Union emails

Michael writes:

Here is my take on the matter:
Chaim got started booking gigs for Evenal. (3 guys who could play a wedding but at that time could not get work with the 'reguler ' bands. They were willing to work for a pittance just to get work. Isn't that ok? The other guys they hired were paid scale+ but they still could pull off a 5 piece band for 1500.) After they got busy chaim figured it was time to start booking some stuff on his own. To my knowledge everyone who works for him demands and gets paid at least union scale.

A reader (if you want attribution, let me know) writes:

I am not keen for this discussion to take place, because many people who are affected by the Union, both positively and negatively, are often unequipped to put aside their prejudices from either the left or the right, and often the discussion of these issues turns into a yelling match. In addition, many of the participants are not old enough or in the business long enough to have an informed perspective on what the Union has until now accomplished for musicians, especially in NYC and LA. Suffice it to say that outside of the strong musicians Union locals, the freelance music field is a catch as catch can business, and there is no way to gauge of people are able to make a living as musicians.

The question can be divided in another way: Do you think a Union can help sidemen keep their wages and benefits stable and growing? And do you think THIS Union can do that? I think the answers to those questions will force people to think differently about the issue than they do now. I have much more to say, but Shabbos is coming.

I'm interested in hearing from more folks on this. Please send in your comments.

Housekeeping - New Email Address!

I've changed email addresses. For all future blog-related correspondence, please use the email address in the sidebar. Please update your files, as the old address will be out of service shortly. Thanks!

More Union Matters

I've received a number of emails with regard to the post "Does the Musicians Union Have A Role in the Jewish Club Date Field?"

I'll be posting these for discussion. I am hoping for a productive discussion.

First up, Chaim Rosenblatt emails to tell us about the union article against him. It is in the May issue of Allegro, the union newsletter. It is the fourth article titled, "'Are You Ready for Us?' Organizing Matters" by Michael Donovan

Unfortunately, the union website is not setup to allow hot-linking to specific articles, but you can navigate to it from their homepage.

Here's the opening, but I strongly encourage reading the whole thing for the purposes of this discussion.

"We enjoy paying our musicians well above what unions tell musicians they are to be paid. We enjoy treating them right! Wisconsin agrees!"

That was a recent text message sent by Chaim Rosenblatt, owner of the EvanAl Orchestra, to Local 802 Representative Peter Voccola.

As we demonstrate and protest against EvanAl Orchestra and Chaim Rosenblatt Productions in order to get the Jewish club date field in order, it is interesting to note Rosenblatt’s choice of words.

While claiming to be paying above scale to his musicians, a claim that we know is a lie, Rosenblatt cited the recent upheaval in Wisconsin in order to press home a point that should not be lost on Local 802 members.

For informed union people, this particular method of attack from an employer who exploits his workers in order to undercut scales is both insulting and ridiculous at the same time....

I've offered Rosenblatt the opportunity to write a guest post on the subject, and I hope that he will. I'll give him a chance to do so, before addressing the specifics of this article.

At the same time, I am happy to post guest posts from other perspectives. Send 'em in, and I'll put 'em up on the blog.

Not A New Lipa Schmeltzer Ban - Updated

Failed Messiah posts A New Lipa Schmeltzer Ban. Only problem is, he either misunderstands or misrepresents the material. It's not a ban on Lipa Schmeltzer at all, although the flyer does refer to Lipa negatively, in the context of condemning the notion of concerts in Uman.

Update: A post-event report (in Hebrew) here.

Does the Musicians Union Have A Role in the Jewish Club Date Field?

It's been a while since we've had a good discussion thread on the blog. Here's one that many folks have strong opinions on. I'd like to hear from folks on both sides on this. Pro and anti. From management, union workers, and the union too, if they want to contribute. Let's see if we can get a useful conversation going.

A few questions to start...

1) Does the union have a serious role in the Jewish club date field?
1a) Should the union have a role?

2) For union members: How specifically has the union helped you personally? Do you feel it is worth joining/staying in the union?

3) For non-union members: Why haven't you joined the union? Has there been any down side for you?

4) For offices who have a union contract: How has being union helped or hindered your business?

5) For offices who don't have a union contract: How has being non-union helped or hindered your business?

6) For all, any general thoughts or questions on this topic you want to share or discuss?

As a trigger, for this discussion, I'm going to repost a link I shared in an earlier link dump, "Let's Stabilize the Jewish Club Date Field."

This situation can be viewed in a variety of ways, as either demonstrating a strength or weakness of the union. What's your take on it?

Some Links for Y'all

Jello Biafra cancels Israel gig, but will go to Israel, and may reschedule. He attacks boycotters. Check this:

"I can't back anyone whose real goal or fantasy is a country ethnically cleansed of Jews or anyone else, where people who think for themselves or talk to the wrong person are automatically a sellout."

Read the whole thing.

Teruah posts "The Wondering Jew Talks Jewish Music." Jack's on a roll these days. check out some of his other recent posts while you're there!

JDub Records interviews the self-proclaimed Gangsta Rabbi. I remember seeing reviews of his cassettes in the Musician's Exchange mag they used to give out in local music stores in NY years ago.

7/2 link dump

Haven't done one 'o these in a while...

"A nigun a day" says "No joke. This song was composed, lyricized, recorded, and sold!" Look for a sequel coming soon! "Me and My Eidim's Five!

Over @ HuffPo, Josh Fleet posts "Words Of Wonder: How Jewish Poems Become Songs Of Praise."

Some yeshiva students rock Jerualem of Gold.

Oy, Mayn Libe Basarabye!"

Deleon releases a "Soca Hora Hora Medley."‬‏

Over at Sh'ma "Rethinking Music Making: A Teshuvah for the Conservative Movement."

Over at the musician's union website, frum wedding band offices gone bad.

Sibelius released "Scorch for iPad."

The Forward had a bit on "Daniel Kahn and the Relevance of Yiddish Protest Songs" and a piece on and Benjy Fox-Rosen's. latest. There are audio clips. Go listen!

This is Yiddish on " Rocking Out — In Yiddish."

Finally, Menachem Herman posts "Not Another Brick In The Wall".

Say What?

"Bugs Meany"
A Chanel-wearing older woman approaches the piano player at a nice soiree at a 2 Million dollar apartment in NYC to talk about how wedding bands ALWAYS play too loud. Totally not a concern with a piano/violin duo, one would think. After finishing her rant, she heads over to the buffet for some veggies. Returning with a plate of carrot sticks, she confides: "when the music is too loud, I just put these in my ears. Tissues don't help, but these are spongy and block the sound." It was tempting to play loud just to cause her to do that.

"The Goth Rebbetzin"
This older peep shows up dressed like a rebbetzin in prim black suit/white blouse combo, sporting a snood. Oh, and black lipstick. Mamesh tznius!

"Suicide Girlfriend"
If you invite your eccentric non-Jewish childhood friend --yes, the one with a handlebar moustache, who looks like a circus ringmaster -- to be your best man, keep in mind that he might bring his Suicide Girl model girlfriend as his date. She will wear a strapless/backless/sleeveless ball gown, which will show off her full body tattoos (featuring flaming skulls & naked women) covering her entire right shoulder/arm/back. And, she will be in all of the photos. Just an FYI.

Do you Ya'alili?

Do you Ya'alili? Hat tip, Leibel.

Seriously, what's the deal with wedding bands posting videos of themselves attempting to play the song? If your lead singer(s) have to keep leaning over/picking up papers to read the words, it might not be the best image to post all over the web. You do want to look like you know the material you play, right?

Simcha and Gorfinkel!

Gay Weddings

Check 1,2! Is this thing on?...

Some interesting changes are possibly afoot in New York. There is the possibility that the Senate will pass a same sex marriage bill. A bill was already passed by the Assembly, and they are one vote short in the Senate, so if one Republican can be induced to vote for it, the bill will be come law.

(This is just a question of timing anyway. It is inevitable that a same-sex marriage bill will be passed in NY sometime soon.)

Here's an article that discusses what Republicans are negotiating with regard to the bill.

Check this part:

Ball, one of the critical undecided Republicans, said he was looking at the same-sex marriage bill from a "very pragmatic perspective."

"I understand that there's going to be certain areas where they're not going to be able to have religious protections because you open up a whole new can of worms," he said.

One example: a proposal by a Washington and Lee University professor that would create exemptions for individuals who don't want to provide marriage-related goods or services because of their religious beliefs.

Professor Robin Wilson believes, for example, that a baker should be able to reject a couple's request for a wedding cake if his religion prevents him from serving a same-sex -- or an interfaith, or even interracial -- couple. He would only be forced to bake the cake if his refusal created unnecessary hardship for the couple, because, Wilson said, "in a straight up contest [...] marriage equality trumps religious liberty." Such a proposal would likely be a non-starter in New York state, particularly for individuals, as opposed to religiously-affiliated non-profits. "You can't institutionalize discrimination within the bill, nor would I ever want to," Ball said. Yet the proposal is an example of the issues that lawmakers may have to grapple with should they decide to broaden religious exemptions.

Depending on the final bill passed (whether this bill or a few years down the road) there may well be implications for how "frum" wedding bands deal with this issue.

Currently, I have seen offices take the following approaches to booking gay/lesbian weddings.

1) Turn the job down for religious reasons.
2) Book lesbian weddings and send out an all female band. (In Halacha, lesbian relations are only prohibited Rabbinically, as opposed to male homosexual relations whichy are Biblically prohibited.)
3) Book the wedding, but under a different band name.
4) Book the gig, and claim the client surprised the band a week or two out with the fact that it was a gay wedding. (This actually happened. The claim, that is. Not that I believe it.)
5) Refer the job to a different band (and earn a referral fee).
6) Accept the job.

Depending on the final legislation, some of these options may no longer be legal.

It is possible that this might open up the field of options for gay and lesbian couples looking for Simcha/Chassidic music at their weddings, which would be very meaningful to some homosexuals from the frum community.

New Skver Mitzvah Tants Melody - UPDATED

Here.

The silence from communal leaders in and out of Skver speaks volumes. For shame!

UPDATE: Tzig has some relevant comments here.

UPDATE II: Remix time!

Chag Sameach!

From the mailbag...

Six13 forward a link to their video "P-A-S-S-O-V-E-R." Their description: "It's our "Kosher L'pesach" take on two big hits by Usher and Ke$ha"

Dovid Kerner forwards a link to Matza'laya. I think I've posted this one before.

BDE - Micky Lane Z"L - UPDATED

Shalom emails to inform that Mickey Lane died recently. Baruch dayan emes! There's an obit here. His brother Zal has commented on the blog in the past. Condolences to the family.

UPDATE: 4/12

I will add any reader comments to this post.

Zevy Zions writes:

We all grew up with Mickey’s bass lines on all of the early Neginah albums. He was a great musician and he will surely be missed.

Sy Kushner writes:

I was saddened to read of Mickey Lane's passing. Mickey was truly unique, one of a kind. Though I had not been it touch with Mickey for many years, I recall our conversations about music and musical gear, both about which we were passionate. We both laughed at our inability to get rid of our obsolete gear with the result that both our pads looked like a Sam Ash warehouse. He performed with me during the Mark 3 days. He was surely a handful on the bandstand and beyond. May G-d give him peace and rest his soul.

Yehuda Mond writes:

Mickey Lane hasn’t played on a JM album since the late seventies (as far as I know), so here is some background for those who’ve never heard of the guy. Any Jewish music listener who has listened to the Rabbis’ Sons, D’veykus, Kol Salonika, Neginah Orchestra records, and The Messengers (among many other artists from the ‘60s and ‘70s) has heard Mickey’s bass line. Back when contemporary Jewish music was in its infancy, and before the fretted and fretless bass guitars became more standard, the bass fiddle (a.k.a. contrabass) was used, which was one contributing factor for the Rabbis’ Sons “folksy” sound.

My condolences to the Lane family – Mickey has earned an honorable spot in the JM Hall of Fame.

Parenthetically, a shout-out to Sy Kushner: We’re still singin’ Romemu. Keep squeezing the accordion!

UPDATE 4/17:

Shalom writes:

YouTube - MICKEY LEE LANE - "HEY SAH-LO-NEY"

YouTube - Mickey Lee Lane- "Shaggy Dog"

This is a side of ML that we never got to hear; I remember him only as a bassist and engineer, not a guitarist, but it sounds like he could rock out with the best of them.

An earlier one: hYouTube - Mickey & Shonnie Lane - "Daddy's Little Baby"This one is credited to Mickey and Shonnie Lane; did he have a sister?

There's some other stuff of his on YT if you dig around. Someone put up a discography at the Goner Records Mobile Message Boardbut that's just the non-JM stuff. Might be interesting to start going through some old records and see what else there is with his name on it.

Commentary Discovers 613

It is a great time for Jewish music, but I don't know that I'd choose this to illustrate that.

Ironic Orthodoxy

Oh dear!

To The Tune of....

Over at On The Main-line, Fred posts an interesting piece - "The original Shlock Rock: R. Yisrael Najara's 16th century religious Hebrew poetry set to Middle Eastern rock music.

Bigger Than Bieber

Leftover Cholent has da deets!

I'm Incensed!

From Shotei Hanevuah singer Ro'i Levy's Tehilla" (Glory) project, which is dedicated to prayers from the prayer book - "Ketoret." Groovy.