We
just received this news, and thought you may be interested. Sent to us
by Frank Bauer, the Saxman of the band The Hired Help, it tells of some
unkind treatment they received recently down at Johnny's of Soulard.
St. Louis is known worldwide for the ethnic Blues scene we have, and Soulard
is known as the place to see the Blues. We at STLBlues hope that the clubs
realize they owe quite a bit of their success, and the very success of
Soulard itself, to the fans that come down to enjoy this very music, and
to spend their money. A little kindness and respect goes a long way.
 From
the band Hired Help
It's
interesting that St. Louis may want to tout it's rich heritage
of blues, but is it any wonder that the city falls short given the lack
of respect shown by some club owners. Case in point: It's Saturday night
at 10:45, Alvin Jett & the Hired Help has just completed performing
from 1:00pm to 10:00pm. The roadie's van is parked miles away. The police
still have the streets blocked off. Rumor has it that they won't let outside
traffic in until midnight.
Enter Johnny Daus Jr., owner of the famed establishment Johnny's. Does
he work with the band to come up with a viable solution? No he does not.
He comments that the band was paid too much and needs to get their equipment
out of his establishment as he has work to be done. When reminded of blocked
streets, Johnny comments that it's not his problem. At that point, he
tells his cronies to throw the band equipment down the stairs to the sidewalk.
This is after we put in a full day pumping up a crowd to make Mr. Daus
some cash. Even after the roadie's van shows up and the band loads the
strewn equipment from the sidewalk, Mr. Daus and his goons continue to
verbally berate the band. Rest assured that by the time Mr. Daus stated
the band will never work in his establishment again, the band was already
three steps ahead of him.
Take notice Soulard. Good bands aren't cheap and cheap bands aren't good.
If Mr. Daus' lack of respect for hard working bands takes hold, Soulard
is in for a downward spiral in musical talent. All music fans should be
aware of Johnny's practices in band relations when contemplating patronizing
that establishment. |
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