[Dixielandjazz] quesrion of the week (end)

[tcashwigg at aol.com]

Dear Trad Jazz:

This is one of those gigs where you should have stayed home and watched 
a Dark TV SCREEN.

THAT CLOWN no doubt makes somewhere in the range of $250.000.00 a year 
for going around your community and State raising money from folks like 
you and your neighbors, probably got the airplane ride on your tax 
dollars too.   More than likely is in town to raise some more money at 
$1,000.00 a plate Dinners for his/her Re-election campaign.

If his party has no money to pay for a Band then they obviously spent 
it all on the campaign trail trying to raise money to send him/her back 
to Washington last election.   As usual bad fiscal planning by 
Politicians and their friends.

You should have told the person who hired you that you were a major 
contributor to the Senator's  election campaign and that you donated 
far more than the meager fees for the band for that gig and that the 
least they could do was to pay you a fair and reasonable wage for this 
gig hellacious as it was.

Of all people on this earth Politicians can afford to pay musicians 
wages far better than most who do, and they will find a way to charge 
it to the taxpayers anyway so don't be so DESPERATE to Play a Gig.    
This is the kind of stuff that has ruined the marketplace and respect 
for Professional musicians for fifty years or better, and cause bands 
to be DESPERATE to play.

I would have taken all the money in advance that they had to offer and 
showed up with a Boombox and a Bullhorn for a PA and played "I'll be 
glad when your Dead you Rascal You"  over and over.

Yeah I know they would never hire you again, but so what the gig was 
not worth having anyway and at least you could have been "POLICIALLY 
CORRECT:" and made a Strong Political Statement at the same time. :))

I would rather play a gig in the horse barn at the race track than 
that, at least you could play in the shade and there would be a water 
faucet nearby.

"PLAN AHEAD"

Nothing wrong  with turning down a BAD GIG man.

I do it every day sometimes many times a day, and if someone called me 
for that gig and I turned it down, and they asked me if I could 
recommend another band that would do it, for obviously  crappy money 
and circumstances, I would also tell them that no I don't know any 
Professional musicians who would grovel desperately to play a gig like 
that.

Think about it for thirty seconds amigo,  If I were your agent and I 
sent you out to play that gig, "would you ever take another gig from me 
again?  bet you would not even pay the commission on  that shitty gig 
either.

Like Steve Barbone said in an earlier post today.   Take back control 
of your music and where, when and how you play.
Staus Quo ain't no longer Staus Quo.   This is the 21st Century and 
folks who hire music and bands should be forced to come up to the 
professional and economic levels of reality for today's economy or be 
pushed out of the business to make room for those who will.   This 
ain't 1938 folks and we are no longer living in the Great Depression 
Era, If they can't or won't afford a Band let em turn on the radio.   
You can bet your butt that if their toilet plugged up an hour before 
their fundraising gala that they would find  the money to call a 
Plumber out at $140.00 and hour with a $2.00 plunger to unstop it.

Cheers,

Tom Wiggins

No Starving artist or desperate musician.


-----Original Message-----
From: Cebuisle2 at aol.com
To: dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
Sent: Sat, 16 Jul 2005 12:44:55 EDT
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] quesrion of the week (end)

   Ok list-

Give me your professional opinion (s)

You are asked to play Dixieland at a greeting for a senator returning 
from
D.C to greet the faithful. Location will be the tarmac at the airport, 
hotter
than Hades. You are to start as soon as he comes out the airplane door 
and
waves. (pre 9/11 of course-you would be lucky to get the horns past 
security in

the terminal bldg now!)

There is no electricity, so you won't be using a keyboard (unless you 
have  a
battery powered one-which we didn't) Nor will you have an amplified 
bass or
guitar for same reason-

Now-the problem and question-The party treasury is kinda low, so only 
four
musicians can be paid-not even able to skim a few bucks from each of 
the four
to  include a fifth (musician, that is) Assuming that the cornet, 
clarinet and
trombone are a given- WHAT is your fourth choice?? Tuba or bass? Banjo?
Drums?  acoustic guitar? Significant other? This COULD happen to you 
some day.

This actually happened. to me. The worst part was having to play "Happy 
 Days
Are Here Again" over and over,. It was the only tune they wanted.  
Aaargh!

                                                                         

                            tradjazz

Yeah ,I know. We were desperate to  play!                               

     tradjazz
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