Joe,
I think you are right. What has made it difficult for me is how bad the traffic has become the last 2 years. Many of the place I once took 30 minutes to get to have become an hours nightmare drive each way - on a good day. It is normal for me to drive 40-50 miles one way for a one hour gig. At least an hour each way, one hour playing, 30 minutes setup and breakdown, and I am always at least 30 minutes early for all my gigs. The net outcome is a very low per hourly wage. Not only that but almost all the roads I use have now become tollways which adds to my expenses. Add to that the EXTREME turnover of activity directors and it becomes a big hassle just to keep bookings going. This week I made 29 phone calls to places I have been playing for years but have not heard from for a while - guess what? Out of the 29 places 21 have had recent activity director changes which means you start all over introducing yourself to them. It all becomes a royal pain in the butt. You know - what kind of music do you play? Do you sing? How much do you charge? Do you have a CD? Is there a webite? Can you audition for me? Need I go on?

Deane