A friend of mine thinks I should join a band again.

[Crazyeelboy]

Ray, if you are unsure, why don't you give it a try? You can always quit if it does not work out.

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

Wow! So many responses,) .
Well, it seems that over90% of you think that I should try again.
I suppose , the older you get you analyse more,and become more indecisive .(in my case any way);

2010, was my worst year ever . October of that year was my last gig.
I still know a lot of people, but over the years , they got married/ moved out. etc.
Trying to get people to see me on a sat night was difficult in that sense. Ones you expect to turn up don't and the ones you don't expect do.
Playing in front of one man and his dog , was deflating.

Finding places to play is getting harder also.

On the positive side of things, my playing has improved while recording bits and pieces on my ipad.
Trying to do complete songs takes time tho' ,)
May sell a few basses, but love noodling on my Washburn status.
As far as another hobby , I have no idea what
May join a hair (less) metal band next year. Who knows,)

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1354384399' post='1885458']


Brill. Some people've just [b]got it[/b].



Ray, here's what you [b]have to[/b] do:
Do what your heart tells you to do, and don't let anybody else tell you what to do.
Do this right this evening. [b]No delay![/b]

BTW, the age argument, if indeed used as an argument for or against something, is nonsense, and you know it. It's just about where and what you wanna be, and by large that is what one needs to listen to.
Me, I'm 56. Gave up concerting like 25 years ago, and have only performed a few times since. Now I want out and gig again. If I change my mind tomorrow, then I change my mind. Done!


best,
bert
[/quote]

Cheers Bert
This evening, I've had a great time on my Washburn status. Later, I shall be watching The Killing,)

[RhysP]

[quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' timestamp='1354391298' post='1885559']
Later, I shall be watching The Killing,
[/quote]

If you'd been out gigging tonight you wouldn't have seen Sarah Lunds awesome naked bottom - that's as good a reason as I can think of not to join a band.

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1354403916' post='1885711']


If you'd been out gigging tonight you wouldn't have seen Sarah Lunds awesome naked bottom - that's as good a reason as I can think of not to join a band.
[/quote]

Well said,)

[WalMan]

[quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' timestamp='1354358451' post='1885102']
...I told him I'm too old ...(soon to be 50).
[/quote]WTF are you talking about!!? Or is it the "fed up" bit I deleted for effect?

[bassmachine2112]

Too old -the Stones are still gigging
Yer just comin into yer prime
I,m still playing like it was the summer of 76,only thing is I can play now hee hee in between the bum notes which are jazz by the way

[JapanAxe]

Unless you are seriously debilitated by some age-related condition it's not really a factor. Motivation is though, so just do whatever floats your boat. Bands can be a hassle at times but the same goes for anything worth doing.

[The Dark Lord]

I say [u]don't[/u] do it.

[dmccombe7]

Hadn't played in a band since early 90's for same reasons as yourself - politics, age, gigging issues etc At 51 i decided it was time to give it another go. No real reason for that decision but what i did find was a focus on music that helped remove the stresses of my job. It was a very pleasant and appreciated surprise.
Since left the first band and now onto my 3rd since that decision.
If nothing else it gives you a focus and purpose in life.

Enjoy it while you can. Age isn't an issue. I was doing Deep Purple, Rainbow, Whitesnake covers band and it was great fun but internal fighting between them forced me to look elsewhere and i'm not looking back.
I'm now thinking that maybe a new project of some kind that i really would like to tackle is the next target. Quite fancy either a Prog Rock covers band or possibly a 70's Glam Rock covers band but still trying to decide which i would enjoy most.

Never give up. You're never too old to Rock & Roll.

Dave

[hollywoodrox]

[quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' timestamp='1354389630' post='1885534']
Wow! So many responses,) .
Well, it seems that over90% of you think that I should try again.
I suppose , the older you get you analyse more,and become more indecisive .(in my case any way);

2010, was my worst year ever . October of that year was my last gig.
I still know a lot of people, but over the years , they got married/ moved out. etc.
Trying to get people to see me on a sat night was difficult in that sense. Ones you expect to turn up don't and the ones you don't expect do.
Playing in front of one man and his dog , was deflating.

Finding places to play is getting harder also.

On the positive side of things, my playing has improved while recording bits and pieces on my ipad.
Trying to do complete songs takes time tho' ,)
May sell a few basses, but love noodling on my Washburn status.
As far as another hobby , I have no idea what
May join a hair (less) metal band next year. Who knows,)
[/quote]good choice on the hair metal, that's what I play , trying to get a good list of songs memorised

[MiltyG565]

[quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' timestamp='1354358451' post='1885102']
...I told him I'm too old and fed up with it(soon to be 50)

I pointed out the things against age, I don't drive, and location.also usual band politics etc.
Then he said ,"you are single ,need to get out more " etc.
Apart from possessing good gear, I'm still looking for something to convince me .
[/quote]

Dude, i'm sure you remember bands like the red hot chill peppers rise to fame, those guys are 50, and still gigging and recording a lot. Like flyfisher said, it is a poor excuse. Plenty of people in popular music are 50 and above. 50 is nothing now. You have an increased risk of strokes, heart attacks and heart disease, but good tips to avoid them is a half decent diet and doing what you love, maybe with the odd bit of exercise. please yourself, but never use your age as an excuse. But maybe some day in 20 years, you might be wishing you had taken the opportunity when you had the chance, and before you got too slow and fragile to go smash it on stage like you could have done 20 years earlier.

[ead]

[quote name='Lord Sausage' timestamp='1354361650' post='1885155']
There's a band round our way called One foot in The Groove, apart from the singer they are all in their 60's!
[/quote]

love it, wish I'd thought of that. I'm definitely the 'father figure' in our band; greying but loving it.

[skej21]

If you're giving up the gigging, you should hand over your all your nice gear... It's only fair

[thebrig]

I learnt to play at 55, played my first gig at 56, and now at the the age of 61, I have just formed my third band with four very good musicians, where not so long ago, I would have felt that I had no right to be on the same stage with them.

Now I can't get enough of it, but I do worry about my ailing health, [i]nothing life threatening[/i], but I have had two operations on my thumb, which is still painful, and I also have a displaced pelvis, and three shot discs in my lower back, but this is not going to stop me from doing what I missed out on in my younger years.

But each to their own, if you really want to do it, you wont need anyone else to urge you on, you would just do it!
And if you don't, then fine, you wont miss it if your hearts not in it.