DUSTIN EDGE TRIFECTA

This past week I played three shows in a row starting Thursday and ending Saturday. I thought they all went well on performance level. I also gave away some free CDs and got a couple dozen new signees for my newsletter. And most importantly, I made some new friends.

The weekend also re-introduced me to a handful of eccentricities present in the music business that I had forgotten since I was a member of my last band back in North Carolina...

First, if a band is playing after you, why do they sometimes decide to walk right in front of you while you're in the middle playing a song and proceed to load-in a ton of heavy equipment? I understand that, yes, the equipment needs to come into the club. But can't they just wait 2 minutes until there's a break between songs?

Second, why do some bands just leave after their set is finished? I know life is short and that the practicalities of a performance (loading out equipment, talking to fans, selling merch, etc) negate being able to watch every minute of the other bands on any given bill. But where must these people go that is so important that they can't stay for a while and support another band that is essentially trying to achieve the same objective - to have people listen to their music?

Third, why can't people write legibly when they sign up for my newsletter? I'm pretty sure the main answer for this is Alcohol. Either that, or a lack of attention in grammar school. But I've also seen writing that shows good penmanship, but has been offered in the form of a signature. And I can't read that. And I can't contact you later to tell you about how much I appreciated you taking the time to listen to my performance.

So blah blah blah, I reckon. I'm pretty sure that the reason why all these things happen is because many people out there are simply self-centered jerkfaces. But that's a fairly short-sighted assumption. And there's obviously much more to it than that. But what it is, I don't know.