Jump to content

Gigging at 47...you think YOUR old


dughaze

Recommended Posts

  • Members

55 here, and still rockin' -- I play lead in a cover band, bass in a blues band and guitar in a jazz fusion thing. Plus I jam a lot. If that sounds like a lot of playing time, it is. I'm either at practice, a jam or a gig four or five nights a week.

Because of the demands of my day job and family, I didn't play in a band from age 30 to 50 -- just occassional jams, a lot of home recording and jams with my kid. Once my kid was driving age (and had his own band) I knew it was time to get back into it. I work out of an office at home, and so does my wife, so we see plenty of each other.

She has been very supportive. In fact, one of the bands practices at our place. I intend to do this until I can't. I figger Keef Richards is older than me, so I must be good to go for another 20+ years, right?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 67
  • Created
  • Last Reply
  • Members

I promote an alternative band signed to major that's getting quite a bit of press attention over here. Most of the guys in the band are about 24-25, but the guitarist is about 45 - and he's the singer's dad. Guess which band members the press always want to interview? :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

47 here I play in a band with guys all Married, but me. It's not as easy as it used to be to jam anytime, But Thursdays nights belong to the band. Once the Wifes had seen that it is just a bunch of old FRIENDS having fun, there're fine with it. Remember back in the day when we would walk into to the Music store and wish, now we take 2. I'll keep playing until I can't sit anymore.;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
Originally posted by brassic

I promote an alternative band signed to major that's getting quite a bit of press attention over here. Most of the guys in the band are about 24-25, but the guitarist is about 45 - and he's the singer's dad. Guess which band members the press always want to interview?
:)



Reminds me of Spirit back in the 60s. Was that a father-son band too, or was that hype?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I'm 55 and still playing every weekend. I have severe arthritis in my knees, and my legs get so stiff while standing for a set that it's hard to walk back to the table on break. They usually loosen up some the next day, but that night is miserable. But I'm not going to give up playing, it's what I enjoy most. I play in a couple of country/classic rock/oldies bands, and you don't have to be in your 20's to play in these bands. In one of my bands, our bass player was 83 when he finally gave it up last year.
So, if you have the desire to play, you'll find something, no matter how old you are!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I just turned 50...officially a geezer, according to my 15-year-old son, who is my bass player.

3-piece rock/funk/blues band. We don't play very much, but I'm putting together a solo acoustic thing so I can work more regularly. Not many venues where I am, and a zillion bands in town...more work for acoustic/solo types. I'm also in the rotation of a local jam host band, and am looking into putting together a mostly blues band. And am trying to find more time to write and record more of my own stuff.

I just checked out Dire Straits first album from the library, my original vinyl copy a victim of divorce many moons ago. Talk about inspiration. It sounds as fresh to me today as it did back in 1978...really digging "Six Blade Knife" and "Southbound Again."

Yeah, man. Don't stop. Just find the right situation...it's out there somewhere.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

47 here, rocking, alive and kicking.
We play mean classic hard rock and blues, and, by the way the band is the same since 1986, and we still kick some serious ass.
We don't play too much, around 1 gig per month, but here in Italy is not so simple.

Rock on brothers !!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Originally posted by Scafeets



Reminds me of Spirit back in the 60s. Was that a father-son band too, or was that hype?

 

 

Ooh, I like some of their stuff. According to the bio on allmusic.com they were stepdad and stepson, so close enough.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I'm 47, and play in a band with four other guys my age.

All of our wives are very supportive of us individually, and also as a group. Even better, all the wives get along great--they sit together at gigs and chat the night away.

Don't give up--keep looking, and you'll find the right group of players.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

At 42, I'm the youngest guy in our band. Our oldest member is our 60-year-old keyboard player who still hauls a full B3 rig with Leslie. I have to say that we play with more energy than most of the bands around here who are half our average age.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
Originally posted by fastplant

You guys are as old as my dad!
:D




I see nothing wrong with gigging at your age. Actually, I wish my dad would still play. He thinks he's too old and gave it up. I hope I'm playing until I physically can't play anymore.



Les Paul (yes THAT Les Paul) just released his latest album . . . he's 90!:eek:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I'm 50, and have an originals band with a bunch of guys in their 20's, and an acoustic trio where I play mainly fiddle and banjo on a mix of choice covers and originals. The guys in that one are around thirty.

Like some of the folks above, I gave up gigging for a long while when the kids were growing up. Got divorced awhile back (non-music related), and started a band soon after. The line-up has completely turned over except for me. Took some time to replace our drummer when my son left the band, but other than that, have managed to keep things flowing.

I'm gigging about as much as I want to at about 3 times a month.



:cool:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I'm 45.

Still playing/gigging with my '70s punk band, recently finished up my slipknot masked style extreme metal band, and this weekend am about to start rehearsing my new speed/thrash/death metal project.

Someone has to show these youngsters how to do it properly!

This was me about 4 months ago:
MH.jpg

And this was our singer..who is 46.

nailz.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


×
×
  • Create New...