“Thursday Is Bakalao’s Day!” Charlotte’s Latina/o Musicians at Work and Play Sam Byrd Art & Literature, Arts & Culture, Society & Culture “Thursday Is Bakalao’s Day!” at Work and Play “Working musician” is an oxymoron in U.S. society because, musicians’ work is strongly identified with leisure and fun. Unlike waiters, bartenders, cooks, cleaning staff, or security guards, musicians look like they are having fun when they work. How much of this outward appearance is a genuine enjoyment of their music making and how much of it is performative affect, a mask that they wear to appeal to audiences? It is telling that the English word for what musicians do is play, not work.
