Following an enormous gap between posts during a summer which has seen me going all over the place, I’m now back on the Rat Pack – Live At The Sands US Tour. We’re opening this season’s tour in Atlanta tomorrow night and I’m very much enjoying being here in the warm weather. Certainly a nice change from the UK summer which has been a tad wet to say the least.

I’m going to try getting back to posting here more regularly – the way things have been lately I think I’ll need the opportunity to vent from time to time. I’ll certainly be back on during the week to report on how the band and show are this week. Apart from anything else, due to Visa problems I currently have no idea who’s playing Frank Sinatra in the show tomorrow night!!

More soon…

I’ve come to this a little late because I’ve been out of the country, but it seems that in December the Government announced plans for a forthcoming Road Pricing scheme in the UK. It seems that, from researching this on the internet, there are conflicting reports and opinions on how this would actually work, but certain salient points are giving me cause for concern. Most of these are discussed in an article of the SafeSpeed.org.uk website and the crux of it is as follows:

• The government’s proposal to introduce road pricing will mean you having to purchase a tracking device for your car and paying a monthly bill to use it. The tracking device will probably cost about £200.
• In a recent study by the BBC, the lowest monthly bill was £28 for a rural florist and £194 for a delivery driver. A non-working Mum who used the car to take the kids to school paid £86 in one month.
• On top of this massive increase in tax, you will be tracked. Somebody will know where you are at all times. They will also know how fast you have been going, so even if you accidentally creep over a speed limit you can expect a NIP with your monthly bill.

For musicians, this is a complete disaster. We work in an industry where we are often required to travel large distances by road in pursuance of our trade; very often in situations where we are expected to absorb the cost of this within our wages. This is a necessity because of the hours we work. Imagine trying to travel halfway across the country in the middle of the night by public transport; it simply isn’t possible for many journeys! Add to this the fact that Musicians wages are actually in decline. Compared to 10 or 15 years ago, gig rates have barely risen, certainly less than inflation, and in many cases are lower. The cost of driving is already prohibitive for many of our colleagues, particularly those just starting out.

There is, at least, something than can be done. There is a petition available on the government’s new website. It’s already been signed by almost half a million people!

Please do your part and visit http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/traveltax/ to sign up. The petition is open until 20th February 2007.