I don't know if the public at large is aware of how underpaid local musicians are in our neck of the woods, but the truth is we are.
The average pay in a bar or club is $50 to $75 a man for the night. Sometimes these great musicians and artists work for even less. Usually, a typical gig is one to two hours of prep, four hours of music and one to two hours of takedown.
I know it sounds like I am complaining, and people would say, “If you know about this, why do you do it?" Well, the answer is, “Because we love what we do and we love who we do it for.�
Unfortunately, the scene is what it is. Maybe we can change it, maybe we can't, I don't know. All I am asking is, please, if you go out and see a band or musician that you like and enjoy, if you can spare a buck or two, throw it in the tip jar and enjoy the music. We'd all like to keep playing live, as the world has become just a little too mechanized.
Thanks for supporting the arts.
— Brian Batchley, Ventura
(The writer is a member of The Preachers Blues band. — Editor)
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