Copyright The Austin Chronicle
Dear Luv Doc, I am a local musician and my boss trusted me to cover his weekly gig that his band has had for over a decade at a very famous local venue while he was on tour. At first I was a bit worried we wouldn’t be good enough, and I would get in trouble for walking the crowd, but it turns out that we were so good the bartender suggested we take over for his band. What should I do? Take the gig and lose my job? Or say no and deny our natural talent? – Sincerely Local Natural Talent Being a bit of a musician myself, I think I can speak for your boss in this instance. I imagine right now he’s a bit preoccupied with other activities anyway. For instance: Driving down to that famous local venue to inform the bartender in question that he/she is dead to him. That may seem petty, but the ability to convincingly communicate strong emotions is the pro musician’s stock and trade. In fact, it would be unprofessional of your boss to let his hatred and resentment build up and fester for too long. I’m sure your boss has come to expect a certain amount of ugliness and despicable behavior in the music business, but outright betrayal is something that must be dealt with swiftly and mercilessly, otherwise schemers, rumor mongers, and saboteurs will run amok like they have for the last hundred years in L.A. Gross. Nobody wants that. Sure, Austin has its share of bitter, resentful musicians just like any other music mecca, but what sets this town apart is that we don’t tolerate backbiting, negativity, or shit talking. Austin musicians know that the only healthy way to deal with bitterness, resentment, and broken dreams is to scream into your pillow at night until you’re completely exhausted … and then cry yourself to sleep. When you wake up in the morning it’s a brand new day full of promise and possibility. You’re just a few TikTok hacks away from becoming the next Chappell Roan or Jack Harlow! It probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to point out that neither one of those certified superstars ever held down a weekly residency at a famous local venue. Food for thought. Anyway, before I tailspin into some dark, depressing diatribe about the wholesale dismantlement of the music business by greedy corporate vampires and soulless tech bros, I should perhaps pause for a minute and express gratitude for the fact that people in Austin are still willing to spend their hard-earned dollars in dark bars with like-minded people enjoying the music they love. I’m sure your boss shares this gratitude as well. I’m sure he doesn’t take it for granted that people are willing to leave their custom-curated creature comforts to baptize themselves in the font of raw emotion and unrepentant ecstasy for which your boss’ weekly residency is surely famous. Otherwise, how could he have maintained it for more than a decade? Lastly, while the approval of this treacherous, deceitful bartender is surely encouraging, you should perhaps remind yourself that your boss wouldn’t have chosen you to fill in for him if he thought you might walk the crowd … the crowd that he has so carefully nurtured for more than a decade. Therefore, if you’re seeking encouragement, you need look no further than the professional respect he paid you by placing his cherished audience in your care while he was away. That’s just my two cents. That said, there’s a good chance your boss might not be as charitable and forgiving as I am, so I wouldn’t cross him. This article appears in November 7 • 2025.
