This may be helpful to pros.

I have a weekly job playing at a nice supper club, always one night a week and occasionally more.
I made table-tent cards with the name of the place and my name on one side, and a place to write requests and dedications on the other. When I set up, I place one on each table. Since I started using them there, my tips have more than doubled on the average.
It's a trick I've been using for many years from time to time. I use MS Publisher to make the cards, but MS Word or any card program will work. I have a paper cutter to trim them. One fold and they are ready.
I'd be happy to share the design with anyone who is interested.
DonM

[This message has been edited by DonM (edited 10-09-2003).]

Neat Idea Don. Unfortunately, when I'm playing at the local "Blood & Guts Saloon" (American Legion) up here in the frozen north, the only tips a performer gets is on horses to bet on at the track. I'm playing their next weekend and I'll give it a try.

Thanks,

Gary

Gary, take a tip jar, and print a sign to tape on it: "Beer For My Horses Fund".
DonM

Gary,

Maryland is hardly the frozen north. Come visit Michigan in the winter sometime. Great sound on "Answer Me My Love" heard on Don's website.

Tom

Thanks for the complements and invitation Tom, but at my age, south looks better every day. The older I get, the colder I get. If I had my druthers, I would be playing in the middle and lower Floriday Keys this winter and let someone else get the snow off the driveway.

Cheers,

Gary

I play at a cigar bar a twice a month and I find that the best way to get a little extra tip is just to make eye contact and smile or nod, people really like the recognition : 0 Don, REALLY good idea, if i knew enough extra material to take requests id do this in a second.

Nice "tip" Don ( ok pun intended ). Thanks for sharing it.

You want cold... Here in the Catkills ( NY ) we have plenty of it. We had snow falling already on the second of October. I've seen it other years as early as late September.

I don't really like hot weather at all, and I'd miss the scenery we have here..so I wouldn't be happy in the South at all. I like spring and fall best. We rarely have any days where it reaches 90 here. 9 months out of the year here it's tolerable. From about mid Dec to mid March, you don't see the temperature go above the freezing mark a whole lot. Doesn't bother me much though. One of my favorite scenes is fresh snow sitting on the pine tree branches.

AJ

AJ,
Saw enough snow to last me a lifetime, especially when I lived in Spokane, Washington and during January the daytime high was often below zero. In the Keys there's lots of snow-white sand, beautiful palm trees, torquoise blue water, and most of the year, the temperature ranges 75 to 85. A cold night was in the upper 50s, hot days might hit 85 and the humidity south of Marathon Key was usually less than 40 percent, which is pretty dry. Beside, as you can tell by one of the photos on DNJ's post, I like those crazy looking shirts with flowers, guitars and other weird things. Gotta' get warmer.

Cheers,

Gary

...."Boat drinks........."

Tipping musicians doesn't seem to be too well practiced by the retired folks here in Florida...and is a definite no-no at the fancy, member only, private clubs. The only tips I have seen lately have been from the still working patrons at public clubs.

As for living in the South, if you, like AJ, enjoy looking at snow on tree branches - you are out of luck. But, if you want cold, you can turn down the A/C when indoors.

Outdoors is a different story. If it gets below 40 degrees, our governor calls FEMA.

Eddie

Don...great idea, thanks for sharing...there must be a million great ideas in that cajun grey matter...good stuff
AJ..a man after my own heart...my wife and I are re-locating after I retire...to MAINE....ahhhhhhh just 2 short months of summer....I can hardly wait....wonder if there's a market for one man shows in Alaska...BTW good luck with the ES...it is next on my list (God Willing)...Brian

[This message has been edited by B2 (edited 10-10-2003).]

Ahhh Maine.. I love it there Brian. I spend at least a week or two every year in the White Mts of New Hampshire, very close to the Maine border, and quite often I spend some time in Maine too. Ironically, my wife and I were talking about retiring to NH or Maine yesterday. BTW, thanks and I am loving the ES already.

AJ