Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Always Late

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Well, it finally happened. We started one of our gigs late because our backup/lead singer, Jomo, was late. I would prefer to believe that he had car trouble or injured himself, but word on the street is that he was sitting at home watching Lifetime Movie Network.

As you may know, Rascal Red, the official lead singer of the band, owns all of the intellectual property and retains all of the bands income. He occasionally buys the band dinner if he feels that they have done well. But other than that, he shows no mercy and maintains a dictator-like grip on the band.

In 2002, when the band formed, Red had all the band members sign agreements, essentially locking them into a sort of indentured servitude. He has since failed to show up for a single gig, pay the band members anything, or even call or write. Jomo was forced to step in on the lead vocals. Brian was forced to drive the van. 8th Grade was forced to quit school and sell merchandise, and Robert was forced to pick up Red's banjo and take the lead.

But at Jovita's Mexican Restaurant this last weekend, Jomes began to take on an almost Rascal Red-Like persona. After showing up late, he promptly sang two mid-90's cover songs, causing the other band members to shed some tears. Then he got into a bar fight with a newly-landed emigrant and ran out of the bar with all the tips just before the end of the last song. True, the band has never made more than $14 in tips, but that was supposed to be divided unfairly by Red.

In short, Jomo is on thin ice. We'll see how it goes this weekend. We'll be returning to the Carousel Lounge on 52nd street in Austin. Show starts at 9:00 and goes until Midnight. It's free too, so don't miss it! Find out more on our gigs page.

Maybe we'll see you there.