• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

You know your bandmates are old when-

W

wilberthenry

May 12, 2009
410
508
#1
Just got home from practice with my band. These guys are all talented players-the band sounds great and we have gone over well the few times we have played out, but all have been out of playing live for a lot of years. This shows in so many different ways:
-talking about a "promo package" and CD to send to clubs rather than links to a band website with MP3's becasue "people will steal our songs"
-recording a demo with 30 second clips of our songs instead of full songs-even though we are essentially a jam band
-Assuming they will get paid what they did in the 80's-but adjusted for inflation.

I like playing the music with these guys, but they are unreceptive to my take on things (Nobody will listen to your tunes on soundcloud-let alone "steal them"). Has anyone else played with guys who have been away for a LONG time and still think they are experts on the music scene? I assume time will change their attitudes about some of this. Give me hope people!
 
#2
Um, nope. I can't give you any hope. I'm 41 and have been playing in clubs since I was 15. All the guys I played with back then were older than me (in their 30s). They are still playing today, and they still believe everything they did in 1987. They play the same songs. They promote themselves the same way (phone calls begging people to come out). They are skeptical of anything digital or web based. I haven't played with any of them in well over a decade, but I stay in touch. And they say the same things they used to say way back then. (In fact, the two guitar players still swear by Charvel and Jackson guitars and Marshall half stacks).
 
#3
Pick one thing and try to convince them the "let's just try it" way. If it works then move on to the next thing.

I don't worry about the "getting paid" thing so I can't help you there.

I build web sites/apps for a living so my view is a crappy website is not much better than no website. You're going to have to pay for it unless one of you is got at it.

Twitter has helped friends of mine in bands though I've never tried it. Facebook works to some extent if you're not a super spammer.

Who cares if someone "steals" your music on soundcloud. If you're having trouble getting people to your shows you should be stoked people are actually downloading instead of just listening to :30 of a song and moving on.
 
#4
Oh, one more thing to keep in mind. If they are older, their goals are probably not the same as yours. Unless they are unrealistic, they probably aren't trying to "make it", or even be the next big thing in your area. (The chance of older musicians making it big is less than that of being struck by lightening....... 117 times..... standing in the same place.) More likely, they are probably having fun and simply hoping some other people enjoy the music they are creating. If that bugs you, you may need to find some young, driven musicians to play with who also have career aspirations.

However, if I am wrong, and your older band mates are trying to make it, they are in for a rude awakening soon. They may sell a song or two if they are very fortunate. But nobody is going to put any money behind older guys in a newer band. Garry Allen in country music is pretty much the only example of someone making it big in their 40s. And I can't think of anyone at all (other than a flash in the pan here and there from a televised talent show) who has made it past that age.

So, how old are these guys?
 
#5
I play in a cover band, so people steal our songs all the time. I'm nudging 65, and I put my bands on Facebook and Soundcloud. The leader of one band is an IT specialist and he doesn't do the social networking thing, but he did have a website done. I can't stand the idea of putting fragments of songs on CDs. That was a good idea when it was cassette tapes, but now you can jump to the next song with the flick of a button, so give 'em something to listen to. If people want to steal your songs, all they have to do is come to a show and record you on their phone or H4N.

So tell your bandmates that Munjibunga, a codger in his own right, says to take a step into the next century. If they have any questions, tell them to look up Munjibunga on Facebook.
 
#7
These guys are in their 50's and 60's. I am not that far behind them, but I just bailed on a band that is booked every weekend because it was too much gigging for me. I have no illusions of "making it" beyond gigging maybe a few times a month-I am "in it" to play good music. At the same time, getting a bar gig for a start up that has almost no gigging history and plays a lot of originals and then having bandmates ask me "$200-----that's $200 a piece right?", has me coming to the realization that I just need to just sit back, play, and focus on the music. I don't care so much about the business aspect of the band, but it is a drag when time with the band is spent discussing the business side of things in unrealistic ways.
 
#8
wilberthenry said:
Just got home from practice with my band. These guys are all talented players-the band sounds great and we have gone over well the few times we have played out, but all have been out of playing live for a lot of years. This shows in so many different ways:
-talking about a "promo package" and CD to send to clubs rather than links to a band website with MP3's becasue "people will steal our songs"
-recording a demo with 30 second clips of our songs instead of full songs-even though we are essentially a jam band
-Assuming they will get paid what they did in the 80's-but adjusted for inflation.

I like playing the music with these guys, but they are unreceptive to my take on things (Nobody will listen to your tunes on soundcloud-let alone "steal them"). Has anyone else played with guys who have been away for a LONG time and still think they are experts on the music scene? I assume time will change their attitudes about some of this. Give me hope people!
Click to expand...

Yes and they will get a big dose of this aint the 80's real quick...you will see. As far as stealing songs?
Who cares...let them, but trust me it wont happen. My orininals band has two albums all over the internet and the last thing we care about is getting one stolen. They are CR and recorded...big deal. As far as the money like I said here before its all about the market and what you need to make not what you expect.
 
#10
Man, tell me about it. I feel a bit lost. I remember at one point thinking, "this CD burner is the future! The revolution is now!" ... . . well that was somewhat true, to go from Tascam 4-track masterpieces to burning your own CD's. It gave us a lot of power.
Like a lot of dinosaurs, I remember being on top of technology, and on it went...I just kept concentrating on my writing, singing, and playing.
But, in defense of OG's, what we know, we know. The web is great, but there's no substitute for being there, for actual spoken conversation, and a physical album for sale. Or recording on 1/2" tape, for that matter.

The anonymity of the internet is certainly something to grasp. Everybody gets their 15 minutes. But no one is listening because everyone is talking, all at once, all the time. A double edged sword indeed -
 
#13
bearfoot said:
The anonymity of the internet is certainly something to grasp. Everybody gets their 15 minutes. But no one is listening because everyone is talking, all at once, all the time. A double edged sword indeed -
Click to expand...

I agree with this as well! But also remember the current champions are free and convinvient [for the audience]. Thus its not about any one good thing, but a thousand anythings across all media be it physical or virtual. You must prepare for the dudes who still rock cassettes and their girlfriends who want to hand you their phone with their favorite song already queued up on youtube expecting you to hold it to the mic.

Also, your bandmates are actually "vintage." Heavier, but built to last and most likely contain techniques currently not in use. But 16 as fuq in their heads, like everyone else. Entice that out.
 
#14
Nope sorry, can't do it. Just quit a band cause the 51 year old lead singer wouldn't do anything but what he did in the 70s and 80s. He had a penchant for anything in a I, iV, V progression. To this day, I can't get Hot Legs out of my head. Still wore his polyester silkscreen printed Elvis shirt once in a while too. And the band wondered why no 20 something's would come to see us.......
 
#15
Kinda funny irony here, in that the band that makes me the most $$$ every month caters to a 60+ crowd, we attract 75-150 (or more, as we will tomorrow night), play country music from the 20's thru the 80's ... and at 59 I'm the kid in the band. We don't give a darn if there's no 20-somethings coming out to hear us, that ain't the target audience. Granted, the clock is gonna run out on the band pretty soon (walkers and wheelchairs clog up the dance floor) but for now, we're diggin' it and so are our fans.

BTW - we use flyers and email for promotion to our fan base, and we deal with venues on a face to face basis always.
 
#16
You can't make generalizations about age. I have heard some of the same things but like someone said, just try to get them moving forward with technology one step at a time. Since you are the young guy, offer to set up an FB page, website, whatever. We have the same deal with my guitar player, he wants $10 per album and I'm like, sell them for five and give away a few every time we play...just get the music out there in the hands of the people. The only way to 100% prevent someone from stealing your song is to never play it.
 
#17
RustyAxe said:
Sure. And I've played with young players who think that they and their generation invented everything there is, and that if it's new it MUST be better. Best to keep an open mind and just do whatever WORKS.
Click to expand...

+1. We're a 5 piece ranginging in age from 28 to 64. We don't bother with a website, Facebook, youtube, etc.

We DO book through an agency who handle promotion in conjunction with the venues, and keep us quite busy.

Works for us & no complaints from the old OR younger guys.
 
#19
I remember hating how every cover band around was always playing classic rock, thinking "if I hear Sweet Home Alabama one more damn time...." And now I'm in a band playing a lot of 90s grunge, and doing pretty well locally, then one day flip to the local classic rock station and hear Stone Temple Pilots and Alice in Chains back to back... and I come to a horrible realization.

I'm in a ****ing classic rock cover band.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back