Son of a Niche

For the past few months, I've been going to a pseudo "open mic" at the guitar store in my city (where I now subsequently work). I'm always sort of intrigued by who knows/likes which kind of music and what they end up playing. Some people range quite a bit, others disperse their talents nicely. I'm pretty much the only person, agewise, who's right in the middle of everyone else so I can act like an outsider with some observations about music and youth vs. (or just compared to) music of people 10-20 years older than me.

I am constantly either surprised or perhaps a bit puzzled why the majority of the kids who come to the open mic between 13 and 18 seem to only know and want to play classic rock. (As a side note, I tend to be the token bassist and spend most of the evening staying on 'stage' and other people take turns up there). A bunch of us will be on stage and someone will inevitably ask "Know any Who? or Zeppelin? or ACDC?" I'm not a fan of the latter two, so I often grimace while opting for the Who or asking if they know anything else. I too grew up on classic rock (Rolling Stones, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane) but soon after pre-pubescence I began to form my own likes (which may or may not have included Ace of Base and the Spice Girls). Still, why is it that all these kids ONLY know classic rock? Last week we did end up covering "When I Come Around," "Santeria" and "What I Got?" but only two out of the four of us on stage actually knew those songs. At least I'd figure the kids would listen to current new rock which they also don't seem to (not that I blame them because it's terrible).

I tend to like the younger bands that go on stage to perform who have either their own original sound or they aren't just doing covers of classic rock. One band, a trio of boys probably around 16 or 17, play a fun combination of jazzy funk (not a slap bass, but some fun melodies). They could use some vocals, but they have their own sound carved out pretty well.

Another "band" that came this and last week is a trio (sans drummer, but someone will usually go up and play drums with them) doing punk originals and covers. The singer/guitarist who's probably around 15 and quite sassy (not so much 'mean' as he acts like he has PMS with a hint of ennui). They've covered Agent Orange, Social Distortion and NOFX which, while not perfect in their instrumentation, I applaud because I'm not bored by the songs. I like NOFX and got into them when I was around 15 as well so kudos to them. All the classic rock kids seem to not know how to branch out.

Then there are those people who do the same song everytime. Let's say a certain popular Nirvana song and a certain popular Pantera song. No, you cannot sing like either of them and yes you need to in order to make the songs sound acceptable.

There's also a duo who play metal. That's it. Nobody can follow what they're doing, especially drummers. Good luck kids.

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With the older crowd you also get a mix of interests. One guy is that typical middle aged guy who thinks he's cool and thinks he somehow has a chance of making it big when he's clearly delusional, annoying and stands too close when he talks to you. He thinks "Cocaine" by Eric Clapton is a surefire way of pepping up a crowd. Yeah. Ok. (At least he's nice to younger musicians and wants to teach them how to play songs and is relatively patient if they mess up or aren't sure).

There's another guy around the same age who plays a bigger variety of originals and covers. Tonight we did Joey Ramone's version of "What a Wonderful World" along with two songs I didn't know that I think were covers. Last week he did some acoustic songs, one where he used a slide and it had an awesome sound. While he might not be pumping up a crowd with all his music, he doesn't seem delusional about his talent, musical interests or his age. His music is well-suited for his age/appearance and he isn't embarassing himself.

Then there's that last group of older guys who play whatever they enjoy but make it known it is THEIR TIME TO PLAY and YOU BETTER NOT MESS UP. One guy literally said, a few months ago, "Well I'm going to play now because I drove 40 miles here." Oh entitlement! How modest. I'm more amused that someone would feel a need to push their way on stage at what is primarily a youth-focused event.

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In any event, everyone loves me because:
1. I'm female.
2. I play bass.
3. I can do both, simultaneously.