When I think of the covers my friends and I did at this age...

[fronobulax]

It takes some talent, dedication and a lot of practice to play a good cover. So a lot of credit goes to these performers for achieving that at such a young age.

But the comparison to 50 years ago doesn't seem fair. Someone spent money acquiring instruments, amps and audio and video recording gear so these performers could polish their craft. They have "how to play" videos, isolated tracks and digital versions that they can speed up, slow down loop or otherwise study. Maybe they are delivering papers, baby sitting, mowing lawns or slinging burgers when they are not at school but maybe they are able to devote their free time to music? Maybe they are home schooled and learning the skills needed to do this are part of their school day?

I am not making the Boomer rant that kids these days don't know how good they have it but I am expressing an opinion that the tools to learn and perfect a cover version have changed over the decades so the comparison seems like apples and oranges to me.

 

[adorshki]

Ditto. But I'm soulful!

Me too. And I move around a lot.

 

[zulu]

My very wide stance and active tongue more than make up for the lack of talent

 

[adorshki]

I’m solidly in the mind shanty realm these days.

"My mind is an open house and the wind blows through"
-McKay

 

[adorshki]

My very wide stance and active tongue more than make up for the lack of talent

You're the real Gene Simmons?

 

[Prince of Darkness]

It takes some talent, dedication and a lot of practice to play a good cover. So a lot of credit goes to these performers for achieving that at such a young age.

But the comparison to 50 years ago doesn't seem fair. Someone spent money acquiring instruments, amps and audio and video recording gear so these performers could polish their craft. They have "how to play" videos, isolated tracks and digital versions that they can speed up, slow down loop or otherwise study. Maybe they are delivering papers, baby sitting, mowing lawns or slinging burgers when they are not at school but maybe they are able to devote their free time to music? Maybe they are home schooled and learning the skills needed to do this are part of their school day?

I am not making the Boomer rant that kids these days don't know how good they have it but I am expressing an opinion that the tools to learn and perfect a cover version have changed over the decades so the comparison seems like apples and oranges to me.

Very true, the resources available for anyone wanting to learn are far better now than they ever were before, with a great abundance of tabs, tutorial and performance videos freely available. Of course, this doesn't take away from the fact that these kids are putting in the time to get this good and surely have very supportive parents

 

[Bernie]

Anyone saw the girls up there doing the "Beatles Medley" cover with Emily Linge (or something) ? Cute : I really like the girl that plays the drums...
This being said, I suspect there must be a Dad and Mum, doing the studio recording, the filming process, the teaching and rehearsing : does help a lot usually...Some showbiz family likely.
But yes they are very advanced and professional....People here sometimes would tell that in the U.S., they teach rock or pop music like they teach classical music here...In other words full time in a school, with part time only for other subjects...

No one has ever invented rock'n'roll this way, or blues, jazz and more though...Don't loose courage !

 

[adorshki]

Anyone saw the girls up there doing the "Beatles Medley" cover with Emily Linge (or something) ? Cute : I really like the girl that plays the drums...
This being said, I suspect there must be a Dad and Mum, doing the studio recording, the filming process, the teaching and rehearsing : does help a lot usually...Some showbiz family likely.
But yes they are very advanced and professional....People here sometimes would tell that in the U.S., they teach rock or pop music like they teach classical music here...In other words full time in a school, with part time only for other subjects...

No one has ever invented rock'n'roll this way, or blues, jazz and more though...Don't loose courage !

There are historical precedents outside of acts like the Jackson 5 and the Osmonds whose families intentionally trained 'em for the new vaudeville of pop and television. I see a parallel to child actors.

One of my favorite "He just knew what he wanted to do" stories is Jefferson Airplane's second drummer, Spencer Dryden.
From his Wiki page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spencer_Dryden :

"In the 1950 s, Dryden became friends with Lloyd Miller, also born in 1938, who lived down the street on Royal Boulevard in Rossmoyne in Glendale. They both liked jazz. Miller said the two boys should start a band and encouraged Dryden to play drums. Since Dryden didn't have a drum set, Miller fashioned an instrument by thumb-tacking an old inner tube over a wooden barrel with no ends. Miller would pump his player piano, play cornet or clarinet and Dryden would bang out beats on the drum.[citation needed]

One day Miller walked to Dryden's house and heard him playing on a full drum set. He was playing Baby Dodds' solos to perfection, even the difficult nerve sticks. Soon they had recruited trumpet player Buzz Leifer, a Glendale High acquaintance of Dryden's, a trombone player, Miller's friend Faith Jackson on piano, and a banjo player. The band, called the Smog City Six, would rehearse in Miller's garage. After his parents complained, they played on neighborhood lawns for short concerts until they had to flee from cops.

Soon they were sought-after for their lawn jams. Their final New Orleans-style jazz gig was for the spring festival at Miller's school, Flintridge Prep. After that Dryden 'went modern' and began playing cool jazz in Hollywood and Los Angeles. Miller also added modern jazz to his styles, and the two jammed a few more times at Miller's before losing contact."

Also occurs to me Paul McCartney was undoubtedly influenced by his father's occupation as a "dance-hall jaz" musician.

 

[Bernie]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=puDjZeJpCrU
A lot has to do with good compositions

 

[walrus]

Of course, it can go too far...



walrus

 

[Bernie]

Seems like Rick Benbow (keyboards player, arrangeur, choir singer and conductor) and Ian Watts (here playing bass) must be the people behind it all. It explains a fair part of the very professional work here ( www.youtube.com/watch?v=puDjZeJpCrU )
The 1st one for instance has arranged strings on Status Quo acoustic live Concert recording (1994 I think) and played several touring tributes (John Lennon, Pink Floyd...), here on keyboards. Ian Watts may be a film director often involved in music films (and possibly Sade companion too, unless it's someone with the same name -?-). It seems to be British made though I thought it came from th U.S.

 

[GGJaguar]

Of course, it can go too far...



walrus

New fashion sensation - shorts worn over tights for men. Practical for that "in between" Spring/Fall weather.

 

[Midnight Toker]

It takes some talent, dedication and a lot of practice to play a good cover. So a lot of credit goes to these performers for achieving that at such a young age.

But the comparison to 50 years ago doesn't seem fair. Someone spent money acquiring instruments, amps and audio and video recording gear so these performers could polish their craft. They have "how to play" videos, isolated tracks and digital versions that they can speed up, slow down loop or otherwise study. Maybe they are delivering papers, baby sitting, mowing lawns or slinging burgers when they are not at school but maybe they are able to devote their free time to music? Maybe they are home schooled and learning the skills needed to do this are part of their school day?

I am not making the Boomer rant that kids these days don't know how good they have it but I am expressing an opinion that the tools to learn and perfect a cover version have changed over the decades so the comparison seems like apples and oranges to me.

True, but at the same time, I grew up w/ folks that were high school underclassmen playing King Crimson,, Yes, Zappa, ELP, Jethro Tull, etc. We are talking about 4-5 prodigies that all found each other at an early age. Their talents just drew them all in. One was Eva Cassidy (and her brother Danny) What those kids were playing and the professional level they were playing it....just...wow!! (and of note...every single living member of said band is still a fulltime professional musician to this day, about 45 years later. Some have played at the White House, some teach at Duke Ellington, others teach by day, play by night. Every one of them currently active, even the late Eva Cassidy's brother Danny, who is a top notch fiddle player residing in Iceland.

So, it's going to take me a whole lot more than what I've seen to truly be impressed. Equipment/ fancy production be damned. Really great playing can be heard through a walkie talkie.

 

[Bernie]

That was great. It helps restore my faith that the youth of today can still play rock music and hot just hip-hop and metal.

Thought that what makes the rock musicians was to do their own (unless it's hip hop or metal of course) !!

 

[fronobulax]

True, but at the same time, I grew up w/ folks that were high school underclassmen playing King Crimson,, Yes, Zappa, ELP, Jethro Tull, etc. We are talking about 4-5 prodigies that all found each other at an early age. Their talents just drew them all in. One was Eva Cassidy (and her brother Danny) What those kids were playing and the professional level they were playing it....just...wow!! (and of note...every single living member of said band is still a fulltime professional musician to this day, about 45 years later. Some have played at the White House, some teach at Duke Ellington, others teach by day, play by night. Every one of them currently active, even the late Eva Cassidy's brother Danny, who is a top notch fiddle player residing in Iceland.

So, it's going to take me a whole lot more than what I've seen to truly be impressed. Equipment/ fancy production be damned. Really great playing can be heard through a walkie talkie.

Point noted. Thank you.

I suspect the ability of talent to attract other talent depends upon the size of the local population. I'm sure the experience was different for someone whose high school had a total enrollment of under 500 and someone in a major urban area that had much larger schools and public transportation.

 

[Uke]

Of course, it can go too far...



walrus

I agree that there is something creepy about this -- but why? There is something very robotic about these kids.

 

[walrus]

I agree that there is something creepy about this -- but why? There is something very robotic about these kids.

I don't know about creepy, but I'm assuming it's safe to say they did not have much of a childhood...

walrus

 

[adorshki]

I don't know about creepy, but I'm assuming it's safe to say they did not have much of a childhood...

walrus

Does any robot ever truly have a happy childhood?

 

[Midnight Toker]

Point noted. Thank you.

I suspect the ability of talent to attract other talent depends upon the size of the local population. I'm sure the experience was different for someone whose high school had a total enrollment of under 500 and someone in a major urban area that had much larger schools and public transportation.

Indeed. My high school was in a early 60’s Levitt built suburb between Wash DC and Annapolis. My graduating class alone was close to 2000 students w/ our graduation being held at the Capital Centre. There was an immense pool of talent. Kathy Lee Gifford graduated from there, as did Paul Reed Smith.

 

[Bernie]

I think that the girls and boys doing that Abbey Road Medley I mentioned earlier on, do have a genuine talent too (however helped and well advised they may be)...They might have been selected within some large school that's teaching contemporary and pop music to younger talents too (??). One of the guys I mentioned does teach in such a school I think...
I remember being in England in late 90s ; record companies would put adverts in NME or Melody Maker looking for good looking hard-rock musicians, to launch some major group (I never heard of BTW ). This is when Mark Knopfler appeared with his almost natural tone, when everyone was looking for the new Distortix or Saturax guitar hero (funny) ! I didn't apply.
It worked for some though (I read David Beckham's wife was selected this way for her group (whatever its name I forgot)...