[Dixielandjazz] Playing For Free.

Wed Apr 19 11:27:58 PDT 2006

How about this I'm answering my own letter.  Years ago I walked into a bar 
that had a trio playing.  Not quite as a sit in invitation band but the 
drummer knew who I was and asked me to sit in.  This was a very nice place 
and I happened to have my horn in the car and the band was good so why not. 
The owner of the place liked me and I ended up with a three night, six week 
gig.  This was very good because I needed the money but it was 1964 and the 
band was Black.  Someone on the school board took exception and I lost my 
job at the end of that school year.  They couldn't say that was the reason 
but rather that I had signed in my contract that I wouldn't have outside 
employment.

I think that gig actually changed my life for the better.  I moved into the 
big city where gigging possibilities were much greater and I never again 
agreed to any silly things.  That free sit in got me a six week gig and a 
new life.
Larry
St. Louis

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Larry Walton Entertainment - St. Louis" <larrys.bands at charter.net>
To: "Rob McCallum" <rakmccallum at hotmail.com>; <barbonestreet at earthlink.net>; 
<dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Wednesday, April 19, 2006 1:12 PM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Playing For Free.

> snip They also thought they were doing you a
>> favor by letting you play at all......But we all wanted to be rock 
>> stars...
>
>
> Yeah and we keep waiting for Branson to call.  Do you think more cowbell 
> would help?
>
> The variation of this is hire a pretty good piano bass and drum player and 
> invite sit in's.
> Larry
> St. Louis
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Rob McCallum" <rakmccallum at hotmail.com>
> To: <barbonestreet at earthlink.net>; <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, April 19, 2006 1:05 PM
> Subject: RE: [Dixielandjazz] Playing For Free.
>
>
>> Someone recently told me that this problem is exceptionally bad in 
>> Nashville.
>>
>> When I was in my early 20s, I used to play electric bass in an 
>> "originals" alternative rock band.  Often the bars would bring in 3 bands 
>> a night, charge $5 cover to all the bands' friends that would come to see 
>> them play, and the 3 bands would split the cover.  So, the bar makes 
>> money off of all the friends of the band drinking all night.  If it 
>> turned out to be a slow night (i.e., your friends didn't show), the bar 
>> owners would just stop taking a cover and not tell you.   (because some 
>> agent might come in and hear you and you'll be a star).  Yeah--when was 
>> the last time a talent scout went to a dive rock bar in Detroit? : ).
>>
>> >
>> All the best,
>> Rob McCallum
>>
>>
>>>From: Steve barbone <barbonestreet at earthlink.net>
>>>To: DJML <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
>>>Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Playing For Free.
>>>Date: Wed, 19 Apr 2006 09:46:45 -0400
>>>
>>>While many OKOM bands play for nothing, it seems as if some other bands
>>>actually pay for the "privilege of playing".
>>>
>>>Lately what we find here in some of the popular "kids" nightclubs is
>>>Rock/Hip Hop/Rap Bands paying to play. Owners of these joints have 
>>>figured
>>>out that just about all amateur musicians will either play for nothing or
>>>pay to play in a venue where they can be seen/heard. Some of these bands
>>>compete with each other by raising their payment to the clubs.
>>>
>>>We old folks may not have have passed the torch of musical appreciation, 
>>>but
>>>we sure as hell passed the torch of how to give music away. How very sad.
>>>
>>>Club  Owner's reaction? "What, are you an idiot? Do you actually expect 
>>>to
>>>be paid to play music?"
>>>
>>>Cheers,
>>>Steve
>>>
>>>
>>>_______________________________________________
>>>Dixielandjazz mailing list
>>>Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
>>>http://ml.islandnet.com/mailman/listinfo/dixielandjazz
>>
>>
>>
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>
>
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