The Asheville Music Scene welcomes community-submitted content related to, the local music scene.   Articles, Reviews, Guest Editorials and other content can be submitted via email to:   This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

The Asheville Music Scene recently received the following submisison from local local musician, Don Rawson.    Don offers the following  as a commentary on the challenges local musicians face in regards to being compensated for their skills and labor.

(With apologies to John Steinbeck for quoting sections of "The Grapes of Wrath" where Preacher Casy tries to motivate his fellow workers and Tom Joad to hold out for decent wages. I find a few similarities to Asheville and its music scene in reading this-this is also one of my favorite books of all time-just substitute "peaches" for "gigs"-Enjoy!)

Tom said, "We struck. This here's a strike." "Well fi'(five) cents a box of peaches ain't much but a fella can eat."

"Five cent?" the wizened man cried. "Fi' cents! They payin you fi' cents?"

"Sure. We made a buck and a half."

A heavy silence fell in the tent. Casy stared out the entrance, into the dark night. "Lookie, Tom ," he said at last. "We come to work there. They say it's gonna be fi' cents. They was a hell of a lot of us. We got there an' they says they're payin' two an' a half cents. A fella can't even eat on that, an' if he got kids- So we says we won't take it. So they drove us off. An' all the cops in the worl' come down on us. Now they're payin' you five. When they bust up this here strike- ya think they'll pay five?"

 "I dunno," Tom said. "Payin five now."....

(Preacher Casy) "Try an' tell 'em Tom. They'll get two and a half, just the minute we're gone. You know what two and a half is- that's one ton of peaches picked and carried for a dollar." He dropped his head. "No-you can't do it. You can't get your food for that. Can't eat for that."

Tom said, "I'll try to get to tell the folks."

Casy's eyes shone with excitement. "Look, Tom. Try an' get the folks in there to come on out. They can do it in a couple days. Them peaches is ripe. Tell 'em."

"They won't," said Tom. "They're getting five, and they don't care about nothin' else." "but jus the minute they ain't strikebreakin' they won't get no five." "I don't think they'll swalla that. Five they're a-gettin. Tha's all they care about. Pa wouldn't do it I know him. He'd say it ain't none of their business."....

"We was outa food," Tom said. "Tonight we had meat. Not much, but we had it. Think Pa's gonna give up his meat on account of other fellas? An' Rosasharn oughta get milk. Think Ma's gonna wanna starve that baby jus 'cause a bunch a fellas is yellin' outside a gate?"

Don Rawson lives in Swannanoa.  He's a fiddler, guitarist, bassist and songwriter.....and an avowed contrarian.  He released a cd in 2007 titled, "Shoeing the Devil" backed by his own band, Don Rawson and the Contrarians.

His other bands include

The Cisco Playboys (Western Swing / Texas Swing / Early Country / Rockabilly)
The Queen Anne's Revenge (Old-time / Acoustic)
The Creek Jumpers (Bluegrass / Acoustic / Country)

For more thought provoking commentary, check out Don Rawson's blog on his myspace site (http://www.myspace.com/donrawson9 )  His most recent blog entry is titled: Some Straight Answers (finally) 

---