NORMALLY, I DO NOT MAKE DIRTY LAUNDRY PUBLIC, BECAUSE AS A PROFESSIONAL, I LIKE TO KEEP OUR BUSINESS BEHIND CLOSED DOORS. THIS TIME, AFTER SEVERAL INTENTIONAL PUBLIC ATTACKS, I HAVE CREATED MY OWN BLOG TO RESPOND TO ALL THAT HAS BEEN SAID. I WOULD LIKE TO PRESENT THE REAL SIDE OF HARMONICA SUNBEAM/DORIAN BRYANT THAT MOST OF YOU MAY NOT KNOW.
THE WAY HARMONICA SUNBEAM/DORIAN BRYANT LEFT ESCUELITA, AFTER 12 YEARS OF HOSTING HER WEEKLY SHOW, THE HARMONICA SUNBEAM TEA DANCE, AND THE VENUE THAT WAS LOYAL TO HER, SHOWS HER REAL FACE. SHE IS A VERY GREEDY PERSON, WHO WOULD SELL ANYBODY FOR $1.
IN 2006, I VISITED HER IN THE HOSPITAL WHILE SHE WAS FACING LIFE'S DEADLIEST DISEASE. IT WAS A VERY SCARY MOMENT TO ENTER THE DARK, DOCILE, AND COLD ROOM. SHE LOOKED MALNOURISHED AND ALMOST AT THE END. IT WAS A VERY HARD MOMENT FOR ME BECAUSE I DO NOT GO TO THE HOSPITAL TO VISIT ANYONE, BUT I WENT TO VISIT MY STAR. I TOLD HER THAT WE MISSED HER, NEEDED HER, AND WANTED HER TO BE STRONG TO LIVE. SHE TOLD ME THAT IF SHE WERE GOING TO MAKE IT, IT WAS GOING TO TAKE A LONG LONG TIME TO RECOVER. I TOLD HER THAT AS LONG AS IT TOOK, WE WOULD BE WAITING FOR HER. THE MINUTE I LEFT THE HOSPITAL, I PRAYED FOR HER NON-STOP TO BE WELL AND THAT SHE WOULD GET WELL TO BE BACK ON STAGE. ESCUELITA WAS VERY SLOW FOR 9 MONTHS, BUT WE KEPT THE HARMONICA SUNBEAM TEA DANCE, THROUGH THESE SLOW TIMES, UNTIL SHE RETURNED BACK TO THE STAGE LABOR DAY WEEKEND. ESCUELITA BUILT SUNDAYS FOR THE LAST 12 YEARS ON HARMONICA SUNBEAM. I BLOCKED ANY OTHER EVENT REQUESTS TO REMAIN LOYAL TO HARMONICA. CAN YOU IMAGINE IF I WAS AN EVIL BUSINESSMAN, IF AFTER I LEFT HER IN THE HOSPITAL, I CREATED OR GOT NEW SUNDAY EVENTS TO MAKE REAL MONEY. HOW DO YOU THINK SHE WOULD HAVE FELT IN HER STATE OF SICKNESS WHEN SHE HAD WORKED WITH US FOR SEVERAL YEARS BEFORE THAT?
NOBODY NEEDS TO LOVE ME, OR AGREE WITH EVERYTHING I DO, BUT THERE IS A WAY TO BE PROFESSIONAL ABOUT LEAVING ANY JOB, ESPECIALLY ONE THAT YOU HAVE BEEN AT FOR 12+ YEARS. I WOULD NEVER ASK ANYONE TO STAY WORKING IN ANY ENVIRONMENT THEY DID NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE AT. WHILE I WAS IN MIAMI, DOING BUSINESS TO OPEN 2 NEW VENUES, I RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE CLUB SAYING THAT SHE HAD NEVER SHOWN UP FOR WORK. WE HAD ALL OF OUR STAFF READY FOR SHOWTIME, AND THERE WAS NEVER ANY PERFORMANCE. DURING THAT NIGHT AND THE NEXT WEEK, SEVERAL OF HER CLOSE FRIENDS, FELLOW EMPLOYEES, AND I TRIED TO GET IN CONTACT WITH HER VIA PHONE CALLS AND TEXT MESSAGES. WE ALL THOUGHT SOMETHING HAD HAPPENED BECAUSE WE WERE NOT ABLE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH HER AFTER HER RETURN FROM A VACATION. THE WEEK AFTER, WITHOUT NOTICE AGAIN, SHE DID NOT SHOW UP FOR THE TEA DANCE. WE THEN RECEIVED THE NEWS OF HER JOB ABANDONMENT THROUGH HER FACEBOOK AND MYSPACE. WE WERE FORCED TO START FROM SCRATCH BECAUSE THE NIGHT WAS BUILT ON HER.
I BELIEVE THE REASON SHE STOPPED COMING TO WORK WAS ONLY BECAUSE OF MONEY, AND NOT ALL THE REASONS SHE SUPPLIED IN HER BLOG. NOW LET ME TELL YOU WHY...
HARMONICA'S DEAL WITH ESCUELITA WAS ALWAYS TO HOST THE HARMONICA SUNBEAM TEA DANCE EACH SUNDAY AND HAVE A DOUBLE SET TWICE A MONTH. FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS, THE NUMBERS DROPPED DRASTICALLY, EVEN WHEN WE OFFERED FREE ADMISSION. PEOPLE HAD STOPPED COMING TO SEE HER. I TOOK THE LOSS EACH AND EVERY WEEK AND NEVER SEEKED A NEW WAY TO MAKE BETTER MONEY. I CHOSE TO CREATE A PARTNERSHIP WITH HOTBOYZ NYC TO DO A ONCE A MONTH EVENT IN THE LATER PART OF THE EVENING WHERE HER 2ND SHOW WAS IN THE SCHEDULE. IF THIS NIGHT FELL ON
HER 2ND SHOW, I WOULD STILL COMPENSATE HER. THIS HAPPENED A FEW TIMES. AFTER THE TEA DANCE THE WEEK BEFORE SHE QUIT WITHOUT NOTICE, THERE WAS NO SECOND SHOW. WHEN SHE GOT PAID FOR THE TEA DANCE, I WAS QUITE BUSY WITH GUESTS FROM OUT OF TOWN. SHE CAME TO THE OFFICE AND ASKED ME IF THE ENVELOPE I SENT HER WAS HERS BECAUSE IT WAS "MISSING SOMETHING". I RESPONDED YES, AND THAT I HAD DEDUCTED $10 THAT SHE HAD OWED ME. SHE SAID OKAY, AND SHE LEFT. I DID NOT PAY HER FOR THE SECOND SHOW THAT SUNDAY, BECAUSE THAT MONTH, SHE ALREADY HAD 1 LATE SHOW SUNDAY BOOKING AND HOSTED ANOTHER PRIVATE EVENT THE NIGHT BEFORE HER LAST TEA DANCE. SHE ALWAYS WAS PRIVILAGED TO REQUEST ANY NIGHT THAT SHE WANTED TO HOST OR PERFORM AT ANY TIME OF THE YEAR AND OTHER NIGHTS THAT WE ARE OPEN. SHE WAS ALWAYS GIVEN THESE BOOKINGS, AND SOMETIMES, WE HAD TO CANCEL OTHER DIVAS TO HAVE HER IN THE SHOW TO PLEASE HER. THIS GOES TO SHOW YOU HOW LOYAL I ALWAYS WAS TO HER AND HER TALENT. BECAUSE OF ONE INCIDENT WHERE SHE FELT SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN PAID, BUT ALREADY MADE HER MONTHLY BOOKING AGREEMENT, SHE DECIDED TO LEAVE, NOT FOR OTHER DRAMA SHE STATED. SHE CHOSE AN UGLY WAY, INSTEAD OF THE HIGH ROAD THAT SHE CLAIMS TO ALWAYS BE ON.
I WOULD NOW LIKE TO CONFRONT SOME ISSUES SHE STATED IN HER BLOG...
1. "As you have probably heard by now I am no longer working at La Nueva Escuelita. After 12 years of good and bad memories I decided to call it quits. On April 4 and 11th I didn't show up to work so basically you can say it was job abandonment. Some people will argue that it was an unprofessional thing to do and I just may agree to some extent. However, the number of unprofessional and shady events that I have endured there as an employee completely outnumber what I did. For quite some time there was a special place in my heart for Big Ben (my boss) despite his ongoing antics to keep a negative and toxic work environment in full swing. It bothered me that I worked for someone who would only communicate with you when HE wanted something. It also bothered me that he eventually hired a teen-ager for a supposed Vice-President position and asked us to go through him in regards to ideas, complaints and etc. What the hell did he know and why would I lower myself to seeking information from someone who had no real authority when it came to pertinent issues and requests. In fact, I truly admired the kid but I think he has picked up too many of Ben's habits and ways causing him to morph into a two-faced individual w/no real knowledge of how much he has changed."
THE "TEEN-AGE" YOUNG MAN THAT SHE IS REFERRING TO IS NAMED LOUIE G. I MET LOUIE G. THROUGH HARMONICA BECAUSE SHE WAS USING HIM TO CREATE FLYERS FOR HER EVENTS IN EARLY 2009. LOUIE G. IS A YOUNG, VERY SMART, AND TALENTED YOUNG MAN. HE HAS ALOT OF POTENTIAL IN THIS BUSINESS, BUT HE IS LEARNING THE HARD WAY. HE MAY HAVE HIS FAULTS AND HARDHEADED PERSONALITY, BUT HIS PERSONALITY DIRECTLY MATCHED HARMONICA/DORIAN BECAUSE THEY ARE BOTH CAPRICORNS. BUT, THEY ARE STILL BOTH VERY DIFFERENT. I NEVER GAVE HIM THE TITLE VICE PRESIDENT, BUT HE IS MY RIGHT HAND SIDE, WITH ONLY OPINIONS, AND NOT DECISION-MAKING. TRUST ME, WITH ALL MY EXPERIENCE, THE NEW GENERATION DOES MAKE SENSE SOMETIMES, AND I AM GLAD TO WORK WITH THEM. IT BAFFLED ME WHY SHE WOULD SAY THAT ABOUT HIM WHEN SHE USED TO CALL HIM DAILY, SOMETIMES 3-4 TIMES A DAY AND WAKE HIM UP FROM SLEEP, TO SPEAK, GET ADVICE, AND HEAR GOSSIP ABOUT ANYTHING AND EVERYBODY. (BY THE WAY, SHE IS THE KIND OF PERSON WHO WOULD CALL YOU ANYTIME IF SHE NEEDED SOMETHING) HE WOULD ALWAYS BRING HER GIFTS AND MAKE SURE SHE WAS OKAY DURING HER SHOWS. HE LOOKED UP TO HER AS AN INSPIRATION AND A MENTOR, AND THEN WAS STRUCK BY THESE COMMENTS OUT OF NOWHERE. WAS HE ONLY GOOD TO USE WHEN YOU NEEDED SOMETHING?
2. "Despite the fact that the numbers had fallen at the T-dance over the last couple of years, Ben refused to listen to his faithful Sunday employees (Relentless, Sugga Pie and myself) and let alone his paying customers. There is only way and that is his way no matter how insane or disastrous it may turn out. In addition to the lack of communication from mgmt at Escuelita, I also felt that I was being taken for granted and it was more than likely assumed that I would never actually leave. Attention, advertising and lots of money was/is paid to "would-be" performers in hopes of garnering younger audiences meanwhile budget cuts were given to myself and DJ Relentless."
WHAT LIES. WHAT IS SHE TALKING ABOUT? LISTEN TO WHAT? WHENEVER SHE ASKED TO DO SOMETHING, WE ALWAYS DID IT. BUDGET CUTS? THE LAST FEW MONTHS WE CUT THE BUDGET. SHE NEVER HAD A GUEST IN THE FIRST SHOW, SHE BECAME LAZY, AND STARTED BOOKING SPECIAL GUESTS FOR THE FIRST SHOW, THAT WAS ALWAYS UNPAID. HER PAY FOR THE FIRST SHOW WAS NEVER CUT, BUT HER PAY FOR THE 2ND SHOW WAS ONLY CUT BY $50.00. THE DJ GOT AN INCREASE A YEAR AND A HALF AGO. I CUT THE INCREASE BACK A FEW MONTHS AGO DUE TO THE RECESSION. I CAME TO HARMONICA WITH A FEW IDEAS OVER THE LAST YEAR TO CHANGE SUNDAYS WITH HER, BUT IT IS VERY HARD TO WORK WITH HARMONICA. RECENTLY, MONTHS BEFORE SHE LEFT, WE SPOKE ABOUT CREATING A NEW SUNDAY SHOW CALLED THE "Q" REVUE. WE WANTED HER TO HOST AND TO GET GUEST DIVAS TO BANTER AND TALK SHIT TO BRING A NEW AUDIENCE AND REVAMP THE TEA DANCE. THE CONCEPT WAS GENUIUS AND VERY SIMPLE, BUT HARMONICA CANNOT STAY ON THE STAGE IF THE OTHER GUESTS ARE BETTER THAN HER. DO YOU ALL REMEMBER WHEN I BROUGHT THE LEGENDARY SOPHIA MCINTOSH FROM ATLANTA UP TO HOST WITH HER AT THE TEA DANCE? DURING THE MIDDLE OF THE TEA DANCE, HARMONICA STORMED OFF THE STAGE LEAVING SUGGAPIE AND SOPHIA THERE BECAUSE SHE COULD NOT TAKE THE TALENTS OF SOPHIA.
3. "Once Relentless left due to all the rampant foolishness, I was there to fend for myself and it eventually went downhill very fast. A dj was hired that I did not feel was ready to work a attention-involved show such as the T-dance. My thoughts on this new employee were completely ignored and from day one he had no idea what worked well for the show. Granted he is a nice person but people shouldnt be hired on their niceness but on their qualifications."
DJ RELENTLESS GOT MARRIED AND MOVED TO CANADA. YOU MAY NOT KNOW, BUT THE CURRENT SUNDAY DJ USED TO WORK WITH HER AT THE CAGE ON TUESDAYS AND HE MOVED TO SUNDAYS AT ESCUELITA. IF HE WASN'T BAD TO DJ HER SHOW AT THE CAGE, WHY WOULD IT BE A PROBLEM AT ESCUELITA? SHE BOOKED HIM TO WORK AT HER TUESDAY SHOW, SO WHY ALL OF THE SUDDEN WAS THERE AN ISSUE?
IN CONCLUSION, I LOVE HARMONICA SUNBEAM AS A PERFORMER AND I WILL REMEMBER THE GOOD TIMES WITH HER. BUT, AS DORIAN BRYANT, WE WERE NEVER FRIENDS, IT WAS STRICTLY BUSINESS. REMEMBER LIFE IS SHORT, ENJOY YOUR LIFE.
-BIG BEN
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