What this Spring Break/SXSW booking season has taught me

Never have I seen the live music "industry" be so slack, lazy, and lame. This, coupled with the same sense of entitlement that musicians are known for. That has not changed.
Not ONE "national act" that I have booked here at Padre's for the SXSW/Spring Break season has sent me any posters to put up and R Halpern at the newspaper has not received any promotion from any of the acts even though sending a digital press kit is free, unlike back when I toured with Banana Blender and The El Orbits. Nothing.

Today I canceled a show for 2 Mondays from now after receiving an email from the agent, asking for, among other things, my "Facebook event Page Address" This, coming from NO POSTERS, NO PROMO band.
Canceled the show- I am disgusted.

Anyway, my lesson is that I am going to get hard on these BSers and cancel them is they show zero signs of professionalism. I will be sure to give them 2 weeks notice, as a professional myself. This way I can avoid
1) a Cover Charge for an act NOBODY has heard of that doesn't even have a poster hanging on our front door
2) Paying a doorman, soundman, meals and beers for a band playing to a near-empty room
3) Wear and tear on equipment, stolen microphones, DI's etc
4) All the rest of the crap that comes with hosting people in your house who are touring with "Dad's Gas Card"

AND- Posters sent via email "for me to print" are not acceptable
David

Guilty Pleasure(s)

I will now admit that I pretty much love listening to Alex Jones, a certified doomsayer, on his podcasts while doing the occasional and arduous task of dealing with band bookings.
85% of what he says is pretty much off my radar, but I LOVE the fact that he pretty much can't stand either of the two political parties (since they are basically the same with a different BS commercial stance) and that one of the things he hates the most is the co-opting of public projects/funds/ideas to the private sector in the name of security/efficiency and accountability.
Admittably, I look at public building and infrastructure projects and their costs and I think that, generally, 1/3 of the cost could have been saved without the influence of "the public good". That being said, the public/private partnerships tend to have none of the building efficiencies of the private projetcs combined with the public side ALWAY taking all of the risk and, if said project fails, the public sector is faced with the long term bag.
Guilty pleasure.
I think. more to the point, that this guy is pretty much insane and I would have, in a different life, been as intense as he is had I not ---
1) Made a decision to use some of the talents God gave me to produce music, which is theraputic
2) I had not been prescribed blood pressure medecine to clam my physical body down 11 years ago
and
3) Had a stablizing great group of friends to keep me thinking within some reality that resembles reality

Those folks who have known me well forever (family, Allen Hill, Banana guys, Christy Kern, all my college friends) and certain Alpine Bread & Breakfast regulars and many others can probably vouch for my intensity when I get pushed to my naturally intense origins. I am happy I make the decision pretty much every day to chill (believe it or not) Thanks, y'all- life is better without worrying about everything that doesn't really matter- D

Rockets can't understand why attendance is in the toilet

The Houston Rockets, even without an (NBA) superstar are in 6th place in the Western conference. Granted, that position is tenuous at best but they are wondering why they are at the bottom of NBA attendance.
Toyota Center= the lamest venue in the bigs
Watch it on TV at any bar anywhere- better atmosphere and better prices, and even a better crowd- even if your girlfriend gets harassed all night.
Le$ Alexander leaving the Summit was the end of truly fun NBA games in H-Town.