Yesterday we went to my wife's sister's place for Easter. She has two daughters aged 17 and 15. Their parents, being technofiles, have music wired throughout their home, which is controlled by an Ipad or mobile phones.
During lunch we listened to Michael Buble (very nice) and then the girls had control of the music.
It started with Amy Winehouse (okay) and then One Direction (almost okay), and then a song I remembered from my teen years; "Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes" ,circa 1970(apologies to the Americans if you don't know it - Edison Lighthouse was a British band.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUGjJMfuBGg
I asked the younger niece why she was playing that and she replied "Ï love that kind of music"
It was then the older niece's turn to run through her playlist.
After a few fairly new songs that I didn't know, on came "Don't Stop" by Fleetwood Mac. She said "I love Fleetwood Mac".
Then, the stunner.
The song was familiar to me, an orchestra with a female singer. I assumed it was a modern girl vocalist doing a retro album. It sounded nice so I asked her who it was.
She replied "Harry James and his Orchestra. Isn't it great?"
I nearly fell off my chair.

There's hope for the younger generation yet.:)

Yeah. It seems like more and more kids are listening to more and more of the older music along with the new stuff.

When I was a kid, if you listened to anything more than a few years old (like I did), your peers would look askance and ask "what is that old crap?"

Great story Keith. Those girls showed great style.
Actually, it can be difficult to categorize some of the material currently being played on the radio as 'music' at all.

I just recently had a conversation with some teens about big band music.

Who would have thought????

...Deb

After Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Cherry Poppin' Daddies had their "run in the sun" a lot of the younger people took to swing music and researched the roots of what those 2 bands were playing. That led to rediscovery of people like Louis Prima, Louis Jordan, Harry James, Benny Goodman, the Dorsey Brothers and all the big bands of the big band era.

I went to a Big Bad Voodoo Daddy concert in 1999 and there was a couple of kids about 22 years old who were TEARING IT UP on the dance floor. I went up to the bar and happened to be next to the girl of the couple and I complimented her on their dancing. I told her "This is the stuff your grandparents did in their day." She laughed and said "Not only did they teach us, they are the older couple that were on the floor right next to us." And there they were, Lindy Hop-ing with the best of them.

We had a band here briefly that played that music and I went to a couple of their shows and COULD NOT BELIEVE how the 20 somethings embraced the dancing of that era. And whenever I hear that music I wish I had been born in 1921 instead of 1951, because when I was in my 20s that big band swing that I love so much would have been the music of time when I was in my playing days and I likely would have followed the crowd and played the popular style of the time, just like I was a Beatles kid of the 60s.

I was a weird kid. I listened to my generation's music, but also listened and loved my parent's music, jazz, and classical music as well.

I gig two afternoons a week at an outdoor restaurant adjacent to a big city park and the public beach. The majority of our music on this gig is pitched to +50-year-old and up audience. They are a good mid-afternoon crowd and fill the restaurant during the normally dead times. Plus it's good food, not fast food, and the prices reflect that.

It runs from an occasional Sinatra era song, an occasional 21st century song, some Calypso/Soca/Reggae, a bit of country, some Musica Latina, but probably about 3/4 Baby-Boomer era pop/rock.

It all depends on who is there and what seems to be working that day.

I'm no longer surprised at the number of young people who not only enjoy the music, give us complements and sing along, knowing the words. But I'm always delighted by it.

It's been spring break season, so there have been a lot of young people stop in, and we're always happy to entertain them.

I don't want to sound like an old curmudgeon, but I find a lot of today's music boring. Of course, a lot of the music of my own era is boring too. And there are some very good songs and artists making music today.

The two problems (for me) I find in a lot of today's music are:

1) Rap. To me music needs all 3 elements, melody, harmony and rhythm. Rap lacks melody. Of course, poetry to some background rhythm is an art form in itself, but it doesn't satisfy my like music.

2) Excessive auto-tune. It takes too many human conversational nuances out of the melody.

But if the music that I don't care for has an audience, it doesn't mean it's bad music, just music that wasn't made for me.

Notes ♫

I was also a weird kid......still am! While my friends were into Hendrix, Cream, etc I was into Wes Montgomery, Johnny Smith, Jimmy Smith, Tony Mattola, Miles, and other jazz musicians including big bands. I still am into them.

I have three kids. All three are into all genres of music, both old and new, but not rap if you classify rap as music, which I don't. Of course they have been exposed to all genres since day one.

Both the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University (NCA&T) schools have large music programs so there are plenty of musicians in and around Greensboro, NC.

Musicians from both schools joined forces to create a jive band that played live shows in the region. In most locations they would draw such large crowds the doors would be left open so the overflow crowd could listen and dance in the parking lot.

I lived about two city blocks from one venue and would sit on my front porch and listen deep into the night. Fun times.

I had and still have some Tony Mottola records. My friends in high school had no idea who it was and when I played it they called it elevator music. I said, "go ahead and try to play that elevator music". He was an excellent guitarist. True most of his records were popular songs given the instrumental treatment, or elevator music, but the playing was top notch. His work with Sinatra was great as he played live with him many times. Even having a moment of guitar and voice only during most shows. You can find some YouTube stuff of it.

I think you will find American's of a certain age know Love Grows Where my Rosemary Goes! Gets plenty of play on the oldies.

Music always has the potential to be cross generational, and I think that's one of the many beauties of music for sure! My partner's dad who is nearly in his 70s loves Lady Gaga, as an example. On a drive up island one time he offered to let me control his spotify account which he had hooked up via bluetooth in his car, and he was pretty shocked when I searched up and put on a German rock music from his youth.

There's always going to be music that won't be to everyone's tastes (I'm not a fan of Lady Gaga), and I think truly that it boils down to personal taste and not actually one's generation that they belong to. Thematically speaking, there may be some lyrics that are more specific to certain generations, whether that's using music to comment on current events that kids born 20 years from then may not have context for, or even just generational ideals. But, overall, I think that themes such as love, adventure, heartbreak, wanderlust and much more are accessible to just about everyone and can resonate no matter when you were born.

For me, there are only two kinds of music, music that I like and music that is made for someone else's ears.

I gig twice a week at an outdoor restaurant adjacent to both the most popular city park and the public beach. The restaurant is attached to a resort hotel, and the prices are in the moderate level, much more than the taco and the wings eateries right next door. So we get more middle-aged to elderly people in the audience, and as we always select our tunes to who is there, we play a lot of baby-boomer era music.

We mix this with a little Caribbean (Soca-Reggae), Country, Folk, Jazz, Contemporary, and other various forms, being careful not to play anything too hard-core in the genres that the clientele there would object to. We'll even sprinkle a Sinatra era tune in from time to time. The only two things we don't do are Rap and Metal (although we will play a song or two with a rap section in the middle, and some hard rock that borders on metal).

We don't do set lists, but call songs on the fly judging what we think today's audience will like, and noticing how they react to what we are playing.

I'm always delighted that younger, college aged people come in, enjoy the music and say nice things or give us a thumbs up on the way out. I'm equally delighted that if we give the boomers enough of their own, then end up enjoying music that is from their children's and grandchildren's generation.

I think the generations are more tolerant of each others' music than they were when I was a young person, and I think that is a good thing.

Insights and incites by Notes ♫

Well phrased Notes, and I tend to agree. There has been some moderation in what the majority tend to see as acceptable music. The extremes have softened. That can only be a good thing.

Never forget though. All the "old people" on the forum used to be having parties like this every day.

Can we compete?

I don't think so.

Yep, those were the good old days!

They are called the good old days because I wasn't good and I wasn't old

We devised the un-birthday party, because one could have one of those on any of the 364 other days each year that weren't our birthday. Can't do it now :-(

I remember a time when I used to work all day as a mailman and then go to the bar and drink and dance until closing time.

Now I am old and retired and after days of activities that find me seated for the most part it's hard to find energy to walk the dog a half mile after 7pm.

That song is a study in what to do when you run out of ideas for the next verse or chorus! All the doobie doo bee doo dahs!

I used to play a gig on Thursday, get home around 2:30 then get up a 6:00 to go to work. Now if I played a gig and got home around 2:30 don't bother me until after 12:00!

I know how you feel. I get a lot more tired much earlier than in the good old day

This sums up the older issue perfectly.

That was very eloquently stated. I’ve listened many music styles from childhood in the 50’s when I would go to bed with an all night radio station though out my life. Your point about the commonality of themes crossing multiple genres is thought provoking and can serve to link seemingly disparate generations. We are sitting on the porch of a B&B looking at mountains as I type and the vibe of your post fits in very nicely. Thanks!

J&B

Oh that hurt

But it did bring back some fond memories

Yeah, that's rough dude
Let a man dream
pretty creative production

When I was younger and greedier than sane, I used to book two gigs on the same day if I got the chance.

An afternoon gig poolside, and another at a lounge in the evening. That included schlepping the gear too.

I now turn down a second gig on the same day.

I guess I'm less greedy and saner.

On non-gig-days I used to walk 4 miles a day for exercise, now I only walk 2.

I guess I'm getting lazy in my middle-age.

Notes ♫

Notes, the Motown band I was in was in such demand that we worked a schedule most would not.

We played Thursday night as most bands here do. Then we did a 5pm Happy Hour show Friday, then a 10-2 Friday night. Saturday we did a 1pm show, then a 9-1 bar show. Sunday was the same doubleheader.

We had 2 PA systems and 3 guys who we taught to set it up. They would go to our storage, load the "night PA" into the back of the truck, and the "day PA" in front of it. They'd go to the early gig, set it up (we brought our stage gear other than my rack and the guitar amps which were in the truck) then beat feet to the night gig and set THAT PA up. Then they'd come back and as we drove to the night gig they tore down and loaded.

So we played 7 shows in 4 days, from May 1 through September 30. Monday we laid in bed and rested. I was in my early 40s then and could do such things. Now I don't play at all because I don't want to move gear. I don't need more money than I bring in, so why? To stuff a bank account full to leave for the state to steal when I die?

And THERE is my personal generation gap. Between my early 40s and my early 70s I traveled a LOT of hard roads... No more.

Musically, that generation gap is well bridged. People decorate with retro knick-knacks, wear retro clothing, and listen to retro music. No gap! Well, maybe Gap Mangione...

I would definitely do two gigs per day if I had someone to set up our gear for us.

Mrs. Notes and I have neither roadies nor children to help us schlep.

Our typical gig is now 3 hours. We get to the gig 1.5 hours early. It takes an hour to set-up, and the half hour is a buffer in case a cable goes belly-up or something else needs to be fixed. This rarely happens, but if we don't allow time, that's when it will pop up. It takes us another hour to tear down. So on a 3-hour gig we spend 2.5 hours set-up and tear-down.

Add to that getting the gear in the minivan, getting to the gig, driving home, and bringing the gear back inside. I live in a safe neighborhood, I have electronic protection, and the chances of someone stealing gear from my van are slight, but if it happens, the penalty is great, so I never-ever leave the gear in the van. It comes in every night no matter how late I get in.

When setting up and tearing down I sometimes think "Why do I bring so many instruments? What should I leave home?"

But when I'm gigging I think, "I wish I had also brought the ______."

I love what I do, and schlepping heavy equipment gives me weight-bearing exercise without a gym membership. And the gig goes by way too quickly. Time flies when you are having fun.

Notes ♫

And with those long days that start and end with very physical work, the verb that hoes with this job is still "play". That used to make me SO angry when people would call me and ask "You playing tonight?" My standard answer was always "No. I am WORKING tonight, but I am not playing." They see that stage time and think that's all there is to it. Somehow missing all that physical work, the solo practice time, the band rehearsal time, the expense of buying gear, the expense and time to maintain it...

Though I dished it out too. I used to rag on one of the bartenders I was close to telling her "Oh geeze. You cut fruit, you open bottles and you wash glasses. And you call that WORK?" Knowing full well they got there at 5 and worked until 3, running back and forth the whole time.

I auditioned a couple of so called musicians who thought the same thing. They didn't get in the band.

I schlep gear, that's work.

I practice, that's not work, it's just prep time. When I figure things out and/or achieve a new skill, I get a feeling of accomplishment.

The cost of the gear is investment.

The time I spend on stage, making music for an appreciative audience, is definitely play time. It's the most fun I can have with my clothes on. For Mrs. Notes and I, it makes the schlepping, practicing, and investment worth it.

Of course, that's just us. YMMV

Notes ♫

"The only time that seems too short
Is the time that we get to play"

Care to guess who wrote these lyrics?

I have been noting the fairly recent phenomenon of younger kids getting into classic music on different forums. I do maybe 10-12 gigs a year in Avalon on Catalina Island. It's a big time tourist attraction from spring to the Jazz fest in October. Cruise ships anchor just offshore and a fleet of water taxi's run people into Avalon. I'm in a classic rock band and I'll usually start things off with some funky jazz stuff then we start with the Doors, Joe Cocker, The Stones, Santana etc, etc.

The gigs are outdoors with people sitting, walking, whatever and it's all ages with a tilt towards younger. They love it. Everyone in the band has their "groupies" including me, the usually lonely keyboard player. Young people will hang around their favorite player and they seriously dig it, they're not just being polite, they really like the classic stuff. I did a gig a month ago at a nice restaurant in Marina Del Ray called Killer Shrimp with a very nice medium sized club adjacent to the restaurant part with leather couches and lounge chairs instead of bar tables and it had a dance floor. That band is different than the Catalina one, more classic soul music, Motown, War, Sly, Ohio Players, no Stones, Santana or Doors. Same thing though with young people, they loved that band as well.

Personally I'm loving it, it's giving me a whole new perspective and appreciation of young people who could be my grandchildren. I'm not talking about 40-50 year olds, more like 25-35. I've been watching what are called "Reaction" vids on YouTube where 20 somethings react to classic music they say they've never heard of before and unless they all are very good actors they are totally blown away with. It's not all rock either, it's Tom Jones, Pavoratti, Johnny Cash, Bobby Darrin, Elvis, a whole diverse plethora of singers and bands from the 50's onward. The Beatles are big with that bunch too. Those kids had no idea who any of these artists were and their reactions are fun to watch because for the most part they're very impressed. I think many of you would enjoy watching some of those. Just search YT for a singer or band with the word reaction and tons will come up.

Bob

Just thinking out loud and only half serious here...

Could it be rebellion against the previous generation???

Not for any artistic reasons, but for the young people, rap/hip-hop is the music of their parent's generation.

After all, the first rap stars are old enough to go on Medicare now.

So is listening to grandparent's music a better alternative?

After all, it's the child's duty to rebel, and music is a safe thing to express that rebellion.

Notes ♫

I certainly hope so

I think I'm going slightly off topic here, but I joined a local U3A group here, just to play more music, only to learn that mostly they played in retirement homes (OK) and that most of their music was, well, old and stale.

"But we're playing for retirement homes".

"Well, yes, but many retirees now will be fans of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, rather than of wartime songs."

I couldn't get any enthusiasm within me for the music, so I parted. C'est la vie.

That was very kind of you to say, thank you so much! I hope that your B&B trip was lovely and revitalizing.

Thanks! We love hiking and mountain biking in new areas.
J&B
PS Pardon my typos in the above … I was distracted by the surrounding beauty

Part of what we do is play retirement homes.

Rarely we have even played "assisted living facilities".

And we mostly play for mixed audiences at a restaurant right on the public beach and a huge RV Resort. The clientele ranges from toddlers to the elderly, plus tourists from all over the world.

I don't agree with the old and stale - but to each their own. Old? Yes. Stale? That depends.

The oldest I listen to and enjoy is Beethoven. Add Dvorak, Suk, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovitch, Saint-Saëns, de Falla etc., and Zeppelin is new.

I may be weird, but I just like listening and playing music from many eras and many genres. There are songs from just about every era that I like, and those that are written for other people.

I play music for a living, and I feel very lucky to make a living doing music and nothing but music. No wage-slave day-gig, no storefront business to own with employees to contend with, no waking up to an alarm clock every day, and no answering to any superior.

Playing music for a living involves playing what the audience in front of you today wants to hear. Whatever they want to hear is fun for me to play. The time on stage is when I'm truly alive, and the gig is always over way too soon.

We collect requests from our audience. If something gets requested enough by the general audience, or if something gets requested by a frequent audience member, and if we can cover it (we're multi-talented but can't do everything) we'll learn it. I don't care if it's from Al Jolson or Bruno Mars.

There are things I don't want to play and there are things we cannot cover as a duo. Examples: Heavy Metal - I'm not that good a guitarist, sax (the instrument I'm best at) is out of place in that genre, and we don't have amplification that will play that loud. Rap, is another. I can't talk that fast, and don't consider it music. Poetry to a beat is definitely an art form, and I have nothing against it, but as a musician who specializes in melodic instruments, I have no place in that world.

Fortunately, there are enough other genres to keep me working.

Notes ♫

No need to apologize at all, I would be distracted to!

While we're here, what's some music you feel crosses the generational divide well? I'd love to hear your thoughts! That goes for anyone that would happen to run across this too.

I fall into this age bracket, and I'm just about to resume working with my vocal coach to hopefully start working towards singing opera. Baby steps though! But on that note, I just saw Don Giovanni last week, actually. I used to feel like a bit of an outlier going to the opera because it was very easy to see that generation gap. But after two years of the local opera society being suspended for in-person performances, I don't know where they came from, but I saw mostly people my own age or younger dressed to the nines to see Don Giovanni. If nothing else, I think that people my age are really open to all sorts of genres and forms of musical performances, from the experimental all the way to the absolute classics. And for the most part, all the opera singers performing tend to be around my age as well.

as a duo playing with BIAB generated backing tracks until recently, we found that 60s music went down well with just about any age group. not that we didn't get requests for more recent stuff but no really unhappy listeners.

however, years ago playing with an acoustic band at an old people's home we were a little unhappy that when they saw the guitars they all took their hearing aids out................

Good for you, Ember.

When I was your age, unlike most of my peers, I was into Symphonies from the Romantic era onward. Actually, I'm still into symphonies from the Romantic era onward.

That didn't and doesn't mean I don't enjoy many other types of music. It just means life is too short to enjoy only one kind of music.

So are you a tenor or baritone?

Notes ♫

My natural range is mezzo-soprano, but my personal goal is to be able to expand to comfortably sing contralto!

Point taken. It was much more the particular music they played and how they played it.

I definitely don't have a down on "old music" per se, but I couldn't raise enthusiasm for much of their repertoire or their style. I joined as an experiment, but the experiment didn't suit me, nor really did I suit them. Yes ... It depends.

My apologies for the gender-bender remark.

Mrs. Notes is an alto, I'm a baritone, but neither sing opera. Pop music pays the bills.

In our last vacation before COVID, we went to Vienna, and were lucky enough to attend two symphonies and Dvorak's opera, Rusalka. It was well done.

Good luck on your quest. I hope to hear you sing some day.

Notes ♫

Ahhh, yes, Vienna, Venice, Prague, Zurich and more. Our ears have been treated to some of the most sophisticated classical performances imaginable. Sure hope that is returning.

Two of my favorite female singers are contraltos: Cristina Scabbia and my wife.

No worries at all! I actually wish I was a tenor, I find that range to be the most pleasing to me.

Thank you for the kind words, it's much appreciated! I'm very much a shy performer, so I tend to just sing for my own enjoyment, but maybe one day!

Contraltos have such beautiful voices, I always find contralto performances to be mesmerizing!