Bright Lights, Big Bitchy

Knitting content later. I'm fighting a cold and need to kvetch about band.

I got an e-mail today from a fellow member of one of the bands I'm in. We'll call it "Band A." Band A has a concert coming up in the next few months. This person told me to do up a poster for the concert. A tad presumptuous, but I don't mind doing them, so fine. However, I think he will be surprised when he sees my design - it's black and white, and I'm 99.9% sure he's expecting a full color poster. Why? Well, last month, he sent me a mock-up of one he did to look at/print off, because his printer is out of colored ink. I couldn't, because I don't have the program used to create the file. Why black and white? A couple of reasons. First off, I think a simple, graphic poster is far more effective. Secondly, a black and white poster can be copied onto varying colors of paper for more drama. Thirdly, I just spent $60 buying new ink for the printer, and that was only for black, cyan and yellow (I replaced magenta a month or two ago.) The expectation with a color poster is that habsgirl and family will shell out for the materials - ink and paper. I did that last year, but there was a better case to be made for the use of color (WWII commemoration, Union Jack and all that.) But, you say, there are color photocopiers out there. Of course there are. However, the band would have to pay around $1 a copy, and that would kill any profit we make from this concert.

Let's add to that the fact that the concert is going to SUCK. Big time. If you were around here, I'd suggest you stay away. Why is it going to suck? Well, the band has great gaping holes. Last practice was attended by 1 flute, 1 oboe, 2 clarinets, 1 tenor sax (who will miss the concert), 1 french horn, 5 trumpets, 1 tuba and 3 drummers. Regular attendees missing were another clarinet, another french horn and another tuba (who may be forced to quit band by her parents). We have no trombones, no baritones/euphonia, and just the one tenor sax player. It's like a choir missing the tenor section. If the rumor mill is correct (and I have it on good authority, so I believe it), the band is going to lose its excellent lead clarinetist to the other band I play in - I certainly don't blame him for wanting a change. Most of us who are coming are getting more and more disgruntled. We're two months from two different concerts, and I couldn't tell you what the hell we're playing at either. Band B has a concert in less than a month, but I could tell you pretty much what we're playing, because that's what we practice every week - there's no handing out random new songs, there's no pulling odd stuff out of the overstuffed folder, there's no playing a song one week that needs a lot of work and not seeing again for a month. In reality, I think Band A needs to reconsider its current path - I think it's veering off the rails. The problem is that I don't think the band director will take criticism very well. But that's a bridge to cross a tiny bit down the road.