Members Opus Antics Posted July 31, 2014 Members Share Posted July 31, 2014 I think the market IS ripe for younger bands to take the scene by storm--or at the very least, to create a new scene. I agree. I wish I were back in my 20's because I think a group of charismatic 20-somethin-yo guys with their s__t mostly together would do very well in the cover band market around here. That entity doesn't exist. Not that I know of. Maybe there's more of it in the city-proper? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members roxtar Posted July 31, 2014 Members Share Posted July 31, 2014 Live rock bands have become an "old guy" thing for many reasons. I think the market IS ripe for younger bands to take the scene by storm--or at the very least, to create a new scene. it's a chicken-or-the-egg thing, I suppose. Are all the dad bands the cause or the effect of a no-longer vibrant live music scene? Doesn't much matter at this point. Where I see 40+ bands flourish besides the type the demographics I previously mentioned is private functions, casinos, festivals, and things of that ilk. Around Columbus, the hip, bar scene IS dominated by DJs. The young bands around here are mainly some type of original metal-core genre that plays a couple of venues that do those 10 bands in a night shows. It all seems weird to me having spent my 20-30 year days in the late 80s to late 90s where every bar in town had a cover band of other 20-30 somethings doing everything from the hard rock to alt rock to soft rock sets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vito Corleone Posted July 31, 2014 Members Share Posted July 31, 2014 Where I see 40+ bands flourish besides the type the demographics I previously mentioned is private functions, casinos, festivals, and things of that ilk. Around Columbus, the hip, bar scene IS dominated by DJs. The young bands around here are mainly some type of original metal-core genre that plays a couple of venues that do those 10 bands in a night shows. It all seems weird to me having spent my 20-30 year days in the late 80s to late 90s where every bar in town had a cover band of other 20-30 somethings doing everything from the hard rock to alt rock to soft rock sets. Yep, I see the same thing. But the markets you mention where 40+ bands flourish is where bands of that age have ALWAYS flourished. That's where old musicians have always gone to die.... Somewhere along the way, younger musicians stopped wanting to be in cover bands playing out to people their own age and somewhere along the way, the entire concept of a "live rock band" changed from being about young, hip guys to being about older, aging dudes. Which came first, I don't know. But obviously there is going to be a disconnect in the bar/club scene still dominated by 20 something patrons. The scene is dominated by DJs but it doesn't HAVE to be, IMO. It's only because no younger cover bands have risen to the occasion. Bands and DJs have co-existed for decades. I was thinking about this the other day in terms of our 23-year old singer. She has a great time playing with us. The only other bands she's ever sang with have been made up of older dudes. I don't think she thinks any other options really exist since if you wanna play covers and make a little of bit of cash doing so, you gotta do it with old dudes. That's all well and good but I know for a fact that if this were 1984 instead of 2014 there's NO WAY this girl would be singing with a bunch of 50-somethings. That just didn't exist back then. She'd have her pick of hot young bands to front. I suspect she doesn't even think of what she is doing as, in any way, odd. Cool for us, I suppose. Although we do joke about changing the name of the band to Sarah and the FOGs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members roxtar Posted July 31, 2014 Members Share Posted July 31, 2014 Exactly guido, the reasons I dropped out. I've written a few songs, and maybe one or two were actually decent. I really enjoyed the cover scene, but I started late as far as forming a band. We played out in two incarnations over about 3 years. When we were doing opening slots for established bands, we received a ton a compliments and subsequent offers for headline slots. That's when it all went wrong. We kept trying to build our brand, but the crowd wasn't there and it never grew. Over time, it was the right decision to pack it in. I did the solo/patio cover circuit for about a year or so (all acoustic) and then shut that down too. I've posted video clips here before (had to create a new account due to the new board or something) - and people were like "yeah, sounds good". But in the real world we just couldn't compete with DJs, and we didn't want to do originals. C'est la vie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nchangin Posted August 1, 2014 Members Share Posted August 1, 2014 I think this could also be examined from the perspective of technology and changes in musical developement. What is the one thing you hear getting cut in schools? Gym and Music. I firmly believe there are less musicians in the pool therefore reducing multiple musicians in their 20's starting up bands. And Technology. Everything now is instant gratification. If you want to hear a song you open your youtube app and you can listen to almost anything, especially new releases. This is the issue I see as a DJ, they expect you to have everything, even if you are in the middle of the stix playing off a generator. If you say you don't have it you hear well I have it on my phone........ In fact last weekend, one of the women running this benefit brings me a little girl and say oh I'm sure he has that song why don't you ask him? Ok little girl (about 4 years old) some new song by ummm Eric Church if I remember right, told her don't have it on the machine, well why don't you? Sorry don't have the track, well we have it at home and we have wi fi. Luckily I was outdoors and could access you tube, hook up the phone to the mixer and played the track (slow boring song too) and what really topped it off right after it started playing she asked for 3 other songs and didn't even seem to be listening?... as a DJ it's hard to win that game. If you play one request that person is going to bust your balls the rest of the night "just to see if you have the song" kinda deal. Usually this results in a sit down discussion that hey, I can play anything pretty much anything but now I gotta ask does it suck? If the response is "I don't know" then I'm reluctant to play any more requests by that person. If you are trying to beat match.genre match the style of music it really hinders the performance when you have to play a slow twangy crappy country song cause it was just released on the radio. As far as live bands competing with DJ's, indeed I've been on both sides of the pancake and no way, no how could any live band I've been in do a 6 hour show, heck even after 3 hours, physically it's hard to keep musical perfection if not impossible, I know no one is perfect, but again DJ's seem to cater better to the "instant gratification" needs of today's society and influence. I didn't get into the authenticity of the music, live bands will always battle that issue since no way is that live band going to have 100 % accurate reproduction. My preference still is and always will be live music, as that has soul to it, live entertainment and spirit. Playing music from a source to the same stack of speakers whille 100 % authentic, just isn't the same as live, even if they do advertise "live dj". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vito Corleone Posted August 1, 2014 Members Share Posted August 1, 2014 The instant gratification thing must suck for DJs. It's hard enough as it is as a BAND to try to explain to people that you can't just play every song you might have heard once before. And there are those people who insist on requesting SOMETHING...just so they can be part of the show, I think. Regarding technological changes, I think the advent of the home studio has probably stopped a lot of young kids from starting bands. When I was a kid, I started a band because there wasn't really any other way to make music. If I could have sat home and recorded everything myself, I might have been less compelled to do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ambugaton Posted August 21, 2014 Members Share Posted August 21, 2014 What seems to work for us is... and I think someone said it earlier - you can't play the same old 70s and 80s hits like the eagles, lynyrd, and so on. We CAN play all of those songs and do from time to time but we keep a wide variety in our shows. We are all mid 20s and play anything from chuck berry to no doubt... from the beatles to the gorrilaz... it keeps it fresh and we throw in stuff you don't hear every weekend... like fleetwood macs version of black magic woman. We also are not afraid to put some creativity into the songs we do... I don't enjoy playing exactly what the record sounds like on most songs. Keep it creative, unpredictable, appealing to several generations, and tight. I think at some point you can't play for yourself... but you have to play for your audience and most older guys I know only play blues or only play swamp pop or what have you. The older you get the less you can put up with playing some {censored}ty new age song just because girls in their 20s like it. Sometimes you just have to suck it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vito Corleone Posted August 22, 2014 Members Share Posted August 22, 2014 What seems to work for us is... and I think someone said it earlier - you can't play the same old 70s and 80s hits like the eagles, lynyrd, and so on. We CAN play all of those songs and do from time to time but we keep a wide variety in our shows. We are all mid 20s and play anything from chuck berry to no doubt... from the beatles to the gorrilaz... it keeps it fresh and we throw in stuff you don't hear every weekend... like fleetwood macs version of black magic woman. We also are not afraid to put some creativity into the songs we do... I don't enjoy playing exactly what the record sounds like on most songs. Keep it creative, unpredictable, appealing to several generations, and tight. I think at some point you can't play for yourself... but you have to play for your audience and most older guys I know only play blues or only play swamp pop or what have you. The older you get the less you can put up with playing some ****************ty new age song just because girls in their 20s like it. Sometimes you just have to suck it up. Nice to see some younger bands and musicians contributing to this place! Sounds to me like you're definitely on the right path. Keep the old stuff fresh and creative. Helps to be young though. Those 20something girls would much rather see a band of 20something dudes play an old Eagles song --- regardless of how well the older band nails it. That's just the way it is, baby. And I'm all for coming up with your own sounds and arrangements on songs. It's all about keeping the vibe going. Not whether you nail a guitar solo note for note or anything. And that's sort of the beauty of modern songs: a traditional band really CAN'T play that stuff "just like the record". So it essentially forces the band to think outside the box. That's all good, IMO. Would love to hear/see some of your stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ambugaton Posted August 25, 2014 Members Share Posted August 25, 2014 I'm working on a little promo video from our last show on Friday. If I like it when I am done I will post it. Keep in mind I live in an area of about 12,000 so little bar room gigs are primarily what we do. DISCLAIMER: Its my first band and we have only been playing out for right around a year. Not nearly at the level as most of you are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members StratGuy22 Posted August 26, 2014 Members Share Posted August 26, 2014 Good to hear!! Looking forward to the video! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Howie22 Posted August 26, 2014 Members Share Posted August 26, 2014 Somewhere along the way, younger musicians stopped wanting to be in cover bands playing out to people their own age One word. . .YOUTUBE When you were young, why did you want to be in a band? -CREATIVE OUTLET - Now you can record a whole album by yourself in your bedroom, why do you need to play in a bar to get your songs heard? -FAME - Why have 50 people hear you in your hometown bar when you can get a million views on Youtube? -GIRLS - tons of young chicks on Youtube stroking your ego by adding comments about how talented and cute you are -TRYING TO MAKE IT BIG - these days you do that by recording an album at home and promoting it on social media nAs for your lack of young cover bands?? They are out there, they are just all on Youtube. Pick any modern song and type in "Insert Song Name Here Cover" on Youtube and there will be 100 or more hits of young musicians performing covers of that song from their home studio/bedroom/living room Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vito Corleone Posted August 26, 2014 Members Share Posted August 26, 2014 One word. . .YOUTUBE When you were young, why did you want to be in a band? -CREATIVE OUTLET - Now you can record a whole album by yourself in your bedroom, why do you need to play in a bar to get your songs heard? -FAME - Why have 50 people hear you in your hometown bar when you can get a million views on Youtube? -GIRLS - tons of young chicks on Youtube stroking your ego by adding comments about how talented and cute you are -TRYING TO MAKE IT BIG - these days you do that by recording an album at home and promoting it on social media nAs for your lack of young cover bands?? They are out there, they are just all on Youtube. Pick any modern song and type in "Insert Song Name Here Cover" on Youtube and there will be 100 or more hits of young musicians performing covers of that song from their home studio/bedroom/living room I suppose. But there's no substitute for the a live response. As much as girls stroking my ego online might feel nice, isn't real life stroking always better? Nothing compares to the response you get from an excited audience when you're on stage. I guess if you're getting the same jollies by posting on youtube, then go for it. But I gotta think young bands are missing out on something if they limit themselves to virtual stroking.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Opus Antics Posted August 26, 2014 Members Share Posted August 26, 2014 I suppose. But there's no substitute for the a live response. As much as girls stroking my ego online might feel nice, isn't real life stroking always better? Nothing compares to the response you get from an excited audience when you're on stage. I guess if you're getting the same jollies by posting on youtube, then go for it. But I gotta think young bands are missing out on something if they limit themselves to virtual stroking.... I agree, but they may not know any different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vito Corleone Posted August 26, 2014 Members Share Posted August 26, 2014 I just don't think they have the role models anymore. There aren't that many young bands out there for them to aspire to be. What young boy in the 70s didn't want to be in Led Zeppelin? There's no young Zeps out there to emulate. I think they probably all figure they'll wait until they are 50 to join a live band and gig out. It's something old guys do. I've posted this here before but my theory is this: in the mid 90s two things happened at the same time--1) the "anti-rock star" backlash that was the shoe-gazing grunge thing. B) the rise of classic rock as 60s/70s music was just reaching its prime nostalgia period that made it possible for all sorts of 40-ish guys to put together bands and have decent success in the club scene. By the time both of those events passed a decade later, young musicians really had no idea or maybe even desire to be rock stars anymore, and the whole concept of a "live rock band" had pretty much become an 'old guy' thing from a previous generation. Add to that the rise of the internet and all sorts of alternative forms of entertainment and it was a perfect storm for killing the entire live music scene. I STILL think it can make a comeback though. Just has to be done the right way by the right musicians. Live music is just waaaay too cool of a thing to have completely die out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TIMKEYS Posted August 26, 2014 Members Share Posted August 26, 2014 I agree with you dave. One other thing is that there really is no training ground for young musicans and this is because live entertainment got ditched for DJs. Back in the day there was an active live music scene that worked the school systems , CYO , and teen dances. Today its all DJs. There is no place for a 15 to 18 year old to lean to build a band and play live and get paid to do it. School music programs are not as popular as they were when I was young. Pretty well every band I ever played in in high school had people who really good singer because they got vocal training in choir. The last band had three chamber choir singers in it that also played in jazz band. today johnny cant sing,, and really had no real foundation in music where they have to play and sing with other players. I also agree with dave that there are too many distractions that pull kids away from music. Getting good enough to play in a band takes more effort than most kids either have time for or are willing to give. The lack of a real teen band music scene and lack of participation in school music programs are at the root of it. Most kids would rather doodle with their I phone, rather than an instrument learing how to figure out rock songs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vito Corleone Posted August 26, 2014 Members Share Posted August 26, 2014 The main inspiration for starting up my first band in high school was going to a high school dance and seeing the live band perform. Just some 20-something cover band from the Bay Area who might not even have been all that good, but they looked and sounded like Led Zeppelin to me. The dance floor was packed. The girls were all crowding the front of the stage. Obviously they were getting paid to be there. My friends and I all looked at each other and decided "wow...we've have GOT to figure out a way to do THIS!" Why in the world would anybody want to do anything ELSE with their free time?? Wanting to play HS dances was our main goal. And we put together a band and played a lot of 'em back then. Bars and clubs came much later, when I was much closer to 21 myself. What do young musicians have to aspire to today? Not so sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TIMKEYS Posted August 27, 2014 Members Share Posted August 27, 2014 Dave , that was exactly what got me started too. You worked your way up from 50 buck roller rink dances to proms. The proms paid as much as the big meat market bars the older guys over 21 were playing who were road bands. By my senior year we were an A list teen band and had 5 school systems we were working for, the biggest church sponsored teen dance and the park and recs dept. Some of the guys at my high school who were a few classes ahead of me played in the rivearas who had the hit California sun. That band had a ton of players go through it because of the draft. Being in high school was an advantage because we were not going to get dafted. My split from that band on prom, would fill up the bonniville station wagon 12 times just to put things into perspective when it comes to inflation. School systems had money and they didn't have to make profit off the band. For all practical purpose we had what most would call wedding band lineup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members modulusman Posted August 27, 2014 Members Share Posted August 27, 2014 Yeah my first few years gigging were playing High School proms and homecoming dances all over the state of Montana. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AJ6stringsting Posted October 21, 2014 Members Share Posted October 21, 2014 The bands I was in, we used to buy kegs of beer, print fliers and play out in the middle of nowhere. We made good money doing that, until the Sheriff's started raiding our gigs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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