Getting Gigs

I started taking guitar lessons at the age of 9 and have been playing ever since. After High School I went to Berklee College of Music and started performing after getting out. When I decided to get back into performing after a 25 hiatus, the one obstacle was not having a CD. Years ago I'd walk into a club and say I'm a singer/guitarist and I'd perform a couple of songs and that would be it. Voila! Easy. Not so now. I've spent countless hours trying to figure out my new Boss Digital Recorder and still haven't gotten it. Call me old fashioned but hearing a CD may say you can sing but it certainly doesn't say you can perform. I must say that I've been fortunate enough to have friends that have given me the chance to play during their breaks which led to my getting gigs. And of course there is the gender/age thing. I'm 51 years of age and female. I see so many 50 and 60 something men performing out there and trust me, I have no pot belly nor am I balding. However, I am considered quite attractive and I'm as good of a guitar player and better singer than most of my male contemporaries but when I talk to managers I'm not taken seriously. We need gender equality when it comes to performing.