One thing I think about a lot is how musicians must always (9 out of 10 times) remind the bar/restaurant staff to turn the stereo volume off when it’s time to play music. Somebody in the band needs to go to an employee somewhere and say, “Excuse me, the band is ready to play—can you please turn the house music off? Thank you.” Musicians call that “the house music”—not to be confused with the musical genre of House Music. There are occasional exceptions to this, like really high-end jazz clubs, concert and also theaters… But for much of our musical lives, we must walk over to a staff member and gently remind them to turn the house music off so that we can play music. Is this just a New Mexico thing? On one hand, it seems like a little thing—certainly it’s not a big deal to just convey a simple message. One musician speaking to an employee… In reality, it is not a big deal, and I do not mean to imply otherwise—it certainly keeps us humble. One would think however that if a business has invested money into having live music on a particular evening that they would know when that music is supposed to start. Employees and managers aren’t typically thinking about this because they are busy trying to run a restaurant, and in the heat of the moment, the band is actually not as important as the culinary arts (which is understandable). But if the music isn’t important, does that mean that I’m not important? I’ve spent my life trying to play a string to make sound. And it can be awkward to be in a space where musicians are an afterthought and where you and your instrument are literally in people’s way. Just for the record, I did work as a busboy back in the day, and I have total respect for all of my service industry people… It takes a serious work ethic to be able to handle restaurant work and I’m thankful for all of the wonderful staff that work the nights away. Once the house music is off then I can start to feel like I have a place. Sometimes it feels weird to play music just moments after the stereo goes off, because it’s like eating food right after you were just eating other food or something. I think they should turn the house music off like five minutes before we play or something like that, so that people’s palates can be ready for the music. Kind of strange when you think about it… “Let’s turn off the music so that we can have these musicians play.” Random thoughts from your favorite neighborhood bass player.