[Dixielandjazz] Fwd: Secretary of Arts for USA

Mon Jan 12 10:35:58 PST 2009

Geeze, I turn my back and you guys are at it again.

Bill Sergeant wrote:

(snip)
and the new prez is IDIOT
(Snip)

As I have said many times in the past, this is not a political mailing list, 
nor a religious mailing list.  It is a Jazz Mailing list.

I see lots of posts that I haven't gotten to as yet but if any of you want 
to prolong any sort of political or religious discussion on here, your 
address will be put on moderate and these types of posts will not make it on 
the list.

If you want to continue this sort of discussion, do it to whomever off-list.

--Bob Ringwald
DJML moderator

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <BillSargentDrums at aol.com>
To: "Bob Ringwald" <rsr at ringwald.com>
Cc: <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Sunday, January 11, 2009 4:32 AM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Fwd: Secretary of Arts for USA

> 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!
>>>
>>
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>
>
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