It’s so funny… In this business one of the things my Dad taught me was to “never count your money til it’s in your hand”. That might be the single most valuable piece of information ever. Why? Well for one, it’s the safest way to justify your motivation to leave your house and family 3-6 nights a week and for another–if you don’t heed that advice you can end up sorely disappointed. Yesterday we (Dad & I) learned that one of our steady venues decided to stop having music. Basically that means a loss of income to us. While I’m certainly used to losing a gig here or there, the loss of a “sure thing” can really sting sometimes. The worst thing about this particular loss however isn’t necessarily the $$$. What bugs me the most is that the venue owner waited until the day before the show to break this news. He seems to be under the impression that we can just pick up the phone or show up somewhere and replace that gig simply by snapping our fingers. It just doesn’t work like that in the real world, dude. Musicians and venues alike book these shows well (emphasis on well) in advance. In my particular case, we book just about a year out so replacements don’t come easy. Anyway, what struck me as funny about this situation was something a friend said to me this morning. It’s been a nutty week of unpleasant surprises and as we were emailing back and forth about it, she said “You kill me. I guess you’ve been doing this for so long you can just fly by the seat of your pants, whereas my stomach is in knots and I want to poop! LOL” My response was mostly laughter, but it got me thinking… It’s not really that I’m used to it, I just understand that nothing is certain in this business. Things can and often will literally change in the blink of an eye. So with that being said, I’m just grateful I get to do what makes me happy. Getting paid for it is just a bonus.
Nature of The Beast
