Any buskers in the crowd???

[onewilyfool]

Any Buskers here? What Guitar do you use? Amped or au natural? Share any interesting experiences. advice???? Let's hear the stories!!!

[MissouriPicker]

This summer I'll be playing The River Market in Kansas City, twice each month. I played it before bck in 2005-2007, but they made me stay in one location. It's a huge area and some people never see me and if you're in an area that sells flowers while everyone's looking for watermelons, you don't get the big part of the crowd. This year they're going to let me move-around pretty much wherever and whenever I want. I have no problem moving to a crowded area, plugging-in and singing. I've done that on the streets at The Country Club Plaza in Kansas City until street gangs started walking-around.......This summer is almost my 7th year (I think) of playing at The Farmers Market in Lee's Summit, MO. Much smaller than the KC market. A parking lot that holds maybe 60 cars when full. There's an island of grass in the middle and I set-up there. To move around the market, you've got to pass-by me......... I wouldn't want to busk for a living. Too much street crime nowadays and not enough money to make it worth the risk...lol.....Oh.. I'm always amped and usually my Garrison (beater, love child, long-time friend).

[tpbiii]

I guess we do a fair amount of stuff that would qualify, but since we retired we do a bit less.

 

We (my wife and I) do music mostly as a social activity, and our repertoire is designed for that purpose. We have about 500 songs we can perform and lead about 375 of which are vocals and the rest instrumentals. We can participate in many more -- sing harmony, play breaks, etc. We sometime perform alone, but we try to get others to join us in a spontaneous or planned group -- we do have a bluegrass band and we also often busk with musical friends. We also play a bunch of different instruments and styles -- bass, flat-picked guitar, finger-picked guitar, clawhammer banjo, bluegrass banjo, straight harp, cross harp and occasionally even mandolin and autoharp.

 

At some sessions, the emphasis is on the musicians, some on the crowd, but most on both. What instruments we bring (we often bring extras we can loan out when good musicians happen by -- this happens a lot if you reside in a small town), If we expect to be alone, we generally bring a bass and either a BG style cannon or a fingerstyle (think banner J-45, etc.) I also like to do a straight fingerstyle session or a straight clawhammer session -- just for fun.

 

Every session is an interaction -- with each other, with other musicians and with passerbys. The challenge and the fun is being able to arrange and present music on the fly and have it work out well -- a real high. A major emphasis for us is to make others sound good -- we still get plenty of chances to show out.

 

We will generally open an instrument case and money accumulates -- we mostly give it to the people who play with us.

 

As to venues, that varies a lot. We don't ever challenge the system, and if we are going to open a case we get permission from someone. Some places welcome buskers and some do not. In the summer, which we spend in Shelburne NS, we play every Saturday at the local farmer's market. If you are in the area, come on by.

 

Having a large repertoire allows us to engage with the crowd. We like to involve young musicians, but you do need to control the participants. We have a number of highly developed presentation pieces -- the stuff we might do at gigs -- but we only generally do that kind of stuff if we are alone.

 

We are all acoustic. We do vary which instruments we bring depending on the situation. We have a rain guitar (CA) and some serious players, but we also bring the vintage stuff if we feel safe. Both the crowd and the other musicians like to play with serious instruments.

 

So let's pick,

 

-Tom

[Murph]

I've done Broadway in Nashville a few times just for fun. Lost money, as it's a 2 plus hour drive one way.

 

I just wanted to be able to say I've done it.

 

Now I've even done that........

 

[j45nick]

We do vary which instruments we bring depending on the situation. We have a rain guitar (CA) and some serious players, but we also bring the vintage stuff if we feel safe.

 

So let's pick,

 

-Tom

 

 

Tom,

Which CA do you have? I have one of the little Cargo models, but was thinking of a full-sized one for use on the water.

[ParlourMan]

Music, no, but I have this party trick I can do which involves setting myself on fire and usually freaks people right out... It's pretty cool though so I've done that in public a few times...

[j45nick]

Music, no, but I have this party trick I can do which involves setting myself on fire and usually freaks people right out... It's pretty cool though so I've done that in public a few times...

 

Must be a little hard on your clothes.....?

 

I can remember one we used to do in college that sort of involved setting yourself on fire.....

[ParlourMan]

Must be a little hard on your clothes.....?

 

I can remember one we used to do in college that sort of involved setting yourself on fire.....

 

You have to set it up right, Nick or as you say, it can get a bit dicey.... been a while though, The Mrs is not a fan ;)

[j45nick]

You have to set it up right, Nick or as you say, it can get a bit dicey.... been a while though, The Mrs is not a fan ;)

 

 

It would definitely get me thrown out of the house. It's also hard to explain those unusual third-degree burns to the doctor in the emergency room.

[ParlourMan]

It would definitely get me thrown out of the house. It's also hard to explain those unusual third-degree burns to the doctor in the emergency room.

 

No actual burning involved, it's a trick I got taught... but it looks the part.

[Del Nilppeznaf]

Busked at many places..I tell ya this

 

its a hard gig... have a lot of respect for those that do it full time. it's good to have songs that you can basically shout... or have a little portable rig.

 

also help if ya in warmer climes.

[tpbiii]

Tom,

Which CA do you have? I have one of the little Cargo models, but was thinking of a full-sized one for use on the water.

 

We have a Legacy. We got introduced to it by Tim Stafford and Shane Blackwell -- both bluegrass flat-pickers. It is a pretty good guitar -- stands in ok (pretty well) even in a heavy picking session.

 

Best,

 

-Tom

[blindboygrunt]

No actual burning involved, it's a trick I got taught... but it looks the part.

 

any chance of a video ?

[ParlourMan]

any chance of a video ?

 

haha it's not that amazing, we've built it up now... sorta works better at a party or in the pub. Ye need the random of a crowd for it to work.

 

Talking of party tricks though, my singer just got back from Poland where his bunch found a young Irish lad who could pick up a pint and down it in one without using hands or arms, quite impressive, but my mates brother can do a headstand against the wall then pick up a guinness and do it in one whilst upside down and unsupported (apart from his head/neck). That one is pretty mental... I can't top that.

 

...and of course it begs the question, how do ye find out ye can do that?

[retrorod]

I'm a 'closet Busker'......! Does that count

[BluesKing777]

Any Buskers here? What Guitar do you use? Amped or au natural? Share any interesting experiences. advice???? Let's hear the stories!!!

 

Does this mean the Cafe gig is gone again, OWF?

 

Out on the street! You shouldn't have any more problems with the BMI/Ascap.

 

While I haven't done any busking, I have a little story about a really good busker in the city years ago. I had a relatively cushy job playing blues on Saturday afternoons in a bar that sold every type of bourbon known to man and hot dogs! A one-man band busker would nip in with a huge bag of coins to get the bar guy to change into notes and have a quick blast of bourbon or two and a hot dog before he headed back into the fray.

 

 

BluesKing777.

[onewilyfool]

Music, no, but I have this party trick I can do which involves setting myself on fire and usually freaks people right out... It's pretty cool though so I've done that in public a few times...

This reminds me of when my girlfriend ( a long time ago) asked me if I smoked after sex....I told her, "Don't know....never looked??!!"

[onewilyfool]

Does this mean the Cafe gig is gone again, OWF?

 

BluesKing777.

No, alive and well!!!

[onewilyfool]

The reason I asked, is that there is a guy on local T.V., almost looked like a street person, who was claiming he made $40 bucks an hour busking??? The samples of his music were mediocre at best........I guess it's like real estate....location, location, location...

[j45nick]

The reasonvI asked, is that there is a guy on local T.V., almost looked like a street person, who was claiming he made $40 bucks an hour busking??? The samples of his music were mediocre at best........I guess it's like real estate....location, location, location...

 

Location is critical, as is having some kind of gimmick. The corner of Geary and Powell in San Francisco must be one of the world's prime busking locations. This Jimi Hendrix look-alike (who is a damn fine player) and his group rake in the cash. I toss him a couple of bucks almost everytime I pass by. Performers seem to trade nights on this corner, but Jimi is the one who draws the crowds--and the money.