Re: Harp players

[timm@xxxxxxxxxx (Tim Moody)]

:If you're the band leader, you don't have to worry about what sidemen are 
:saying.  Just let them know that they can be replaced - and YOU have the 
:jobs.  Every once in a while, bring in a "ringer" to sit in - even if you 
:have to pay him a little something - and ask him to mention IN FRONT OF 
:the rest of the band that he wouldn't mind working with YOU (the harp 
:player specifically) if the opportunity comes up.  A little insecurity 
:goes a long way to quash grandiose talk ;-)

This happened to me quite by accident. My guitar player had been fueding
with my over whether or not I play when he does. Since I wrote theses songs,
I knew where I wanted harp parts. A very prominent bluesman in this town
showed up one night and asked to sit in. I was VERY glad to have him, as was
the rest of the band. When we were done, he told me loud enough for the
whole bar to hear, "Man I just love your harp playing. You can play with me
anytime." Well that didn't phase the guitarist too much, he's not with us
anymore. But it did show him that someone respected my playing. He still had
a hard time accepting it and I truely feel it was the dreaded SRV syndrome
had infected him causing severe swelling of the cranial lobe, poor guy.


Tim