Members SeniorBlues Posted September 1, 2011 Members Share Posted September 1, 2011 For you, perhaps.I can think of dozens of local bands/acts that are made at least partially, if not entirely, of people in their 40's-60's and perhaps beyond that I would never consider near the realm of 'dad band'.It has about zero to do with age as far as I'm concerend, and everything to do with attitude, presentation and ability. You're kidding yourself. We've all seen a boatload of bands who have lousy APA and if their average age was under thirty, rather then over forty-five, you'd never call them a "dad band". Let's call the song exactly what it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dan88z Posted September 1, 2011 Members Share Posted September 1, 2011 I suppose I'm in a Dad band. Aside from our singer, we're all in the 45-55 age range. All but one of us have day gigs (our guitar player is a full timer). We play mostly weekends. We have good gear. We wear shorts when appropriate. I'm inclined to wear a Hawaiian type shirt when it's a waterfront type gig. We play mostly for fun, though we won't play for free. I don't fit some of the other stereotypes. Definitely not the mid life crisis part. None of the guys in my band do. I've been playing gigs consistently since I was 19. I don't think I've had a month in nearly 30 years where I didn't have multiple gigs. We are a professional sounding band with very good players, so it's not the amateur hour like you'd expect with a Dad band. No music stands either. Except for our drummer who has a small one that is hidden behind his drums. He has a couple notes for a few songs and the setlist on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GCDEF Posted September 1, 2011 Members Share Posted September 1, 2011 Dad band: That's it. It's a look or an attitude. Eveybody in my band is a dad, but I don't think we're a dad band. To me it's guys in their 40s or 50s who dress like they're at the neighborhood cookout. Their set list hasn't changed since their high school band, with the newest song being from 1976. They have a little speakers on sticks PA and usually no or very few lights. Most of them are 30 or 40 pounds overweight and have pretty much no stage presence at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SeniorBlues Posted September 1, 2011 Members Share Posted September 1, 2011 I suppose I'm in a Dad band. No you're not. To qualify, you have to fit into ALL these silly stereotypes they're throwing at us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kmart Posted September 1, 2011 Members Share Posted September 1, 2011 You're kidding yourself. No, I'm not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BlueStrat Posted September 1, 2011 Members Share Posted September 1, 2011 Man, what a silly bunch of worrying over nothing. Here's a news flash: The kind of band you are, be it punk, pop, dad band, whatever, isn't what you think you are. It's what other people think you are. And if you're over 40, I'd pretty much guarantee that anyone under 25 thinks you're in a dad band no matter what you play or how you look. How do I know? I just asked all my kids, who are 22, 24 and 26. Every one of them gave me a variation of the same theme: a dad band is anyone over about 40 playing for fun and not for a living. Pretty simple, and no, I don't find the term offensive. I'm a dad, I'm over 40, I'm in a band and I'm not doing it for a living. Guilty as charged. Putting any further qualifiers on the term in hopes that it might not apply to us is kind of funny, really. Embrace it. Who cares? As an aside, my kids sometimes text me or tell me the next day about being out and seeing some 50 or 60 year old guy in a band with spiked and colored hair and hip clothes onstage trying to be a rockstar, chatting up young girls and how pathetic and hilarious they think it is. The point being, once we're over somewhere around 40, what WE think is cool and "refusing to get old" and what the younger guys see us as are two completely different things. I have lot of things to worry about, but 'dad band' ain't one of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rccCrawler Posted September 1, 2011 Members Share Posted September 1, 2011 I get everything I am seeing here, except the derision. So they are everything you are saying they are? So what? Why us it wrong for them to express themselves musically in whatever way they enjoy and on their own terms? What's the harm? I don't get it. Ok, they are not pros, but usually they are not pretending they are so ..... So what? I'm just not getting the derision, that's all. If they are enjoying themselves, and the audience is good then ???? Is it that they play for less than pros or ???? Genuinely curious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kmart Posted September 1, 2011 Members Share Posted September 1, 2011 I get everything I am seeing here, except the derision. So they are everything you are saying they are? So what?Why us it wrong for them to express themselves musically in whatever way they enjoy and on their own terms? What's the harm? I don't get it.Ok, they are not pros, but usually they are not pretending they are so ..... So what?I'm just not getting the derision, that's all. If they are enjoying themselves, and the audience is good then ???? Is it that they play for less than pros or ????Genuinely curious. IME, the audience enjoying the show isn't necessarily part of the equation...Dad band usually signifies amateur hour across the entire performance, which means the band doesn't consider engaging, much less entertaining the audience. As has been said: the guys on stage are generally concerned with things like reliving their teen years (before they 'put the guitar down'), showing that hot blues lick they can shred (poorly), wearing their 'cool rock shirt' (Yep, the one with the flames & skulls they got that one time in Vegas), etc. The audience being there is a secondary, if that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted September 1, 2011 Moderators Share Posted September 1, 2011 I'm 51. I get what a Dad band is and I'm not interested. Some of my old playing buddies are now in Dad bands. No thanks. It takes everything I hated about gigging and condenses it into a band MO. I'd rather play out when I'm actually supporting a friends release or we're doing a reunion gig of our original stuff. Having said all that, if you like playing to a happy crowd, what's the harm? But as ChordGirl said, it's more akin to bowling night that actually making music. Nothing wrong with bowling night, I just don't want to sit, drink beer and watch you bowl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rccCrawler Posted September 1, 2011 Members Share Posted September 1, 2011 IME, the audience enjoying the show isn't necessarily part of the equation...Dad band usually signifies amateur hour across the entire performance, which means the band doesn't consider engaging, much less entertaining the audience. As has been said: the guys on stage are generally concerned with things like reliving their teen years (before they 'put the guitar down'), showing that hot blues lick they can shred (poorly), wearing their 'cool rock shirt' (Yep, the one with the flames & skulls they got that one time in Vegas), etc. The audience being there is a secondary, if that. Ok, so it is the fact that they ate doing it in front of audience that generates the scorn? Again, just trying to understand. Do we feel that the audience was expecting a pro band and got duped, or that the audience should expect more and doesn't realize it? I'm still confused because usually when I have seen a dad band, the audience, usually made up of friends and family, is enjoying it. Usually it is being played in a place (like a yard party or charity event) where if the wasn't a dad band there'd be no band at all. I'm just wondering why under those circumstances I am not holding the players in the contempt that I should be ....... To each his own right? I mean I understand 'not my thing to watch', especially from a pro musician, but not the scorn. Seems like apples and oranges to me ....... What am I not getting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gspointer Posted September 1, 2011 Members Share Posted September 1, 2011 It's kind of interesting, the various opinions. I am more in line with Bluestrat. I also would consider the kmart and lee to be in dad bands. Of course I dont consider that an insult. I see good bands and bad bands, age has nothing to do with it. I am less likely to see the young original acts, unless a friends kid was in it, as those venues are frequented by the 20-30 crowd, and it seems that the 30+ group used to stand out to me in a less than flattering way, when I was in my 20's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Pine Apple Slim Posted September 1, 2011 Members Share Posted September 1, 2011 Pretty much any band that would want me as a member. Not a Dad but I'm 54. Hell I've been in Granddad bands:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members oregonjoe Posted September 1, 2011 Members Share Posted September 1, 2011 Most of the dad bands I know are not that at all. They are Grand dad bands lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TrickyBoy Posted September 1, 2011 Members Share Posted September 1, 2011 You are officially a Dad Band when you no longer sleep with the groupies! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members StratGuy22 Posted September 1, 2011 Members Share Posted September 1, 2011 You are officially a Dad Band when you no longer want to sleep with the groupies! Fixed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members urca Posted September 1, 2011 Members Share Posted September 1, 2011 That's it. It's a look or an attitude. Eveybody in my band is a dad, but I don't think we're a dad band. To me it's guys in their 40s or 50s who dress like they're at the neighborhood cookout. Their set list hasn't changed since their high school band, with the newest song being from 1976. They have a little speakers on sticks PA and usually no or very few lights. Most of them are 30 or 40 pounds overweight and have pretty much no stage presence at all. Pretty much nailed it right there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kramerguy Posted September 1, 2011 Members Share Posted September 1, 2011 And if you're over 40, I'd pretty much guarantee that anyone under 25 thinks you're in a dad band no matter what you play or how you look. Pretty much a slam dunk there. Pat got it right. I'm in a dad band.. we all 40+ers are. Is all the negative crap in this thread simply guys who are jealous that my dad band is better than your kid band? I dunno, and I really don't get it.. reminds me a lot of the music stand thread(s)... juvenile at best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FitchFY Posted September 1, 2011 Members Share Posted September 1, 2011 Interesting thread, especially in people drawing the good/ bad opinions, as well as the slight defensiveness. I've put some actual thought into this, though, and what I came up with makes a lot of sense to me. Being a "dad band" is not because of having children, music stands, sandals, etc - it's the attitude. Dad bands are associated with flame shirts and back to back guitar playing because they think that's what makes it rock music. The attitude they have is that they can still "be rocking" at an older age if they pretend to be rocking - "rocker" clothes, rocker gimmicks. Are the Moody Blues or Dire Straits dad bands? Of course not. And as such, I've seen classic rock cover bands of all 50+ guys -- but they're dressed conservatively, normally in jeans, non-sneakers, and collared shirts, playing quality music with maturity and a certain elegance that comes with age. They "showboating for your co-workers" element is missing from their show, and they are not a "dad band" to me.They could also be using music stands and get away with it. In a nutshell: if the performer does anything to channel the "yes, I still rock" (not to be confused with "I rock"), then it is likely a "dad band." That's my definition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Wenrealityhurts Posted September 1, 2011 Members Share Posted September 1, 2011 So is this the new drama for the day? 'Kid bands vs Dad bands'? Well if that's the case, I'll put up my Van Halen, Yngwie, Satch, Vai against any of the kid bands you got. Thread ended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GCDEF Posted September 1, 2011 Members Share Posted September 1, 2011 Man, what a silly bunch of worrying over nothing. Here's a news flash: The kind of band you are, be it punk, pop, dad band, whatever, isn't what you think you are. It's what other people think you are. And if you're over 40, I'd pretty much guarantee that anyone under 25 thinks you're in a dad band no matter what you play or how you look. How do I know? I just asked all my kids, who are 22, 24 and 26. Every one of them gave me a variation of the same theme: a dad band is anyone over about 40 playing for fun and not for a living. Pretty simple, and no, I don't find the term offensive. I'm a dad, I'm over 40, I'm in a band and I'm not doing it for a living. Guilty as charged. Putting any further qualifiers on the term in hopes that it might not apply to us is kind of funny, really. Embrace it. Who cares? I disagree with this completely. It's an attitude and a look. When you're on stage, if you look the same as you do cutting the grass, you're in a dad band. There is middle ground between putting in some effort and purple spike hair. We have a pretty good following in the teenage and early 20 demographic for several reasons. We sound good. We play newer music that they know and like. We don't remind them of their parents. Honestly in this and the music stand thread, it sounds like some of the senior guys here feel that because they're getting a big older there's no point in putting in any effort. You guys seem to have just given up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MikeyParent Posted September 1, 2011 Members Share Posted September 1, 2011 Dad Band = Weekend Warriors? Discuss... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FitchFY Posted September 1, 2011 Members Share Posted September 1, 2011 Dad Band = Weekend Warriors? Discuss...Don't tell me what to do. :D :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gspointer Posted September 1, 2011 Members Share Posted September 1, 2011 I disagree with this completely. It's an attitude and a look. When you're on stage, if you look the same as you do cutting the grass, you're in a dad band. There is middle ground between putting in some effort and purple spike hair.We have a pretty good following in the teenage and early 20 demographic for several reasons. We sound good. We play newer music that they know and like. We don't remind them of their parents.Honestly in this and the music stand thread, it sounds like some of the senior guys here feel that because they're getting a big older there's no point in putting in any effort. You guys seem to have just given up. You disagree with his opinion, because you attach negative connotations to the term. I don't, to me, you are a dad band. Do the 20 something's hang out with you after the gig still, and want to party with you after? If not, you are a dad band, like most that seem to have posted here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GCDEF Posted September 1, 2011 Members Share Posted September 1, 2011 You disagree with his opinion, because you attach negative connotations to the term. I don't, to me, you are a dad band. Do the 20 something's hang out with you after the gig still, and want to party with you after? If not, you are a dad band, like most that seem to have posted here. Actually they do. You seem to not be grasping the conceptual difference between a real band that happens to be getting on in years vs. a bunch of guys getting together to relive their high school days on stage in a dive bar. It has nothing to do with connotations, positive or negative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gspointer Posted September 1, 2011 Members Share Posted September 1, 2011 Actually they do. You seem to not be grasping the conceptual difference between a real band that happens to be getting on in years vs. a bunch of guys getting together to relive their high school days on stage in a dive bar. It has nothing to do with connotations, positive or negative. Not as often, and you don't seem to grasp that not everyone shares your definition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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