Scabs.....

Taken in the context it is usually used, a scab is someone who goes into a job and works cheaper than the guy who should have the job. The work is usually substandard, but Mr Factory owner doesn't care how well the widgets are made, just that a lot of them are made.

Transfer that concept to music and jam night, you have scab bands going in who never rehearse, often don't even know each other before showing up to the gig, songs don't start and stop correctly and cleanly because there was no rehearsal, and most of the night ends up boring 12 bar blues because the players don't know the same songs. We are from the same place, so you know the scene here. 45 listings for needy people to go play for free every week all to get approval from their drunken friends who do not play, would not know good from bad, think hanging around musicians gives them a free membership card to "the club", and just care that they can drink in a place where there's music, all the time not caring that the musician are being exploited.

Just some personal things from my perspective, and pretty much why I don't have a band (I am difficult to work with).... there is ZERO tolerance if you are in my band. There are 6 other nights in the week for you to drink. When you play on stage with me, you drink soft drinks or water. No exceptions, no excuses. I don't care if you make mistakes in the arrangement because I didn't work you hard enough in the basement, but make ONE mistake because you are impaired by alcohol or any substance, and you will be fired in mid song. I will play without you before I will enable your addiction. (Yes, I am an alcoholic.)

For every minute we spend on that stage, we will spend 100 minutes in that basement. My bands WILL be tight. The arrangements will be crisp, the starts and stops will be clean. We will rehearse until I say it's right. Bring a lunch. If you don't like that idea, the door opens out, too.

When rehearsal starts at 7pm, that means 7pm, not 7:10, not 7:12. 7pm. And don't come walking in with your fast food bag and expect to eat on my time. MUSIC starts at 7. Change your strings and drum heads at home, or come early. You can be early, on time, or late. 2 of those things are okay. One is not.

Nobody "sits in" with my band. Ever. If you knew how to play, you wouldn't be off on prime time gig night doing the pub crawl hoping someone asks you to come up and play those 2 songs you know.

But you know what the result is? A really good band that DOESN'T have to play AWFUL songs like Moondance and Brown Eyed Girl and Mustang Sally to fill a night.

JCS, private mail me. You being from this area, you will know my band history. I was in 2 of the best bands northeast Ohio ever saw, and 2 more that could have gotten there had we not decided to go different directions. The work ethic was there. Musical direction was the issue.

But to just play to play, nope. If I play, it has to be something people are going to talk about for weeks after. Otherwise it's just mailing it in for a paycheck. 55 years and a Bachelors Degree later, I respect music too much to treat it like a prostitute.


PS. I KNOW I am a dictator....