Recently I applied for a grant at the FAPK (the Dutch institute for performing arts), for three concerts in the USA (Sonic Circuits, Princeton University and Issue Project Room). Today I got word that I don't get the money for three reasons. First only one of these places is 'respectable'. I have no idea which one they mean, but me thinks both Sonic Circuits as well as Princeton are well-known. Secondly the organizations in the USA don't pay enough (but 'we think that for such a modest tour Frans de Waard can pay for it himself') and lastly Freiband didn't present itself on Dutch stages in 2006 and 2007, so there for can't be 'an ambassador of dutch stage arts abroad' - despite the fact that I played in these years in Lithuania, Greece, Sweden, Canada, USA, Japan and oh The Netherlands (but the plethora of names I use work against me here, no Freiband in The Netherlands). Playing in The Netherlands is something that I indeed don't do very often, for the simple reason that concerts are in places that can't even pay the travel expense or are organized by the likes of former Barooni boss R. Spekle, who has received again the annual award of best reader of The Wire (where he bases all his work as a 'curator' on and never on independent research), and since I am hardly in The Wire ('we rather write about the new kid on the block with a record company that advertises here, thank you'), he doesn't bother about me and my music (until the very late nineties he kept measuring my work by the first (and probably last) cassette he heard of me in 1984). The only time he showed a bit of interest was when Freiband had a CD on Ritornell - now that was hip. And oh besides programming for all those places in Utrecht, Rotterdam and the city which name I hate to pronounce, he's... ratatatata on the committee that judges grants at FAPK for low time losers like me. Such expertise finely used through out the country.
And that concludes my rant for the day and my final grant application at the FAPK. There is a small chance that I may go anyway, since the Dutch Embassy in New York may have a bit of cash left. If that would work it would be great.
On the bright side, I am playing as Goem|FDW in Den Haag on saturday the 28th late at night at Gallerie King Kong as part of the Langweiligkeit Festival. You'll have to google that a bit. Zebra has two concerts, september 1 in Deventer and september 29 in Rotterdam and Kapotte Muziek the 22nd of september in that city at Steim. The total net income will be around 50 euros - all four together, but "hey man, it's good to your face on a dutch stage. You may now apply for a new grant".
