To the Editor:
Re “Change Your Life. Start a Band,” by Hugo Lindgren (Opinion guest essay, March 22):
I loved Mr. Lindgren’s essay about starting a band and how the results of such an effort can be, well, surprising.
Years and years ago (60, to be exact), I put together a group called the Approximate Thots. We played our first gig in a school talent show. That band morphed into the Ultimate Purpose when we moved from high school to college.
Years passed, the Vietnam War intervened, and over time we all pretty much figured that the other members were dead and gone. But we were all still alive. After an epic email string reconnected us all, we reunited and re-formed the group. We played our first live show in 2025.
One of the outcomes of this unlikely journey was a book that we wrote together and released last year, “For the Record: The Story of an Unknown Rock Band From the ’60s.” We continue to play and will showcase our still questionable talent at our 60th high school reunion this year.
Thanks to Mr. Lindgren for capturing all the joy and mystery of playing music and how it defines so much of our lives.
Denny Willard Bend, Ore.
To the Editor:
Hugo Lindgren’s essay about starting bands definitely “struck a chord” for me.
At age 25, I ran away with a jazz violinist whose style echoed Jean-Luc Ponty’s. Now, at 73, I’m writing my memoir, “If You Learn to Play Bass, You Can Be in the Band.”
My first gig was with a lounge band touring the Western ski resorts. Après-ski paid $100 a day with room, board and ski passes — an idyllic start for a budding musician. When I didn’t know a song, the lead singer’s wink signaled me to play air guitar while she covered the bass line on piano. I was hooked, bought my baby — a 1980s Spector bass — and immersed myself in jams, jazz trios, bluegrass, punk rock and Americana bands.
Music forged lifelong friendships and challenged me to master the art of laying down a solid heartbeat for every groove. The recent passing of the lead vocalist and trombonist of my punk band, the Frames, was a deep loss. We were not truly punk rockers but high school teachers writing songs and expressing our political and personal frustrations as a garage band.
In 1985, the opportunity arose to perform at the Mabuhay Gardens nightclub in San Francisco — we were over the moon. Thanks to technology, we digitized our photos and recordings and shared them on YouTube for new generations to discover.
I agree with Mr. Lindgren: Pick up an instrument, start a band and enjoy the transformative power of music, unexpected adventures, enduring relationships and a lifelong rhythm of creativity and connection.
Anni Schneider Salt Lake City
To the Editor:
My father, an engineer, formed or joined folk music bands much of his life. Never bar bands. They often performed in community or church halls, donating any money they made to charity. Rehearsals moved between the musicians’ homes and became social gatherings for their families. We kids played indoors and outdoors while the wives chatted, all accompanied by the men’s music and laughter.
One of my siblings and I grew up to become professional jazz musicians, and a few of the others have dabbled in music. To have a day job and also be devoted to music practice and rehearsals can seem (and sometimes is) self-centered because it can compete with family time. But so can any number of things.
My father often chose music over watching TV, practicing daily after work. Sometimes he let me sit on the piano bench with him, teaching me songs on the piano long before my feet could reach the pedals.
Kudos to all who find whatever courage is needed to form or join a band. If you can’t, there are community bands and public jam sessions in most towns that can be quite fun. It’s all good, and better than incessant scrolling or other addictive digital behaviors that take so much of our time and attention.
Robin Connell Grand Rapids, Mich.
To the Editor:
Last year, at age 71, I joined a band of old geezers. Now I’m channeling Patti Smith and blocking Donald Trump from my brain. Best decision ever.
Mary van Valkenburg Hobart, N.Y.
Calling All Teens: Are you a teenager with something to say? The New York Times’s Learning Network invites you to write a public-facing letter about an issue that matters to you. The Open Letters Contest runs until April 8.
Bruce Springsteen’s Art
To the Editor:
Re “Bruce Springsteen Kicks Off Tour With Fiery Words” (Arts, April 2):
Bruce Springsteen is doing exactly what artists are supposed to do: Artists call out society’s shameful acts, artists alter a person’s consciousness, and artists point society in the direction of change and hope.
Thanks, Bruce.
Rebecca A. Miles Sarasota, Fla. The writer is a novelist.
The post Not Just for Rock Stars: Playing in the Band appeared first on New York Times.
