Views And News: "Bearded Minstrels Of The Land - Please Cover The Doofus Unit This Semester"

May - June - July - August 2025

They say the beginning of April is called “The Fool‘s New Year“. Well, I think that if you haven’t figured out by fifth month that we are now into another slab of 365 ribs, then you’re not a Fool you’re a Doofus. And there is a marked difference between the two. Obviously, only a Foolish Doofus would mistake… Say, a hairy Fool for a bearded Doofus. And again, for those of you who never paid attention much in class, a Doofus is a Fool without the ability to reason poorly. The average North American Doofus hibernates in snowy climbs in winter; only to venture out of its cave during summer to play with electrical wiring, use bad grammar, and spilled ketchup on his dress shoes. He also tries to play all of his original music at a gig where the audience only wants to hear cover songs. And that, my brethren is how I'd like to start out the Fool’s New Year. With some unsolicited advice from a sometimes funky resident musical senior citizen - and yes I do mean Yours Truly. No...Really. I am addressing the cross section of musical performers that seek to avoid playing cover tunes like they are so many strains of dysentary. As if playing "Sweet Caroline" at a given gig is some sort of sell-out, or comprimise to some pre-existing musical commandments. Well, to all you Archbishops out there - To start off… most of what you are "complaining" about is really a matter of simple supply and demand. For instance, if you are looking for a job as a rodeo clown, but you are also qualified to be a network administrator…Which job do you think you are likely to land first? It's not that every musician other than you, sits at home just Jonesing to play in a cover band. It's more that, if you want to play out, overwhelmingly…those are the jobs that are the most available. Really. 90%+ of the gigs out there specifically REQUEST cover music. And the other 10% or so, if you can find them, may not be worth your time and effort due to geography, compensation, safety, or all of the above. Believe me, I'm over 50, and I've seen what's out there. And secondly…What makes a great original band? What makes a bar or a venue owner want to bring an original band onto their stage versus a cover band? Because that is the bottom line…Logically, the only way an original band gets to play the average venue (that is… if there are venues out there that don't mind giving original bands an opportunity), is to play out enough publicly in the venues that will allow you to do so….and build a following. I mean, do you think any venue in any town in America wouldn't want to have John Mayer play their room? Sure they would. First off, John Mayer IMHO is a great musician. But at one point, John Mayer, by his own admission, struggled to find places to play his original music. So what did he do? He played covers…And then sequenced his original music in between them. And he still does. Yes. We likely have to compromise if we want the rest of the world to help us satisfy our need to be unique. And it is an age old concept. Now…Are there bands that never made that compromise? Sure. But I guarantee you they are a minority percentage. Once again, I don't disagree with you conceptually. I personally love writing original music, and performing it as well. And would love to do it for a living. But I grudgingly realized a long time ago… whether you have two left proverbial feet or not - If You Want To Be Invited To The Dance, You May Have To Learn To Tango. So Don't Be A Pain - Entertain. Even If You Feel Like You Have A Pointy Hat On - SJ :)