Who has come from the farthest reaches of the world
(universe)?, and other notes...
Just because I'm curious, I try to keep track of the
audience members that have traveled the furthest from Maui to hang
out with us...
So far, we've got (Maybe I'll save a few categories -
US / World / Solar-system / ...) :
World:
Tim from Perth, Australia! - 6842
miles (still the winner)
Continental US:
Renata and Richard, from Huntsville, Alabama -
4312 miles (now, these great folks know how to do 'vacation',
congrats on 15th Anniversary, and best wishes for many more!)
Ken and his gracious wife (didn't get her
name!) from Illinois & Kapalua - 4238 miles (you guys
made my day)
Closest:
As expected, the closest visitor lived about 3 block
away. I suppose I could measure that in feet to keep it
interesting...
Ongoing Stories and Insights from my adventure:
Just do it!
With respect to performing... to anyone who's thinking "I could do
that..." or "I wonder if I could do that?", or "I'd like to
do that...", etc.
Just do it. Of course, you certainly have to get your ducks lined
up, since you need to be comfortable and competent if it's going
to be fun... (and I really did practice and seriously work at it
before I 'went live'), but don't wait. If practicing something is
fun to you (vs work), then you're onto something good.
Learn 4 songs and go out and figure out how to set yourself up
with a simple chair and guitar near a busy corner, or, level up a
pit and get a basic guitar/mic, amp, and chair on a corner... and
practice setting up, getting your levels right, and choosing songs
that people connect with.
A quick but important warning, though... Being able to play your
songs perfectly (eyes closed in the dark) is NOT enough! Your
actual skill/talent is only about half of the game, which is why
getting out there and practicing on the street or a an
accommodating cafe is *so* important!
The other 50% of the art-form is connecting with your environment
and your audience, even if they are transient. Loud trucks,
sirens, stray frisbees, curious kids, dogs... will all occur
(anywhere you ever play!), and you quickly learn to be ready with
authentic responses that can't be practiced. It's almost as much
of the performance as your music! You can actually practice some
scenarios in your bedroom - in your head - even better, as you
play, imagine your audience and the scenario unfolding... say out
loud what you would say, smile and take it as it comes.
Seriously expect the un-expected, and you'll be so much less
stressed, and have so much more fun. The music is only half of the
skill-base you will ultimately refine.
In comparing notes with my new clan of performing mentors and
peers, the only differences between us and those who haven'tmade
the leap, is that we've somehow conjured enough energy to
practice, and especially enough courage to hang ourselves out
there and 'go public', even though none of us ever feel 'ready'
It turns out that you don't die, lol... People are curious, happy
to hear and engage in your art, and way less
judgemental (in the social status way) than we're led to believe.
Of course everyone watching you is making an assessment - it's
part of our existence to do so as observers! But, even if you're
not yet that good, if you are having fun and if
you are putting real energy into your art, people assess
that energy too! and respect it and 'want to be that' as
well!
As for musicians, especially solo guitar gigging (but not only) -
there are lots of great resources online, especially this site I
found after I had started my journey: The Pro Gig Academy - a free community where
you can trade experiences and ask questions from folks somewhere
along the same path you might be on, etc. You can pay the site
sponsor for one-on-one sessions and subscribe to his more pro
site, but the community is free and the information and community
support are priceless.
Just do it (but practice a couple more times, just to be sure,
lol!)
Playing for my Mom's 85th birthday!
How cool is it that my brother came to visit my mom on the
Big-Isle for her 85th birthday, and they both came over to stay with
us for her "funderful" event! I was able to play some fun songs, and
even do a duet with my amazing daughter, on mom's special day over
at Paia Bay Coffee
& Bar! What a treat for us all. The family was there
as well and some music and a nice brunch made for a wonderful day!
That it all came together the way it did was amazing and a gift from
the Gods and the Universe.
Passing Thoughts On... Performance Stages:
A stage is an interesting mechanism - a meme of sorts, like a
person in medical scrubs implies a doctor- presence on a real
performance stage (raised, lights, etc.), even a small one, tends to
imply a kind of promise of worthiness and a separation
from the observers in the area. To stand on a stage as if to
perform, implies a certain level of skill and performance
*seriousness*, and, well, that's not really me. "Smiling and a bit
Sloppy" would be more a more accurate framing... I guess I like the
notion of chilling with folks, rather than performing for folks. or
something.
Late-to-the-game, lover of music, but not professionally trained at
all, I certainly can't promise anything beyond an amateur's
performance, but that doesn't mean we can't have some fun and make
some listen-worthy noise out there, right? So, I learn songs,
practice a bunch, and say "Let's do this!", and hope y'all will join
me with some smiles and maybe some good (or ?) harmonies! Getting up
on a stage seems separate and presumptuous, where jamming on the
street - literally at that level - seems more engaging, regardless
the level of skill involved.
So, when considering the implications of a stage, I'm hesitant to
disappoint, by committing to that implied social contract of "Look
at me up here, I'm worth looking at.", when my style is "Check this
out, hang out and jam or chill with us if you like it!"
The one thing that a pub/cafe stage context does facilitate is
continuity, and sound optimization. Being able to present a good
sound experience and cater to folks that wish to settle-in for the
sharing of the music does offer a different experience for the
participants (both players and observers), verses a busy street
corner with no seats, moving traffic, noise, weather, etc. That
said, if you can compel folks to pause for a moment or two to stop
and watch, in spite of the distractions and non-optimal context,
you've got it going!
Passing Thoughts On... On Passers-by,
on the street:
I've noticed, when busking on the street, that in flow of the
street, the folks most likely to stop and take in a moment of my
music are parents with kids, and older folks - and notably,
both tend to share a bit (it's especially precious when the mom or
dad give a wee tot something to trundle over with and drop in the
tip jar).
The bulk of the middle-age professionals tend to walk by as if unaware
of me or the music at all. It's interesting, and I have some
ideas on why, but I'll discuss those later, after more observation.
That said, far too often I was 'that guy' too. Apparently, wisdom
comes slowly to likes of me.
Passing Thoughts On... On Busking, as
a 'thing to do':
What is busking, and what is the average person's
perception of a practiced street performer?
Obviously, a person with a tip jar, simply attracting attention by
being a spectacle of some sort (yelling, singing in an unpracticed
manner, flailing around physically with no apparent practiced skill,
etc.) isn't what I would call a 'practiced' street performer. I'm
talking about folks that can do things that most of us can't; the
ones that add novelty and perhaps even some artistic value to our
social context and environment.
Is busking, a job? Certainly, for some. There are many who follow
the seasonal festival circuits, appearing in crowded venues in
multiple cities, plying their trades to the widest possible
audience, out of live for their craft, but just as likely to collect
tips and donations for their lively-hood. I would guess in Europe,
fully 75% of 'professional' street entertainers do so as their only
form of income.
It's the other 25% that I find interesting and that I relate to. The
underlying motivation is a 'want' to be involved, to share
something, to impress or at least engage, to gather social status in
some art-form that they've worked to become 'out-of-average' in some
manner. It's arguably a mix of attention/status-seeking and artistic
sharing, the ratio of each depending entirely on the performer.
Is busking a form of begging? I think not. Performing a practiced
skill for tips defines the purest sense of a voluntary
'service-for-a-fee' relationship, and is hardly without risk. Any
exchange is purely voluntary. In contrast, begging can be described
as passively hoping for sympathy with a collection bucket. To my
thinking, tips are a reward, donations are a gift to/for a cause,
and charity is pure sharing. It's more than semantic that you can
tip a street acrobat, donate to a down-and-out beggar. Both
contributions are noble, but they aren't the same.
Does busking indicate the best one can do in this world? Perhaps for
some, but I think not for most... I theorize that the biggest appeal
of busking is the freedom it *represents*, even if that's more than
the real freedom it may actually offer. That a street performer can
go anywhere people are gathered and instantly simply entertain them
in a manner that suits the performer's own style, defines the notion
of anti-bureaucracy at its purest. Kind of a "Sidewalk art vs the
Louvre" thing. Which art form is really 'better' and which is more
likely to be seen and shared?
I see busking (at least most busking) as a noble and intentional
avocation, done by choice, by folks that simply don't have an
interest, or the ability, to participate within the constraints of
the zillions of more efficient employer/employee relationships that
define the usual workplace.
My primary litmus test for legitimacy is that street performers have
to show up too. They do it mostly on their terms, but
they usually have to be in place when the audience
exists... when people are milling about. The big difference is
whether they are showing up at the factory assembly-line at 7:30AM,
or on the crowded town square at 3:30PM... rain or shine...
As goes with the farmer and the gypsy, each having its own
dis-positional forces at work - I truly don't believe it's as much
of a choice as most folks would likely assume - I think the manner
in which we are compelled to engage our world is a deeply built in
to us as our natural hair color... I admit that my notions about
this are likely a bit romantic, but I would be that a lot of 9-5
factory workers would rather be doing sidewalk art or playing guitar
on the street, were it to ensure a more stable lifestyle. Being
practical is prudent...
Other Notes...
All of this inspiration recently converged to somehow expose,
somewhere deep in me, a latent obsession with doing that - yeah, me,
busking on the street (a bucket-list kind of thing? Oh, and
"what will the neighbors think?", etc.). But, I just wanted
to, no, needed to... do
that... And I don't see it as solicitation as much as
performing in the most brutally honest of markets - the street!
Nobody has to stop, nobody has to tip... If they do, there's no
doubt that the player *earned* it. Solid! So, I did it - I went out
and played for passers-by on a busy street-corner in Paia, Maui. It
went well. Folks seemed to like it. It was fun. I want to do it
more.
What next - directions/themes/???:
Right now, I see myself as a street busker at heart - a
"honky-tonk-guitarist" kinda thing rather than something more
accomplished or serious. Casual chillin' seems more natural and
fun... no stress, or something. I'm playing on my terms right now,
and thinking about branching out more formally, but the ad-hoc mode
is a lot of fun, so we'll see where it goes!
Update 1: Ok, so street guitarist isn't really where I seem to be
going - for no good reason other than playing in contained cafe-like
places seems to have a similar appeal and be slightly more insulated
from unknowns... it's more like "in-cafe busking" now ...
So, I've been putting together some business cards, this website,
and some performance video clips together to create a better
foundation of credentials, having come to realize that my verbal
assurance that 'I can play pretty well' when discussing gig
possibilities with local cafe/business owners isn't substantial
enough proof to break through the (understandable) barrier of
skepticism that a prudent business owner might have. I'm guessing a
good number of 'I can play' musicians may not be up to the "can you
draw and retain customers" element of the relationship. It seems to
be going well, and over time opportunities are popping up via
recommendations, more-so than my random cold-calling.
I'm not pushing it too hard right now, as I'm also realizing that
some intimate venues work well with my melancholy thoughtful
favorites, but others just scream for a playlist composed of more
upbeat and energetic "Friday night pub songs" and the like. I gotta
learn a few more songs for those places, as they have been a lot of
fun to play, and I want to do that context justice!
more to come!
--danno - "You've Heard Verse!"