Several years ago I was working at an Italian restaurant owned by a 'well seasoned' woman in her early 60s ... there were two dining rooms where the music could just about be heard, and a bar area with a small dance floor ... She liked it when people were dancing a good bit, so I was not playing the usual 'conversation' music ... In one of the dining rooms were two couples and one guy talked really loud, and even at that was making comments that the music was too loud ... Now I saw the owner sitting in the bar area and I could tell she was getting a little PO at this guy ... I finished a song and was going to take a break and the guy makes a comment about how nice the quiet was ... well, she got up and went over to the table and said something to the affect that this was HER restaurant, and I worked for HER and she liked the music at the volume I was playing, and if he didn't like it, too bad ... well, the guy quieted down, I continued to play at the volume the owner wanted, and as they left after dinner they just nodded to me ...

Ya gotta love it when the restaurant owner is in your corner. More often than not, when they have a bad night, maybe because there's a damned blizzard raging outside, it's the musician's fault.

All the best,

Gary

I will never forget one night at a 5 star restaurant where I played a year at in 1972. The house had a B3, and I brought in my new Rhythm Ace for the first time. For the most part, everyone seemed to enjoy what was a novelty at the time, except one drunk,

The restaurant was owned by the Tabano family, and had heavy ties with the "Family". Anyway, this drunk kept coming up to the stage telling me to turn that thing off. Since I had the box at a dinner club level, I ignored him.

The third time, Frank T, who was 6'4", and 300 lbs, came up behind him and asked me if this lout was bothering me. I replied that he didn't like my Rhythm Ace. Frank said everyone else did and ordered him out of the restaurant. The drunk said he wasn't finished yet and, with that, Frank said yes you have and took him by his coat collar and unceremoniously to the front door.