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Only amateurs go out on weekends.

At least that is how the saying goes. Monday is industry night, Sunday and Thursday are mixes of locals and industry, but in the world of entertainment, Friday and Saturday are working nights.

It sounds really cool, and practical. Rather than deal with crowds and higher ticket prices, we "showbiz" types go out on off-nights. We have our own little scene going on. The clubs are usually happy to see us. Some even have discounts for industry folks. We get together and jam, and maybe go to a nice dinner at a place that is booked for months in advance on the weekends.

On long holiday weekends, when my friends are throwing BBQs, skiing and hosting get-togethers, I will be singing at a gig... usually two or three gigs. Fourth of July, Labor Day, Memorial Day. When friends and family get married, or have a graduation, or birthday parties, I'm working. I don't work EVERY weekend, but holiday weekends are usually triple-booked. Of course, I usually have several weeknights off, but I can seldom get people to hang out on a weeknight or in the daytime.

The last few New Year's Eves were particularly stressful, as I had to cook dinner for 100 people at Pearl's, plus sing. Oh, the joys of club ownership!

This year was the first year in my adult life that I've had New Year's Eve off. My husband proposed to me, and for the first time in my life, I felt the profound feeling of the Old Year passing. This year was the first I can remember not counting everyone down to the stroke of midnight, of kissing instead of singing "Auld Lang Syne."

When people inquire about the price of bands for private events, they always seem surprised. How much would you charge if you knew that almost everyone only wanted to book you on weekend evenings? How much would you charge to not be able to bring your mother or your husband, or sit down at some point and have a drink? How much would you charge to miss every festival, every picnic, every fireworks display? How much would you charge to leave as soon as your kids came home from school or as soon as their recital or baseball game started? How much would you charge to miss Super Bowl Sunday?

Some people say that Blue Monday got its name from club owners because business was so slow. Others say it was because many musicians typically have that night off, so they would hang out and jam (blues are typical jam changes). I say it's because after an intense weekend of work you realize that in some twisted Castor and Pollux arrangement, even though you might have been able to see your loved ones in the audience, you really didn't get to spend any time with them. And now that you have free time, they are busy working, going to school or nursing their hangovers from the weekend. So even though I don't have to go to the office, I do feel blue some Mondays.