Where have all the musos gone?????

[slukather]

Hi guys and girls,

I just feel the need to vent,

I have been currently (well for a while anyway) been trying to form a originals band.

The bands current lineup is me on guitar and vocals, drums and keyboards. Well for a while now we have been trying to find a vocalist and a bass player, and the search has been nothing but a headache. We are a bunch of guys in our late 20’s early 30’s who write some pretty good music. But seem to get the following people, weather bass player or vocalist, 1. Can play their instrument really well, and be an absolute prick or 2. lucky to be able to tune their instrument let alone play the damn thing, and be a great person.

What happened to all the great players? And the people who just played in a band just for the love of it!!! I know there are quite a few here.

Lately we have been getting 16 year old kids who “want to make a statement” with their music. **** that, Frank Zappa said it best, Shut up and play your guitar, and l refuse to jam with someone who been alive less time than l have been playing guitar. Sure some of these 16 year olds might be fantastic players/singers, but there is just something wrong with see a 16 year old and 30 year old on the same stage, and most of the time they listen to completely different music than the rest of the band. (BTW What the hell style is Emo anyway????).

Anyway, l just needed to vent a bit, cause l’m just starting to remember why l got out of the music business in the first place. And you guys and girls around here are a really great bunch, and l know most if not all of you have been in the same boat at one stage or another, maybe the rest of you can share your stories.

Peace,

Scott.

[mcvinyl]

Scott,

Thank you for your application to join the old farts club, from the application letter that you have forwarded to us you are certainly well qualified to join.

Your membership pack will be in the mail shortly. It contains all of the required materials for you to join the league of cranky old men.

1. The "I remember when guitar based music was popular the first time around " handbook
2. The "Back in my day" smart retort kit. Only to be used on children under 16
3. The A-Z of 80's hair metal bands magazine
4. The "I thought Toto was the name of Dorothy's dog in the Wizard of Oz, I never new they were a band." activity book, again for children under 16 only.
And finally to help in your re-education in knowing what's "cool" again
5. The powerchord only, down strumming only , Pseudo punk, MTV darling, modern rock omnibook.

Wear your badge of honour with pride my brother.

From another mid 30 year old who wonders where all of the music has gone.

Simon

[slukather]

Scott,

Thank you for your application to join the old farts club, from the application letter that you have forwarded to us you are certainly well qualified to join.

Your membership pack will be in the mail shortly. It contains all of the required materials for you to join the league of cranky old men.

1. The "I remember when guitar based music was popular the first time around " handbook
2. The "Back in my day" smart retort kit. Only to be used on children under 16
3. The A-Z of 80's hair metal bands magazine
4. The "I thought Toto was the name of Dorothy's dog in the Wizard of Oz, I never new they were a band." activity book, again for children under 16 only.
And finally to help in your re-education in knowing what's "cool" again
5. The powerchord only, down strumming only , Pseudo punk, MTV darling, modern rock omnibook.

Wear your badge of honour with pride my brother.

From another mid 30 year old who wonders where all of the music has gone.

Simon

ROTFLMAO,

It's not that l'm really complaining about music, although, it has gone downhill, no doubt about that. But l'm only 27, and when l was younger, when l was beginning to learn to play guitar, l really wanted to learn it properly, learn with the best, then when l started to play in bands, l played music l never thought l'd play, like l was a 18 year old playing with 40 - 50 year olds, but it was all learning, although very wierd, when did becoming a muso become so narrow minded?

Thanks Simon,

Scott.

[koogie2k]

haha....the joys of the ever changing music world. I believe that the solo is coming back as evident with newer bands playing them. Alter Bridge, Children of Bodom and what not. I think that people want to hear talent and not some dropped D one finger chord songs.

I am in my mid 30's and I am getting ready for a show in June (playing bass). My singer is in his 50's (but has the voice we would all die for!), my guitar players (both in their 30s and could rip most a new one, but are super cool down to earth dudes) and my drummer (well, he placed second next to Scott Travis of Judas Priest in the try outs....). We play anything from Iron Maiden to Queensryche and all the hair metal in between. Why? We grew up on it. We even have some Satch, Vai and Yngwie in there. I have my Pets and love to play guitar, but, I am better at bass for this show.

As for playing with 16 to 18 year olds. Hey, you never know. The next Vai could be wanting to jam with you. Keep an open mind and remember, you can teach them about the music in the "old" days....lol......you never know.

I am lucky in that my band mates (who I have known for many years) are really talented and really cool. Hard to find I know, but, I guess I am lucky in that aspect.

Hope you find the right people to pursue your music. Whether for fun or for profit, the right people make a difference. Even if they do not know how to play great, let them learn with you. You will make them better and that is a good thing!

[slukather]

haha....the joys of the ever changing music world. I believe that the solo is coming back as evident with newer bands playing them. Alter Bridge, Children of Bodom and what not. I think that people want to hear talent and not some dropped D one finger chord songs.

I am in my mid 30's and I am getting ready for a show in June (playing bass). My singer is in his 50's (but has the voice we would all die for!), my guitar players (both in their 30s and could rip most a new one, but are super cool down to earth dudes) and my drummer (well, he placed second next to Scott Travis of Judas Priest in the try outs....). We play anything from Iron Maiden to Queensryche and all the hair metal in between. Why? We grew up on it. We even have some Satch, Vai and Yngwie in there. I have my Pets and love to play guitar, but, I am better at bass for this show.

As for playing with 16 to 18 year olds. Hey, you never know. The next Vai could be wanting to jam with you. Keep an open mind and remember, you can teach them about the music in the "old" days....lol......you never know.

I am lucky in that my band mates (who I have known for many years) are really talented and really cool. Hard to find I know, but, I guess I am lucky in that aspect.

Hope you find the right people to pursue your music. Whether for fun or for profit, the right people make a difference. Even if they do not know how to play great, let them learn with you. You will make them better and that is a good thing!

Good luck with your performance in June, sounds like a bunch of great guys you play with, if l lived in your area, country etc, l'd come check you guys out, but obviously, l can't.

I just like to surround myself in musoc that are better than me, so l can improve.

I went through the whole cover scene for the past 2 years, and our bass player, was obsolutely useless, he could never learn a bass line, he would also turn up to band practise not knowing what to play, so l'd show him, but l soon realize, what l thought was lack of knowledge/talent etc etc, was nothing but laziness, so he quickly got the ass after a couple of warnings, with no improvement. So my point being, l don't want to go through that again, or even risk it, cause l don't think l'd beable to handle it, cause just thinking back at it now, it pisses me off to think how much time l wasted on this prick when l could of been working on my guitar player and singing. Instead l was playing bass for this idiot because he was too lazy.

Anyway l've been auditioning for other bands, and that seems pretty positive, l've had a couple of opitions so far, but my mate wants me to audition for his band, but he just wants to find out what his guitarist is doing. So who knows what'll happen.

Thanks guys/girls.

Scott.

[SteveB]

slukather,

It is always hard to find an ideal combination of personalities when forming a band. But I'd relax on that age requirement, as well. I'm 35 years old, and my bass player is in his mid 40's. He has only been playing the bass for a few years, while the rest of us have played for decades. However, he has a genuine interest in learning, and anytime I give him a bass line to learn he has it nailed for the next session. You can tell that he really practices at home.

As for those new 'styles' of music like Emo, etc. I can't really help you there. Guess that makes me a member of the club as well!

[slukather]

slukather,

It is always hard to find an ideal combination of personalities when forming a band. But I'd relax on that age requirement, as well. I'm 35 years old, and my bass player is in his mid 40's. He has only been playing the bass for a few years, while the rest of us have played for decades. However, he has a genuine interest in learning, and anytime I give him a bass line to learn he has it nailed for the next session. You can tell that he really practices at home.

As for those new 'styles' of music like Emo, etc. I can't really help you there. Guess that makes me a member of the club as well!

We are pretty lenient (sp?) with ages, normally we will we happy with a 20 + year old, it gets hard when you involve a 16-18 year old, cause they aren't allowed in pubs etc etc, which makes getting gigs hard.

I have no problem with getting a beginner, just as long as they put in the time to learn and practise, and not be like one of our previous bass players, and just use me to help him learn bass, and not practise.

Anyway speaking of bass players, l went over to the drummers house today, to drop off a copy of some new originals, and he told me that the bass player which had disappear, had just reappeared. Make a long story short, about 2.5 - 3 months ago, we found a new bass player, he jammed with us for a few weeks, everything was sweet, then he said he needed to take a couple of weeks off so he could move house, we didn't have a problem with that, anyway that was the last we heard of him, left messages on his phone, but nothing, any way 2 months goes by, which brings us to today, and the drummer had got a message from him say that he had nealy finished moving, and would give us a call during the week.

Now is that wierd or what???? or is it just me?????

Anyway, l might take a couple of weeks off myself, to get my head straight, l've been auditioning for bands myself, and learning all these originals is making a bit crazy, me thinks.

Thanks for listening anyway guys, l think l needed to get some things off my chest.

Scott.

[blackspy]

That's funny about the bass player, our bass player more or less vanished on us too. Only we had no advance warning. He just stopped answering his phone or cell, stopped coming to practice and such. He could be dead for all we know.

I understand where you guys are coming from though, I'm not a studio musician or anything, just a guy who likes to play. I've been trying to get and keep together a decent weekend band for almost two years now. It's been all but impossible, between singers and bass players we've probably gone through 10 different members in the last two years. The only consistent members are me and the drummer. It gets pretty damn frustrating.

[Franky]

im only 16, and i still play music with 30 year olds...

[jongitarz]

3 years ago I was in a band, and our drummer was 15. he is 18 now, and has won our local drum competition 3 years running. He is now a judge, as they won't let him compete anymore. I was 47 at the time, and playing punk rock.

Age ain't nuthin but a number

[slukather]

3 years ago I was in a band, and our drummer was 15. he is 18 now, and has won our local drum competition 3 years running. He is now a judge, as they won't let him compete anymore. I was 47 at the time, and playing punk rock.

Age ain't nuthin but a number

Yeah l know, but l was more in the meaning of being limited to playing a certain places, l will have gigs available, once we have a band, but not if we have a 16 year old kid with us.

Scott.

[koogie2k]

I know about the club limitations due to the age. I have seen here that some clubs will let the younger guys play as long as mom and pops are with them. I played drums (going back quite a few years) and we had a 14 year old who could just simply play guitar great. He was touched by the guitar gods for sure. It was fun, but, again, without mom and pops on the scene....he would not have been able to get out there and let it rip. It was truly a site to be seen......ah, the memories.

[slukather]

I'm not sure if you can do that here in Aus, Koogie2k, l'll have to check. (about taking parents, so a 16 year old could play).

I must be just having a bad run, cause my amp just sh!t itself tonight. and we were having more auditions on Thursday night, so had to cancel those, so l can get my amp fixed. DUMB STUPID DUMB STUPID!!!!!!! DAMN!!!!!

Scott.

[Franky]

yea, that was the thing that mede me quit playing with the old dudes, we couldt play anywhere because in australia i have to be 18 to play anywhere that serves drinks! we mainly did gigs at the waterfront (a place in NSW central coast)