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So I decided to get out of the house tonight, and went to my usual dive bar.

 

There was a Dad band there. Five-piece, all with gray hair, all in T-shirts and cargo shorts. They didn't play anything released after 1980.

 

They wrapped up early, and after chatting up the keyboard player and taking a gander at the internals of the Hammond B-3 and Leslie speaker that he had somehow hauled into the bar, I decided to head across the street.

 

Where a Grandpa band was playing. Five-piece, all with sparse gray hair or no hair at all. They didn't play anything released after 1965.

 

My question is... why????

 

It is SO hard to find a few killer songs released since you were a teenager? Do they feel awkward playing newer stuff? Do they just not have the time/energy/willpower/interest?

 

Just curious. Because I'm no kid, but I'll bust out some Bruno Mars or whatever without giving it a second thought.

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Interesting - I'm the youngest guy in my band (five piece - 2 guitars, vocals, bass, drums) at 37 and we have made the decision not to play classic rock like everyone else in town. Our setlist is entirely 1990 to the present with the the bulk of our set being current hard rock. It works for us and we are booked through March. (including a New Years Eve gig) So we're out there but certainly not the norm

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I'm dealing with a bit of this in my band, so I've done a lot of thinking about this.

 

First, I think it's safe to say that most musicians prefer playing music they like....and likewise, a cover band's song selections are usually driven by the band members' individual listening habits.

 

In my experience, most people start losing interest in "new" music sometime in their 30's or 40's. Partly because, after listening to music for 25-30 years, people have a clearly defined idea of what they like....and by the time a person reaches 35-40 years old, popular music bears little or no resemblance to the music they grew up on. They just can't relate to it.

 

That being said....one could just as easily put the shoe on the other foot, and ask why the younger bands have such little regard for the classics. When was the last time you heard a group of younger guys whip out something by Led Zeppelin, Kansas, Boston, or Rush? Sure, there's always the argument, "Well that stuff is old and tired." But the bottom line is, the younger generation simply doesn't identify with that music, any more than their parents and grandparents identify with the newer stuff.

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There was a Dad band there. Five-piece, all with gray hair, all in T-shirts and cargo shorts. They didn't play anything released after 1980.


Where a Grandpa band was playing. Five-piece, all with sparse gray hair or no hair at all. They didn't play anything released after 1965.

 

 

No matter what they played or how well they had played it, you wouldn't have liked it, either because you were predisposed not to because of their age and appearance, or because . . . well it probably would have been a mismatch playing songs several decades out of their stylistic comfort zone.

 

Have you ever played songs from their era? You may be able to cop that vibe as well as we would, but more likely I doubt that you'd be able to pull it off any better than I could pull off Bruno Mars. . . . . . maybe for technical/groove reasons, or maybe just because our hearts just wouldn't be in it.

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hmmm, they had gigs......

 

Sure, they weren't getting paid, but you can't put a cash value on that kind of exposure! Besides, those custom shop guitars and booteek amps deserve to be on a stage... er... a 8x10 rug in the corner of McKrusty's Wings n Suds.

 

trollface-300x273.jpg

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Sure, they weren't getting paid, but you can't put a cash value on that kind of exposure! Besides, those custom shop guitars and booteek amps deserve to be on a stage... er... a 8x10 rug in the corner of McKrusty's Wings n Suds.


trollface-300x273.jpg

why weren't they getting paid?

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That being said....one could just as easily put the shoe on the other foot, and ask why the younger bands have such little regard for the classics. When was the last time you heard a group of younger guys whip out something by Led Zeppelin, Kansas, Boston, or Rush? Sure, there's always the argument, "Well that stuff is old and tired." But the bottom line is, the younger generation simply doesn't identify with that music, any more than their parents and grandparents identify with the newer stuff.

 

 

I think you'd be hard pressed to find a new rock band who isn't into that stuff. Go into any Guitar Center and listen to how many kids are playing pre-1990 riffs - it will be most of them. Then again I'm 25 and feel like a dinosaur sometimes. If I were choosing my favorite tunes to cover that have actually been on the radio, it would be almost exclusively 1965-1991 or so (whenever the first Skid Row album came out). I just can see no reason to like Nickelback over KISS or any current pop act over Michael Jackson or Prince, etc. The new stuff just plain is not as good to a LOT of people, myself included.

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Unless you are playing to a really young crowd, it's highly possible that a lot of the audience won't even be familiar with newer material. In today's modern era of Ipods, satellite radio, and internet radio, a lot of people don't listen to Top 40 radio stations anymore. We simply aren't exposed to a wide variety of music. It's so easy to pare your selections down to exactly what you want. I'm still in my early/mid 30's, and I probably haven't listened to a regular "radio station" in five or six years.

 

When you guys all have these epic threads arguing about new and current setlists that "kill on the dancefloor," I must admit that I haven't heard the majority of the songs. :facepalm: I have to go look them up on Youtube.

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I think you'd be hard pressed to find a new rock band who isn't into that stuff. Go into any Guitar Center and listen to how many kids are playing pre-1990 riffs - it will be most of them. Then again I'm 25 and feel like a dinosaur sometimes. If I were choosing my favorite tunes to cover
that have actually been on the radio
, it would be almost exclusively 1965-1991 or so (whenever the first Skid Row album came out). I just can see no reason to like Nickelback over KISS or any current pop act over Michael Jackson or Prince, etc. The new stuff just plain is not as good to a LOT of people, myself included.

 

 

I would much rather suffer thru Nickelback than Kiss.

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I think you'd be hard pressed to find a new rock band who isn't into that stuff. Go into any Guitar Center and listen to how many kids are playing pre-1990 riffs - it will be most of them. Then again I'm 25 and feel like a dinosaur sometimes. If I were choosing my favorite tunes to cover
that have actually been on the radio
, it would be almost exclusively 1965-1991 or so (whenever the first Skid Row album came out). I just can see no reason to like Nickelback over KISS or any current pop act over Michael Jackson or Prince, etc. The new stuff just plain is not as good to a LOT of people, myself included.

 

 

I think it is because they are musicians and KNOW that most the newer music is crap. But the average bar idiot doesn't have a clue.

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July 3rd our band played in a trendy downtown Delray pub that was packed with what I call kids, what looked like college age to mid thirties. Except for "About a Girl" and "All Apologies" our set list is pretty much 1955 to 1972. We got massive applause and whistles for everything we played, starting with "You Can't Always Get What You Want" and ending with "Helter Skelter." They loved "Rock this Town" which is from I think 1982 and as usual the girls get a kick out of "Squeezebox." The kids danced to most of it and locked arms the length of the bar swaying to "Free Bird." Yeah, I'm a grandfather, yeah I got paid, and the management wants us back. Our lead guitarist uses a 30 watt single tube practice amp on stage that he bought for $100 so nothing boutique. Our lead singer tried his best for a hookup with the adoring girls but even he admits that mostly ended for him five or six years ago, sometimes he gets lucky but most of the time he's just too old, lol. At church praise band practice last week the 16 year old kid playing guitar next to me kept trying to get me to jam to "Carry On My Wayward Son" and he knew all the changes. Classic rock is classic because it's freakin' classic.

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The wrong question is being asked here.

 

Bands get together and decide what they want to play. In some cases they decide based on what will make them the maximum amount of money. In some cases it's because they want to play music they love, and make a few extra bucks. In some cases it's a little bit of both. There's no better or worse motivation IMHO. You decide what you want to do and you do it. It's not right to assume lack of ambition, or laziness, or lack of integrity, or whatever, unless you personally know the person.

 

Once that has been determined, the object is to match the band to the crowd. If you play classic rock from the 70's, you're going to be a good fit for a bar with people between 40 and 60. If you play Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, Maroon 5, etc, then you're a better fit for the 20 something crowd. Because believe me, the 50 year old dudes don't want to hear that stuff. It also depends why the people are there. If it's a bar where the 40 and 50 year old motorcycle dudes go to get loaded, then they want classic rock. If it's a wine bar, they want Elton John. I'm being Captain Obvious here but apparently it needed to be said.

 

As a solo performer I learned this lesson and went from $5 per hour to $50 per hour with the same set lists. I am a dad and I play Elton John, Billy Joel, CCR, James Taylor, Beatles, Gordon Lightfoot, and a whole bunch of other old stuff. So I can do a 3 hour gig and make $150, which is decent Dad Band money. And I only choose songs I really love. I'm having fun and getting paid more per hour than my day job. What's not to love?

 

BUT. With all of that said, I do agree that drawing a line in the sand at, say, 1979, is a little weird. I also play some Lyle Lovett songs released in the 2000's, I play some Ben Folds, I play Stevie Ray Vaughn, some Keane, Crowded House, REM, and other stuff that people in their 40's and 50's might like because I do. It's hardly today's Top 40 but it's not "Piano Man" either. Stevie Ray Vaughn goes over very big. Of course, he sort of sounded like the 70's anyway, but...

 

Anyway, that's my take.

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The wrong question is being asked here.


Bands get together and decide what they want to play. In some cases they decide based on what will make them the maximum amount of money. In some cases it's because they want to play music they love, and make a few extra bucks. In some cases it's a little bit of both. There's no better or worse motivation IMHO. You decide what you want to do and you do it. It's not right to assume lack of ambition, or laziness, or lack of integrity, or whatever, unless you personally know the person.


Once that has been determined, the object is to match the band to the crowd. If you play classic rock from the 70's, you're going to be a good fit for a bar with people between 40 and 60. If you play Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, Maroon 5, etc, then you're a better fit for the 20 something crowd. Because believe me, the 50 year old dudes don't want to hear that stuff. It also depends why the people are there. If it's a bar where the 40 and 50 year old motorcycle dudes go to get loaded, then they want classic rock. If it's a wine bar, they want Elton John. I'm being Captain Obvious here but apparently it needed to be said.


As a solo performer I learned this lesson and went from $5 per hour to $50 per hour with the same set lists. I am a dad and I play Elton John, Billy Joel, CCR, James Taylor, Beatles, Gordon Lightfoot, and a whole bunch of other old stuff. So I can do a 3 hour gig and make $150, which is decent Dad Band money. And I only choose songs I really love. I'm having fun and getting paid more per hour than my day job. What's not to love?


BUT. With all of that said, I do agree that drawing a line in the sand at, say, 1979, is a little weird. I also play some Lyle Lovett songs released in the 2000's, I play some Ben Folds, I play Stevie Ray Vaughn, some Keane, Crowded House, REM, and other stuff that people in their 40's and 50's might like because I do. It's hardly today's Top 40 but it's not "Piano Man" either. Stevie Ray Vaughn goes over very big. Of course, he sort of sounded like the 70's anyway, but...


Anyway, that's my take.

very good post.

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BUT. With all of that said, I do agree that drawing a line in the sand at, say, 1979, is a little weird. I also play some Lyle Lovett songs released in the 2000's, I play some Ben Folds, I play Stevie Ray Vaughn, some Keane, Crowded House, REM, and other stuff that people in their 40's and 50's might like because I do. It's hardly today's Top 40 but it's not "Piano Man" either. Stevie Ray Vaughn goes over very big. Of course, he sort of sounded like the 70's anyway, but...


Anyway, that's my take.

 

 

Excellent post all around. But I wouldn't assume that they were "drawing a line in the sand". It may just be that the songs they wanted to play, and their audience wanted to hear, fell into the pre-1980 era.

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I'm the opposite.

 

 

And I have no interest in playing either one . . . .

 

Fortunately there are lots of choices out there, and if you can play them well and pay attention to presentation, you have a decent chance of attracting at least a few people who didn't hear your songs during high school.

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I think KISS had some great songs (Strutter, Got To Choose, Rock and Roll All Night, Parasite.) They also had some of the worst lyrics that I've ever, ever heard (Love Gun? Really?) All of their best songs were written before 1977.

and their attempts at double leads sounded like 3rd graders blowing tonettes.

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Excellent post all around. But I wouldn't assume that they were "drawing a line in the sand". It may just be that the songs they wanted to play, and their audience wanted to hear, fell into the pre-1980 era.

 

Thanks! And you are right - because the combination of band and audience is what matters. I guess I wouldn't bitch about a Genesis tribute band that didn't plan any Alan Parsons Project. :)

 

SIDE NOTE - I think that you can really impress people by pulling up some awesome song that they're not expecting. The crowds I play to expect Margaritaville and Just The Way You Are. But I'll pull out Comfortably Numb and people love it. Although at a private party I played last weekend a guy asked me if Comfortably Numb was from The Dark Side of the Moon. I smiled and said, "No, it's from The Wall."

 

Who the f*ck my age doesn't know that?

 

We must remain professional at all times. :)

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why weren't they getting paid?

 

 

Uneducated guess. Older guys, playing covers without any apparent regard for their audience. My knee-jerk reaction is to assume they are family dudes with careers, playing as a hobby. They view playing in front of an audience at a bar as an adventure, and since they aren't a draw, particularly good players, or playing music the general public is interested in, they'll gravitate towards the lowest-hanging fruit.

 

Then, I attached a Trollface image to my post.

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and their attempts at double leads sounded like 3rd graders blowing tonettes.

 

 

Detroit Rock City and Shout It Out Loud both had double leads and are both considered rock classics.

 

Uh, and it's actually debatable whether Ace Frehley actually played on either of those two leads. Might have been a session studio dude. And Bob Ezrin produced that album. OK, you might have a point.

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