I Wish I Had A Nickel…

There are certain things we musicians hear or get asked on a regular basis and you can always tell they’re coming from people who have no earthly clue what “being in a band” actually means. Sometimes I laugh, sometimes I stare in utter disbelief and sometimes I just have to let the moment pass. But I wish I had a nickel for every time someone asked or said these things.

• “Wow, it must be awesome to make that much money for just playing music for a few hours!”  Well, honey, I really wish it was! First of all, it’s never “that much money”. Back in the 80’s and 90’s, you could talk about money, if you were with the right bunch of people. Nowadays, it’s not much, if anything at all, to speak of. Then once you add in however many hours, yes HOURS, of practice you have to put in, it drives the per hour figures down immensely. And let’s not forget the real nitty gritty of setting up before you play, then tearing everything down and meticulously putting it all away after you just spent the two hours before the show setting it up and the four hours putting everything you’ve got into the show. Plus the drive home, plus pay the babysitter, then put more gas in your vehicle… it’s a good thing it ain’t about the money…
• “Oh my goodness, you guys are great! Why aren’t you in Nashville? Do you have a cd?”        So, first of all, thank you, we really appreciate it. Why aren’t we in Nashville? Because there’s a homeless Chet Atkins on every street corner who can pick better than we can! Okay, maybe that’s a smidgen of an exaggeration, but not much. As for the cd…remember that conversation we just had about the money? Well, it takes a whole lot of money to make that cd, or to buy the equipment to make it with. If we REALLY wanted to be making money, that’s what we’d be doing! 🙂  And that’s not even to mention that it’s copyright infringement to record and sell anything you didn’t, as a musician and singer, write yourself, and we’re not all writers.
• “Can you play Freebird?”                                                                                                               You’re wondering if we get asked that at every show, aren’t you? Yes! We do. We don’t know it but, as we always say, that won’t stop us from trying! 🙂
• “Come on, just one more!”                                                                                                                This resounding chorus could go on all night long, and there are times it does. Now THIS is the one I’d really like to have a nickel for every time I hear it.
• “Wow, I didn’t know girls could play bass, that’s awesome!”  Yes, and we can drive and vote now too, isn’t that crazy? HAHAHA! It’s cute, it really is, but I can’t blame the thought. There really aren’t that many female musicians, especially these days. Personally, I don’t have but a handful of memories that go back before me playing an instrument of some kind or another, so it’s just a part of who I am.

So, that’s a precious few of the things I, or we as a band, hear on a regular basis. I suppose if I wanted to sit down and really put a lot of thought into, I might be able to come up with a book’s worth. I’ve always said, it’s a crazy life. And this is part of the reason why…

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