[Dixielandjazz] Rev. Tom Bob's Sermon of the week (Long)

[TCASHWIGG at aol.com]

OK folks we bantered around a bunch of ideas about what is allegedly "Wrong 
with Dixieland Music" and it's premature untimely and highly exaggerated claims 
of demise.

I went out to a concert last evening in a very, very high income exclusive 
California City next door to where I live, and all of this community is made up 
of such cities.   The homeowners and businesses around here are almost all in 
the 50% tax bracket, not that any of them actually pay that much tax.    3000 
people in attendance (free bring your own picnic wine & soda & kids, family 
event).   I saw folks drinking bottles of wine that cost more than most 
musicians make for a gig.

This Concert was put on by the Parks & Recreation Department & The CULTURAL 
ARTS Department of this city, Sponsored by the local BMW Dealership, and A. 
Bank, who contribute substantially to the Cultural Arts Department.   Now this 
has been going on for the past fifteen years that I know of.

An associate of mine produced this event for these folks under their 
direction, they wish no input from our professional staff about anything except 
negotiating the contracts for them and showing up to make sure everything is done 
correctly so they can get on the stage and make announcements about their good 
work for the community and take the credit for the event, see and be seen and 
feel like they are really somebody and doing good for their community.   An 
executive director or two and a bunch of well meaning volunteers who have not got 
a clue about anything even remotely associated with entertainment and music 
business.   But they love to get up on the stage and talk on the PA system.

They insist upon selecting the entertainment by committee, which by the way 
has not one musician or entertainer on it, starting to see the picture here 
yet?

Now for last night's event they spent $1,500.00 for the sound system and the 
company showed up with about 1/2 what they contracted to bring and it proved 
to be inadequate at best for the size of the venue (an outdoor park) The spent 
another $1,500.00 for a portable stage to be brought in and erected for the 
two hour concert.   They spent another $1,750.00 to rent drums, drum risers, 
back drop curtains and other musical instruments and backline equipment, and a 
tent dressing room for the band.   Another $1,000.00 for portable toilets which 
were placed thirty feet from the High School toilets that could have been used 
if someone had called the janitor and asked permission and made a small 
contribution to the school for the cleanup after the event.   They paid this Band 
(and I do use that term very, very loosely) $3,500.00 for 90 minutes of 
complete Bull Pucky.

Now the worst part: The entertainment committee selected absolutely one of 
the worst acts I have ever seen or heard, and believe me in thirty-five years of 
booking acts I have seen a few.   The act was four guys about forty something 
who dressed up in fifties/sixties Band suits (The only thing Authentic about 
the act) and wore Elvis wigs for the first set and played along to a track 
tape complete with canned giant crowd cheers to introduce themselves, and erupt 
again after every song they attempted to play.   The first set was a short 
medley of Rhythm & Blues hits, which they performed ALA band karaoke style, they 
actually did appear to be playing along with the tape in some parts, other 
parts they did the vocals and faked the instrumental parts.

Next the taped voice of Ed Sullivan came across the PA while they made a mad 
dash to change Wigs and coats and rushed back on to the stage as THE BEATLES, 
and tried to don British accents and sing a few tunes, rather lamely again, 
then Ed Sullivan came on again and had an even bigger act, oh yeah he brought 
back Elvis (The King himself) who did the worst Elvis imitation I have witnessed 
in many years and I have witnessed a few of them too.

This show was so lame and boring that people were actually going over to the 
BMW display and sitting in the cars, and checking them out and actually 
talking to the car salesmen, others went over to the Bank booth to talk about 
opening a free checking account.

Even the hundreds of children were out playing ball in the back and were not 
even remotely interested in this fiasco of a show.   The worst Dixieland band 
I have ever heard could have stolen this show and actually entertained the 
audience.   Heck it would have been a better show if they just played CDs or real 
musicians of any genre.    (Good Gawd I am beginning to sound like I endorse 
DJs) But seriously folks, this kind of act can only exist because of what 
people on this list and other musicians do not do.   And if we all stand around 
and let it continue for another day we deserve what we will get.   Shut Out.

Now here is something positive for those who are interested to work with, ( 
those of you who believe it is already dead or soon will be dead just delete 
now and save us all the trouble of responding).

I am about to relate to you what is really the problem and it is actually 
quite easy to fix.

Go out tomorrow and start looking for the Cultural arts department in your 
area, chamber of commerce, mayors office of special events, Lions clubs, Moose 
lodges, State and County Fairs, Arts & Crafts fairs, Car shows, Farmer's 
Markets, and ANY other organization that puts on entertainment events at least once 
in a year.

Do whatever it takes to get on the "Entertainment Committee" stress your 
professional qualifications and get rid of the idiots that keep volunteering and 
think they are in SHOW BUSINESS.   Most of the Executive Directors of these 
Organizations are also resume pushers and have not clue what they are doing 
either, but until somebody who does comes along and gets INVOLVED and starts making 
changes these fools will keep doing shows and events like this and 
squandering good money that should be going to professional musicians and entertainers 
who can actually deliver a show.   OKOM or otherwise.

I also know several influential people who have started as volunteers for 
fair and small community events and hung around the events long enough that they 
actually wrote a resume claiming that they have all this experience producing 
and buying talent and get jobs with Cultural Arts organizations, and Fairs and 
Mayors offices, etc., where they continue in an unbelievable cycle of 
ineptitude further desecrating the entertainment business.    

Sell these folks that OKOM is Really Family Entertainment for kids from 3 to 
103.
Most of them don't know because they did not ever get exposed to the music in 
the first place.   The business of music is being run by the wannabe 
producers and promoters who have no idea what they are doing.

You have to be smarter than they are and get your collective acts together 
and go SELL them and educate them about Real Music and Entertainment and show 
them what they could get for their money if they only knew what the Hell they 
were doing.   You will have to roll up your sleeves and do some work here folks, 
and hold their hands and teach them what and how to do almost everything.   
Do not rely upon them to do the promotion, or negotiate the best sound and 
stage system, or to get that photo of your band and a feature article in the local 
newspapers.   They might be able to get it but you need to control it and 
tell them what you want said in the article or it will come out Like they are 
such a wonderful Do Good organization taking all the credit and somewhere in the 
article it might mention that they will have a live band.

Sometimes you will even have to go play for these people for Free just to get 
the stage, but do it, (ONCE and ONCE only) and get a contract signed by them 
for your normal fees which you can donate back and at least get a tax 
write-off for doing the gig)    This is called Advertising for your Band and is a 
deductible item on your schedule C.    If you don't run your band like a business 
and do a tax return then you deserve to not be playing music and making a 
decent wage for your musical performances, that puts you into the same category as 
those wannabe promoters and event organizers.  I have always found that if 
you treat your band like a business, the business will treat you like a 
business.

If you are indeed good and if they attract a crowd, believe me you will get 
more real paid bookings from the event that will more than make up for the 
write off you take for not getting paid for this one.   Do this kind of gig at 
least once a month within a 100 mile radius of your city and you will be amazed 
at how many gigs you start to line up well in advance and your income will 
continue to increase substantially again (IF you are GOOD) if your act is bad then 
you should just stay home and practice for your own enjoyment and not subject 
people to your wannabe aspirations).  Hiring and encouraging a bad act is 
just as bad as not hiring any act at all.   Eventually the wannabe promoters who 
don't know a good act from a bad act will only hire all the bad acts and 
wannabe acts because they are cheaper and the real acts will be doing exactly what 
many of you are doing now, (Little or Nothing) but frustrating yourself while 
dreaming of being in show business.

It is High Time we took over our own business and ran it professionally, if 
we continue to choose not to do so and just rely on others to do it for us then 
we have nothing to bitch about.

You should equip and arm yourself with the proper tools to get professional 
work, without them you don't deserve to be hired.

A Promotional package professionally done, with Professional Photos, Well 
written biographies, hire a publicist to do it for you, produce a good sound 
quality preferably live recording of your act and make at least 1000 CDs.   These 
are your best business cards, and cost now only about $1.00 each to 
manufacture, don't know how to do that contact me I will set it up for you.  A video 
tape of live shows or exerpts helps a lot, especially if you are a good 
entertaining unit, and do not just stand there and play tune after tune off the charts. 
 Always Remember that it is the ENTERTAINERS WHO MAKE THE REAL MONEY.  
Develop the personalities of your band and communicate with the audience, everyone 
likes musicians and wants to be friends with them because we have so much fun.

Spread it around and see how much more fun you can have doing what you want 
to do.

Cheers, and I hope this motivates somebody:

Tom Wiggins
Saint Gabriel's Celestial Brass Band