It has been a long cold winter, but my bandmate and I have managed to keep practicing in the streets and in clubs the whole time.
I think we play about five or six times a month during winter, but we make up for it in the summer, playing up to six times a week during the busy season.
We make about $100 a day in tips during the summertime, so it is tough to not play a lot. I make about $1300 a month in the summer, which pays all of my bills for the month. I do HVAC technology sales too, so I am able to save a good amount each month or drop it in an investment. I think next year I am going to just do music for my job and stop working for the local contractor. I have been doing hot water boiler repairs the past few years, along with some heat pump installs, but music is going to start taking more of my time so I will have to stop doing it. We plan on playing in the ski resorts during the winters now, so that will put us on stage probably five nights a week. We will play in ski lodges heated by fireplaces in front of a bunch of happy skiers and I think it will be a lot of fun for us all, which is more fun than playing next to a boring space heater. Our music is made up on the spot, which is what makes it so fun for me and for the crowd.