Too Young?

[Roger Beverage]

The biggest hurdle is likely to be your state's liquor laws.  In my state, if the premises are licensed as a restaurant rather than just a bar, the rules are different.  I started at about 16 as well, no problems as the band leader was an adult and qualified as "adult supervision" while I was playing with him.  

Roger

[vertijoe]

The biggest hurdle is likely to be your state's liquor laws.  In my state, if the premises are licensed as a restaurant rather than just a bar, the rules are different.  I started at about 16 as well, no problems as the band leader was an adult and qualified as "adult supervision" while I was playing with him.  

Roger brings up a good point.  The bass player in my band is 19 (20 years younger than the next youngest guy).  We play mostly in Maine and New Hampshire, so I went and downloaded the state liquor laws from both states.  I knew he was legal, but I didn't want to run into a hassel at a gig.  So, I printed them, and I carry them in my gig notebook.  It's probably good to know what the laws are, and alway make sure your in compliance.  The quickest way to upset a club owner, is to get him/her shutdown.

[KevinD]

I started playing (subbing) the hotel circuit when I was about 15 and started the bar band circuit when I was about 16 as soon as I got my license. At first I had to tell my folks I was playing "concerts" and not gigs in bars where rival motorcycle gangs often threw bottles at each other and engaged in other shady activities.

My folks knew what was going on but they let me do it anyway. I was the youngest guy in the band so they knew the other guys would look out for me, which they did.


My folks only drew the line once which was a Christmas eve gig a hundred miles away..


That was 20 years ago and times have changed, it seems that there are more ways to get in trouble these days.

Playing gigs at that age was a good introduction to the real world.

It also helped my playing because I learned a lot more about how to play rock gigs. (Up until that age I was only playing jazz and "social"type stuff) Also, it helped build up my chops by playing 3 or 4 hours in a large club/bar with no mics..

[kohei]

That's gonna be the big concern, traveling. It doesn't matter how old you are if all your doing is getting Mom to drop you off (or driving yourself) down at the Holiday Inn or Slim's Y Ki Ki. But if you are talking serious road time, then the consideration is not small. You not only have to deal with alla that school crap, but family concerns AND whether or not a 16 year old who has never been away from home before is going to deconstruct 3 weeks into a 8 month tour.

It happens to kids who go away to college and don't have any supervision for the first time in there lives, you don't want it to happen when there are other people who are relying on the band and the tour for their livelihood.

There are those who do OK and there are those who SEEM to do OK. Stan Getz went out with Frankie Trumbaer's band when he was 15 or so. His family was broke and the money he made with the band was what enabled them to live. So he he had the support of his family in the decision. But I wouldn't say that Stan is the healthiest role model to pursue.


In answer to your question - you are old enough to play for paying gigs as soon as you can start booking them.  Whether or not somebody else out there who is booking gigs thinks you are old enough to work in their band is another question entirely.
And it's entirely up to them and what they want and how they want to do it. This guy may have concerns that have absolutely nothing to do with your playing and everything to do with the logistics of having a minor in his organization.