[Dixielandjazz] Fwd: Secretary of Arts for USA

Sun Jan 11 04:32:26 PST 2009

When times are bad, those gigs that exist and survive solely on the sale of  
alcohol do quite well as people who drink a lot like to escape and drown their 
 sorrows more than usual.

However, the bulk of my engagements, private events, come from big  dollar 
people. Gigs like weddings and corporate functions. Since Labor day, so  many of 
those people have lost so much, and they don't know where it going to  end 
up, and the new prez is IDIOT enough to tell the confidence driven economy  that 
it's going to get worse, and it's going to be that way for a long time . .  . 
. . that they's sitting on it and nobody's moving.

Don't get me wrong, I still have gigs, good ones, more than many others,  but 
I still know what's happening . . . especially to folks like me who don't do  
cheap bar gigs . . . or cheap nursing homes.

The father of the bride just no longer has that nest egg intact that he had  
set aside for his daughter's wedding. Yea, my jazz band does a ton of 
weddings,  we play Count Basie and the like, it pays  great and the people live us,  
and we end up exposing a bunch of new folks to music they never knew was so  
good.

Also, the financial company that wanted to use us for a big event this  month 
canceled for financial reasons. Another big bucks gig.

Hey, if I wanted to go out and work in a bunch of bars and get paid very  
little to hear the owner gripe about the cash register or door could, I could  
fill my calendar. Life's too short for that crap. I've got it worked out that I  
can go out and play one gig and make more money in one night than most make 
in  15 . . . and even though times are screwed up, I will survive . . . that is 
 until the government decides to intervene and create an Arts Czar to 
interfere  with the natural market forces and screw thing up for everyone.

Bill
BillSargentBands.com

In a message dated 1/10/2009 9:35:18 P.M. Central Standard Time,  
larrys.bands at charter.net writes:

I certainly agree for the most part.   But speaking of all that  for some 
reason I am booking my act very well for the new year.   This month will be slow 
but things are looking up.  Having said all that  the other bands that I often 
work for are strangely absent with  gigs................One has completely 
closed down.  I was playing about  25-30 jobs a year with them.  He will still 
pick off a gig if one comes  along but he isn't advertising or doing anything 
new.

Mardi gras has gotten so big here that it's getting rough to book a  
Valentine's day gig.  Everyone is spending their money on MG.  I  lucked out and 
booked a Valentines gig this year.  I also picked up two  new clients this week who 
will likely have return gigs.

That's what we do in the music business and that's stand on our merits  but 
it helps a bunch if you go out and beat the bushes too.  Money is the  grease 
that makes all this go around.  

I'm so incredibly happy that I can still command a good price for my  talent 
when guys that are better, the competition is great and so many have  gone by 
the wayside.  It's a real ego trip and I just can't help  it.  The more I make 
the better I feel about my music and talents because  people will pay me to 
do what I love.

An interesting quirk to the music business and government is that in  my end 
of the business the venues are requiring paperwork for taxes  and do send 
1099's.  Now I don't like to pay taxes any more than  anyone else but when you 
compete against guys that aren't paying, then it's  pretty unfair.  Now there is 
an element of getting caught and the guys  that do it all the time may have 
problems.   I don't consider the  guy that comes in and picks off a gig or two 
as being important but the guys  that are there all the time need to be on the 
same playing field that I  am.  A little fear is a good thing.
Larry
St.L

----- Original Message ----- 
From:  _BillSargentDrums at aol.com_ (mailto:BillSargentDrums at aol.com)  
To: _larrys.bands at charter.net_ (mailto:larrys.bands at charter.net)  
Cc: _dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com_ (mailto:dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com)  

Sent: Saturday, January 10, 2009 8:33  PM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Fwd:  Secretary of Arts for USA

Keep them far, far away!

The government has screwed up and over regulated every single thing  they've 
done outside of the military . . . and by the looks of it, they're  about to 
screw that up now too.

Don't want nobody else's money (outside of regulation and telling us  how to 
live our life, that's all that government is, taking money from those  who 
earned it, as in you & me, and giving it to someone who didn't),  don't want 
their advice, and certainly don't want them regulating is or  forcing some to 
"give" us work.

I'll stand on my own merit and efforts, thank you very much.

Bill

PS, It's because of what congress has done and the recent campaign for  
"change" that has given you & I the current lack of work and lack of  fluid capital.

In a message dated 1/10/2009 4:06:36 P.M. Central Standard Time,  
larrys.bands at charter.net writes:

I  nominate me......... I couldn't do any worse than anyone they might  
pick....Rock On!!!
Larry
StL
----- Original Message -----  
From: "Stephen G Barbone" <barbonestreet at earthlink.net>
To:  "Larry Walton" <larrys.bands at charter.net>
Cc: "Dixieland Jazz  Mailing List" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Saturday,  January 10, 2009 12:21 PM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Fwd: Secretary of  Arts for USA

> >
>> Dear Friends,
>>  You may already have received this, but it is so important,
>>  I'm passing it along.
>>
>> Quincy Jones has started a  petition to ask President-Elect
>> Obama to appoint a Secretary  of the Arts. While many other
>> countries have had Ministers of  Art or Culture for centuries,
>> The United States has never  created such a position. We in
>> the arts need this and the  country needs the arts--now more
>> than ever. Please take a  moment to sign this important
>> petition and then pass it on to  your friends and colleagues.
>>
>>  www.petitiononline.com/esnyc/petition.html
>>
>> Happy  New Year!
>>
>
>  _______________________________________________
> To unsubscribe or  change your e-mail preferences for the Dixieland Jazz 
> Mailing  list, or to find the online archives, please visit:
>
>  http://ml.islandnet.com/mailman/listinfo/dixielandjazz
>
>
>
>  Dixielandjazz mailing list
> Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
>  

_______________________________________________
To  unsubscribe or change your e-mail preferences for the Dixieland Jazz  
Mailing list, or to find the online archives, please  visit:

http://ml.islandnet.com/mailman/listinfo/dixielandjazz

Dixielandjazz  mailing  list
Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com

____________________________________
 A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. _See  yours in just 2 easy  steps!_ 
(http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100000075x1215855013x1201028747/aol?redir=http://ww
w.freecreditreport.com/pm/default.aspx?sc=668072&hmpgID=62&bcd=DecemailfooterN
O62) 

**************A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy 
steps! 
(http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100000075x1215855013x1201028747/aol?redir=http://www.freecreditreport.com/pm/default.aspx?sc=668072%26hmpgID=62%26bcd=De
cemailfooterNO62)