[Dixielandjazz] Getting Gigs

[Jim Kashishian]

Bob Ringwald wrote:
> Both Larry and Jim Kash are really on the ball.
Thank you for the kind words.   :>

He continues:
>And I usually end up asking me what their budget is. 
That is a no-no here in Spain.  You can never get someone to admit their
budget. It's just a "different mentality" thing.

Bob continues:
> I also make it very clear as to whether we are the right band for their
affair. 
This something I didn't remember to put in my list of "to do's".  Bob's
absolutely right.
We find that most people know who we are when they call, however, you do
have the "event organizer" that may not be aware that, while we can play
anything they want, we prefer to stick to our specialty.  There are other
good bands that only do latin, rock, or disco, for instance.

Also, I will always "guide" my enquirer to the right time to play & the
right area of the affair.  If it's for a wedding, for example, I will
suggest playing during the reception/cocktail time of the party, where our
band has great success, and "suggest" they get another band or a dj for the
dance after the dinner.  It's just a matter of making sure the client gets
the type of music he should have at the correct time for the success of his
happening. That has the added bonus of getting us away from the party at the
decent hour of 10:30pm (when the guests will normally sit down to dinner),
rather than have to stick around and play from 1:30am to 5am!  (Hee, hee.)

One must remember that on many occassions your phone caller may never have
done what he has been charged with doing before, and any help from "a
professional" can be greatly appreciated.  I said "can be", as naturally one
must step lightly in these situations.

Jim