I play a lot with an acoustic trio, I am the frontman and we get booked because of me. We played a nice outdoor gig awhile back. These gigs are contingent on the weather , not booked very far in advance but almost every non rainy weekend.
I am not going to turn it down cause those guys are not available so I played it solo yesterday, tore the place up. A young lady friend sat in on harmonica on a set. They call tonight and want to book me and the lady next weekend. I can't turn down these gigs - if they want my lady friend then I got to go with that. else I am afraid I'll lose the gig. it's a GREAT gig. Good money, good bar be que & drink.

I have a festival in June with the trio and a regular club gig thru August with the trio so I am not dropping them or anything.

I do feel like they have been cut out of this gig. They had the opportunity to play with me yesterday but had other plans. They are my friends but I can't be turning down gigs based on their availability.

Yesterday I was told they will try to book me all summer and now it appears they want the lady to be with me. Tough situation but the 'guys' are still getting decent gigs with me.

She is easier on the eyes though :-)

So is any of this a problem? It sure does'nt from the way you are talking. Be VERY open with your friends and tell them what is going on. DON"T wait to do it. Stuff like this can permanently kill friendships, and I'm pretty sure you want these guys in your life. Phone now! KK...

I see no ethical problems at all with what you're doing. Benny Goodman had an orchestra, but some places wanted a quartet or quintet. That's the way it works (only Benny played slightly larger gigs than you or I, I suspect- like Carnegie Hall). One of my bands has six members. sometimes we can all make it. sometimes only five, or four. It's not ostracism: it's a scheduling problem. Stuff happens. I play solo gigs when the place can't hold, or doesn't want, a whole band. Part of it is that I wanna play more than they do, and part is that I know more different kinds of material and can do a chameleon (non karmic variety) number if the situation arises.
Now, if you and the chick harp player start getting gigs to the exclusion of the others consistently, you might have to make a call, one or the other. If the other guys are waiting for you to front gigs that never materialize because you're booking the duo, ask them straight up if they can live with that. If not, that's the way of bands. If I had 100 bucks for every band I've been in I could afford the house I'm living in. I think the fact you have concern about this, and are being honest, answers your own question. Like the Mark Twain saying goes: tell the truth. then, you don't have to remember anything. best tom

What Kerry said.