i said that the fremont phil should play the burlesque nights months ago. i distinctly remember when the phil was discussing what nights we wanted to play, and saying that we should definitely play the burlesque nights when we first discussed it, in the latter part of last year. i also distinctly remember saying, in my artist’s “application” for the moisture festival, which was submitted in november of last year, that i did more than just play tuba, and if the fremont phil, for some reason, was not needed to play the burlesque nights, that i was very interested in playing them anyway, and if they had to “hire” a band, that i wanted to be part of it. on the 8th of march, this year, i received an email asking if anyone was interested in playing the burlesque nights, and i responded that i was. i even put them on my schedule. then, 3 days ago, i received another email saying that we “were not needed” for the burlesque nights.

i had already got a comp for moe for the late night show last night, because i thought i was playing, so i went anyway, and bought a ticket. i was surprised to discover that out of the musicians that i could see, i knew 3 of them… four if you count RB, who didn’t actually play, but was there as a “producer of the show”: 2 (or 3) zebra kings, and one person who has been sitting in with the fremont phil. i know that they’re also playing tonight, when the phil has “their own night” at the palladium at exactly the same time – which will mean that the phil will have to forgo doing one of their most characteristic pieces of music because we don’t have a trombone player. not only that, but they played 1 piece that the phil actually rehearsed as recently as monday, this week, for a vocalist that rehearsed it with us, and as far as i’ve been able to tell, is not going to be performed again, and they played another piece that has a tuba solo at the beginning, which wasn’t there last night, because there was no tuba player.

i’m PISSED OFF!!

i wanted to play the burlesque nights, and i didn’t, because there was no communication… same as there has been no communication throughout the process of creating the program, and, i get the impression that it’s been the same situation as last year and the year before that… and, possibly, the year before that, and the year before that as well.

and i’m not the only one that’s pissed off about it as well, but i still don’t know what is to be done about it, which pisses me off even more. i don’t care if they are paying me, they can’t pay me enough to make up for the anger that i feel that the producers of this show are as unconscious as they are. i don’t understand how this can be the longest running show of it’s kind in the world with this kind of lack of communication going on from the very beginning.