Southwest adventures part 2
After spending time in the Black Hills, we set out for the biggest drag of the trip–the drive from Hot Springs, South Dakota to Albuquerque, New Mexico. This is a loooooong drive (about 760 miles) and we pass through some pretty uninspiring scenery between in Wyoming, causing us to reconsider the wisdom of driving [...]
Southwest adventures part 1
Though I fear that my luxuriously long summer vacations are nearing an end (I can’t really afford to just drop off from the musical landscape like I have in previous years), I have had the opportunity to head out to South Dakota and New Mexico this past July and August, and my batteries are [...]
They’re throwing bags at our basses now!
Double bass blogger Cyndy sent me a link to a recent post of hers that features truly horrifying treatment of a double bass by a baggage handler. She was fortunate to capture this double bass beating on video–who knows how many times this kind of abuse happens with no documentation whatsoever.
In the video, this baggage [...]
Carping about Cartage
While digging through my old e-mail recently, I came upon this snippy exchange between management and musicians regarding compensation for cartage. This is the sort of thing that really makes my blood boil–cartage is compensation paid to musicians who must load a lot of gear in and out of a venue. The philosophy behind this [...]
Navy Pier on the 4th
As I’ve blogged several times in the past month, my summer so far has been spent playing chamber music in beautiful Door County, Wisconsin. This has been a blast, but after several weeks up north I’ve been itching to get back to Chicago, and I ducked mid-concert on July 3rd (I only played the first [...]
Summer festivals - a good deal?
Adaptistration blogger and Inside the Arts mastermind Drew McManus recently put out a post about summer music festivals that really caught my eye. In this post (dated 6/27/08), Drew writes:
Unlike regular season positions, music festivals have an added bonus by offering their exclusive location as an added incentive to performance and travel pay. Add to [...]
Good times playing bass on the peninsula
Here’s a quick little video showing the “tough” working conditions that I’m subjected to on a daily basis up here in northern Wisconsin.
We’ve got more full-length posts starting Monday, plus the conclusion to our interview with Steve Rodby this Saturday. Stay tuned!
….and yes, this is a goat on top of a building. Welcome to Door [...]
The Art of Slowing Down
Though this post’s title could easily be tied to a post about slow practice or something like that (which would make a good future blog post!), I’m actually referring here to the deliciously laid-back summer schedules that I’ve managed to get away with for much of my freelance career. While I have certainly had my [...]
Blogging on the beach
While it may seem like a strange activity (and, looking around, I certainly seem to be the only guy with a laptop out here!), there is a certain kind of strange satisfaction that I get writing out on the beach, surrounded by nothing but Lake Michigan’s sandy shores and the spruce and pine forests of [...]
The real cost of driving to gigs for the freelance musician
Check out the gig commuting cost calculator by Drew McManus here and determine if you should really be taking that gig.
A recent feature in the Chicago Tribune (Sunday, April 13, 2008 by Jim Mateja) about the actual operating costs per mile for a variety of different vehicles caught my eye–not surprising considering how much [...]
