#1
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Contemporary Songs For Us Boomers to Play at Gigs
Hi,
I am 60-something and play mostly 50's - 80's at gigs (mostly lower key, coffeehouse sort of gigs). "Strumming" kind of player. The most current things I play are Zak Brown (Toes) and Wagon Wheel (don't really like the song, but crowd seems to), and maybe a few others. My music ranges from the Everly Brother / Buddy Holly to The Buckinghams / Beatles to Jimmy Buffet to Tom Petty (American Girl) and Journey (Any Way You Want It) -- and many others. Any ideas for "quick learn" songs from the 1990's thru present. I'm not trying to be a cool, 2019 hipster, but want to throw a few current songs in here or there for the audience. THANKS! |
#2
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People are always asking this, with good reason. Your best move is to go to the venues you want to play as a listener and observer. You'll see and hear what works with those audiences a lot better than what the well-meaning forum members suggest based on our experience in a totally different area.
I play a lot of new music by artists no one has ever heard of. It works for me, but it might not work for you. |
#3
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Thanks Mando.
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#4
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I too used to enjoy years of gigs playing classic 50/60/70's music both in a Band and as a solo artist. No more...
At 73 I'm lucky to get one or two paid gigs/yr. Our Band folded in 2012 after 27 years of playing corporate gigs in the San Francisco Bay Area. The reason was simple: The folks who loved our music retired and were replaced by younger folks who considered it "Their parents music, not their own". We didn't adjust because we didn't want to. The current music held no interest for us and so the inevitable happened and the phone stopped ringing. Luckily for me, I play two great Open Mics/wk where i don't get paid, but get together with a lot of like-minded musicians and have a lot of fun. If you want to keep playing and get paid for it, you're on the right track to learn contemporary tunes. The more the better! |
#5
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This is the best idea really. Other factors not mentioned are that the ground work has already been done for you. Songs that others play live usually have been vetted for being fairly easily played live and the audience has been conditioned to receive them favorably. Be careful not to put to much weight into older entertainers as you may be trading your old material for theirs.
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Waterloo WL-S, K & K mini Waterloo WL-S Deluxe, K & K mini Iris OG, 12 fret, slot head, K & K mini Follow The Yellow Brick Road |
#6
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Wise guidance from ALL - Thanks! One thing us boomers have going for us musically is that the young folks continue to love classic rock (Everly Brothers and Buddy Holly not so much). Then again, here in Western NY state younger bands have taken a renewed interest in rockabilly music which is fun to listen to! MR. Jelly -- how do you like your K&K mini ? I just purchased a Larrivee OM-40R with a K&K mini (should arrive Monday) and have heard awesome things about it.
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#7
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Quote:
Also being in the Bay Area, I’m curious which Open Mics you go . . . Cheers Dave |
#8
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Quote:
" I Lived" by One Republic And " Ends of the Earth " by Lord Huron I play "I Lived" capoed 2 it's just G form and C form with an Em added on the second section of the verses and on the chorus . Both of these are much more rocked up and have some great vocal harmony But none the less because of the chord progressions they actually lend themselves well to acoustic rendition.
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Enjoy the Journey.... Kev... KevWind at Soundcloud KevWind at YouYube https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...EZxkPKyieOTgRD System : Studio system Avid Carbon interface , PT Ultimate 2023.12 -Mid 2020 iMac 27" 3.8GHz 8-core i7 10th Gen ,, Ventura 13.2.1 Mobile MBP M1 Pro , PT Ultimate 2023.12 Sonoma 14.4 Last edited by KevWind; 01-12-2019 at 07:05 PM. |
#9
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I play mostly older stuff as well, but having a few current songs will often open the ear of a younger audience and make them more likely to appreciate the stuff in your comfort zone.
Here’s a few I do from the last 20 years or so: 3 am - Matchbox 20 All These Things That I’ve Done - The Killers All Will Be Well - Gabe Dixon American Kids - Kenny Chesney Banshee Beat - Animal Collective Beacon Hill - Damien Jurado Between the Bars - Elliott Smith Blue - Jayhawks Car Crash - Matt Nathanson Chateau Lobby #4 - Father John Misty Come On Get Higher - Matt Nathanson Crazy - Gnarls Barkley Do You Believe Me Now? - Jimmy Wayne Don’t Let Me Go - Mikal Cronin Drink You Away - Justin Timberlake Electric Feel - MGMT Everlong - Foo Fighters Fake Plastic Trees - Radiohead Feel It Still - Portugal the Man Fire Away - Chris Stapleton Grenade - Bruno Mars Hannah Hunt - Vampire Weekend High and Dry - Radiohead Hey Jealousy - Gin Blossoms I Don’t Want to Be - Gavin DeGraw I Took a Pill in Ibiza - Mike Posner I’m Yours - Jason Mraz In Color - Jamey Johnson Inside Out - Eve 6 Interstate Love Song - Stone Temple Pilots Iris - Goo Goo Dolls Just Like Heaven - The Cure Laid - James Locked in the Trunk of a Car - The Tragically Hip Lost On You - LP Love Song - Sara Bareilles Mixtape - Butch Walker Monster Ballads - Josh Ritter Mr. Brightside - The Killers New Slang - The Shins No Such Thing - John Mayer Out of My Head - Fastball Pretty Pimpin’ - Kurt Vile Road Regrets - Dan Mangan Rock ‘n’ Roll - Eric Hutchinson Royals - Lorde Since U Been Gone - Kelly Clarkson Skinny Love - Bon Iver Somebody That I Used to Know - Gotye Somebody Told Me - The Killers Somewhere With You - Kenny Chesney Speak in Rounds - Grizzly Bear State of Love and Trust - Pearl Jam Stuck Between Stations - The Hold Steady Take You Mama Out - Scissor Sisters Tennessee Whiskey - Chris Stapleton The Promise - Sturgill Simpson The Suburbs - Arcade Fire The Temptation of Adam - Josh Ritter The Way - Fastball There Is a Light That Never Goes Out - The Smiths There She Goes - The La’s Three Pistols - The Tragically Hip Time To Pretend - MGMT Two Headed Boy - Neutral Milk Hotel Weak in the Knees - Serena Ryder Weight - Mikal Cronin What Are You Listening To? - Chris Stapleton Wheat Kings - The Tragically Hip When the Stars Go Blue - Ryan Adams Winning Streak - Glen Hansard You Go Down Smooth - Lake Street Dive You’ll Think of Me - Keith Urban As I look back on this list, some of them are more than 20 years old, so they ain’t exactly the Top 40. There might be a few that suit you. I didn’t include the Jason Isbell songs on my list. There are a couple dozen of those. Alabama Pines, Cover Me Up, Songs She Sang in the Shower might work for you. He rarely writes a bad song. Good luck
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Mike 2018 Furch D31TSR 2008 Martin OMCRE 1992 Takamine EAN20C 1996 Fender Telecaster w/ Barden Nashville set 1986 Charvel Model 5 2005 Art & Lutherie Ami 1980ish Hohner copy of a 'burst |
#10
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Thanks LaughingBoy! Your last comments made me chuckle because I'll find myself looking for "current" songs only to learn they're from the 1990's or early 2000's. Will check some of these out.
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#11
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REM's Automatic for the People and New Adventures in Hi Fi have some guitar songs
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#12
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Hi, here's (hears?) a thought.
The older songs that you have in your repertoire now may be brand new to the coffee drinking youngsters.
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Silly Moustache, Just an old Limey acoustic guitarist, Dobrolist, mandolier and singer. I'm here to try to help and advise and I offer one to one lessons/meetings/mentoring via Zoom! |
#13
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This. And I will add that any song that is done well can be a crowd pleaser.
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Some Acoustic Videos |
#14
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Silly and Nymuso,
Great perspectives -- and so very true! |
#15
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There’s a new one out by Train called “Play that Song” to the tune of Heart & Soul you might want to try. Already having the tune in your head helps some of the newer style singing for me.
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