fbhjr

I think The Kinks might have more songs on my Phoenix playlist than anyone.
The only group I can think that even comes close is The Muppets.

“Do it Again” does seem to sum up a lot of how I feel about the close of
the Phoenix season this year.*
We’re only going to have 9 people at Mobile this year. That’s the lowest
number since our first Mobile faire in 2002. Granted, the contract is for
a minimum of 8, so we’re still OK. But, we usually have 12.
And, as the organizer has had some bad years, he’s back to paying us what
he did that first year, which is less than half of what he’s paid us for
the last few years. (Although, not the least he has paid us.)

I remember that time 9 years ago at the first Mobile faire. It was out at
the zoo, 30 miles outside of the city, about 2 miles past where the
pavement ended. We had to tell people “when you see the dead armadillo in
the road, you’ll be sure you’re on the wrong road. You’re not. Keep going
and take the next left.”

It wasn’t officially a Phoenix job. The group we had been in before we
started Phoenix had booked the job, but couldn’t meet the contracted
minimum amount of people. So, I offered to subcontract our people to help.
Two months before we had all been the same group, and everyone of the
people in the old group at that show were in the process of transferring to
Phoenix, so it wasn’t like we were working with strangers.

CLB, the leader of the old group and I were walking through the fields at
the zoo looking for the faire organizer.
“I don’t know what to do,” he said. “They want me to sign a contract for
Pensacola next spring. I couldn’t get 8 people to this show. How am I
going to get 12 or more in March? The organizers are all lawyers. I’m
very worried about what will happen if I don’t meet their contract.”
“I’ve got a way,” I said. “But, you’ve got to trust me and back me up with
what I say to the organizer.”
We walked up to the faire organizer.
“Hi, I’m Frank,” I said. “I’m taking over the leadership of the group to
give CLB a break. We’re also changing the group name to Phoenix Swords.
Can you reissue the contract to me for Pensacola under the new name?”**
I handed him my card for the new group.
“Sure, no problem,” he said.
We walked away.
“It’s like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulder,” CLB said.
“No worries,” I said. “Thank you for letting me steal your show.”
Now I’m the one worried about those contracts to lawyers for a minimum
number of people.

This has traditionally been a difficult show to get enough people for the
contract. Folks are busy in the fall. Vacation time for the year is
getting short. Practices are getting colder and darker as the year closes
in.
And, for some reason, there seems to be a lot of problems with folks having
major medical issues this time of year.
This is the show were we’ve had people back out due to cancer scares, flesh
eating viruses and other big health things.
This year is no different.

This time of year often feels like I’m flying a plane that’s in trouble. I
can see the airport, but I’m not sure I can reach it.
So far, we always have.

As the song says: “Day after day I get up and I say I better do it again.”

*That and “The Road” with the line “I think of all the friends I’ve left
behind on the road.” That’s another story I haven’t gotten around to
thinking through yet.

**This was a bald faced lie. We were a rogue splinter group of the old
group, not the group changing names. But, CLB backed me up on it and we
got the job. The remains of the old group folded less than 2 months later
anyhow. But, CLB could have easily said “We’re not changing the name,
those splitters left us high and dry!”