[Dixielandjazz] Strange Happenings on the Festival Circuit - some more thoughts

[Vaxtrpts at aol.com]

I read Tom Wiggins' answers to Lowell's statements about the festival  
circuit with great interest.  Even though Tom and I have had our  differences in the 
past, I sure do agree with all that was said in that  exchange.
Here are some of my comments on the subject.
1. Most festivals are run by committees of both musicians and  non-musicians. 
 Each group has it's own "favorites" and don't care whether  the bands are a 
real draw or not. (And in many
cases, not even whether the bands are good or not -- especially when it  
comes to the "Trad"
idiom.)Much of the booking is done with the good old boy mentality,  
especially when it  comes to "let's book each other's bands at our  respective 
festivals."  The most successful festivals that I have seen are  run by one or just a 
few people, who are knowledgeable about the bands,  musicians and the "draw" 
power, as well as PROMOTION! 
2. The scheduling at most festivals really does look like the "throw darts  
on a board" type of routine.  And you are right!  It is amazing how  many times 
bands that play late sets, end up playing early sets the next  day.  The 
other one that just floors me is when you follow the same band  EVERY set, and the 
band that follows you is the same EVERY set.  Boy, is  that dumb programing.  
I guess it is easier just to go through the day that  way, but it sure 
doesn't help the audience hear lots of different bands, or help  with attendance for 
each band's performance.
3. Most festivals take the "Bill Borcher" approach.  I know some  people may 
be upset with me for saying that, but it is the TRUTH.  That  approach is hire 
way too many bands and pay them all equally BAD!  I  actually heard him one 
time, say to a prospective festival city, that he could  show them how to put 
on a festival and not guarantee the musicians ANYTHING but  travel and rooms.  
If festivals hired fewer bands and had more  discriminatory efforts to bring 
in the best, they would make more money in the  long run, and they could pay 
the musicians a much fairer salary.
4. You are also right about festivals not wanting to listen.  I have  offered 
help to some festival directors and they are just not interested.   I have 
run festivals that actually MADE MONEY for the past 25 years.  We  pay the 
musicians much better than most Trad festivals, we give funds to high  school music 
programs, we give scholarship money to young music students to go  to summer 
jazz camps, and we STILL have money in the bank after every  festival.
No, we don't have 50, 70 or 100 bands, or "supposedly" thousands of people  
in our audience, but we are successful in our smaller scope.
5. It is amazing to me, how many festival directors make even lead trumpet  
players' egos look small.  If you aren't "kissing their butts" you aren't  
invited to their festivals.  
As you said Tom, I guess I can say these things, since my band can't "buy"  a 
ticket into any Trad festivals these days, even though when we have played 
the  festivals we have been a
good draw.  We don't play "Trad" enough for some festivals, even  though we 
DO play that repertoire.  We DO put on a show and have a good  time.  We were 
one of the first bands, over 20 years ago, to do more of a  show type thing and 
even incorporate some newer tunes into our play list.   There were people 
back then who HATED what we did, but I like to think that we  opened the way for 
what a lot of the bands are doing today, that just don't sit  there like a 
bump on a log and play strictly "Trad" repertoire.
OK - I guess this tirade has gone on long enough.
Mike Vax