I'll try to make this as concise as possible. Might be more of a vent than asking for advice, but I'm open to advice as well.
I play in a fairly successful local Americana band, and have been playing with them for 3 years. I'm 9 years older (35) than the youngest member, and have been around the block a couple times. Since the beginning I've noticed little things that made me scratch my head, things like a mysterious "band fund," delusions of grandeur, and almost always opting to play gigs that are farther away and for less money. That comes into play here.
A local ale house came to me in July to book us, and I checked with the guys and got the okay, gave the owner dates we're available, and we settled on 2 Fridays. The first one being this coming Friday 10/11 , the second one being a month away on 11/22. I confirmed these dates with the guys, and booked the shows. It's a nice little place, very nearby, we've not played there before, and it pays the going rate of $100+ per man.
A week or so ago I got a text from the main booker in the band, asking if I was available for this weird Queen cover show on 11/22, an hour and a half away, full band, with $200 to split between 5 guys. I told him we were booked at the ale house that night. He asked if I could reschedule, and I said no. The owner was good enough to give us 2 good paying dates, this is a good place to book through the winter when things dry up, and it's in my town where everyone knows me, so I don't want to flake out on this guy. Nothing else was said.
So I logged in to our shared band calendar and what do I see? He removed my booking for 11/22 and booked the Queen tribute show instead.
Am I wrong to feel that 1) that's a hugely disrespectful move on his part and 2) that's highly unprofessional? It just makes no sense to me to cancel a good paying job nearby for a low paying job far away, not to mention the fact that we're an Americana band with nowhere near the instrumentation or vocal skill required to play Queen. I don't know man. I think I have to walk.
I play in a fairly successful local Americana band, and have been playing with them for 3 years. I'm 9 years older (35) than the youngest member, and have been around the block a couple times. Since the beginning I've noticed little things that made me scratch my head, things like a mysterious "band fund," delusions of grandeur, and almost always opting to play gigs that are farther away and for less money. That comes into play here.
A local ale house came to me in July to book us, and I checked with the guys and got the okay, gave the owner dates we're available, and we settled on 2 Fridays. The first one being this coming Friday 10/11 , the second one being a month away on 11/22. I confirmed these dates with the guys, and booked the shows. It's a nice little place, very nearby, we've not played there before, and it pays the going rate of $100+ per man.
A week or so ago I got a text from the main booker in the band, asking if I was available for this weird Queen cover show on 11/22, an hour and a half away, full band, with $200 to split between 5 guys. I told him we were booked at the ale house that night. He asked if I could reschedule, and I said no. The owner was good enough to give us 2 good paying dates, this is a good place to book through the winter when things dry up, and it's in my town where everyone knows me, so I don't want to flake out on this guy. Nothing else was said.
So I logged in to our shared band calendar and what do I see? He removed my booking for 11/22 and booked the Queen tribute show instead.
Am I wrong to feel that 1) that's a hugely disrespectful move on his part and 2) that's highly unprofessional? It just makes no sense to me to cancel a good paying job nearby for a low paying job far away, not to mention the fact that we're an Americana band with nowhere near the instrumentation or vocal skill required to play Queen. I don't know man. I think I have to walk.
