Help Ted Outlast The Pandemic
I spent the past 5 years organizing and protesting against the fascist Trump regime. Along with many others, but not enough, I sacrificed much when it came to my personal and business life. I saw the threat Trump & Pence posed to the rest of the planet, and as an artist and a descendant of Holocaust victims, it is in my DNA to expose and counter the rise of fascism. I started the group "Degenerate Artists Against Fascism" and co-initiated the national organization "Refuse Fascism". We struggled and organized until Trump stepped on that helicopter, and we continue to struggle against fascism and white supremacy in the wake of the George Floyd trial and the murder of Daunte Wright. On a personal note, these past five years have been the most unstable and challenging years of my life.
I am a musician. A drummer to be precise. Most people that know me, know me as a drummer, as I have been playing since 1980, and professionally since 1991. I'm known in Chicago for a 25 year run of late-night Saturdays at the Green Mill, and for my own bands - Ted Sirota's Rebel Souls, and Heavyweight Dub. I've managed to raise two daughters, now 27 and 22 years old, and now have two Grandkids, while continuing to work as an artist/musician. It has not been an easy life. To supplement my income I taught drum lessons for many years , and taught hundreds of students. During the Trump era I was not teaching very much - only a handful of dedicated students (I managed two different music venues/restaurants during this period), but once COVID hit, I quickly started developing an online strategy.
In 2015 I stumbled into the world of independent AV technicians/contractors and this became my main source of income. Within the first year I had enough business to start my own small business, Ted Sirota AV, LLC, and hire subcontractors to work for me throughout the U.S. The AV business was reaching a peak, heading into the spring of 2020, when the pandemic hit. These jobs take place in restaurants, bars, hotels, and banquet halls. Everything was completely shut down. All of my jobs for 2020 were wiped out. I managed to snag three AV jobs over the past 13 months - down from 250 in 2019.
After ending my 25 year steady gig at the Green Mill, I was also in the midst of rebuilding my music career - hosting the Tuesday Night Fellowship at the Hungry Brain, and leading my own trio - Pure Cane Trio - every Monday at Andy's Jazz Club, as well as freelancing with other bands and musicians as usual. My last music gig was March 15 at Andy's Jazz Club. Straight from that gig I drove to Boston, picked my younger daughter up from college and brought her home. It's now been 13 months since I've done what I do best - make music with other musicians (and get a little scratch doing it).
When the pandemic hit, I remained committed to the cause of peacefully driving the Trump regime from power as soon as possible, and worked daily toward that goal. The events of January 6 came as no surprise to us, as we had been warning of a fascist attempt at consolidation of power for four years.
As an independent contractor, not wanting to catch the virus, this past year has been a tremendous challenge. The state, and the US Capitalist system has let us down in a shameful way - especially "gig workers" i.e. 1099 subcontractors. I have managed to survive up to this point through the help of donations from friends, fans of my music or political stance, and others. I've also managed to build my online studio and continue teaching drum lessons via Zoom, though I do not have enough consistent students to make a living or survive through the online lessons at this point - only the potential to do so.
Things are bad for everybody, but for musicians, who make their living and get their energy from playing music and connecting with other human beings in person, this pandemic has been devastating both financially and emotionally for many of us.
This month things really hit bottom. First unemployment benefits had a gap due to the late signing of the rescue bill. After waiting three weeks for benefits (which I literally depend on to live) the state starting paying again, but only paid for two of the three weeks I certified for. I received two more weeks of payments, and then received a "Notice of Overpayment" with the state trying to collect back $6,200 in UI payments. They claim I did not provide proof of employment, however I did go thru every step they required and most definitely did provided proof of employment when requested. Others have informed me that there is a problem with their website and they did not get uploaded documents. This week I waited until Wed to see if I would receive my usual payment of $498 and it did not come. IL has cut me off from the help that I desperately need to survive, and ironically, I've had much more trouble getting government help under Biden than under Trump. Under Biden it's been nothing but bad luck. I do not have savings or wealth to fall back on. I'm going to try to turn away from depending on the government for help and turn to friends and the "private sector." All I want to do is survive the pandemic, eat, and pay my bills. Fortunately I have many recordings, posters, and skills that I can provide in return for your kind donation. I guess what I'm saying is, that if I have ever brightened up your life through music or expanded your political vision, if you are in position, I am accepting help at this point. A fellow independent contractor had the same thing happen (many have) and it took her three months, with no payments, to get it straightened out. I am down to my last few bucks and cannot pay May rent without that rescue aid. As Donny Hathaway and Ray Charles both sang - "These Are Tryin' Times". Thanks for listening.
Love,
Ted
Organizer
