Street Performers

[Zombie]

People have been performing on the streets since ... well, since forever In Britain it's part of our daily life. Maybe it's one reason why Britain is such a global force in world entertainment for such a small country. My nearest town - actually a small city and university town - always has street performers and I love to see and hear them, especially the musicians or "buskers". Some are very talented, maybe students supplementing their income, or getting performance practice. So next time you go shopping look out for the street performers - you may come across a real gem

Here's Bryson Andres on Spokane Street, Washington, covering the well known Secrets - I actually prefer this stripped back version

 

 

[Bill W]

Obviously very talented.  I'm not sure what the woman was doing though - making change or taking a withdrawal.  lol

[Thorn Wilde]

I've done some busking in my time. It's a tough business. Some days you can stand there for hours and make no money at all. But it's awesome when you actually reach people. The contact you get with an audience is so much more immediate than what you get at say a pub gig, because the people who do stop to listen really do want to listen.

[Sasha Distan]

there were two guys in town today who were playing a lovely rendition of "under pressure" with acoustics. i had no actual money on me, so i stopped, told them they were awesome, gave them a business card and told them that next time i would donate or buy beer, which ever happened sooner.

[Zombie]

Some of you may think buskers like Bryson are just playing to a pre-recorded backing track so there's not much skill involved. That's not the case - all there is is him, the amplifier and ... a tiny red box on the ground. That's a loop box, or loop station - specifically a Boss RC-2 - commonly used by guitarists. So when Bryson starts, you'll notice his left foot is hovering over the box switch which he presses periodically when he wants to add what he's just played to the loop recording, such as the percussion effect created by slapping the violin casing. In other words throughout the 4 minute gig he is building up the multi-layered recorded backing track from scratch at the same time as he is having to think about and then play his violin solo. Clever.

[Aditus]

We have many buskers here and I have to admit every time I hear a pan flute I run. Yikes. But we also had this little old man in a wheel chair who played the violin so beautifully you could weep. We even looked for him sometimes when we were in the city and were very sad when we heard he passed away.

[Thorn Wilde]

We have many buskers here and I have to admit every time I hear a pan flute I run. Yikes. But we also had this little old man in a wheel chair who played the violin so beautifully you could weep. We even looked for him sometimes when we were in the city and were very sad when we heard he passed away.

 

Oh, my city has quite a few people who play one chord on the accordion. They're horrible.

[Sasha Distan]

Oh, my city has quite a few people who play one chord on the accordion. They're horrible.

 

Bad buskers do not survive in a town where you have a college, two universities and a specialist music academy. we are blessed with talents students trying to make rent.

[Thorn Wilde]

Bad buskers do not survive in a town where you have a college, two universities and a specialist music academy. we are blessed with talents students trying to make rent.

 

Unfortunately, the locals don't busk much here anymore... 

[TetRefine]

The "trash can bands" who play outside Fenway Park in Boston after Sox games are really good and loud. As a kid whenever I went to games I used to love listening to them afterwards. 

[clumber]

I like living in Scotland, and Glasgow is an awesome city...

 

But.... bloody hell I want to shove those bagpipes somewhere they've never been before. I wouldn't mind, but they seem to neatly spread out over the entire city center, ensuring that there is no escape. It's like living in a shortbread tin.

 

Other than that it's all pretty cool, though.

Edited August 20, 2013 by clumber

[Aditus]

Now I'm hearing pan flutes and bagpipes. Together! Yikes!

[Uziel]

There aren't a lot of those here. But I sometimes see artistes MIMING in the street trying to selling their album. I hate those...

[Zombie]

Now I'm hearing pan flutes and bagpipes. Together! Yikes!

 

 

doncha mean double yikes!!

[clumber]

doncha mean double yikes!!

 

Oh no! They're playing the bagyikes!

 

 

....Sorry.

[Sasha Distan]

i once bought a CD off...some guy who was doing awesome rap and shit in the street in Brighton, included a version with re written lyrics "...gimmie the beat box and free my soul, i wanna get lost in your hip hop and roll, fat spilffs and drift away, fat spilffs and drift away..."

[Zombie]

Some years ago I walked past an amazing acoustic combo on Cornmarket and said to myself "cool - I'll stop by on my way back and buy their CD". Course, when I got back they'd packed up and gone. Dunno who they were and never saw them again

[Celethiel]

that was horrible! Horrible! all street performers must die!!!

he's good, however it is nice that he had an accustic set to back him up too.

[Thorn Wilde]

Oh, btw, I'd just like to point out that the thingies the native American buskers play are NOT pan flutes, they're sampoñas. 

[Zombie]

Oh, btw, I'd just like to point out that the thingies the native American buskers play are NOT pan flutes, they're sampoñas. 

 

Maybe. Addy would still run, screaming ...

[Aditus]

Oh, btw, I'd just like to point out that the thingies the native American buskers play are NOT pan flutes, they're sampoñas. 

Good to know, my teacher said sampoñas are a subgroup of the pan flutes, but I'm always happy to learn something new. And yes Z. is absolutely right, whether it's called pan flutes, sampoñas, nai or whatnot I will definitely run.