Ain't Nothin' but a Number

[J. Dan]

Don't pass up an opportunity. Whether or not this band has peaked, you're only just beginning your musical career. Hire her and see where it goes. If it doesn't work out for one reason or another, there will be more opportunities down the road. It's not like you're going to miss your one big break because your singer was too old.

[theGman]

You have nothing to lose if you hire her; scenario A is that the crowds love her. Viola, no problem.

 

Scenario B is that the crowds hate her; just let her go, and you're back where you started. No loss in the long run.

[wmp]

How do you like her skills? How is she to work with? How enthusiastic is she about stepping into your bag of material? If it's a good fit, age shouldn't matter that much. If you like her, your audience probably will too.

 

I suppose I'm forced to think like this because I'm as old as both of you put together. I've been on all side of the age thing. The young kid playing with older guys, the forty something keyboard player with 18 to 25 year olds, the fifty something keyboard player with 20 to 25 year olds. In a band of twenty somethings, we went with the hot forty something year old lady and it worked out quite well for us. In every case, how well it worked had more to do with the people, their skills, and personalities than age.

 

 

 

[OB Dave]

What wmp said.

 

Basically, you just need to figure out whether the weirdness you're feeling is just in your head or not. If she's got the pipes, and she's fun to perform with, and she's not a Nazi, you should know within a few gigs whether she's a good fit or not.

[nadroj]

Youngest in our band is 19, oldest is 38. Granted we're a covers band, but we're fully booked next year already - People love the mature front man and young and surprisingly good backing band. If she's 40, is into the music, puts out an awesome sound/show and doesn't wreck your image, I think that's a nice little hook for your band to have. ("Dude, have you heard that band Premonition?" "Is that that band with the older front woman?" "Yeah." "Yeah, they're awesome." is a conversation I can see happening, especially with younger males. If anything, it'll help you stand out a bit from the rest of the bands out there, which is usually a good thing.)

 

Because really, if she doesn't look it and is so into the music that no one notices/thinks about her age, it really IS just a number that has nothing to do with anything. It's not like you guys are going to announce "Ok everyone, just to let you know that our singer is 40 and we're half her age. Just so you know. Cool, LETS DO THIS!" at the start of every gig. As Dan said, you have nothing to lose - this is an opportunity more than anything else. I'd say go for it.

[S_Gould]

I'm with J.Dan. Give it a few months with her - if it doesn't work out, you're back where you started. If it DOES work out, you've got a great band. I figure the worst case is, you learn a little from someone with a lot more experience than you have. Best case is, you learn a LOT and have a killer band. (Maybe turn the perceived dichotomy into positive P.R. - MILF and the Frat Boyz :-) )