What Good Is Being A Musician?

Plenty.It means that, as least in any situation your art leads you to, you can act with the self-confidence, decisiveness and determination that self-employment and extraordinary artistic gifts provide.It means that you are by nature above and beyond the people who aren’t on the bandstand.Even if they’re musicians themselves, if they’re in your audience, they’re not as special as you are.

On the other hand, it’s not much good being a musician in situations your art does not lead you into, and musicians find themselves in those positions a lot here in River City.So many of the younger bands have gone out and gotten bookings before knowing enough songs to last the length of a normal gig that all of the “cutting edge” places now start their shows no earlier than 11pm because their featured acts don’t have enough material to do a traditional four-hour, three-set show.

So many acts have formed and gotten bookings without caring enough about the music to own P.A. systems, which means they have no experience working with high-power sound gear and probably don’t care enough to own as many records, extra guitar strings or other tools of the trade as one would hope professional entertainers would have.As in the situation described in the previous paragraph, this one contributes to incapacity to play a full-length show.It also makes ridiculously high volume, uncontrollable delays and generally lowered entertainment quality more likely.

Musicians that can’t wholly support themselves with their art often try to do so, and this is another situation into which their art has not led them.These are the folks who are most likely to cut throats and kiss asses to get gigs, thus removing themselves entirely from the “self-confidence, decisiveness and determination that self-employment and extraordinary artistic gifts provide,” as referred to in the opening paragraph, and that’s the saddest situation of all, for them, for the other players they come into contact with and, most of all, for their audiences.

The following perspective came in 4/5/01, and it's a valuable one --

Jeez, the “bands who only know 21 minutes worth of material thing” - God I loathe that!  No one ever gets enough experience to know how good he or she could really be.  And it's hard to make that $100 split-three ways minus what the door-guy pilfered go as far as that $500 plus sales percentage of yesteryear.  It totally gripes me that I could make more as a child who knew five chords than I can after bustin' my butt to learn and cram a bazillion musical factoids into my brain which now net me less dollars for more hours.  When I was 18 I had a gig at the Marina restaurant over the drawbridge 3-4 nights a week. Played about two and a half hours and got $125 and a fine meal, and whatever else I wanted.  Tips were good in '78! And the after-hours hospitality, don't even get me started. ; )

Before the business closed, I was making $200 solo for weekend gigs. Several other clubs in town were paying 2 bills. MacCumber Station, Apple Annies/ Eggroll Factory, Papagayo. Other clubs holding their own, whose owners would always be generous with extra pay on good nights were The Pony Express, La Lanterna, The Chambered Nautilus, Stemmerman's, and the infamous Thinker's Hill ... 20 years ago and the pay was better.  What other occupation has had to live with that salary fate?

And the music was great.  The competition was stiff, with passionate songwriter/performers who could go all night if need be.  Neil Morris, Tommy Norton, Gary Allen, Jeff Duncan, Sam Milner, The Clamtones, Joe Smothers and Jack Lawrence - who am I leavin' out, y'all(Phil Kelly was in his 'gone to California' mode then in case you're wondering!)?  These cats have some repertoires! And chops -- they'd hide their hands sometimes when you tried to lift licks off 'em!  Ha(To no avail).  There was no “Oh God, is he gonna remember how to play F#m tonight?” or “They haven't bought a tuner yet, have they?”  Or, “He's gonna do this one again 'cause it's the one he does so good.”  I'm all for upping the bar again and bringing talent back as the draw, not just cheap quantity!

Dadburn it(jumpin' up and down)!

Dang it(whirling bra over head)!