JPF Home Page

The bar didn't pay me or hire me. The band I opened for was hired to play the bar that night and they were expected to cover a specific amount of time and didn't have enough material. The guitar player of the band had just heard of me and someone referenced me, so they called me on the spot to see if I could fill some time and open, etc. It's been 14 years since then but if I remember correctly they paid me like $50 to play a short opening set. Thinking back, really the band shouldn't have accepted the paid gig if they couldn't cover their end of the deal with the bar, etc.



I definitely agree that being able to read a crowd was a tactic that I needed back then and didn't quite have just yet. I was just starting out. There is a point I did want to make though and follow up on. Having been yelled at by that man that night, played a key role in my growth as a performer and songwriter. I specifically went home that night and started working harder. I started reviewing my material and trying to think of ways to make it better, or scrap songs that were not working, etc. I began spending a little more time on new material, specifically lyrics and song structure. Had that never have happened, I may have had a higher comfort level that was not reasonable, etc. So I did learn something from the moment. I learned that I needed to always strive to improve, no matter what I'm doing. I did what I could to turn that negative into a positive.