SKF NOTE: While playing/singing in Honest Tom Pomposello‘s trio, we band members grew tired of playing bars. The drunks, the smoke, the noise. My friend, drummer Chris Conrade, said, “The music business is a bunch of drunks saying, ‘Entertain me.'” There’s a lot of truth in that.

As an alternative, the HTP trio put together a program, “The Blues: The Roots of American Music,” designed and printed this brochure, and reached out to public libraries and schools for gigs.

I don’t have our itinerary, but I do remember some rewarding gigs for audience who were there to listen, learn, and to interact with the musicians.

During that time I became aware of either a local or state government program offering to help musicians with programs such as ours find gigs in places like schools and libraries. At first it seemed like we had a chance of participating in the program. But once the woman I was speaking with about the program found out our trio had already played some dates, she told me wouldn’t qualify for the program. It was, she said, only for musicians who weren’t performing anywhere.

Go figure!

At any rate, our program was a success without government help. Just as it was a successful alternative to bar gigs.