Larry,

I heard a story on NPR this morning that the US Armed Forces is the single the biggest employer of musicians in the USA. 2,000 musicians in the Army alone. By the way, among those who served as a US Army musician is Pete Seeger.

Of course you don't have to take the Royal shilling -- or whatever the US equivalent is -- to play the Triad open mike. Just show up with your pipes in one hand and your five bucks in the other.

---- Steve