Evy's friend Jean is right, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. If people didn't make music for free at one time or another, there would be no such thing as folk music, whatever you call it (roots, trad, old songs, etc.). In fact, there would be no such thing as music at all!

I've done my share of paying gigs. But after laying out for parking, splitting the performers' share of the gate with the other acts, buying my brother and his girlfriend a drink, and going out to dinner afterwards with my wife, I'm lucky if I net ten bucks. After I subtract the cost of printing and mailing flyers, I'm fortunate to be in the black at all. Most of the time I'm better off working for free.

In fact most of my best performances have been freebies. I do the Clearwater Pumpkin Sail/Sale each fall for free. I did the Ships to Save the Waters Conference in New Jersey last year for free. I did a Peoples Music Network workshop in Hartford earlier this year for free. I was in Songs of the Spirit at the Clearwater Hudson River Revival last year for free and I plan to be there again this year for free. But then I'm a FOLK musician, and damn proud of it.

A while back I was in Paris, singing and playing outside the Cathedral of Notre Dame. I had a hand-lettered sign propped up on my guitar case which read "Ne jetez-moi pas d'argent SVP!" (English translation "Don't throw me any money, please!") Some German tourist tossed a couple of 20-centime pieces my way, which I promptly threw back at him along with the words "Gardez votre argent puant, Bosch!" ("Keep your stinking money, Kraut!") That got me the applause of the audience, a hearty handshake from some old workman who told me that he had been in the Resistance, and a big wet kiss from his well bangled and overly made-up wife or, possibly, mistress.

Now that's payment that a true folk musician can savor!

--- Steve