Conference napalm::guitar

    Sorry about the spelling of amateur.

    I'd ask the same question about the Nashua/Manchester area and 
    point a little more toward folk.  I have heard about the Folkway 
    in Peterboro but don't have details.  Anything closer?
    
    Bob

    The amateur entertainment business is definitely depressed (compared
    to a few years ago).
    
    From what I've heard, much of the current state is due to the increased
    awareness of alcohol use/abuse and the subsequent depression in
    sales of alcoholic beverages at nightclubs.  These night clubs
    make up most of the market for "amateur" rock bands.  Those beers
    are what paid the band.  They don't sell the beers, they don't hire
    the bands.
    
    	db

    I disagree with your definition of the word amateur. If someone,
    is playing out for money, they are either professional (full time),
    or semi-professional, (day job, playing part time). Amateurs play
    for their own enjoyment, and at parties. I'm sure I will get some
    flames for this comment, but thats my opinion. If someone is paying
    for a service, they expect professionalism, not a group of amateurs.
    
    
    As far as the club scene, it is definately depressed, which accounts
    for a lot of music stores falling on hard times. However, there
    are still plenty of weddings, grad party's, Christmas parties, and
    other functions. I know, it's general business, but that's life.
    If you want to play for pay, that's the kind of gigs you should
    be geared to playing. There are still a lot of restaurants and lounges
    hiring musicians, and many of them feature solo guitarist doing
    contempary music. This is the space where a folky can be accepted,
    provided he or she has kept up with the times. A few years ago, I was 
    playing in a restaurant/tavern, solo acoustic. The one negative
    comment I got was that all of my tunes were real old. I have been 
    concentrating on learning new material, so that I can mix up old and 
    new in each set. In this setting, be prepared to play any and all
    requests. 
    
                                   		Good Luck,
    						Mark J.
    
    

    
    	Right!  Ask any gigging musician about the effect on the new
    drunk driving laws on the amount of clubs hiring bands. From 1982
    to 1986, I was gigging 45 - 50 week ends a year. No more.  A perfect
    example occured one Saturday night in July.  I was playing at a
    chinese resturaunt in Abbington.  The State police pull up across
    the street from the resturuant with 12 cruisers, a huge spotlight,
    and a tow truck.  Someone comes in and yells "Road Block".  The
    entire place cleared out in 12 minutes - everyone wanted to leave
    BEFORE the road block got set up.
    	I don't approve of people driving drunk, but there must be a
    better way than Gestapo techniques used by the State Police that
    put musicians and clubs out of business.
    	If I were younger, I would move to another state that had a
    better ratio of clubs to musicians.
    
    	Guy Novello

    re -1
    
    Too bad. The state police have a good job on their hands keeping
    all those irresponsible idiots off the roads. They do a damn good
    job, too!
    
    wjb

    Everyone should just stay home and watch music videos...
    
    Nobody should drink...
    
    We ought to just sell our guitars and become disk-joks...
    
    the doc

    re:0.7
    
    > everyone should just stay home and watch music videos...
    
    OK... I understand the point you're trying to make.
    
    > Nobody should drink... ?
    
    Now wait a minute !! But again I see your point.   
    
    > We ought to just sell our guitars and become disk-jocks ....???????
    
    NO NO NO OH NO !!!!! TELL ME IT ISN'T TRUE !!!! DON'T EVEN THINK
    THAT WAY !!!! I'LL CUT MY FINGERS FIRST !!!
    

    re: roadblocks
    
    Here in NH, we decided roadblocks were a violation of your rights.
    But by "your" I mean the stopped drivers rights.
    
    If a roadblock is known to have that kind of effect on the bars
    business, the bar owner should complain bitterly.  That's just
    unfair to him.
    
    	db

    ..not to turn this into a soapbox, but I'll gladly waive whatever
    'right' I have that's being violated by a road block to keep a
    drunk jerk off the road.
    
    Mayhaps I best stop now....
    
    Edd

    
    Let's not drag this out too long.  I was making a point that stricter
    drunk driving laws/road blocks are bad for bands and clubs.
    None of us want to see drunk drivers on the road ( or splattered
    all over the road).  No one can put a price on loss of life. If people were
    responsible for their alcohol intake before driving, we wouldn't
    have this problem.  I have been involved in accidents with drunk
    drivers and I have testified in court against drunk drivers.
    
    Fatatities have decreased do to enforcement of the drunk driving
    laws - great!.  I just don't like road blocks because they are
    basically illegal.  It's just a case of does the end justify the means.
    I don't think so.
    
    Jess Cain on WBZ read a statement from the Attorney General once.  He
    said that although they are *almost* illegal, they are allowed because
    the State Police have strict guidelines on what they can ask you
    when you are stopped and when the road blocks go up - usually on
    hoiliday weekends. Every time I was stopped, the State Police
    did not believe I could spend 4 hours in a club and not have one
    drink. Even though I may be an isolated case - maybe not.  I don't
    consider detaining me for no reason doing a "good job"
    
    I am supposed to have the right to travel without being detained
    by the police and asked questions for no reason. The Gestapo did
    this in Poland, Germany and in other European countries - maybe
    that was an extreme comparison - sorry.
    
    Some us don't mind giving up our rights, I do. Once you give rights
    up, they are hard to get back.  Next thing I see is mandatory drug
    testing at work.        
    
    I would reccomend that we start playing for A.A. parties, but a
    friend of mine is a member and they use DJs in the Framingham area.
    :-(
    
    Guy Novello
                    

    re: .10
    
    You have the right to "waive" YOUR rights but not MINE.
    
    Perhaps we should have little yellow signs for cars that say
    "Roadblock Right-Waiver on Board".  ;-)
    
    	db

    getting back to the original statement....
    
    If someone runs into a bar and yells "road block", there should
    be no reson to panic if one is in compliance with the law. Now,
    if the place clears out in 10 minutes, that should tell you there's
    a bunch of sh*theads there who deserve to be put in jail!
    
    How about the thought: Guitar playing in the 80's....does it fuel
    highway fatalities?!?\
    
    wjb

    	Look I don't want to go down this rat-hole any further but I just
    can't help but think that some people are mistaking the issue here.
    
    	The _real_ issue is keeping drunks off the road, not allowing
    real violations of civic rights like roadblocks, and not calling
    every person who takes a little drink and whether unable to drive
    or not, fears for his license when a roadblock goes up.  There have
    been some recent developments technology which can help us all feel
    safer on the roads (as well as keep _us_ off the roads when our
    own judgemnet has been impaired, or maybe that _never_ happens
    to _us_...;-) ), without bringing the march of the jackboot down
    on all of our heads.  In particular I've heard of a device which
    makes you "steer" through a little simulated dirving test before
    allowing you to drive, this test is only activated by the presence
    of alcohol in a breath sample.
    
    	I've been impressed by the willingness of the people of MA (
    and NH) to take their politicians and laws to task.  There are
    other solutions to this problem than police state tactics.  I've
    noticed this genuine "fear" of the state police and similar
    organizations manifested elsewhere (in and out of MA) and it scares
    the hell out of me.
    
    	But that is another note for another conference...lets get
    back to AXE...
    
    /Dino
    areas

    Ahem, your moderator here. Dino (re:-1) said it well: discuss 
    roadblocks, etc. elsewhere. Case closed.
    

    rick

    
    	There are still places for bands and single guitarists to play.
    
    	I'm not too familiar with Worcester, but I was riding down Rt.
    20 one day and say a club called Shiva's (I think). It was right
    across the street from a strip club.  The sign said that Talking
    Book was playing there.  I used to play the same circuit with them 
    and they were a guitar based band.
    
       Clubs are on the decline, but resturants still book singles and
    duos.  The Ground Round in Hudson used to have a guitarist and a
    place called "Chances Are" on Rt. 20 in Westboro used to have a
    guitarist.  The Marlboro Country Club used to have bands.
    
       Most of these places don't advertise so only the local people
    know about them.  I just drive around and look for them.  I was
    planning to make a list of lounges and clubs that have entertainment.
    Starting from Framingham, I'll be going North to Lowell, South to
    Halifax and West to Worcester.
    
    Any noters interested in this list, send me mail at MURPHY::NOVELLO
    
    Guy Novello
                                   
    

    There's plenty of Guitar Bands around.   And there's still people
    around that appreciate the music.  And couldn't care wether the band
    has a female vocal or a keyboard player.  In my experience: Just rock
    em, and they'll love it.  I'm in a guitar band.  We do o.k.
    
    And yeah, the club seen is down right depressing.  Try playing to
    ashtrays on Thursday nights, when the same room used to get a good
    thursday night crowd.  I think the drunk driving has had an impact but
    there's more to it than that.  What I don't know, but I've been playing
    out for a long time now, And I've only run into one road block in all
    the time I've been playing.  Seems if Road Blocks and DWI arrests are
    such a contribution to the "Clubs" decline, I should have been stopped
    at alot more than one.....  and to my eyes, it hasn't stopped the
    people who insist on getting smahsed when they go out, just stopped
    them from killing a bunch of innocent people. 

	But what are ya gonna do ?  I can't retire to the weddings just
    yet.....   I know alot of people in this conference can't yet either.

           	(oh bye the way no offense to the ladies and board players
    	 of the conference on the top paragraph..)

    
    	The step up of the DWI issue enforcement has had no effect on
    people drinking - you cant stop that. They're just are too scared of
    getting caught - that's why you dont see as many "out", say on your
    *Thursday* night. (notice that they're not scared of hurting anyone)
    
    	Seem the 'ol Tiki Lau or whatever still packs 'em in on just
    about every weeknight, here in Westford...
    
    	You know, a cop can pull you over for going thru a yellow and
    check you out. Dont go out into the world if your "papers" are'nt
    in order!
    
    	Perhaps if we all got together and bought V66 when it was for
    sale, we could showcase *all* the local acts 24 hours a day - and
    people could just stay at home - like with the rented movies -,
    watch local bands, and drink themselves to oblivion. Without getting
    caught, without hurting anyone else. Just dont ask your drinking
    friends over!
    
    	Joe Jas
    

    If V66 couldn't survive playing popular music videos, imagine how
    they'd do with unknown acts.
    
    	db