Musicians and Bands - an article for you, worth checking out.

Article written by Dave Goldberg, a Jazz Musician.

AS I’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR GIGS LATELY, I’ve never seen so many free and low paying gigs. Well the economy is bad, so I can understand that a little bit. However, it is no longer good enough for the musician to be willing to perform for little compensation. Now we are expected to also be the venue’s promoter. The expectations are that the band will not only provide great music, but also bring lots of people to their venue. It is now the band’s responsibility to make this happen, not the clubowner. Just the other day, I was told by someone who owned a wine bar that they really liked our music and would love for us to play at their place. She then told me the gig paid $75 for a trio. Now $75 used to be bad money per person, let alone $75 for the whole band. It had to be a joke, right? No she was serious. But it didn’t end there. She then informed us we had to bring 25 people minimum.... Didn’t even offer us extra money if we brought 25 people. I would have laughed other than it’s not the first time I’ve gotten this proposal from club owners. But are there musicians really doing this? Yes. They are so desperate to play, they will do anything.

But lets think about this for a second and turn this around a little bit. What if I told the wine bar owner that I have a great band and we are going to play at my house. I need someone to provide and pour wine while we play. I can’t pay much, just $75 and you must bring at least 25 people, who are willing to pay a $10 cover charge at the door. Now, wouldn’t they look at you like you are crazy? "Why would I do that," they would ask? Well because it’s great exposure for you and your wine bar. The people there would see how well you pour wine and see how good your wine is. Then they would come out to your wine bar sometime. "But I brought all the people myself, I already know them," they would say. Well maybe you could make up some professional looking flyers, pass them out, and get people you don’t know to come on out. "But you are only paying me $75. How can I afford to make up flyers?" You see how absurd this sounds, but musicians do this all the time. If they didn’t, then the club owners wouldn’t even think of asking us to do it. So this sounds like a great deal for the club owners doesn’t it? They get a band and customers for that night, and have to pay very little, if anything.

But what they don’t realize is that this is NOT in their best interest. Running a restaurant, a club, a bar, is really hard. There is a lot at stake for the owner. You are trying to get loyal customers that will return because you are offering them something special. If you want great food, you hire a great chef. If you want great décor, you hire a great interior decorator. You expect these professionals to do their best at what you are hiring them to do. It needs to be the same with the band. You hire a great band and should expect great music. That should be the end of your expectations for the musicians. The music is another product for the venue to offer, no different from food or beverages. When a venue opens it’s doors, it has to market itself. The club owner can’t expect people to just walk in the door. This has to be handled in a professional way. Do you really want to leave something so important up to a musician? This is where the club owner needs to take over. It is their success or their failure on the line, not the musician. The musician can just move on to another venue.

I’ve played places where, for whatever reason, only a few people have walked in the door on a Saturday night. The club owner got mad at me, asking where are the people? I turned it around on him asking the same thing? Where are all the people? It’s Saturday night and your venue is empty. Doesn’t that concern you? What are you going to do about it? Usually their answer is to find another band with a larger following. This means the professional bands get run out of the joint in favor of whoever can bring in the most people.

Eddie Mechanic who has slaved all week fixing cars at the local dealership also plays guitar. Not very well, but he’s been practicing once a week with Doctor Drummer, Banker Bass Player, and Salesman Singer. Usually they just drink beer between rehearsing a few tunes in Eddie’s garage, but this week they answer a LA CLUB OWNERS craigslist ad and line up a big gig. Well, they don’t sound that good, but they sure all work with a lot of people everyday. All these people can be given a flyer on Monday and after being asked, "are youcoming to my gig?" everyday all week, will most likely show up on Saturday night. So mission accomplished, the club owner has packed his venue for one night.

But here’s where the club owner doesn’t get it. The crowd is following the band, not the venue. The next night you will have to start all over again. And the people  that  were  starting  to   follow  your  venue, are   now  turned off because you just made them listen to a bad band. The goal should be to build a fan base of the venue. To get people that will trust that you will have good music in there every night. Instead you’ve soiled    your    reputation for   a   quick    fix.   I think we, as musicians, need to fight back. Sure you can get mad about it, but that won’t do anything. We could all agree not to play those for the door gigs, but you know that isn’t going to happen. But what we can  do,  is explain to the club owner that it’s not   int heir  best  interest  to operate their business like this. There  is too  much at stake  for  them  not  to be truly invested  in  the music presented  in their venue.

**There is more to this article. To read the article in full from it's source, please click the link below:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/78468650/La-Club-Owners

Happy 2012

Happy New Year to everyone. Here we are in a new year and off to a new start. Have you looked over 2011 and found any aspects that you would like to change in 2012? What about new declarations? Some people want a new career and will look for a job change, some will go to school and finish up a degree or something left unfinished, some will start families and others will make some type of life changing decision like to get married, divorced, take a trip, move....the posibilities are endless. Some may start a diet or even just start to eat healthier.

Whatever your goal for 2012, here's to you! May it be a wonderful and prosperious year for all.

Brightest blessings!

Generation Y- How they are affecting the work place.

Get ready because they are coming. Most of us have children or grandchildren who belong in the category of Generation Y. These kids are going to change things so be ready, prepared and flexible.

By Amy Chulik, CareerBuilder Writer
"What words come to mind when I say Gen Y?" Aaron Kesher asked the many attendees at 2011's Society for Human Resources Management conference who were packed into the room. "Entitled!" shouted one person. "Job hoppers," chimed in another. Soon, many in the room (many of them non-Gen Yers, with some Gen Y members sprinkled in) were shouting things like "smart," "résumé builders," "technically savvy," "stereotype," "comfortable with change," and "creative."

Obviously, we all have specific words and phrases and ideas that match how we perceive Gen Y to think and behave in the workplace. Gen Y, made up of those born between 1980 and 2000, have their own notions of themselves, too. In Aaron Kesher's, "Why Y? Plugging Into a Generational Powerhouse" session, Kesher encouraged all of us in the room to rethink our notions of what we think Gen Y is all about, to consider the strengths they bring to today's dynamic workplace and to use this knowledge and understanding to more successfully recruit and retain Gen Y workers.

"Do not doubt that this generation will change the face of the American workplace as their parents did," Kesher said. "In the next five to 10 years, the number of Gen Yers in the workforce will increase dramatically."

As the number of Gen Y workers is only getting larger, it's about time we as a collective workplace learn more about Gen Y so that we can understand them, appreciate their unique strengths, and more successfully integrate them with other generations in the workplace.

What is work from a Gen Y perspective?

•Work ethic: Job loyalty, for a long time, was shown by how long you stuck around and paid your dues -- and older generations still think in line with this. Gen Y, on the other hand, says, "I show you love by how hard I work, not how long I stick around."

•Tech savvy: It's not so much that Gen Yers are tech savvy, Kesher pointed out -- they're tech dependent. They're the generation that's come of age with the explosion of technology, so it's natural that they would be comfortable with it.

•Communication and teamwork: Gen Y is not necessarily entitled; they just feel comfortable asking for what they want. When it comes to communication, you can often count on Gen Yers to spread out the message fast and often. We need to realize, Kesher said, that throughout Gen Y's public education, the majority of the work was done in groups, and that their role wasn't usually as the leader of a group -- instead, many were "equal" team members. Therefore, many Gen Y members function fairly well as a group and as "team players," but some struggle in standing out as individual, assertive leaders.

•Money: Employers, listen up: Gen Y is talking to each other about the money they are (or aren't) making at your organization. They are comparing how competitive your salary is with your competitors -- and they're not afraid to share their findings. One audience member mentioned recently hearing Gen Yers discussing openly the job offers and bonuses they were getting -- and she was shocked. After all, discussing how much money you make is one of the last great American taboos -- yet Gen Y seems more comfortable with discussing this sort of information.

•Recognition: Gen Y is a generation of the "there are no losers -- everyone's a winner" mentality. "But they didn't make that up (boomer parents)," Kesher pointed out, to a round of laughter. Gen Yers don't care how it gets done --they just want to get it done. And they want to be told they did a good job once they do it; recognition is very important.

•Diversity: "Why do only white people work here?" might be something a Gen Y worker thinks while viewing a company site or sitting in the lobby while waiting to be interviewed and noticing the lack of diverse employees. Gen Y doesn't embrace diversity -- they expect it -- and if your company says you believe in diversity, but then a Gen Y worker shows up and all workers look the same -- they will think you're not living up to your diversity message. This generation has grown up with a greater awareness of and comfort with diversity of all kinds. From home lives, to school experiences, to messages absorbed from pop culture, they often don't see what all the fuss is. This can manifest as difficulty in understanding why others struggle with issues around differences. A question of whether gay marriage should be legalized, for example, is a non-issue for many Gen Y individuals -- and this shift ties into a larger cultural shift in general.

•Work versus life: "I love my job, but I love my life more" -- that's something you may hear a lot of Gen Yers say. One of the critical issues that will need to be ironed out at work in the future, Kesher said, will revolve around workplace flexibility. We're increasingly seeing workplace flexibility issues evolving in the workplace, and Gen Y workers in particular (though they're not alone) want to know how they can maintain their relationship with work while still having the flexibility to live the life they envision. As mentioned above, Gen Y has no problem with work or with the idea of working hard -- it's just that their job will never be the whole of their identity. They were raised with the imperative to "follow your dreams!", and their job and life may intersect in new ways than we've seen in past generations. "Gen Y," Kesher stressed, "doesn't want a job -- they want a life that hopefully includes a job."

•Being green: This is the generation that's leading the green movement -- so give them the power to build, make changes, and become leaders in your organization's (existing or non-existing) green movement.

Why worry about Gen Y?

Ensuring that the different generations working together under one roof actually work well together is a big concern for many employers. After all, if knowledge isn't able to be sufficiently shared from generation to generation, older generations will eventually retire -- taking with them decades of experience. In addition, workers who work well together are likely to be happier, more productive and better brand ambassadors for companies.

(To read the article on it's original page, visit: http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-2838-Leadership-Management-Gen-Ys-impact-in-the-workplace/?SiteId=cbmsnhp42838&sc_extcmp=JS_2838_home1

Coffee and it's surprising health benefits

Whether you like yours hot, iced, black or with sugar, one thing's for sure: Coffee serves up plenty of health benefits. Not only can a cup of Joe help ward off depression, but it has even been linked with a decreased rate of skin cancer and increased fertility. Read on to learn about the unexpected heath benefits of coffee, plus other brew-related facts.

1. It may help ward off depression.

Anyone who perks up after the first sip of morning coffee will tell you that it has mood-boosting effects. Now there's proof: A study from the Harvard School of Public Health, published last month in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found that women who regularly drink fully caffeinated coffee have a 20% lower risk of depression than non-coffee drinkers. The study, which followed a group of women for 10 years, found that as more coffee was consumed (up to six cups per day), the likelihood of depression decreased.

2. It may help promote a healthy weight.
Drinking an espresso or cappuccino after a meal is more than a relaxing habit. "When you drink coffee after a meal, it causes your body to more slowly process the meal you just ate," says Chris Kilham, medical researcher, founder of Medicine Hunter, Inc. and author of Psyche Delicacies. According to David Levitsky, PhD, professor of nutritional science at Cornell University, "Caffeine decreases the rate at which the stomach dumps its contents into the duodenum-a part of the small intestine where digestion takes place-and also increases metabolic rate." Keep in mind, though, that java isn't a miracle brew: Downing it after dinner won't make the pounds melt away; rather, sipping a cup post-meal could, in small part, help promote a healthy weight.

3. It may boost fertility in men.

"Studies have shown that caffeine has a positive effect on sperm motility-the ability of sperm to move toward an egg-and could increase your chances of [getting pregnant]," says John Wilcox, MD, FACOG, managing partner and reproductive endocrinologist at HRC Fertility in California. In fact, a study conducted at the University of Sao Paulo found that sperm motility was markedly higher in coffee drinkers versus non coffee-drinkers. And it turns out that it doesn't matter whether you drink one or ten cups a day: The only detectable difference was found between coffee drinkers and non-coffee drinkers.

To view the rest of the article, please click on the link: http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/7-surprising-health-facts-coffee-162900281.html

Looking for a job in today's economy? Buzzkill words on your resume.

Creative. Effective. Motivated. While you may think that you're using words on your resume that will appeal to hiring managers, some words can actually turn them off. On Tuesday, LinkedIn released the top 10 words that job seekers overuse in resumes and job applications. Here's the list:


-- Creative
-- Organizational
-- Effective
-- Extensive experience
-- Track record
-- Motivated
-- Innovative
-- Problem solving
-- Communication skills
-- Dynamic

If you're wondering how LinkedIn came up with this list, its data scientists examined millions of profiles to find out which words professionals used the most in 2011. Surprisingly, some of the words are different from what LinkedIn found to be the bad buzzwords in 2010, thanks to the skyrocketing growth of the professional networking site. A year ago, there were 85 million users. Now, there are 135 million users from around the world, so naturally that list of buzzwords has changed.


What's interesting is that the buzzwords vary, depending on the country. The word "creative" was overused in Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. "Effective" was used by too many job hunters in India. And Italians, it seems, are fantastic at "problem solving."

If I'm Not Creative ... What Am I?


I hope seeing this list doesn't kill your holiday buzz. If you're using these words as a selling point to potential employers, spend some time this month finding better, more descriptive words that pinpoint your talents.
"Competition for opportunities can be fierce, so craft your LinkedIn profile and resume to stand out from the professional pack," says Nicole Williams, LinkedIn's connection director and best-selling author of the book, "Girl on Top." "Even though this year's list of overused terms differs from last year's, your objectives remain the same: Banish buzzwords from your profile. Use language that illustrates your unique professional accomplishments and experiences. Give concrete examples of results you've achieved whenever possible and reference attributes that are specific to you."

LinkedIn recommends adding skills to your profile, which can serve to show hiring managers firsthand where your strengths lie. Recommendations, too, can help beef up your online profile.

LinkedIn also suggests filling out your LinkedIn profile fully. They say your profile is 12 times more likely to be viewed if you have more than one position listed in your work history. Adding a nice photo of yourself increases viewability as well.

What About My Resume?


Now that you know the words that employers are sick of seeing in resumes and cover letters, you can avoid them. If you're stuck for ideas, here is a list of action verbs, and an online thesaurus can always give you alternatives to the words you don't want to use.

It's your job as a talented job candidate to stand out with your resume and cover letter. Take time to rewrite it, and have a friend review it to give feedback on how appealing and engaging it is. Always customize both your resume and your cover letter for the job you're applying for.

This article is provided by US NEWS and Lindsay Olson  Click here for the link: http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/power-your-future/10-buzzwords-avoid-resume-182951302.html