Parade Magazine, distributed nationally in Sunday papers does a bit on how much people earn at least once if not more each year. People in the entertainment industry are traditionally the huge earners, but people in the same industry also tend to live at the lower end of the spectrum. While Britney Spears can sit in rehab and make more money in a month than most of us will see in a decade or even lifetime, the average musician has a "real job", and can only dream of the stellar salaries garnered by the likes of those whose careers are pumped up by the big dollar recording studios and producers.

Yet, it's these common folk that rise to the cause time and time again. When someone in the community has a catastrophic health issue, friends most often produce a benefit concert to raise funds for the afflicted. They turn to these local musicians who time after time give their time and talent to what they feel is a good cause.

The Vermont Rally™ is one such cause and the benefit was to help the region.

When I put out the call to musicians for this effort, all I could offer was promotional consideration and the promise that were the event successful, we could pay people the following year and that those that came on board would be remembered for it.

The response was HUGE.

I'm constantly amazed at what this community of which I'm a part of is willing to give. We go out, spend hours booking gigs that pay less than $100/person and without even considering the time taken to develop our craft end up making less than minimum wage by the time we're done with booking, transporting, loading in and out, and actually playing the show. If the venue does less than expected, we often take a cut. We do it because we love it. We do it for free because we love our fellow man.

If you attend this event, and are able, purchase merchandise from those acts you enjoy. Many will not even have merchandise. Throwing some cash at them, no matter how small the denomination will be greatly appreciated. At minimum, hoot, howl, and applaud. They deserve it!