All valid comments that I have, in fact, pondered through the years. I'll apologize in advance for the length, but you've hit upon some things I've really weighed over the last few years.

*Remember, the kind of clients that use us are ballroom dance groups. They hire us for our consistency, variety and quality. The other bands on this circuit are mostly comprised of players 70+ and up. (The oldest guy in my band is 57, then we have a 52 yr. old, a 49 yr. old (moi)and a 47 yr. old.)We are, by far I'm told, the most energetic band playing this kind of music.

*Part of the frustration through the years has been difficulty in finding quality subs/potential replacements. Drummers I can find, but bass players? No luck in 11+ years of looking. Rock, jazz, country players struggle mightily playing the way we need to for these dancers. They seem not to "get it." The best sideman I've EVER used was a terrific pedal steel player who is a monster. Played on the road with Marty Robbins, did Hee Haw, was in Barbara Mandrells TV band, etc. Unreal player. His main love is Gospel and bluegrass-so he's not interest whatsoever coming on board full time. It also colors almost everything in a Country fashion, which I don't really want.

*Our audiences / clients are thrilled with the band. We draw the best crowds, keep the dance floor filled more than others, and are almost always the first band to get dates for the new year. By that measure-it is clearly not broken. Further, one of the things that's always impressed me was how each member of this band has connected with several members of our crowd. Everyone seems to know us on a first name basis. The affection that we're each shown is genuine and to mess with that, could be counter-productive.

*To your final paragraph. The guys do want to be there. They are professional, rarely cause any trouble, and are generally compliant. They will play new stuff, but as I described in previous posts/threads, with no rehearsals-its a pretty limited approach we can take. Very straightforward. Playing the tune 1-2 a month means that it won't really start to sound good to my ears until 4-6 months of playing it. The crowd, it seems has such a high level of confidence in us that no matter what we play, they'll dance to it.

*Again per my previous posts, that doesn't mean I'm not terribly frustrated when working with the band. (They know this.) Back in the the early 2000's, the band gigged about 100 times a year, which is phenomenal for this kind of band in this area. We're down to about two dozen jobs. Why? Economics explain a lot of it, most clubs aren't as packed as they were ten years ago and most have cut way back on their entertainment budgets. The State has severely changed the way they allow these Clubs to handle their receipts from gambling/pull tickets/etc. which also cut their expendable cash. Several major Clubs have in fact, closed up shop.

*One by one, I have converted most of the old band accounts into Duo jobs where I use arranger mode and my sax player. The dance floor is just as packed, I make more money, the clients pay less overall and I like them a lot more musically. Some of the accounts were ones where 2 of the guys said they didn't want to drive that far (about an hour) anymore. I told them if I switched to my Duo, I wouldn't turn back...and I haven't...and won't.

*I gave great consideration to ending the band this year and only doing solo/duo work. In the end, two major factors convinced me to do another year.

1) One of the other players and myself mostly resolved an issue a few months ago that was very important to me. He had to swallow some pride or leave the band. He decided his one axe wasn't worth over $5,000 a year in income.

2) (The main reason...) I talked to several long term clients and fans who I trust to be honest with me. I laid it out for them, shared my frustrations and ideas on fixing my problems with the quartet. (Changing to a Duo) To a person they all said that dancing wise, the Duo would be absolutely fine-no issues there at all, but that for over a decade, they and their partners so looked forward to a night with the Bill Corfield Band. They feel a bond with us and I respect that. For years I have been sincerely touched by watching these nice people get dressed up and go out to the club and dance with each other like they have for several decades. I see the glances, the embraces, etc. and it deserves respect. We've seen many couples stop coming because of illness and death, which has been a shame regardless of how inevitable I know it is.

*So...switch to the Duo and feel much better musically but lose something in the room because I've left half my guys at home? Not sure I'm prepared to explain why to these dancers I needed to make a change. Also, in spite of the musical limitations I hate, the guys have been very loyal. They have represented me very well over the years and I'm just not ready to kick them to the curb.

*To close, for me-its about everything EXCEPT money, Diki. I make less money when working with the band than on any kind of gig I do. $100 in my pocket after a 3 -4 hour job is by far my worst payday anywhere on my schedule. Ironically, this Saturday, I WILL use my Duo for the first time at our main account. (Bass player has to be out of State.) I'm very interested in seeing how this goes because at some point, I will drop the band and convert to a Duo. I'm sure I will be asked a dozen times or more where the other guys are.

If it sounds a bit sappy, well, then it does.



[This message has been edited by Bill in Dayton (edited 01-06-2010).]