July 2020

(Secretary’s Note: These minutes were written in October 2020, based on an audio recording of the meeting, and some details are accordingly unavailable. Accounts of some discussions which were mooted by subsequent developments in the Covid-19 crisis have been abridged or omitted. Additionally, the lack of developments noted in many sections of these Minutes reflects the temporary shutdown of many of the Project’s activities caused by the Covid-19 crisis.)

The July 7, 2020 meeting was gaveled to order, via Zoom, by President Paul Fisher, at 8:25 p.m. A quorum was present.

MOTIONS MADE

• The minutes for April, 2020, were accepted.

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS

Treasurer (Written Report)

Treasurer Peggy Karr reported that the Project “ha[s] a lot of money in the bank.” The Vanguard fund contains approximately $140,000. We also have approximately $22,000 in the checking account and $13,000 in the money market fund. Peggy noted that the numbers are somewhat in flux because of the need to make refunds following the cancellation of the Fall Getaway and the David Bromberg concert necessitated by the Covid crisis. The Project has received several donation checks, including in memory of Project members Tim Weinrich and Steve Wexler, and Peggy sought help in finding addresses so that she could send acknowledgement letters.

Gary Pratt added that at the time of the meeting, refunds had been made to all who purchased Bromberg tickets through Paypal, and he is waiting for a transfer of funds to settle that account. Gary is also waiting to hear from other purchasers as to whether they wished to receive a refund, or to keep or donate their tickets.

PRESIDENT/OLD BUSINESS

President Paul Fisher reported on the efforts of the Lobbying Committee concerning S863 [a bill pending in the New Jersey Senate which the Project believes would require us to treat performers as employees rather than independent contractors, subjecting us to crippling financial and administrative burdens]. No response to the Project’s initial submission to State Senate President Steven Sweeney has been received, and pro bono counsel Steven Humphreys is therefore preparing an extensive second submission. That submission will include a new argument, based of the First Amendment, that in light of the traditional role of folk music as social commentary, the current bill would constitute an overly-broad restriction on freedom of speech.

Paul also noted that enlisting the support of well-known musicians was being considered. Bruce Springsteen and Tom Chapin were suggested as possibilities.

NEW BUSINESS

No new business was presented.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Troubadour Booking (Written Report)

Troubadour Booking Chair Mike Agranoff added that he hoped to resume booking for live concerts in August. [Obviously, the Covid crisis dashed those hopes, sec’y]. He also noted that John Lamb is searching for a replacement for Concert Window [the system that Troubadour had used to broadcast live concerts, which went out of business, sec’y].

Community Services (Written Report)

Chair Evelyn Maurer reported on the sad passing of beloved Project member Tim Weinrich. She also noted that member Rachel Streich’s mother had passed away in a nursing home, and that because of the Covid crisis, she and her brothers had been unable to visit their mother in the last weeks of her life.

Evelyn also reported that she was catching up with the backlog of cards to be sent. And, the Board agreed that a card should be sent to long-time Board member Pam Robinson, thanking her for her many years of energetic and dedicated service to the Project.

Swingin’ Tern (Written Report)

Chair Leigh Walker asked to receive the names of Tern participants who made donations so that he could acknowledge them as well. He noted that Tern has $450 in its musicians’ fund, and reported that he and his assistants were keeping posted on plans for dances in the area.

Newsletter (Written Report)

Chair George Otto added that he “ha[s] a lot of space to fill” in the Newsletter, because of the Covid-related decline in the Project’s activities. In response to Alan Kugel’s suggestion that the Newsletter’s page number be reduced, George stated that the costs would outweigh the savings and that he would rather concentrate on filling the existing number of pages.

George suggested that, given that the Board will be meeting remotely for the foreseeable future, that a “tip sheet” for using Zoom be compiled. [It appears that Board members have caught on sufficiently on their own, sec’y].

Membership (Written Report)

Chair Gary Pratt rested on his report.

Horses Sing None Of It (Written Report)

No developments were reported.

OpenStage (Written Report)

No developments were reported.

Special Events (Written Report)

Chair Mark Schaffer reviewed the many goings-on of the Acoustic Stayaway. He first noted that the date and time of the streaming concerts, 7:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays, were chosen to avoid conflicting with larger-scale events on the Web.

Mark reported that the streaming concerts are working well, and providing an audience and revenue to performers. He noted that that evening’s Grace Pettis concert garnered 40 viewers; the first ten streaming concerts averaged over 100 viewers; and eight of those ten netted over $1,000 for the performer.

Mark noted Kathi Cacavelli’s “indispensable” contributions, and asked for the Board’s help in increasing concert viewership. Gary Pratt [who has worked extensively on the Stayaway, sec’y], noted that another benefit to the Stayaway is that it keeps Project members connected.

Mark also broached the idea of staging live concerts with “extreme separation,” including drive-in concerts. [A very successful drive-in concert, featuring Vance Gilbert and Toby Walker, was held in conjunction with the Borough of Madison in August, sec’y.] Mark also noted the cancellation, in light of the Covid crisis, of the Fall Getaway. Mark emphasized that his primary concern is safety.

Event Hosting (Written Report)

Chair Jay Wilensky reported that the Monday-night Stayaway Zoom song circles have been extremely successful, with between 12 and 20 people of all ability levels and from all regions of the country attending and participating.

Publicity (Written Report)

Chair Paul Fisher rested on his report.

Sound Reinforcement

No developments were reported.

Archives (Written Report)

Chair Lindsey Meyer, while noting that the archive facility is closed due to the Covid crisis, expressed her thanks for the archives that have been created, and noted that new archives were being made concerning the “so strange” times that we’re living in.

ONWARD!

The meeting was adjourned at 10:00 p.m. The next meeting will be held on August 4, 2020, at 8:00 p.m., via Zoom.

Submitted in the spirit of the Project,

Jay Wilensky, secretary ad hack.