By Johnny Bonneville

12/16/08

 

Hello and welcome to the first version of the Busker’s Corner Newsletter (BCN). A periodical essay about the lifestyle, news and advice for Busking in the Washington DC area. This newsletter will also be permanently posted at my new web site. www.Johnnybonneville.com

  

Each BCN will revolve around three subjects, a “Personal Essay” about life as a Busker. A lesson or two from “Busking 101”, the fundamentals of becoming a street performer, and the “Busker’s Report”, a revealing look at the places and trends busker’s are using to become successful in the DELMARVA region.

 

A PERSONAL ESSAY

Part 1 of BCN, The opening comments and tone of today’s life as a street performer.

Why I Busk

By Johnny Bonneville

Busking? Is that a cold weather sport? Some of you are wondering “What is Busking?” Well join the rest of us in knowing that “Busking” is the ancient art of street performance, in my case it’s singing and playing a guitar. I like to play on the street, I like to perform old songs and give them new life. On the other hand, some other reasons might be that I need to gamble in an innocent way. Sometimes I need the challenge of drawing a crowd. Perhaps it’s because I’m a clown and need to get attention. Maybe I need the money, yes! I need the money. But the real reason is that I yearn for a simpler life, a life I was born too late to live, so I invented that world for me today.

A world where the highlight social interaction occurs when going to town and mingling with the people on the avenue. Where all types of people are brought together. Rich folk poor folk old folk young folk black folk white folk yellow folk green folk and babies too! In the middle of it all this stands me, the street performer, the main attraction on the boulevard. I serve as the town crier, dispatching news in my song’s lyrics. Only the observant notice, only those tuned in to their surroundings hear while I pretend to wield some kind of magic in my performance of song by making it look easy. 

“No ticket needed for this show, but tips are welcome!” I shout while launching into a strong intro and beginning a ballad about hard living. The snobbish are instantly offended; I sort of snicker, shrug it off and start drifting into my song again. Meanwhile some kids jump in closer while walking by and start dancing like they seen their grandparents doing, saving my rocky beginning.

Someone throws a dollar in my hat so I work a “Thank You” seamlessly into my song delivery. One dollar equals one song, after that I’m ahead of my goal. Twenty songs will make $20 dollars when I’m working hard at singing. Sometimes I play two hours in one spot, move on and do it again and then again in another spot. Practice, practice, practice, I never played so much music in my whole life like as I do when Busking.

But when the kids come by and they hear what I’m doing, that’s when I really get happy. The teens dance and snap their fingers giggling, pullout their cell phones and shoot youtube clips of themselves dancing to my songs. The babies who had just previously been bored to death with mom’s daily ritual of routine lean out of their baby stroller and look me right in the eye. Then I lean in and say to them, “Hey kid, it’s magic! Take a good look because your gonna want some of this someday”.

BUSKING 101

Part 2 of the BCN, each issue we will try to teach you how to become a successful Busker by offering insight and advice from the pros.

Here are the basics, three helpful topics to get you started.

Is It Legal?

Well some places it is and some places it is not. Some cities like Baltimore and New York City give street performers a license to perform in public places. But here in Washington DC there is no such thing nor is there a law against doing it. Solicitation is illegal, but playing music on the street is not solicitation as long as you don’t ”Ask” people for money. I put out a hat, If someone wants to give me a dollar that their business. I never asked them for any money, they just did it because they liked me and the hat serves as a place to store my money until I can get my hands free. There is no law against that, furthermore this issue has been heard before the Supreme Court and upheld.

What To Do If The Cops Stop You From Playing

Just because there ain’t no law doesn’t mean Johnny Law gonna let you be. Most times if you’re generally pleasant, no body complains and your not creating a public nuisance most cops are going to let you be. However if you’re in a zone they feel they should have control over, like a subway entrance, they will ask you to move on. When they do this, listen to them. This is your get out of Dodge City free card, they will only ask you once so take them up on their suggestion because you were on your way to the next spot anyway. If things should go really badly and you mouth off to the cop he will give you a ticket. If this happens take the ticket, end the confrontation and move on. Do not protest and risk arrest, and don’t panic you have not lost anything yet. Now you have a day in court to explain the matter before a judge. Guess what? When you go to that hearing the case will probably be dismissed. The cop won’t be there either, it’s called “No papering a case.” This means the DA has filed no charges for this case. So just take it as part of the job that your going to have to move sometimes and quickly, it’s a bummer but it comes with the territory.

Three Basic Types Of Buskers

When you take a closer look at who is a street performer, you can break down the difference into three basic types.

The first kind of Busker is an artist starved for a creative outlet. Lacking a captive audience and feeling a need to perform, they take it to the streets. There is nothing wrong with this; in fact it’s very helpful for learning what attracts people to your music.

I’ll give you an example: I had been working on song arrangement of “Pretty Paper” by Willie Nelson written in the Key Of G. I was having trouble polishing the material because when I played the song my vocals and guitar melodies clashed and muddied it’s expression. One day I was out at the metro stop playing music. I had played Pretty Paper before at the same place and gotten little or no response. So I decided to do something a little different. Recently I had sat in with Big Hillbilly Bluegrass and noticed the guitar player often used a capo to separate his vocals from the guitar’s melody. So I decided to “capo up” to the second fret and began to play the song. Instantly people looked up and smiled at me. Three people put money in my hat before I could get past the first verse. All the sudden it hit me, these people are telling us what they like and don’t like about our music, we just have to know how to read them.

So, in short what I’m saying is don’t wait to get out and try your songs out in front of a live audience. Playing alone in a room will only get you halfway there when it comes to polishing a performance. This is one of the primary benefits of being at the first skill level of Busking.

Street performer’s working at this level take in $5 - $10 a day. The art of financial reward has nothing to do with your skill level as a musician at this point.

After you get past the fist stage of Busking or as we like to call it, “The Greenhorn”. The dedicated will arise to become a performer who can rely on their god given talent to generate an income when no paying gigs are available.

Most people work alone at the second stage and tend to become extremely nomadic as they travel from spot to spot. The reason for not retracing one’s steps too often is simple; it keeps the performance fresh. However every one of us has a secret “Honey Hole” we will return too regularly, where the familiar reward our reemergence.

Once in a while Buskers will “Pair up” and form a duet, but this won’t put twice as much loot in the tip jar so the budget minded Buskers often work alone.

Some Buskers get battery powered amps as they get better, because more sound equals more tips when working on the street. “Taxi Amps” are the preferred equipment because a musician can plug a guitar and vocal mike into one amp.

Street performer’s working at this level take in $20 - $80 a day. The more time you put in to it the more time you will get out of it, it’s as simple as that.

Next comes the level of “Master Busker”, someone who can attract a crowd. This kind of street performer has developed their charisma to the point of being able get people to totally stop what they were doing and watch the show. They work their performances into short acts and have a partner called “The Bagger”. The bagger’s job is to work the crowd for tips while people applaud at the end of a performance. This technique will bring in twice as much tips than working alone and is necessary for the master level.

At this point a Street Performer’s working take should be $200 - $300 a day. By now it’s has become a regular working gig that pays the bills.

The next edition of  “Busking 101” will look into the age old question of,“Where To Busk”.

THE BUSKER’S REPORT

Part 3 of the BCN, now it’s time for the highlight of the Busker’s Corner Newsletter, “The Busker’s Report”.

Overview: It looked like things were slowing down for Buskers in the DC area as the temperatures dropped. Then Wham! “The grand finale to the Busker’s season”. Say hello to the “Musical Army Of Santa’s Little Helpers”. Look on every street corner and you’ll hear an eager musician looking to entertain crowds during the holidays. Competition is stiff when looking for spots so go early.

Who are the best musicians on the ‘Busker’s Curcuit’ right now? Top picks go to the horn players. Their instruments are perfect for projecting the sweetest sounds for the holidays.  Who are the worst? It’s got to be the Salvation Army Band set up in front of Penn Station in NYC. Awful stuff! What did those guys do with all the money for those music lessons anyway!

What are Buskers playing this time of year? Cover songs and self-penned styles have been dropped in favor of Holiday music of course. Funny songs and Love songs come in a close second but stay away from broken hearts.

Where are the best locations? Go to places where people are shopping close to public transportation. It’s also important to position yourself where people are done with what they were doing and are relaxed, thus being receptive to outside stimuli.

When are the best times? Weekends are picking up around shopping areas. However, transportation hubs are still the best bet if you’re working on the weekdays.  But, weather working on weekdays or weekends, the mornings are just about dead. Nowadays it’s so cold that it will only take one bad morning to get you to commit to a plan later in the day. 

Why should you go out and try this? Well really, if you have ever dreamed of being a Busker you would find this newsletter helpful and encouraging. If you need more reasons, it will make you a better performer and hopefully give you good things to write about. So give it a try, you’ll like it.

That’s it for the first issue of the Busker’s Corner Newsletter. If you have a story about Busking or a Busker’s Report please send it to the news desk here at the Busker’s Corner Newsletter for inclusion in the next issue.

Send your comments and suggestions to;

johnnybonneville@hotmail.com

Next time well look at:

*How to Stick And Move

*Never Compete For Attention

*How To Flip The Script On A Phony Bagger

*Where To Pick A Spot To Play

*The Busker’s Code Of Conduct

Thanks For Reading The BCN And Happy Holiday’s To You And Yours!