I've discovered in myself and in the outside world, a certain level of relaxation with appointments among peers in general and musicians specifically.
Yeah, I said it. Take a mo' to reset your pacemaker, I know the above was probably a shock. Get used to it, I spit the ugly truth.
But seriously folks, what is so hard about arriving on time? Nay, arriving at all?! OK, OK, I'll be the first to admit that I have been as offensive in this area as the very bodies to which I refer. Even during my time in San Francisco I was comfortably late to some meetings, spot on time to others. Since moving to the East, where time is short and patience shorter, I have developed an as of yet undiscovered sensitivity to Time Respect.
The City East is a snake devouring its own tail. Bodily and monetary survival are priority one. We work double-digit hour days in exchange for access to monumental talent vibrating in every neighborhood, the inspiration and life-breath therein. "Free Time" quickly becomes a distant memory, "Alone Time" seems to belong to a long-ago age - there's no time to worry that you're never alone.
So "Time" has become a luxury with which I have been momentarily blessed. That I choose to share my time with you for is a subtle sign and indicative test of respect, the outcome of which dictates whether the gift of my time will ever again be extended.
To clarify, I do not expect anything resembling punctuality with a capital "p" when I am meeting a friend for a bourbon and a beer on a Tuesday night. However, if I plan to share my skills creatively collaborating via a meeting of minds, agreed to start at X pm, I'll be there at fifteen minutes to X. I feel my time is valuable - it's not a momentous leap of logic to assume that an other party considers their time valuable, so if I happen to show the disrespect of tardiness plus noncommunication, I certainly can't expect that person to readily do business with me again.
"It's not 'business'," you say? "It's just music, man, don't be such a square." A sharing of cultivated goods and skills for the agreed upon growth and profit of both parties sure as dirt sounds like business to me, say I. Sure, maybe it doesn't have the look, smell or sound of an economic business, but of a creative business it seems to fit the mold neatly.
Long story short, leave earlier than you think you should. Better to be too early than too late, and if you know you're going to be late, communicate. Life happens, you can't plan for everything, but a little foresight goes a long way, and I would bet ten to one that there are far more influential people who are sensitive to Time Respect.
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