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Location: south east Michigan | Here's the plan. Brian is driving up ths Sunday. We're going to head down to the gazebo down by the riverfront and crack open the guitar cases just for something different.
We have only played "out" one time since Amelia and I hope to shake off some rust.
Who knows? We just might meet another player or two. And who knows? That might start some type of semi-regular song circle type gatherings like the one Moody has going. Who knows? We might draw a little crowd, or we might scare the fish away. Or we might get told to "move along" by the cops.
We'll see. |
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Location: Tennessee | You'll do fine. Just remember to wear pants. |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | and a shirt. No hula skirt. |
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Location: Brisbane Australia | Have fun Brad!! :cool:
AJ |
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Location: Pennsylvania | Originally posted by AussieJames:
Have fun Brad!! :cool:
AJ +1
Be sure to let us know how it goes. |
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Location: Sunshine State, Australia | I hope you're playing 'Overkill'. |
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Location: south east Michigan | I like "Overkill". I just need to perfect it. |
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| Sounds like fun, wish I could be there. |
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Location: Flahdaw | Don't forget to put a basket out for beer money. |
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Location: Brisbane Australia | I've never busked!!
Could we do it outside O'Kanes? :D
AJ |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Wear crummy clothes. Some folks will think that you can't afford a real wood guitar, so maybe they'll be quicker to toss in a buck. Take a handfull of $1 bills (but not too many) and toss it in the case as seed money. Good luck. |
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Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | I recommend coins in the case. Bills blow away too easy.
It's sad watching a guy with a guitar chase fluttering bills down the street. So they told me. |
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Location: south east Michigan | Okay.. here is how it went.
But first things first.
Now that's not all we got. That my friends, is just my cut!!! Two quarters and an angry dollar bill. (more on that later)
We were down there for 3 hours and must have played at least 40 songs. The gazebo had a bunch of kids playing around it so we moved to a bench on the boardwalk down by the river. Not much foot traffic down there today. One couple about our age ate their Dairy Queen and listened for a while.
We got a couple nice compliments from passers by but only on guy approached us. We just finished "Knights in White Satin". He came up, said we sounded good and asked if we had a card. We said, no.... we don't hire out and that this was just a hobby. Brian said that we have day jobs that keeps us busy enough. The man explained that he was putting on a wedding and wanted to hire us. We thanked him again and explained that we don't have a P.A. set up. He said he had the P.A. and would pay us $200 for 3 hours work on the weekend. We were polite and gracious but the guy started to get upset. He tossed an "angry", wadded up dollar bill in the case and stormed off.
You guys might think we were crazy to turn down a 200 dollar gig. For a while we thought the same. But we thought it through and know we made the right choice.
Over all, we gained some valuable public exposure type practice and had fun at the same time.
A little OT... here is a pic of our Thursday night practice place.
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Location: Vernon CT | Hey Brad, It's obviously about the music for you!
Glad you had a good time! :) |
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Location: Flahdaw | I always thought it was "Nights in White Satin". I've been wrong a lot lately.
Give us a breakdown of some other songs you played that wow'd the crowd. |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | He tossed an "angry", wadded up dollar bill in the case and stormed off.
Crumpled-up or folded-up dollars don't blow away as easily.
But you were good enough for someone to Offer you a gig! So that's cool. :cool: |
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Location: south east Michigan | Hey... maybe it is "Nights". Luckily it sounds the same when you sing it.
Ummm... there was no crowd. Most the time we were playing to the seawall.
We played all our old standbys. Can't Explain, Crazy Love, Something, Pretty Woman, No Sugar, Goin' Up the Country, Nowhere Man, Two Of Us, Ticket To Ride, Won't Get Fooled Again, Natures Way, Sunny Afternoon, Itchycoo Park, Tell Her No, Elenor, Thank You, Mrs Brown, etc, etc, etc. |
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Location: Flahdaw | Nice. I forgot about Nature's Way....( quickly breaks out the guitar) |
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Location: Tennessee | Beautiful. So are you planning on going onto the Dairy Quuen circuit across the mitten thumb? I really think you could pull it off. Now you just need a catchy name for your act. |
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Location: Bluffton, SC | Originally posted by stonebobbo:
Now you just need a catchy name for your act. Ok, now THAT's got to go off line...
Glad you guys had a good time. |
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| Looks like fun. |
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Location: south east Michigan | To late bobbo...
FOGPOG
Fat Old Guys Playing Ovation Guitars. |
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Location: Tennessee | Originally posted by Slipkid:
FOGPOG
Fat Old Guys Playing Ovation Guitars. That name is soooooo already taken ... |
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Location: New Hampshire, USA | Originally posted by Slipkid:
Hey... maybe it is "Nights". Luckily it sounds the same when you sing it. Not according to Monty Python.
K'niggits in White Satin... |
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Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Way to go gents! Sounds like a great time.
If the guy got angry with a refusal, just imagine what might have happened at the wedding with booze flowing... :eek: Good move! |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | At least he paid you for your time. |
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Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Always take the gig, and get paid on the first set.
You've got 40 songs? You got enough for the night. |
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Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Way to go Brad...
You know it's not about the tips; it's about the tunes...
Keep us posted if you plan to repeat... |
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Location: SoCal | Originally posted by stonebobbo:
Beautiful. So are you planning on going onto the Dairy Quuen circuit across the mitten thumb? I really think you could pull it off. Now you just need a catchy name for your act. "Nights in White Satin". It's a natural.
Of course, that's going to necessitate wearing wedding gowns as costumes when you play, but anybody who can get away with his dignity while wearing a coconut bra could pull it off...... |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | by scooterboy:
Originally posted by Slipkid:
Hey... maybe it is "Nights". Luckily it sounds the same when you sing it. Not according to Monty Python.
K'niggits in White Satin... 
That is Clay Aiken for people who don't know. (Or people like me, who don't care) |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Well done OMA !!! |
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Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Originally posted by moody, p.i.:
"Nights in White Satin". It's a natural. OR
Whites in Nice Satin |
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Location: Michigan | You told me you were "busking" and I had no idea what you were talking about and felt too stupid to ask. Heck, had I known I would have stopped buy and tossed in a fiver to really make it worth your while! Looks like you had a great time. |
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Location: south east Michigan | I've given it some thought. I think the next step is to try busking at some type of event like an art fair or a car show. Something that draws a crowd.
The other day we had our cases open but they were behind us and on the other side of the bench. I think next time we'll put the case out front but make a sign that say's that everything will go to a local charity organization like the Lions Club or the food bank. |
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| Originally posted by Slipkid:
You guys might think we were crazy to turn down a 200 dollar gig. For a while we thought the same. But we thought it through and know we made the right choice.
I'd tend to agree. A guy who's hiring street musicians for a wedding like he's picking up gum at a checkout is not planning too well. You'd show up and there'd be other musicians there already, or no one would be expecting you, or a hundred other things that would mean you'd wasted your time. Good call. |
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Location: south east Michigan | like he's picking up gum at a checkout Great turn of a phrase!
That put it all in perspective.
On the flipside, we both got a little ego-boost from the offer but now thats all gone.
Gum at the checkout stand. That is what we've been reduced to. sigh ... And with our luck we'd be a pack of "Clove". |
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Location: Pennsylvania | I like "Clove". All the others are the same thing just with different packaging. If you've experienced one you've experienced them all. Clove stands out from all the rest with its own own unique flavor. You could do worse. |
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Location: south east Michigan | Gee.... I feel better now!
Thanks! |
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Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | of course, if you really want to get into this busking thing, Study with the pro! ;) |
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Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | From busker to huckster? |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Originally posted by 2ifbyC:
From busker to huckster?
Those who "Can't"... "TEACH!'
I'm sure that someone could write a book on "How and Where to Panhandle" too...
Of course, anybody who actually Needs that book can't afford to buy it!
The best place to Panhandle is where the Rich People Are... You will get bigger Hits.
Of course, they will Arrest You for panhandling where the Rich People Are.
The next best place is where the Drunk People Are... You will get a bunch of little Hits.
Of course, you will get Arrested There too...
Actually... When I lived on the streets in Boston/Cambridge in the 70's I have been given a bunch of money by Busking Musicians. Just for sitting around enjoying the music.... More than once.
Why?
I'm not sure about nowadays, but back then many Talented Music Students would come-out from The Berklee School of Music and play on the streets in Havard Square and Copley Square.
They did not need the money. This was practice for them, honing their performance skills.
We would be there listening and drinking and smoking and encouraging them...
When they were done, they called us over and gave us the money.
Telling us that they were really Professional Music students, and they didn't need the money.
The money is just a way of Keeping Score!
(Applause is cheap. But if people will pay you, you are doing okay) |
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Location: Copenhagen Denmark | Busker eh ..
WELCOME to the Fore ..!!
Nice t`know that Arthur and I are now a Trio.
.. and next time , accept the gig-offer , ye`l b`come rich in experience , and that`s what buskin`s all about .. and if ye can make some dough, why not .. :)
Vic
.. ye go minstrel .. ;) |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | I agree with fillhixx and you should have taken the gig...
This scenario put together from experience... just MAYBE your passerby was at his wits end... with a $200 budget trying to find a couple of GOOD musicians to do his gig... maybe the original act bailed, maybe he didn't know anyone, maybe no one would do it cheap enough.... maybe no one he found was good enough... he stumbled across a couple guys he likes (yous)... and THEY turn him down. I'd be pissed too.
This scenario plays out every day in the event planning business... well at least the part about being at wits end... not being able to find anyone... or have them cancel at the last minute...
Poor guy may have thought the forces were shining upon him when he saw/heard you... until you crushed him... and subsequently made him responsible for ruining his wife's special day cause the ONLY thing he had to do was get a couple of guys to play some nice music during the cocktail hour.. and he couldn't even do that!!! |
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| Lotta maybes and a great ending to the story, Miles. They made the right call. |
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Location: Utah | Originally posted by Old Man Arthur:
Applause is cheap. But if people will pay you, you are doing okay One of the best posts ever. |
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A busking we will go....