I'm thinking about hanging it up for awhile..I have been involved in the music industry for a lot of years now..But i'm starting to get down about the whole scene..I'm getting older my oldest daughter turned 13 today i have a 9 year old and a 5 year old also..I make a living playing music and giving lessons and the odd and ends studio work that i do..
My main thing is that i'm 42 years old and i sometimes feel like i could accomplish a lot more if i would stay at home and focus on a regular career..I had an offer to go to work as a manager of a guitar center..I gave it serious consideration but after talking with others that have worked there i backed off of it due to there high turn over and the fact that i was told it is like baby sitting a bunch of High school kids..
Do any of you other players out there go through this..Is there any of you that are my age or older that are making a living as a road musician and how do you deal with it when you start getting tired of it all..Do any of you go threw these spells of depression with being a musician at our age.. Any and all advice would be appreciated

i wouldnt say just like you....but close.

I played in a band from '75-'82 thne got married, thinks was ok until she got pregnet, so i quit the band and got a real job. 26 years later (that equals 6 kids,7 grandkids) I decided it was time for me to enjoy what i like. I was laid off work last May I thought cool....ill get in a band. now im really feeling my age (I'll be 50 in Jan.) i quit one band (it was country and i dont care for it much) and i am being asked to play in a 60s rock band and although it is closer to my style (im a 70s rock type of guy, Deep Purple,Rainbow,Alice Cooper, David Bowie, Uriah Heep) I find everyday im thinking just forget it....find a real job (like there is any around here).

I think what i Dread the most is the fact of my age and to me I had my chance and gave it up.

But at the same time.....giving up on a dream is something that haunts you for the reat of your life.....but you need to do what you feel you need to do.

Jimmie

hey man

go with your feeling

working manager in a guitar store when you been involve all your life in music ... is working in your field of interest . at the end , if the payoff is good ( with 3 children , you need a good one ) and you can still do what you like ( well in the same field ) id say take the job .

if you would go manager of the frozen department of a grocery store ... i would have say stick with the music .


99 % of the musicians need another job .

i would go for the job . having a steady payoff is a really good motivation . its better than guessing everytime . specially when you have children .

you can still play and gig as a hobbie and advice new buyer with your experience . thats rewarding and really valuable .

its hard to live out of your passion . if you can find something closely related .. its as good in my opinion .

good luck in your career choice .


and you guys are great cause your passionnate in life by something .


damn my parents never did anything ( their in their 50's ) . they worked 9 to 5 all their lives , came back home and sat in front of the t.v . no music , no passion or hobbie . just wishing to win the lottery so their "misery" would end and finally be able to travel and do something . they had eveyrthing ( house etc.. )and still complain that their poor


thats sad cause when you look at how much money they gamble on lottery , casino etc.. hoping to win money .. you realize that they could have done everything they dreamt of doing if they had win the lottery .

now they are retiring and since they havent done anything of their lives ... they dont know what to do .. so they find a job underside and continue working altough they're retired cause they dont wanna sit home watching t.v all day long . they gonna get bored they said .

" No nine to five , i wanna stay alive " as Jamiroquoi said .


its great to see people enjoying and passionnate by something in life and who arent afraid to take chance and try new things . keep on guys . im 29 and wish im gonna livea life like you people , not as a 9 to 5 zombie . a passionnate one .

Well I'm 34 and while I don't have a music background other than as a casual player I do have a similar story. I was a golf pro for 8 years and while the money was good for a single guy and it was a dream job for most things changed when I became a family man. Bills need to be paid and I felt the desire and pressure to basically get a real job. I was able to walk away from golf because I was ready and I didn't look back. You don't sound convinced that you're ready to go. It sounds like you think you should for your family which is beyond admirable. That said you can't forsake your personal happiness for the family because while you may provide for them an unhappy man is an unhappy dad. I ended up getting into sales with the company that I left golf for and that is a perfect marriage for me. I'm working full time and doing well yet I don't have a boss hovering over me and I'm out all day driving around and being sociable. Take your time and make the right decision for you and it will be the right decision for your family.

Invader.CC,

Wow. No, I was never in your shoes. I played in a couple garage bands for a couple years. I was really getting into the guitar when I met my wife. No problems, she liked it. Then we had kids...things changed. I had to get serious about providing food and medical insurance for my family. I joined the Army. 13 years later I am a civilian and work as a nurse.

I say if you can make a decent wage and you can still be around the music scene, go for it. You may even find a better gig to play in. You would be able to test new equipment. Help a few people get started on their road of music. Have a chance to pass your knowlege and skills to a new generation. And, have a chance to be around kids while they are still young.

When life is feeding you lemmons, make lemmonaide. Make the most of this situation. Just don't spend all you salary on equipment once you qualify for employee pricing (lol).

I know if I ever win the lottery or come into a but(t) load of money, I want to open a music shop that deals in guitars, drums, and keyboards. I just think it would be fun to do, as long as I did not have to worry about profits.

RK

If you can get a regular paycheck out of what you love doing, you should do it. I've been laid off 3 times over this past 2 years and am now working at a grocery store as a Assistant Produce Manager and I hate it. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I have a job, however, its a job I dread going to everyday. I've got a degree that I worked very hard for that is useless right now. 2 years ago I was working in a field that paid well and was what I enjoyed doing. Now I'm stuck making less than 1/4 of what I made now doing something I hate. The Manager above me is in the same boat. He has a degree in engeering but can't find a job. We have both sent out over 500 resumes in the last 3 months combined.
I'm in a couple of local bands but I don't make the type of money necessary to support myself. So I keep plugging away at this crap job, playing music, and hoping things will turn around. I'm not to optimistic from what I've seen but I keep going.
If you can make it with music I say go for it. But just make sure you've allowed for some savings and something to fall back on especially since you've got a family to support. I'm sure you'll make the right decision.

Russ

I'm a weekend warrior. I have a full-time day job, but gig on the weekends. I can provide food and shelter and insurance for me and my family and still get out and gig once or twice a week. It's a compromise, but I enjoy it. Only thing is, sometimes we play Sunday nights, and Monday morning is awful when I have to get up at 5:30 and go to work!

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DRRI

Thanks for all the advice ..I just don't know what action i'm going to take..I have only had a few regular jobs in my life other than the Army after 3 years 9 months i was injured and awarded a military disability for injuries received..
So after recovering from the injuries the best that i could i went to college for a few years i'm 36 credit hours short of a B.S..
I than worked as a Alcoholism councilor but after one of the kids i was working with killed himself i couldn't cope and i have been playing music and working on motorcycles ever since..It has been 15 years since my last real job..
What my hang up is truly isn't money as i make a okay living between all the things music related that i do..It's being gone sometimes 3 weeks out of four mostly during the summer when fairs,car shows and motorcycle rally's are going on..The other thing that really bothers me is the perception that others have..I do understand this perception also ..I watched that show Anvil about a bunch of 45 and 50 year olds in this band that was still trying to go big and i was even saying grow up..
I will say i have no illusions about getting signed ..We are not that kind of band ..We are what you would call a working band we get paid well and have a 6 month in advance booking but will always be a Fair and Casino band what my dream would be is to get a year Casino contract..
I have been giving it some thought and i have started thinking about maybe staying with it for awhile and going back to school finishing my degree ..Possibly getting a music degree..
Sorry about getting long winded it just something that has been on my mind a lot lately..Maybe it is just the Holidays getting me down .

Honestly the best advice I can give you is finish your degree. You can easily do that in two semesters, or two semesters and a summer for an easier load. Really two semesters ends up being 4 months, 1 month break over the holidays, 4 months. Or if you enrolled next semester it could be 4 on, 3 off, 3 on, done! What I'm trying to say is 36 hours is pretty dang close. I don't think you'll ever regret getting your BS degree. Your education is for life. It's also the type of example I would want to set for my kids.

Personally I would finish school, then see what options you have for jobs. IMHO worst case scenario there is, tool job 9-5 M-F, and weekend warrior it out with your musical skills. That way you can provide the kind of lifestyle you want for your family, but the rockstar also lives on.

Been trying to change my "gig" for the last two years, being on call 24-7 and dealing with a constant line of crap and lies gets old.

after seven years as a bail agent its time to move on to a real job, it was a very profitable gig for the first five years, now its just o.k.

anyway, I found myself getting absolutely no response to my applications or resumes, I have seventeen years as a retail manager and can't get a single bite !!!

wondering is it my age ? I have a great track record as a manager.

Is it my past income that scares them away ????? at 43 with two teens and a wife, I need a real job and insurance that I can afford.

I;ve had to do a lot of side work (guitar and amp repairs) to keep it going and its turned into two full time jobs just to stay afloat.

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My advice to you is keep playing part time since music is what you love, but get a real job for the home time, immediate financial security, and future security that it brings.

I tried the whole "gonna be a rockstar" thing for years, playing in bands from the age of 13 up until I was 29 (I'm 46 now). At that point I realized that I wasn't one of the lucky ones that would make it big and it was time to "grow up" and be realistic about my life.

I still gig for fun and a few bucks, but I have a real day job with a 401(k), benefits, and a pension plan.

The time you miss with your family is the biggest consideration. The things you miss with your kids can NEVER be replaced. I doubt that on your death bed you'll think back and say "gee I wished I'd played a few more County Fairs". Chances are that you WILL think back and say "gee I wish I'd spent more time with my kids".

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"Life is like eating jalapenos. What you do today may burn your arse tomorrow"

The time you miss with your family is the biggest consideration. The things you miss with your kids can NEVER be replaced. I doubt that on your death bed you'll think back and say "gee I wished I'd played a few more County Fairs". Chances are that you WILL think back and say "gee I wish I'd spent more time with my kids".[/quote]

+1 amen to that brother! And I'd like to add "or worked more hours."

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Invader.CC



Hey Bro -serious line of questions here... Have you used all your VA Voc-Rehab benefits, education-wise? A lot of guys blew that stuff off and don't realize they may still have some benefits coming to them.

Call the nearest VA and ask to talk to a benefits counselor about what you have going on. You might be surprised.

If you aren't sure, or need some more info, PM me and we can talk about it. I'm going through all that stuff right now. I have an awesome VA counselor and I have a good understanding of the system, so maybe we can get you hooked back into it. Gimme a shout.

RickyD

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Old age and treachery will win every time over youth and enthusiasm.

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hey invader, i hope everything works out for you, either path you choose.

should consider giving lessons, or rather charging for them.
maybe perhaps work on you degree.


either way, good luck.
with your life experiences, you know, things have a way of working themselves out.

I just talked to a intake councilor at St Louis University about this ..I have an appointment with V.A scheduled for the 3rd of January..I did use the G.I bill to build my home..But as David allan Coe said it wasn't worth all i had to kill to get it..
I must admit though i still don't have a lot of faith in V.A after being wounded..I spent 13 months in a V.A hospital then another year in a V.A rehabilitation unit learning how to walk and use my legs again..
But i must admit i'am one of the Blessed to have had a full spinal cord separation and other than pain and some numbness in my feet i can still walk,run and play with my kids without a major limp or being in a chair.. Less than 4% with the injuries i had even regain partial use of there legs and less than 1 in 50,000 recover to the extent that i did..So every day that i get out of bed on my own power is a victory and another day of the Lords grace..