Middle Aged Musicians Play Mediocre Rock with the Fervor of the Dying!

I like truth in advertising.

This is how I would promote my next show but it would upset everyone involved- except me. First, it’s an unspoken truth that mature musicians are for the most part trying not to be so . . . mature. Most of us feel really young and act immature, so why should we cop to the fact of a few extra years or decades when in our minds we’re not much past 27 (um . . . 17 actually).

Second, our music is undiscovered genius. Okay, maybe not genius, but it’s solid. It’s catchy. We’ve been doing this for a long time; we know how to craft a song. These songs may of course be a direct reflection of the music that inspired and informed us in our teens, which may cause it to sound like the music from our teens. I guess that makes it unintentionally retro. I hear retro is making a comeback. We’re so retro we’re cutting edge.

Fine, I concede to the voice of youth; our music may be irrelevant. To be honest, the voice of youth has said nothing to me since asking when dinner will be ready, so strike that. I don’t know if our music is relevant or good. Sometimes I think the average listener doesn’t know if a song is relevant or good until it’s played so often that it’s forcefully imprinted in the listener’s mind. We don’t have that kind of corporate backing so we go with live shows and a modest showing on Reverbnation. I always hold out some hope that we will come to attention of an audience with social media connections, but the lack of that happening suggests mediocrity. Still, I believe in our material.

Now, for “the fervor of the dying” part: When you’re young and playing music, you feel powerful and immortal. You might have swagger; you know you are the shit, even when you most likely are not. When you play music at this stage in life you’ve completely lost the illusion of immortality or untapped greatness. Things have happened, friends have passed, and you’ve been through situations that made you think you might not make it out the other side. I would like to make some allusion to not going gently into that good night, but that sounds very dignified and this is rock and roll. It’s more about throwing off the shackles of worry about appearing foolish, recognize you are in fact foolish and just embracing it. Oh hell, it’s not even that complicated. Please refer to the earlier part about feeling 17.

So yeah – middle aged people playing mediocre rock with the fervor of the dying – this Sunday at Hotel Utah in San Francisco along with The Hodges and Cronkite. Shot in the Dark goes on at 8 pm. It will be better than the Academy Awards – no awkward acceptance speeches, conspicuous consumption or heart wrenching memorials, not to mention commercial free!