogiemanusa]

I'm an old guy playing bass with a few working cover bands 3 to 5 gigs a month. One of the bands I occasionally play with has members 55 to 65 years old. They are completely committed to playing originals hell or high water. I don't see a market for their music but I told them that if they can books some gigs I'll help them out and do a few practices before the gigs. They have manage to play 2 free benefit gigs in three years to less then a lukewarm response. Still .....their thing is writing and playing originals as a creative outlet. Probably hear from them in a year or so when they have hustled another free benefit gig somewhere. Tough enough for 20 somethings to find a consistent audience for an original showcases .....imagine AARP members trying to find an audience.

 

[4001]

Something to think about: Garbage got started by a bunch of 40-something guys who recruited a hot singer babe (Shirley Manson) to be the frontman. Nobody notices how old the bassplayer is when there's a hot redhead with a Scottish accent at the front of the stage.

 

[Nev375]

Makes me wonder if this thread was inspired by some kid getting schooled at an open-mic by someone with decades of chops, experience and taste in songwriting.

Damn I hope so!

 

[96tbird]

It cool if it's all for fun but They better be dam good originals if you're gonna play them at gigs.

 

[Freddels]

Well, check out the links in my signature. It's an all original band that I recently joined and we're all old guys.

 

[Blue_Whistle88]

Based on my experiences, bands with older folks in them tend to play better original songs, ones that don't cling so heavily to genre cliches, than their younger counterparts. A good example of that would be both the bands I saw last Saturday night, compared to every band we have played with at the two band competitions we did this year (as well as numerous other independent bar gigs).

In addition to the music being tighter, more sincere, and generally more smoothly composed, I also find myself
enjoying the visual element of the show more, as younger people are often clumsy and come across as trying too hard to pull off "cool" moves and generally look "cool", as oppose to being visually in unison with the music they play on a more natural level.

My television would disagree with me, because old people aren't cool, but it and its followers can all go to hell as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Bassbubble11]

I am in an all original band and we are all in our 40's and 50's. I
don't see the point in not doing originals. What does age have to
do with anything?

Writing is a creative outlet for me. I don't want to just play my
instrument I want to create with it.

 

[Rocker949]

Have you noticed how some famous old guys still write new stuff? Might have something to do with music being a creative outlet for some, not just a job for some people. I don't think age should be a determining factor in your creativity. I sure hope I never get old enough that playing covers sounds like a good idea.

+1

 

[Blue_Whistle88]

I'm getting the feeling that this thread was started by an angry tennager playing in a crappy screamo band, staffed with guitarists who execute strictly-timed guitar spins, among other pointless "stage moves", who is frustrated with being out-played by older, more experienced musicians on a regular basis. Insecurity is the foster parent of ineptitude.

 

[lfmn16]

To explain, i can understand a young teen or 20's something band doing originals, hoping to get recognised and make it big. Maybe get a following of young kids on their facebook page who will buy their itunes or EP etc

I don't see anything about the MUSIC here. If you're playing because you love music then it doesn't matter how old you are; or if you are playing covers or originals; or if there are 10 people or 100 people in the crowd. If you are playing to be famous then you'll never be satisfied.

 

[JohnMCA72]

I hate to break it to you, but a lot of younger people write crap. When you're young, you expect everybody to love you (& your crappy music) as much as your mom does. As you get older, you begin to realize that it doesn't work that way & keep most of the real crap to yourself.

Imagine the boxcar-loads of absolute dreck that people like Paul McCartney, Michael Jackson (estate), Barry Manilow, Burt Bacharach, etc. must have stashed away somewhere, that nobody will ever hear!

Everybody has some number of good songs in them. For most people that number is 0, or at least pretty close to it. When those good songs come out has nothing to do with age. If you're done, you're done regardless of how old. Some people burn out at a young age & others manage to keep the fires going low & slow over a long period of time. Age's only real factor is the wisdom to keep one's crap to oneself.

 

[obimark]

I tend to agree with this- which is why I play mostly covers and don't have ANY interest in being in an original band at age 42. What's the point? I am not looking to get a record deal, or be "found out". Just want to play cool songs that get a reaction from people and are fun. Most folks by my age are just clinging to a long lsot dream/ego trip if they want to play all originals. Besides there are SO Many great songs to cover in any genre you can think of. Doesn't mean you can't put you own spin on things and be creative with your bass playing when appropriate.

 

[Pilgrim]

Trust me, when you get to 50 or 60, you know you're not going to become a rock star or go touring. But that doesn't mean that you can't write music and enjoy performing it.

 

[kevteop]

Most folks by my age are just clinging to a long lsot dream/ego trip if they want to play all originals.

I'm 38 and still mostly play originals (although when I go out busking I often play other peoples' tunes). I've no desire to go chasing recording contracts, and even when I was young and I was offered recording contracts I turned them down. I just want to enjoy playing my music and the music of people I know and like. And sharing that with whoever wants to hear it.

Sure I could pack it in and go play Mustang Sally to wedding parties if I wanted to, but I wouldn't enjoy it, so what would be the point? I will stop playing altogether before I start taking gigs like that.

 

[obimark]

I'm 38 and still mostly play originals (although when I go out busking I often play other peoples' tunes). I've no desire to go chasing recording contracts, and even when I was young and I was offered recording contracts I turned them down. I just want to enjoy playing my music and the music of people I know and like. And sharing that with whoever wants to hear it.

Sure I could pack it in and go play Mustang Sally to wedding parties if I wanted to, but I wouldn't enjoy it, so what would be the point? I will stop playing altogether before I start taking gigs like that.

All good- just so long as you realize there is probably an extremely limited market of people who want to hear originals. My old band wanted to play all newer stuff and I had to walk, jsut didn't feel right to me playing a twenty years olds flash in the pan one-hit wonder song vs. stuff that I grew up with and people know.

 

[dbd1963]

To my mind, this discussion is taking place in a framework that really isn't operative anymore. The old paradigm of "making it" is a sunken ship, it just hasn't been sunken long enough for everyone to be aware that it's over.

Whatever replaces it hasn't been recognized either.

So hardly anyone should be creating music with the idea that they are going to "make it," no matter how old they are. If you want to be one of the last lucky ones before that final bit of the ship disappears below the waves, I suspect you have to know the right people.

As for writing, I write songs all the time, but that's because I have to. I don't have any idea what will come of them and at my age now don't particularly care.

I notice that all three of my kids have musical aptitude and, because they've seen me writing songs, they believe they can write them. My 7 year old daughter in particular -- she already plays the piano and violin, and creates melodies to play on them that sound good to me. I have to think something might be different if I'd hung up writing songs when I got "too old".

 

[Ric5]

Old guys playing originals

 

[prd004]

Some people who write music do so for other purposes than "making it". These people are called artists and age has nothing to do with it.

Is an old dude likely to become a rich musical sensation? Not likely, but the percentages say neither is the 20 year old.

If the only pleasure I could get out of music was playing "Mustang Sally" and "867-5309 Jenny" in front of a bunch of drunks in a dive bar, then I would probably hang it up.