I may be getting ripped off for a gig I did last month. Any suggestions?

bayoubill
 Stay on it and keep checking everyday. They know you are very late getting payment. Don't let it go!

slartabartfast
It sounds like you are getting the runaround, but you need to clarify if there were in fact checks written. Were there two checks written by Walter or one? Did Walter write the check in your name, in your fellow performer's name or one to each, or to Randy? If the check was written in your name, then Randy gains nothing by holding it, unless he is prepared to forge your endorsement. If it was written to Randy in the expectation that he would pay you, then Walter will be able to verify that it has been cashed, and provide you with a copy. What does it say in your written contract about who will pay you and when? Either Walter or Randy presumably have something to lose if you report them to the wedding party as deadbeats. My next communication would be a written letter telling whoever is responsible for payment that is what you plan to do in if payment is not forthcoming, including the facts you have and an itemized list of your charges cced to everyone involved. If that fails, send a bill payable by the bride or her mother and wait for her call. Then explain the situation to the ultimate purchaser and see if she will make this good or at least clarify her understanding of how you were to be paid. Small claims court is an option, but you need to know who is responsible to pay you before you can sue them. If you are a union member, then maybe your local can put some pressure on the venue owner. Unfortunately, there is no way to put a mechanic's lien on your performance. 

slartabartfast
It is not at all clear that the "business" is obligated to pay you, although the fact that you say Walter claimed to have sent you a check strongly supports that interpretation. What was Randy's role in this situation? Is he your agent? Walter's agent? An employee of Walter's business? How did he get the authority to hire you? On whose behalf was he acting when he hired you? Why are you dealing with Randy if it is Walter who owes you money? If Walter wrote a check to you personally, then he can stop payment on his check if it is "lost in the mail"  and write a new one, or present you with a copy of his cancelled check to prove it was cashed.
 
I see no reason to believe that either you or the defendant in your small claims case will be required to hire an attorney. It is unlikely that you would have agreed to work for nothing, but establishing the exact amount that you were promised in court will require you to present witness testimony (in the absence of a written contract) to establish the amount. Will Randy so testify? Will Walter? Will your colleague? If Walter does not show in court you win--then you still have to collect. 
 
It only takes thirty seconds to write a binding contract. I,xxxx agree to perform at yyyy location on zzzz date for aaaa dollars  to be paid by cccc at the time of  or the performance or within ddd days following the performance. Both parties sign. Do it on a napkin--it is still better than a lying contest in court. Or insist on a check before you start to play. If the payer says he has to wait to be paid by the wedding planner, agree to hold his check until xxx days later. Wait as agreed then deposit his check. His bounced check is all the proof you need that you were not timely paid. 
 
Nothing you say or hear on the telephone with anyone is proof in court. Unless the people you talk to will show up in court on the day of your trial and tell the same story, you have nothing except information. Use the mail-registered return receipt requested.