Please tune in:

Friday, January 29th at 8:00pm
Art Zone on the Seattle Channel (Channel 21)

Wednesday, February 3rd at 7:00pm
Art Zone on KCTS (Channel 9)

This award could significantly help my group The Teaching in our efforts booking a large East Coast for the group next Fall.

If you’d rather mail in your ballot you can print a copy of the ballot by printing this image and mailing it to the following address:

Earshot
3429 Fremont Place, #309
Seattle, WA 98103

Please mail ballot in before January 22nd

It’s a trying time for the people of Haiti and the “aftershocks” have been felt all across the world – even here in our own music community. I encourage you all to do whatever you can to help whether it be donating to the Red Cross (or any of the other organizations former Pres. Bill Clinton recommends on his site HERE), or even donating to David’s bank account through LUCID.  Whatever you can do – big or small – just consider what you’d do if it were someone in your family you couldn’t get through to on the phone and didn’t know whether was safe or not. A helping hand at the beginning of 2010 can go a long way. Thank you!

Along with Jason Parker’s support efforts through his music – I too will donate 100% of all  Josh Rawlings Trio CD sales toward the Haiti Relief Efforts if you by one of my CD’s within the next 2 weeks.

Date: Every Thursday
Time: 9:30pm-1:00am
Location: LUCID Jazz Lounge
Street: 5241 University Way NE
City/State: Seattle, WA
Cost: FREE!
Age: 21+

Ps. If you’re a musician – don’t forget to bring your axe!

Setting Out

Josh Rawlings Trio
Climbing Stairs
Broken Time
4 stars ****

Armed with a handful of creative tunes, a piano and a recent degree from Cornish College of the Arts, Josh Rawlings and his trio are setting out to make a mark on the modern jazz landscape and doing a damn fine job of it. The classic three-piece ensemble pounds out tunes that are whimsical one minute, funky the next. Each track, composed by Rawlings, lilts around dexterous key-stroking and agile solos, nodding to Rawlings’ classical education but also flying into the fancies of the composer’s imagination. Bass and drums are solid by Nate Omdal and Adam Kessler respectively, and the three work together very well, coaxing each tune through to the funky conclusion. Track three, “Acquittal,” composed as an overlay to Thelonius Monk’s “Evidence,” is especially fun, with lots of dissonant harmonies and dramatic hesitations over propulsive drumming. With this album as a start, they’ll keep climbing! RACHEL DOVEY
STANDOUT TRACKS: “Climbing Stairs,” “Another Adventure”

Here’s an image of the full page article:

Also impressive is the Josh Rawlings Trio’s Climbing Stairs (Broken Time Records), on which the pianist works with bassist Nate Omdal and drummer Adam Kessler. They interpret eight solid originals by the Cornish College graduate. Rawlings is romantic, thoughtful player, and his sidemen are right there throughout. It’s an enjoyable disc. My only reservations is that it always seems odd, and does here, when an album of “originals” plays things so safe, stylistically. If Rawlings progresses, in that respect, to the point he has already reached in terms of delicacy and sophistication in composition, he’ll be a force to reckon with.

Here’s an image of the full page article:

Monday, February 25, 2008
$50 gigs – What of it?
Current mood:  determined
Category: Music

Keep in mind that our teachers (and in some cases our teacher’s teachers) were taking $50 gigs before we were even musicians (let alone born – in some of our cases). What does this mean? I think it means that we’ve undervalued our club gigs, our music, skills, talent, abilities, etc. for way too long. I understand there’s a lot of cover-charge models (I know because I still perform under some) and if the night isn’t stellar – well – the money isn’t stellar.

This is a complex issue that doesn’t just result with the simple answer…”we should just demand that the club owners/bookers pay us more than $50.” Easier said then done right?! Many of you may have approached a club owner from this stance and they just laughed you out of their office. To them (in many cases) they’re doing us a favor – the biggest one – offering us a place to play and get exposure. We’ve all heard this before, “don’t focus on the money so much, your band is going to get great exposure.” We’re starting to realize (I hope) that exposure isn’t everything. We need to survive in our industry – and how can we do that if we’re making $50 a night. Truthfully, it doesn’t seem very likely that anyone can make a living even if they’re playing 4-5 nights a week on that kind of money. In other cases we don’t even make $50 – THEY PAY US IN BEER OR DRINK TICKETS!

I don’t have a simple answer, but I do think valuing our music and going to the business table with confidence and a strong self worth is going to get things moving in the right direction. One other situation is if we undercut (taking a gig for $50 or less or taking a gig for less then another group) it’s only going to hurt any movement toward better conditions. Clubs owners will assume there are 20 musicians/bands lined up ready to take the gig when you talk to them about value this value that.

Baby steps – but I think we can all agree that the era of the $50 gigs has to end – we have rent we need to pay, food we need to buy, college loans we need to pay off and the list goes on and on – we can’t meet the living standards of today nor better the music market if we continue struggling as a community. The other option is to work for Microsoft or some other job to maintain your life as a musician – this isn’t the way it should be…should it?

Can we value our music more?

Here’s a possible plan:
1) Make a list of the clubs and venues you really like to perform at.
2) Crunch some numbers (venue capacity, price of drinks, meals, average door charge and anything else you think applies to revenue)
3) Start to add some dollar signs and add up various scenarios (for example: a full house of (x people) will probably bring in $2,200 of revenue for this club on a given night).
4) What are your costs for making your performance a financially feasible night (rehearsals, posters, fliers, gas, etc.)?
5) Now figure out a reasonable price based on some of the numbers you’ve sorted out – How much do you think you are worth to the club owner when you put those things into perspective?
6) Go back to the club owner (keep your crunched numbers withheld unless showing them is absolutely necessary) and openly discuss your value from your new found knowledge.

Working with club owners/bookers to me is about working TOGETHER and making sure they’re giving you the piece of the pie you feel you’ve earned (or can reasonably earn). You work hard and you’re a professional cat – we have every right to approach them from this playing field…it isn’t skewed one way. For example: The club owner says “I’m doing you a favor!” or “I own the club, you’re just a musician.” Do you think his bartender(s) and wait staff would put up with that crap…they work as a team…it can’t be any other way. His staff would give him the finger and walk off the job if they had to listen to that crap…think about it.

We could write an entire book on the subject, but I hope this gets some wheels turning and gets some folks interested in sharing some of their perspectives or experiences.

I (for one) am not taking any more $50 gigs…just to be clear…I’m working on a $75 or above level. I simply turn down opportunities that aren’t worth my time and energy, not because I think I’m too good, but because I value my time, energy, and music. I’m at a place right now where I’m into the quality side as opposed to quantity side. Quantity and mass exposure hasn’t turned out to be all that it was cracked out to be – in my experience.

Thanks for reading my rant.
-J

Date: Friday, January 15, 2010
Time: 7:00pm – 11:00pm
Location: Cypress Lounge
Street: 600 Bellevue Way NE
City/Town: Bellevue, WA

In the meantime consider coming out to this fun benefit with many other performers/acts.

Date: Saturday, January 16, 2010
Time: 8:00pm – 12:00am
Location: West Hall of OddFellows (on Capitol Hill)
Street: 915 Pine Street
City/Town: Seattle, WA
Cost: $20 adv. / $25 at the door (tickets available online at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/)
Other Performers/Acts: EmpeROAR Fabulous, Ben DeLaCreme, Ultra, Luck Penny, Iva Handful, Stella Rose, Holly Small, Roxie Moxie, Jacqueline Hyde, Queen Clam, Scandal from Bohemia, Hoi Polloi, Jean du Jour, Wiggy Stardust, Mickey Doe Eyes, DJ Cassiepants, Grahamorous & Fosse Jack

Date: January, 30th
Time: 8:00 PM
Where: lo_fi
Street: 429 Eastlake Avenue E
City/State: Seattle, WA
Cost: $8