[Dixielandjazz] Hobby bands strike again

Larry Walton Entertainment - St. Louis larrys.bands at charter.net
Thu Apr 12 13:55:03 PDT 2007


I got an e-mail from a municipality of St. Louis for a pre game show for one of their concerts.  It was for a strolling Dixie group for an hour.  So considering that it was a Wednesday evening and only an hour I though that $75 each for the band plus an extra $25 for me would be a good price to give them so a 4 piece group would be $325.

I thought that this was a very modest charge.

I checked my people and they could be there and I e-mailed them back with the price.

We were turned down.

I knew that the big band doing the concert is a group that does not pay its musicians but gives it's money to charity each year.  So they are fielding an 18 pc band give or take a couple for maybe $500-600.

It turns out that my cornet player was going to play with them that night.  Talk about shooting himself in the foot.

The point is if municipalities or other employers can get an 18 pc band for pocket change how can anyone even hope to book at a reasonable price.  They think I'm ripping them off.

I was curious to see what their budget was and they wouldn't tell me! period.  I asked three times.  I asked her if they were doing this every week and maybe could knock off a few bucks for a multiple gig.  Still no deal and no budget either.

People who are given entertainment for free are like alligators.  If you feed them with your fingers, soon you won't have an arm.

By the way this is an upscale area in West County where the homes make mine look like a shack.
Larry
St. Louis


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