Bob, It is great that you can still perform like you do. However it sounds like your area is quite a bit different than mine.

In the late 60’s I had a jazz trio, B3, guitar and drums, that played some covers but a lot of original music also. We played in lounges where people did just listen. We loved it and they loved it. However those places disappeared. They wanted rock, country or country rock as those in attendance apparently drank a lot more, thus more money for the owners. There were a number of combos like ours that either changed formats or quit playing.

We changed into a wedding band around 1970 and we went from playing what we wanted to what they the customer wanted, i.e. we became a business. Very few, if any, originals at a gig. All the customer wanted was a recognizable beat so that is what we delivered. We must have been successful at it, as we were extremely busy until we got old and the wedding circuit turned to DJs. I still hate DJs!

When things were slow during the winter we were still busy playing at VFWs, Elk’s clubs, American Legions, Moose halls and private parties. The only free gigs we did were at the VA hospitols.

We played live, no backing tracks. However I much rather here a musician(s) using backing tracks that listening to a DJ or kariokie.

So the question is am I an artist or an entertainer? I don’t think that you can separate the two.

I just posted a selfie and all of the responses were get well soon!

64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware