High Turnover Is Not Always Faulty Management

So, the Enter the Blue Sky group, for which I play an harmonica, has gone through some personnel changes over the last 8 months.  Or however long I've been the chief rabble rouser of the band.

Soon after I came on board the keyboard got canned.  Mostly due to a feud with the fiddle player.  Who was right or wrong, I cannot say, but it was his handling of the matter that caused Sande to give him the boot.

Fast forward awhile and the fiddle player becomes disgruntled; wants to fron four or five songs a show, wants credit for arrangements when he comes up with a backing part??? I know, I didn't get it either. b So, he lays down an ultimatum and it becomes an adios kind of deal.  Sande is not one to negotiate with ISIL or other terrorists or those leveraging some form of emotional blackmail.  Ultimatums are only good if you are prepared equally for either outcome.  Someone like Sande is going to call your bluff.

So, we get a girl viola player who turns out to have doctorate degrees etc, was a symphony player, and she is great.  Now the bass player decides to walk.  He has always been non committal and this has more to do with him avoiding getting out of his comfort zone, which I won't detail.  Nice guy, good in a pinch player but not creatively enthusiastic.  Anyway, bu bye. He goes.

Now another woman player may enter the mix.  A Berklee school of music grad. who makes her living playing, likes the music and wants to give us a shot regardless of fact it ain't paying the bills.

The would leave the drummer and I as only males in group.  Yay.  I am fine with that!

It makes it look like maybe Sande is tough to work with or something.  Not true. Sande is absolutely delightful, except when I get mad at her over trivia.  She's great.

Things can often look some way they aren't.  The simple fact is that most people who play folk, pop, rock, country, Americana, etc.-maybe any kind of music--are unbalanced lunatics.  No idea why, but that is how it is.  So they come and go, even when drugs and drink aren't to blame.

My "help" at work has become a bit of a nightmare.  He has not listened to anything I said, so it seems.  Long story, and total shocker considering I brought him in, guaranteed his first pay from my savings, until the company caught up, etc.  Ingrate.

Oh well.  I believe he's being phased out.  I'm feeling better and able to do more so I need less help.  But it could look like I do not play well with others.  Not true.  I am a wonderful co-worker, but we have some very strange, back stabbing lunatics in the mix.  Not my fault.  I am possibly going to survive them all.  I hope the feeling better continues.  A few good days and I always think it is permanent, but often get little set backs. Two steps forward and one back. That is still positive net forward travel.