[Dixielandjazz] Steve Barbone and gigs

[tcashwigg at aol.com]

Hi Mike:

You brought up some excellent points, however I would like to jump in 
here and say that for many bandleaders "Their Best is just not good 
enough" often because they simply do not work as hard as guys like you 
and Steve and Myself to book and run their bands like a business.

There are friends of mine in OKOM that often make comments about our 
marketing skills, and the fact that many OKOM bands or leaders just 
don't have them,  well they should try harder at getting them and they 
could do a lot more in spreading the music and opening new doors for 
live performances and paid gigs.

Opportunity knocks everyday but we have to get up and answer the door, 
and if it does not knock by 12:00 NOON WE HAVE TO GO LOOK FOR A DOOR TO 
KNOCK ON. :))

Yes many schools have cut or disposed of their budgets for music all 
together, but that should not stop us from performing at schools,  Some 
of them do not have assemblies because NOBODY is going to them with a 
program to stage one,  Bands need to Go knock on the door and don't 
take NO for an answer.   Find out who is in charge of the PTA / Music 
Club etc, and organize a fundraiser show WITH them rather than just try 
to get them to hire your band.   Split the take 50%50  they can and 
will get the word out to all the families in the school to come support 
the event.   Let the kids in for free,  Set up an assembly and play for 
the kids, send them all home with a flyer about the concert you want to 
do with it clearly understood that the KIDS get in Free with paid 
parents.   When the parents show up and they will if you invite them 
and reach out with a message about how important music is for their 
kids etc,  you can sell them CDs and T-Shirts and solicit further 
donations for assembly program funding, that you can use for MATCHING 
FUNDS programs, to keep creating gigs and opportunities to play and pay 
your band.

If musicians don't pick up the torch and go make it happen as a 
priority within the schools you can bet the administration is certainly 
not going to do it in many or most schools.    Take a look at what the 
Athletic departments and Sports organizations are doing,  they are dong 
the same thing but doing it more often and better than music minded 
folks.

We are supposed to be CREATIVE PEOPLE,  well get out there and create 
for crying out loud.   I do it every day, and 90% of all my gigs come 
 from me going after them, there are plenty of good gigs out there for 
good bands, and some of the guys on this list know it because they have 
filled in and subbed and even been added on my gigs and paid well just 
because I could create another gig for a player.    Sure I could cut 
the band down to a five or six piece band and make a lot more money for 
myself, but I refuse to diminish the authenticity of my show and would 
rather hire and pay four or five more good players on every gig and 
keep the interest high for additional bookings which come from every 
gig we play.

It really boils down to effort Mike,  You and Steve and I as well as 
some other bandleaders on the list do put in the time, but there are 
still many who do not, and Steve is always preaching to the choir about 
it in the hopes to inspire others to do likewise.

If we all went out on the battlefield every day for a year we could 
actually win this war, but if we don't the inferior bands will continue 
to undercut our prices and show quality until nobody will want an OKOM 
band.

Rockers have a much harder time getting paid gigs than we do folks, 
even though you see them all over TV, try playing in their circuit for 
a week,  with five bands on the same show trying to fill a bar and if 
each band can't bring in 20 people they can't get a split of the door, 
which is usually padded with their guest list of free admissions anyway 
just to get somebody to listen to them.

At least we have people willing and able to listen to our music, we 
just need to go take it to them.

Those folks who don't WANT to pay Musicians, need to be educated that 
MUSICIANS are people Too with Rent/mortgages ( the lucky ones) 
insurance, dental needs, health needs, gasoline expenses, telephone 
bills, water bills, electric bills and all the other things that those 
NORMAL folks have to pay for.

Musicians need to stop being WIMPS and go fight back Every time you see 
an add for a DJ needed, bust their chops and convince them that they 
need to hire live music and then tell them all the reasons why it is 
better and not any more expensive,  WHAT YOU SAY  not more expensive.  
Yeah That';s what I said   Check out what DJ's are charging for 
Weddings and parties guys, most of them make three times what many of 
you are charging or being paid by Trad. Jazz gigs, now whose fault is 
that?

Here is a freebie for all of you:

If you have a computer you can find gigs everyday of the week.   For 
example goo to www.craigslist.com   and look under classifieds for 
MUSICIANS  hello   there are gig opportunities posted there every day 
of the week, some good and some bad but situations nevertheless check 
em out for your city  you might be surprised.     Also look under 
EVENTS  and you can find plenty of leads from folks who are willing to 
hire bands, but not if they don't know you exist or how to find you,  
You gotta go find them.

Well enough on this sermon:

Back to booking another International tour and expanding the 
marketplace for my band.
They still say an Apple a Day keeps the Doctor away.   well usually 
unless he plays in an OKOM band for short money on his days off.

I say book  a gig a day to keep the RE-PO man away.  :))

Cheers, and come out fightin'

Tom Wiggins



-----Original Message-----
From: Vaxtrpts at aol.com
To: dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
Sent: Wed, 28 Sep 2005 01:24:57 EDT
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Steve Barbone and gigs

    Most of you know that I agree with most of Steve's insights and 
feelings
about OKOM and even more modern forms of jazz.  So, Steve, this message 
is
going
to be a little bit of a departure for me.
I must admit that sometimes I get a little tired of you're telling us 
that
we don't do it "right" as far as promoting jazz music.  You have set up 
a
wonderful arena for yourself over many years in a certain area and it 
really
works well for you.
BUT - out in the real world of the rest of this country, gigs are hard 
to
find.  You make it sound like we either don't even try, or we are too 
inept  to
be the "booking guru" that you are.
Well, I know of LOTS of bandleaders and musicians who do try to get as 
many
gigs as they can, but their whole year wouldn't add up to one month of 
your
schedule. (or maybe even less)  They do what local advertising they 
can,  they
even play free bees (which I hate) sometimes to try to get into more  
places.
The reality out in the real world is not what you talk  about.  Many 
places
and people do NOT want to pay even bare minimum wages  for musicians to
perform.
You have talked about old people's homes hiring your band......
  I know for a fact that there are many old people's homes out here on  
the
West Coast that have NO budget for entertainment.  They rely on friends 
 and
relatives to come and perform for free for their tenants.  In some  
cases, some
of the tenants still play a little and that is the entertainment  that 
they
have.
You talk about booking in schools that are willing to pay you to be  
there.
Well, in California, many schools have almost no budget for  ANYTHING 
to do
with music any more.  They can't afford to buy new  instruments or in 
some cases

even new music.  How would they pay a band to  come and entertain?  
Also,
many schools out here have NO assemblies what so  ever, any more.
I book the Kenton Alumni Big Band every year on a tour of high schools 
and
colleges. It gets harder and harder every year.  And -- that is with  
donations
to our nonprofit that allow me to keep the cost of the band lower than  
the
other "road" big bands.
My big band in the bay area does a concert series at a wonderful  
theater.
We have a mailing list of 1400 people who SIGNED UP to be on  it.  We 
are lucky
to get more than 200 people.  Again, the musicians  and guest artists 
are
paid by donations to our nonprofit.
I could go on and on, with examples, but I think you get the picture.
You know that I respect you and I applaud you for what you have been 
able  to
do for many years, but please don't say that it is "our own fault" that 
the
music doesn't have as big an audience as it used to.  Many of us are 
trying
our best.
OK - I got that one off my chest and I hope we are still friends!
Mike Vax
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