Keith at Fete de la Musique -- Saturday, 20June2015

I don't know why I keep signing up for this thing (this is my fourth one). I suppose it's flattering to be asked to play (even for free) in a big "Festival", but it's actually a pretty bad gig. Play for four hours to make about a third as much in tips as I would on any Saturday night, for people who run right on by to get to or from the beach. And anybody who came down specifically for the music has 35 more bands to get to, so they don't stick around (or tip, 'cuz who can afford to tip 35 bands) either. Even if you're the best band there, they don't know that until they've walked the whole city.

But the upside this year was that I played at the night-before party and made yet more rich old lady friends, 'cuz, you know, I'm right in their wheelhouse. One of the organizers insisted that I show up, this time, at the After-Fete party (it's all about the parties for these people) at the "C'est La Vie" restaurant that's just a few doors down and across the street from the corner I play at.

They have live music in there sometimes, so I asked the organizer lady to introduce and recommend me to the owner, and she did, telling him that if he had me in there, she and all her Committee friends would be there. So, hopefully, she'll follow through with that idea and I'll get at least one night in there, which will hopefully parlay into more.

She had thought that I was going to bring her a CD to the restaurant, but I don't know how she got that idea, and I didn't. So I went back to my car and fetched a stack of 'em and handed 'em out like candy to all the Committee ladies, the owner, his sister the manager, and a Kids' CD for his 10-year-old daughter. Hopefully, all of those were a good investment...