I did my two regular church gigs this past Sunday. It's been a while! I've been in and out of town over the past few weeks.
Church gig number one was fine. Everybody had been sending subs over the past month or so, but they were all overlapping. I think that at least two of the regular guys were always there. It worked out fine. Nobody said anything. Then again, maybe nobody missed us.
When we were loading out, one of the band members was talking money with me. We're still not all paid equally (still a sore spot for we the underpaid!), and the last time any of us had brought up the subject with the band leader, we'd been told in so many words "not right now." The guy I was talking with wants to open the discussion again; his wife just lost her job, and so he's asking for more money because he needs to make up the difference in income (making $50 more a week?). I'm not sure that's a solid argument.
I don't quite follow that part. He also wants to go over the band leader's head and talk to the head of the church. Yikes. The band leader's trying not to blow his budget, and it's rumored that the head of the church will give you what you need if you make your case. That sounds risky.
I don't know what I'd do in his shoes. My wife does not work full time, and the money ebbs and flows. If it stopped altogether, would I turn to all my contractors and ask them to pick up the slack? Furthermore, I would think twice about going over the band leader's head--you might find yourself completely out of a gig! Then what? Tell your students the price of lessons has doubled, effective immediately?!
He and I batted ideas around for a while in the parking lot. Maybe I'll get lucky, and he'll lean more on my argument that we should all be paid equally for playing the same gig. That way, I might end up getting pulled up without having to say anything at all.
Church gig number two was ok. I've been so slack on my personal practicing; my playing is really sad right now. I couldn't play in tune to save my life. I need to right the ship. Stop sucking!
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