Re: Carey Bell Show

[clarkeb@xxxxxxxxx]

.  But does this justify cheapening an 
>entire profession for your "big shot."  How about putting in some hard

>work in keeping a band together, to get a legitimate shot?
>
>--Norbert 

YES!  I could not have said that better myself.  There are so many that
have no conceprt about how much effort it takes to get proficient
enough to play professionally.  (I mean to go out and play gigs and be
good, not even to be able to make a living at it.  The folks that are
able to keep food in their mouths from music I take my hat off to
them.)  These wannabes may even have some chops, maybe they've copped
some Butterfield stuff or something and can sound good, but there is a
lot more to playing in a band than getting up and blowing when the
whole rhythm section behind you has been doing this for years.  It
takes probably as much effort to learn how to play as it does to get a
Bachelor's Degree and then to be a bandleader, you should get credit
for personnel management and for dealing with bar owners you should get
credit for international business because most bar owners are from a
different planet.

Incidentally, I have folks that I know sit in all the time.  I will
also have folks sit in if from a short conversation, this person seems
to know what he's talking about and may himself pick a song that he
wants to do.  I hate it when somebody is out in the crowd blowing all
night long on a C harp while you're trying to do a gig.  I was
recording a gig recently and some fool was in the audience blowing harp
along with everything we were doing.  The tape I made sounded great
except everwhere there was a space in the music or we brought the
dynamics down there was the obnoxious harper!  Thanks for rendering
worthless my new demo tape!

Bernie Clarke
"Don't start me to talkin'.  I'll tell everything I know." - SBWII