Ah....the business of making music

Jon Light (deceased) · From: Saugerties, NY

We were booked to play a street fair on Flatbush not far from my place. Close enough to roll to the gig on a cart and then to the bar for our weekly.
Supposed to play from 5-6, then the fair is shut down and the streets are reopened. I arrive at 4:45. Nobody is playing. Turns out that nobody could find a generator. It had only just arrived. The band that was supposed to go on a 12:30 (yes--that's how long it took someone to get the stage powered up) was setting up to begin their set at around 5:15. There were 4 bands lined up on the runway in ahead of us. With city officials poised to start clearing out the fair at 6.
I'm back home now killing time before the bar gig. Just got a call that we DID get paid. If, at first blush, it seems odd that we should, the simple fact is that someone had the sponsor's money in their pocket and I'll be damned if it should end up in an organizer's wallet and not mine--I was ready, willing and able. The general stupidity and ineptitude of people sometimes just boggles the mind. I'll get the story later as to how much "negotiation" was needed to free up the cash. The music bizniz. Gotta love it.

Jim Phelps · From: Mexico City, Mexico

Glad you got paid...the last band I was with also had it in the contract that if we were rained out we still got paid as long as we showed up ready to play.

You were supposed to start at 5 and you showed up at 4:45? Didn't matter in this case anyway, though, but that's closer to start time than I ever did unless I was running late.

[This message was edited by Jim Phelps on 03 October 2004 at 04:25 PM.]

Jon Light (deceased) · From: Saugerties, NY

I agree with the last comment and frankly I am obsessive/compulsive about arriving WAY early--stupid early often, just to ease my own nerves about getting stuck in traffic etc. But I knew that as the last band on the afternoon's bill, things would be running late and worst case scenario would be having to rush to set up. On the other hand, this experinemt in "just in time" arrival didn't set too well with me and I guess I'll go back to my standard anal arrive early and hurry up and wait.

Jim Phelps · From: Mexico City, Mexico

OK, I was just picking on you a bit.

Rick McDuffie · From: Benson, North Carolina, USA

It takes me 30 minutes to set up and tune the darn thing... and when I'm playing six string, too... better allow for 45 minutes then, minimum.

Ah, to go back to playing bass... 5 minutes and I was ready to go.

Mark Herrick · From: Bakersfield, CA

Bobby Lee · From: Cloverdale, California, USA

You get paid? For playing music? Cool!

Kevin Hatton · From: Buffalo, N.Y.

General rule in our band is that you MUST be at the venue at least one hour early. If you are late more than twice without a good excuse, your fired. I don't like doing those band jamborees like you described. They invariably run late and the last band never gets to go on.

Jim Cohen · From: Philadelphia, PA

"Ah, yes, the music business, where each day is better than the next..."

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

Let me get this straight...you're playing in the middle of New Yawk-New Yawk (where every business, streetlight, stoplight, curbside vending machine, public phone, and manhole has voltsampswatts out the ying-yang)...and you're expected to play off a generator?!?

Seems like the organizers would have been swift enough to have gotten a temporary meter installed with a 250-amp 110v panel. That's what most every street-fair, carnival, and county fair in dinky little Maryland does for their performance stages!

Sheesh...I thought New Yawk-New Yawk was "big time".

Lee Baucum · From: McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier

Jon Light (deceased) · From: Saugerties, NY

HowardR · From: N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville

So, you have an egg cream & call it a day.

Lawrence Lupkin · From: Brooklyn, New York, USA

Let me guess...was it the West Indian American Carnival and Parade on Flatbush? http://www.nynewsday.com/news/local/brooklyn/nyc-para0907,0,6811254.story?coll=nyc-swapbox

"At one point Bloomberg bounded aboard a truck carrying a 12-member steel band making its debut in the parade."

You must have part of that, right?

Oh, wait...

"The mayor tried his hand at playing a steel drum, and not to be outdone, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly also went onboard to display his pan-playing prowess"

Ooops.

David L. Donald · From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand

I do miss egg creams !!!
After gigs we used to go down to 2nd and ave B for an egg cream.

Nothing like havin' an egg cream and watching the punters get rolled.

I NEVER, EVER want to see Ray Kelley in a Steel drum band..
Actually I never want to see Ray Kelley anyway!

Not paid to play : paid to not play... hmmm
Which sounds more NYC or Nashville?

[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 05 October 2004 at 11:45 AM.]

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