Yeah, Nigel... Sadly, our professional success is often at the cost of others. But what isn't, in a dog eat dog world?!

But having seen what an influx of casinos have done down here on the Gulf Coast, I tend to view them as a double edged sword. Initially, things seemed to be on the up and up. But what used to be a thriving club music scene tends to disappear, as smaller, older clubs can't compete with the casinos, and their free drinks and shiny lights and ringing bells, but the casinos pick up a lot of the slack.

The problem comes down the pike later... as the casinos, having destroyed most of the competition, go on a cost cutting rampage, and slash entertainment budgets to the bone. So what would initially seem like a good thing for a music scene turns into a nightmare, and the overall number of decently paid working musicians dwindles. I've seen it happen in Biloxi and Gulfport. I hope the same trend doesn't happen in Shreveport, for Don's sake.

I have some musician friends that regularly go to Vegas (not me, not my thing), and they report that over the last decade, it has become almost impossible to go out and find a decent band to listen to. Sure, there are the mega-big star name shows, but Vegas used to be a hotbed of great bands. Now apparently, mostly gone.

I did my share of Casino playing, over a year solid working in Tunica (second only to Vegas in size of casinos, I heard), but I never felt I could trust my future to them, and decided to return to the Gulf Coast.

But sure... you gotta go where the work is!