old guys playing originals?

[bluewine]

I look at it this way 30,40 50 ,60 who cares! If you are willing to go out and work to play original music ...do it! My area has allot of older cat's playing all the time, most are solo singer songwriters and they play 4-6 nights a week. If you are happy this way great! If you are happy playing for what money your music makes and willing to pass making more playing other's peoples music? Right on!

If you can actually get decent consistent work, I agree.

I respect everyone's thing, however I will never understand the guys that have no interest I'm gigging.

It just doesn't make sense to a Guy like me. Unless you have health issues or to much family responsibility.

 

[godofthunder59]

how much a week did it cost to maintain those hair do's?

Nothing.....................you might be surprised what people will do for free when you get a little higher on the food chain.

 

[EricF]

My band ranges in ages from 42-50. We play originals (and a couple of tweaked covers) in small clubs to small audiences (usually) for no money. I have not once felt embarassed or out of place playing before and/or after bands of 20-somethings that are intent on "making it". Often times, we have been complimented for playing at reasonable volume levels, being efficient and professional with load-in/load-out, and looking like we know what the **** we're doing on stage (things that are all-too-often lacking with younger bands). For us, we just want to have some fun playing music we enjoy. We have a great time, and always get a positive response.

 

[jive1]

I'd like to think as we get older and are more confident in our abilities and weaknesses, and who we in general, we wouldn't feel the need to constantly justify doing what we love to a bunch of strangers on the internet.

Music is a good thing. What else do you need?

Music is bigger than any of us. Why do we need to put it in a tiny box?

 

[pjmuck]

I find it a bit annoying that this conversation keeps circling back to commerce being the sole validation that anyone should be making or performing music, whether you're young or old. (That's America for you in 2012. God forbid anyone pursues something for the sheer love or experience anymore unless there's a dollar figure attached to it). If you want to earn a living making music playing originals then by all means do what you need to do to generate income, but by no means is performing out live (especially in local bars) the be all end all solution. A good friend of mine rarely gigs out anymore and earns his income licensing his music to film and TV or scoring music. I'd like to pursue that as well. Bottom line: not everyone has the same agenda, talent, unique skills, etc. so there's no reason to assume we should all have the same requirements or pass judgment on those who don't share your motives for playing music. A great song is a great song, regardless.

 

[bluewine]

I find it a bit annoying that this conversation keeps circling back to commerce being the sole validation that anyone should be making or performing music, whether you're young or old. (That's America for you in 2012. God forbid anyone pursues something for the sheer love or experience anymore unless there's a dollar figure attached to it). If you want to earn a living making music playing originals then by all means do what you need to do to generate income, but by no means is performing out live (especially in local bars) the be all end all solution. A good friend of mine rarely gigs out anymore and earns his income licensing his music to film and TV or scoring music. I'd like to pursue that as well. Bottom line: not everyone has the same agenda, talent, unique skills, etc. so there's no reason to assume we should all have the same requirements or pass judgment on those who don't share your motives for playing music. A great song is a great song, regardless.

Licensing your music sounds great and smart. I wish I had that ability.

However, the guy above playing originals at bars, loading in and loading out for free while the owner keeps the money spent on drinks from family and friends of the band, i simply will never get that. You can try and justify it with terms like your art , or I have a job and don't need the money and I'm in this for the sheer love of playing music, I don't buy intoi that and I'm suspicious theres more to the story.

If someone else likes giving their service away for free thats cool, but don't expect me to undertand or appreciate that business model.

BTW, we all love playing music even when we are being paid.

 

[EricF]

However, the guy above playing originals at bars, loading in and loading out for free while the owner keeps the money spent on drinks from family and friends of the band, i simply will never get that. You can try and justify it with terms like your art , or I have a job and don't need the money and I'm in this for the sheer love of playing music, I don't buy intoi that and I'm suspicious theres more to the story.

If someone else likes giving their service away for free thats cool, but don't expect me to undertand or appreciate that business model.

That's just it. It's not a "business model". We aren't trying to do any business. We enjoy the energy of playing on stage to people who are digging the music. It really is that simple. Chasing money makes it a lot more serious and tense than we want to be with the music we're playing. Not worrying about getting paid takes a lot of stress out of it.

If the club owner/promoter can make some money and keep giving local bands a place to play, good for them, good for us, and good for anyone who can use it as a stepping stone to turn what they do into something bigger and more successful for themselves.

Try looking at it this way...lots of people play organized sports (i.e. adult hockey leagues). They haul their own gear, they have fun doing something they truly enjoy, and they don't get paid to do it. Someone is making money (the rink, the league...), but it isn't the players. What we do (my band, specifically) isn't much different. We have a practice during the week, and we play games on weekends.

This is just how we roll, and it works for us. If your needs are different, that's fine. Do what you need to do to.

 

[sears]

Licensing your music sounds great and smart. I wish I had that ability.

However, the guy above playing originals at bars, loading in and loading out for free while the owner keeps the money spent on drinks from family and friends of the band, i simply will never get that. You can try and justify it with terms like your art , or I have a job and don't need the money and I'm in this for the sheer love of playing music, I don't buy intoi that and I'm suspicious theres more to the story.

Why don't you come out and say it? Why does this guy do it? Quit pussyfooting around.

 

[bassbully]

If you can actually get decent consistent work, I agree.

I respect everyone's thing, however I will never understand the guys that have no interest I'm gigging.

It just doesn't make sense to a Guy like me. Unless you have health issues or to much family responsibility.

Most of us gig when we want to and can according to our lifestyles and it works for most. I can understand why some don't gig and respect it. Being in a working band is no picnic and at time is down right a pain in the ass.This can be true for any kind of band.

 

[imustscream]

You're supposed to hang it up when you're middle aged? That's kinda a waste to be a musician in the first place

 

[markkoelsch]

What is the problem? Playing covers over and over, while it might earn you a few bucks, can get real old.

Conversely, creating something of your own is exciting. You actually get to express yourself...you get to make music versus copying somebody else.

 

[TinIndian]

We're all 45-50 in my band and we do original material along with the covers. Don't understand what age has to do with orignal music.

 

[kesslari]

Both my bands (see my sig) play primarily original music, with covers that we enjoy. We get paid to play, not a lot but about the same as cover bands in our respective genres (that means the funk band makes OK coin, the singer-songwriter-instrumentalist not so much).

It's about satisfaction. I love to see people on the floor groovin', or enjoying listening to more "listeny" music - and I enjoy it that much more when I, or one of my bandmates, wrote the music that is being enjoyed.

 

[Bassquest]

I'm 60 playing with some young guys in their 20's (no relation to me) doing their originals cause I'm good!

 

[bluewine]

That's just it. It's not a "business model". We aren't trying to do any business. We enjoy the energy of playing on stage to people who are digging the music. It really is that simple. Chasing money makes it a lot more serious and tense than we want to be with the music we're playing. Not worrying about getting paid takes a lot of stress out of it.

If the club owner/promoter can make some money and keep giving local bands a place to play, good for them, good for us, and good for anyone who can use it as a stepping stone to turn what they do into something bigger and more successful for themselves.

Try looking at it this way...lots of people play organized sports (i.e. adult hockey leagues). They haul their own gear, they have fun doing something they truly enjoy, and they don't get paid to do it. Someone is making money (the rink, the league...), but it isn't the players. What we do (my band, specifically) isn't much different. We have a practice during the week, and we play games on weekends.

This is just how we roll, and it works for us. If your needs are different, that's fine. Do what you need to do to.

Really, there is not much difference.

We both leave being musically satisfied and we get the same satisfaction from the crowd digging our performance and It's never tense for me in anyway.

The only difference is I leave with a commision for my performance in my pocket and you leave with no compensation.

Do you think because we get paid we don't enjoy, love and have fun playing music?

Look at it this way, we also have fun putting money in our wallets.

If I ever open a club or a bar, I'm calling you guys.

blue

 

[kesslari]

Do you think because we get paid we don't enjoy, love and have fun playing music?

Look at it this way, we also have fun putting money in our wallets.

Why does it have to be one or the other?
Human nature, I say "I like San Francisco" and somebody will invariably say "What's wrong with New York?"

For some people, getting paid is a critical part of the fun. For others it isn't, and for some, there can be trade offs between pay and other factors.

 

[bluewine]

Why does it have to be one or the other?
Human nature, I say "I like San Francisco" and somebody will invariably say "What's wrong with New York?"

For some people, getting paid is a critical part of the fun. For others it isn't, and for some, there can be trade offs between pay and other factors.

I think that when you work, loading in an out and performing getting compensated should be a critical part of the fun for all musicians whether they need the money or not.

Another thing I can't understand is how a the club or bar owner can have these guys come in and perform and he/she is completely ok with not paying them. He pays for the booze , he/she pays the bartenders.

I would love to sit at that bar and tell the owner "I'll pay for my drink when you pay that band."

Or ask the owner:

"
Hi, you have a nice place here, nice crowd, great band too.

My buddy plays in that band. Those guys love music so much he tells me they play for free.

You look like a decent Guy, even though they offer their services for free, why do you take advantage of their generous nature? "


By the way, this not about bands playing free taking business from working bands.

Bands that play for free do not take business from working bands.

 

[Spectrum]

However, the guy above playing originals at bars, loading in and loading out for free while the owner keeps the money spent on drinks from family and friends of the band, i simply will never get that. You can try and justify it with terms like your art , or I have a job and don't need the money and I'm in this for the sheer love of playing music, I don't buy intoi that and I'm suspicious theres more to the story.

What do you mean you're "suspicious"? Do you think he's lying to you?

It must be sad to play music only for money. I like to sit on my porch with a beer and my bass or acoustic guitar and play original tunes for no reason whatsoever, except that it makes me happy. Are you suspicious of that? Do you think there's "more to my story"?

I understand if it's how you make a living and all, but a lot of us out here aren't professionals. We have day jobs and music to us is something we do for fun after work. I would like to get paid for playing music, of course, but that's not why I do it. Now if I had stuck with it after high school and gone the rout you did, maybe I'd look at it differently.

In any case, this thread is about age and originals, not pros vs. dedicated amateurs. In the case of those who don't play primarily for money, there is more freedom to do originals and whatever else you want because the main goal is expressing yourself instead of getting paid, and your age makes no difference, except in some situations where image is important to you.

 

[OneOldCoder]

I think that when you work, loading in an out and performing...

This about sums it up. The feeling that all of the preparation and playing of the music is 'work'. For those of us that play for the pure enjoyment of playing music, it is -not- 'work'...it's relaxing, and fun.

I've been writing/playing originals for over 20 years now, and have absolutely no plans on stopping, no matter how old I get.

I have been a systems analyst/database programmer for over 30 years also, got paid good money when I did that as a job, but I also wrote programs, created databases, repaired computers, built computers...etc...for fun, and no pay. Simply because i enjoyed it. If I was capable of doing so now, since I'm retired, I would still do so.

The difference is, I don't consider any of that to be -work-, and I don't suppose I ever will.

David

 

[metlman72]

It seems to me that when it is referred to to as providing a service that I guess you should be paid for it. I have never thought of it that way. I play purely for the love of it. Ill go one step further and say my band is a trio. We are 39, 40 and 46. My local scene the band usually is entitled to the door money. The cover is usually 5 dollars. We have the owner donate every bit of it to local charities.