Uh oh, is JRM at it again? Ed Fuqua should be praised for his astute, articulate and right on the money (or lack of, no pun intended) comments about Picnic’s and the Emerging Performers thing.
As someone who read all the comments, I found JRM’s rebuttals to be lacking in substance as it seems whenever someone points out the disparity between employees and performers, JRM puts on his wounded pride face and lets fly with accusations of negativity, hatemongering and the like.
Welcome to the Internet, JRM. If someone doesn’t agree with you here, they will not simply sit quietly and say nothing. That’s what sites like this are for, to encourage the flow of ideas. If others’ ideas differ from JRM’s, they should be encouraged to express them here. I find the tendency to accuse others with different opinions as haters or negative to be rather sanctimonius (a byproduct of the New Age ideal of PC speech but mountain folk call it high fallutin’).
JRM’s opening plug for Picnics leaves a bad taste in my mouth, which is sad as their food is quite good. JRM also (in later threads) says that the musicians who perform there are friends of his (I think that’s called cronyism to us common folk), so how is it an equal opportunity for a small musical acts who would desire to play there?
I live in Asheville, am familar with most of the acts feature there and would consider the acts that play there relatively “unknown” and would ask how JRM differentiates between them and other “unknown” performers? Unknown to him or unknown because they are hermits? JRM’s posts are all too familiar on the Xpress pages as lacking in substance this way. JRM is a bit too concerned with that “shiny happy people” image for his venue that he is willing to deny the opportunity to play there to those who don’t actively agree with his philosophoes on playing music in Asheville. How can you have a “shiny happy people” attitude while at the same time denigrating Ed’s points?
About the money thing: Yes $50 isn’t bad for 2 hours of playing time and some free food never hurts. But......many clubs in Asheville are now following suit by lowering the musical bar in clubs, restaurants and at other venues that feature live music. It is not unreasonable for a musician to demand compensation- it is unreasonable for a musician to be demonized for it though. Asheville live music venues are cutting costs just like everyone else, and when one person gets fed up with playing somewhere for lack of money, there will always be 10 more to take their place because they crave gigs.
JRM’s comment alluding to Ed’s comments being ego driven doesn’t make sense as an ego driven performer wouldn’t refuse to play a club because exposure is everything in Asheville’s oversaturated musical market.
Here’s a comparison: if American companies outsource jobs overseas because Abu (from India) will do it for less, is an American worker who now is asked to work for less a hater when he points this fact out? Is he negative? The situation at Picnic’s seems to follow the same logic. NOTE- I’m not dragging Picnics into this as I’ve eaten there for years (long before JRM moved here- I’m assuming he may also work there?). I’m merely pointing out that Ed’s comments make sense and should be addressed for the benefit of all to make up their own minds about whether or not to perform there.
Back in the day when organized labor actually meant something, workers would strike to demand adequate pay (darn hatemongers). When factories told them “strike all you want, we’ll hire folks to work for less”, striking workers referred to these new workers as “scabs”. Needless to say these scabs were not held in high regard by workers trying to be adequately compensated for a service provided (yes, live music is a service).
I would ask how far is JRM willing to follow his logic? By that, theoretically if Picnic’s lost money and had to cut musician pay, do away with food deals or the like, would he still maintain that it was a great deal to play there?
This reminds me of the scene in John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath” where Preacher Casy is trying to motivate his fellow fruit pickers to go on strike after the orchard owners slashed the pay. Preacher Casy (paraphrasing) says to the workers that if you received $5 a truckload of peaches yesterday, $3 dollars today and knew it may be lowered further, would you stand by idly and take it? Sadly most of the migrant fruit pickers did and told Casy in effect “Man, it’s money, I gotta eat. Yeah I’ll work for less for the same job”. I find many musicians in town doing the same thing with gigs and denying that they are in fact enabling establishments to continue this behavior. Hats off Ed for pointing out that the Emporer has no clothes.
Don’t worry JRM by the way, I won’t be playing Picnics or trying to hit you up for a gig. Even if I did, you seem to have your mind made up about who is playing there already (and as you’ve never met me, I guess we’re not friends so how could I ever get a gig there?) I won’t be trash talking your event either as it’s not my style. I do enjoy playing solo shows once in a while but as my musical ideology differs from yours, that eliminates me from consideration.
I will demonstrate the whole tired argument of the freedom of the press by posting comments such as these, however. Call me what you will, hater, cynic, etc. but please point out (verbatim) which comments fall into that category. I see most musicians locally as very reluctant to rock the boat when it comes to their own careers (whether they be household names or unknown as I would consider myself- I’m not on the cover of Rolling Stone or Mountain Xpress). Trying to “organize” musicians to demand adequate pay is like herding cats. It can’t be done.
