Being an elf is not all it's cut out to be, especially in a city like Boston. Last year I made enough money and had enough crazy comments to make it worth it, but this year was quite disappointing.
1. Appearance:
To be a proper elf, one must bundle up. It was warm this week, so I wore the minimum: warm socks, wooly tights, and long johns, a t-shirt, thermal shirt, under-armor ski shirt, fleece vest, and super warm sweater dress. I have many more layers I could add if need be. As a result, I can't wiggle my toes, bend my knees or elbows very far, and my hips are bruised by all the layers of elastic. All of this goes under my homemade elf jacket, skirt, shoes, and hat, and striped red and white tights. Jingle bell earrings complete the ensemble.
Half the fun is just walking around/riding the T as an elf. Sometimes people will smile, sometimes I'll get a thumbs up, often I'll be ignored. Some people even talk to me, either curiously asking if I'm in a show, or telling me messages for Santa. Kids are enthralled, and I try to seek them out. Last year they were even more into it, asking if I'm a real elf, and such. This year they just waved.
Oh, any my accordion wore a reindeer costume.
2. Songs:
To be a musical elf, one must learn holiday songs on their instrument of choice. My family has always had this nice piano book of Christmas Carols, so I chose some of those and wrote the chords out on notecards. I obviously don't practice these as much as my usual songs, so it took a while to sound decent. This year I've written out a set list with more songs, but my best ones are "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," "The First Noel," "Angels We Have Heard on High," and "Deck the Halls." I was glad that I was able to remember them pretty quickly this year.
Another new thing I'm doing this year is Klezmer versions of Christmas songs. Years ago I discovered The Klezmonauts . This year I figured out Klezmer (mostly just minor) versions of Jingle Bells, Deck the Halls, and Joy to the World as a medley for my performance at Yule for Fuel. Over the past couple days I've added "Feliz Navidad," and "The Twelve Days of Christmas." They didn't get any reaction in Boston, but hopefully they will this weekend in Northampton.
3. Location:
This is always the hard part, finding a good place to play. My research indicated that one needs a permit for Fanueil Hall, the subways, and Cambridge. Here are the places I played:
a. Newbury St. at Exeter. I liked this corner because there are two restaurants. I set up right in front of a tree with lights on it. There are pedestrian lights so people came in waves. Bad because the people there are rich snobs.
b. Downtown Crossing, outside of Borders. Good because you can set up opposite benches, it's a busy shopping area, but bad because a lot of the people are businessmen and -women who are going about their day, and they're not into stopping.
c. Copley Square. Good because I was right outside the T. Bad because, well, it's Boston.
d. Park St. Same as above.
These places were all extremely bad. I was making very little money, and most people ignored me completely. Every once in a while someone with a kid in a stroller would stop, which was my best business. I did okay on the weekend nights there, but not well enough to call it a good spot. I found around the Downtown Crossing area that the people around either had executive office jobs or no jobs, and these aren't the types that care about bohemian gypsies/have money to tip, respectively. The best patrons are artsy types that you typically find in the Pioneer Valley, and these people don't hang out in Downtown Crossing on random weekdays.
e. Davis Square and Harvard Square.
This time around, I added these two squares to my list. Davis wasn't great, but I think I was just early and people weren't around. Harvard Square, on the other hand, was perfect. You need a permit which I didn't have, and I didn't want to pay $40 for just a couple days. I thought I would try it anyway and see if I got caught. This was Wednesday night. I set up a little ways down, by the Harvard Bookstore, so a cop in the Square proper might not hear me. I made good money, and got a lot of nice smiles and compliments! I had my student loan sign out then, which always helps. I was just struck by how nice people were here, and how many smiled and tipped and complimented me. Boston and Cambridge are night and day. If I busk there again I'll spring for the Cambridge permit.
I decided to go home a little early. I got to Boston Tuesday night and I was going to leave Saturday morning to be home for some things this weekend. Playing was so discouraging, and I didn't know if I'd be able to play in Harvard Square again without getting caught. It was supposed to rain all day Thursday anyway, so I came home. I'm excited to play in Northampton this weekend, where I know I can make money.
4. Random assessment:
2010 was a bigger year for Elf busking, but it was exhausting. I was staying with my cousins in Concord, MA which was super cozy, but a ways out of town. My aunt works at Harvard, so I had the option of driving in with her really early, at like 6:30 am. The other option was for my teenage cousins to drive me to the commuter rain station on their way to school, closer to 8:00. That was good, but either way I was getting into Boston very early in the day. Sometimes my aunt's amazing friend Jody would come pick me up and bring me to the commuter rail at like 11:00 am. Whatever happened, my uncle Alex packed four lunches each morning, for his three kids and his elfniece.
These days were grueling. It was COLD. In the mid twenties. I avoided warm drinks because I wanted to avoid bathrooms all day since I had eight layers of tights on. My arms were sore because I was playing a lot and also pulling my accordion around and carrying it up and down stairs in the subways. Sometimes I would take breaks, sitting in comfy chairs in Borders reading my book; once I ate my lunch in an H&M fitting room. Some places were too hot in my full attire. I loved the feeling of jingling my way back to my aunt's office at Harvard to drive home with her. I got to strip off many layers and regain mobility, thaw my extremities, eat a snack, and SIT.
Some days I stayed later and took the commuter rail back, where I got comments from this one woman who collected tickets, in addition to other riders whom I most likely smacked with my box. North Station was always interesting too. On occasion I'd give out business cards to people looking for entertainment for their office parties, but none of those panned out.
I was having glove troubles. I hadn't busked in the cold before, so I had some fingerless gloves. These didn't work, my fingertips froze. That was no good. I tried many combinations, but they were either not warm enough, too slippery so my fingers flew off the keys, or too loose so I hit several keys at once. With one pair, my left palm kept slipping, so I couldn't hold the instrument. This was the era of Silly Bands, so I wound the ones I had around my left hand making a rubbery web to grip the instrument. That helped a lot!!
Finally I sewed together a few pairs, which are making do. I sewed the fingers to be super tight at the tips, and sewed grippy fabric on each fingertip. They were topped with a fingerless layer, mostly to provide two layers so I could slip a handwarmer between them. On the left hand I sewed more grippy fabric. They work okay, but could be better. I'm going to sew a new pair...today.
In 2011, I put in less work and got less out of it. People were just not feeling the outfit. I got the occasional complement, and one ditzy runner saw me and literally squealed, but it was a waste of time. I can remember clearly this woman on Newbury St. who gave me this look of disgust. I did notice, though, that since everyone already thought I was a crazy person I could get away with singing out loud as much as I wanted.
Another good thing about this year was that I didn't have to put in full days since I was staying with friends right by Porter Square. I could come and go whenever I wanted. It was also a lot warmer, which helped. The best part was just seeing friends who live in greater boston, although I didn't get to see all the ones I wanted to. I think I'd have better luck as an elf in the future if I didn't busk, if it was just a study of walking around as an elf. Maybe in New York? I also planned to go to Children's Hospitals or something, but I didn't organize it in time.
Now...for the fun part.
RANDOM THINGS THAT HAPPENED:
2010:
1. One time when I was walking around Harvard to go to my aunt's, I was chased down by some students. It turns out they had seen me from their dorm window, and ran down to get a picture. Not bad for twenty degrees out!
2. My favorite story: the red line was down at one point, and we couldn't go past Central Square. There was a bus from Harvard to Alewife. Beside me on the T was a mother with two kids who had come into the city to see The Nutcracker. They weren't sure what I do. I ended up walking with them to Harvard Square so they could catch the bus. On the walk, I asked the kids what they wanted for Christmas, and they agreed that they wanted a hamster. They had a dog, however, so they were concerned that the dog would eat it. "And then the dog will get a hairball." The tragedy here was not the demise of the hamster, but rather the dog's hairball.
3. A reoccurring character from 2010 was a man I call "Scott the Not Pretzel Man." Scott works in Downtown Crossing outside of Macy's vending something that isn't pretzels. I walked over there, where there's a "holiday market" with Santa photos and everything. He said he'd try to get me a gig there. I passed him a lot, and we'd always check in.
4. On my first day I was wandering around, trying to figure out where to go, and this guy talked to me and ended up walking me back to the Borders I think. I guess he's an undercover FBI agent, he had some strange stuff to say. At the end it came out that he had a gun. I wasn't sad to part ways with him.
5. One of the first places I played was in Copley Square. I met Joe the Piano Mover. He was between moving pianos and came to talk. I wanted to put my chord cards on my accordion stand, and he luckily had some tape that he gave me. Awesome.
6. I saw a few people I knew on Newbury St., which resulted in hugging. But when you hug someone with an accordion on, it makes a crazy sound. Sort of funny.
7. One day I was on the Red Line back to Harvard, and there was an a cappella group singing Christmas songs. I asked who they were, since I had likely heard of them since I was in charge of contacting guest groups to sing with my own college a cappella group. I hadn't hear of them. I joined them for a few rounds of carols, which was lots of fun. It turned out at the end that they're the Tufts Christian a cappella group. You can't really tell at Christmas time!
8. Speaking of singing, I sang with the Sounds of Concord, a men's barbershop choir. There was a special holiday shopping night in Concord, and I went, hoping to make money. I would have, except I only played for a few minutes until I saw the group doing their caroling rounds. I decided to ditch my accordion and sing with them. Besides being the only female in the group, I was also the only elf. This was a lot of fun. I actually saw one of them just a few days ago (2011), and it took a long time to place him.
9. When I was playing on Newbury St. one night I met an artist. He set up right by me to paint the intersection in all the Christmas lights. I ran into him in Ptown last summer, and he reminded me how we had met. Small world.
2011:
1. When I played in Harvard Square, these two young folks came over and said they're doing a scavenger hunt. I didn't expect "accordion playing elf" to be on there, so I was not surprised when they said they had to hug a stranger. It wasn't the first time I hugged a stranger for a photo in an elf costume, but at least they tipped!
2. A stranger on the subway fed me my favorite question: "Is [my costume] something for work?" "Yes," I answer. "What do you do for work?" "I'm one of Santa's elves, of course." Although no one asked where I'm from this year, so I can't say "the North Pole!"
3. A man in a store asked if I'm from Greece. I said no, with a puzzled expression. He pointed to my elf shoes and said they look like traditional Greek shoes. Hm.
4. I always look at the cars who are stopped in front of me at the light on Newbury St. Sometimes they roll down their windows to listen. Behind one window was Jody, my aunt Laura's friend who drove me around last year! So nice to see her, albeit brief and far!
5. This has nothing to do with busking, but between sets I met my bff Liz for coffee. I was fiddling with a pen, and dropped it. I was up on a stool with my accordion in the way, so I couldn't go get it. This kind lady got up and picked it up for me! She said, "I was in the position to get up, you weren't." I played with it more carefully after that.
That's all I can think of. I'll be playing in Northampton alll weekend, starting around 4:00 today. I'm excited to give this one last push, then just enjoy my holidays with my family.
Happy holidays, and please give your local buskers their holiday bonus!!
Friday, December 16, 2011
Monday, December 5, 2011
Elf in the City
Yesterday I began the 2011 season of Elf busking! Last winter, I sewed an elf costume and played Christmas songs on the streets of Boston. I didn't keep the blog yet. It didn't go very well so I didn't plan to do it again, but here I am. I made a few changes to my costume, mainly constructing new shoes:
I meant to make temporary covers for my favorite Keen sneakers, but I ended up supergluing it all together, so those shoes are now elf shoes. I also wanted to puff out my skirt. I bought a tutu/petticoat last year, but I didn't leave enough room in the skirt to fit it. I wanted to expand it but Jo-ann no longer had green velvet, so I had to use white.
I went just for the day yesterday, and set up on Newbury St. I hadn't actually practiced the Christmas songs, so I was surprised when I was more or less able to play them. Luckily there isn't really anyone who's hearing everything, so it was okay that it took some time to play them right.
There isn't really anything to report. People are very straight in Boston and no one really stopped to talk. I played for a couple lingering children, but that's it. I was actually surprised that I still made my usual hourly rate, because it didn't seem like I was getting any donations.
The fun part was walking through Boston in an elf costume. I got a lot of smiles and thumbs up from children and old men, but no one gave me messages for Santa like they did last year. The whole thing made me miss Northampton, despite the few times I've busked there. I was planning on being there the whole week of December 12-16th, but I might go home early to resume in the Valley. I think I'll try Harvard Square. You need a permit, and I'd rather not pay for it, but it could be worth it.
The one thing worth mentioning is my new favorite busker. I was at Park St. waiting to get on the red line back to the car, and there was this Asian lady probably in her thirties playing guitar and singing to a Christmas kareoke cd. I just loved her. We came in during "Feliz Navidad." She was just so smiley and cheerful, and her accent made "Feliz Navidad" so charming. She thanked everyone for donations, and was super impressed when this guy threw a quarter across the rail and landed it right in her box. I knew that if I was a regular Boston busker she's someone I would get to know.
The end!
I meant to make temporary covers for my favorite Keen sneakers, but I ended up supergluing it all together, so those shoes are now elf shoes. I also wanted to puff out my skirt. I bought a tutu/petticoat last year, but I didn't leave enough room in the skirt to fit it. I wanted to expand it but Jo-ann no longer had green velvet, so I had to use white.
I went just for the day yesterday, and set up on Newbury St. I hadn't actually practiced the Christmas songs, so I was surprised when I was more or less able to play them. Luckily there isn't really anyone who's hearing everything, so it was okay that it took some time to play them right.
There isn't really anything to report. People are very straight in Boston and no one really stopped to talk. I played for a couple lingering children, but that's it. I was actually surprised that I still made my usual hourly rate, because it didn't seem like I was getting any donations.
The fun part was walking through Boston in an elf costume. I got a lot of smiles and thumbs up from children and old men, but no one gave me messages for Santa like they did last year. The whole thing made me miss Northampton, despite the few times I've busked there. I was planning on being there the whole week of December 12-16th, but I might go home early to resume in the Valley. I think I'll try Harvard Square. You need a permit, and I'd rather not pay for it, but it could be worth it.
The one thing worth mentioning is my new favorite busker. I was at Park St. waiting to get on the red line back to the car, and there was this Asian lady probably in her thirties playing guitar and singing to a Christmas kareoke cd. I just loved her. We came in during "Feliz Navidad." She was just so smiley and cheerful, and her accent made "Feliz Navidad" so charming. She thanked everyone for donations, and was super impressed when this guy threw a quarter across the rail and landed it right in her box. I knew that if I was a regular Boston busker she's someone I would get to know.
The end!
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Black Friday, Black Friday, Gotta Get Down on Black Friday
Yesterday marked my first Black Friday as a busker. Northampton, Massachusetts is the perfect place to perform on this day, since the residents are gung-ho about supporting local businesses. Sure enough, the parking garage was full: a good sign for having ample foot traffic. It was a beautiful day, and within minutes of setting up I had to shed several layers, eventually donning only my sleeveless piano dress and tights. The sun felt so good!
Buskers were out in full force. My friends The Coyote Choir were set up immediately outside Thornes, where the Salvation Army bell-ringer didn't even try to stay in rhythm--wtf? They sounded fantastic. I tried that side of Main St. first, but every few feet someone was set up: the old black guitar player who's been there for years, a young talented hipster-ish guitar player, and a saxophone player at the intersection. I went to the other side of the street and saw Steve, the veteran guitar player in his usual spot across from Faces.
I ended up around the bend outside Sam's Pizzeria. It seemed to be a good place, since there were people sitting outside and lots of foot traffic, but I was doing poorly. I finally realized that my back was directly to the sun. Great for me, but that meant folks had to look directly into the sun to look at me. D'oh. I moved to right outside Synergy. The management there gave me a really hard time. One employee came out and said "Oh, no! The owner is NOT going to be okay with this. You're going to have to move." I explained that it's the biggest shopping day of the year and that the buskers were out in full force and that once another spot opened up I would move. In this case, she had no legal leg to stand on. There are specific busking laws in Northampton, and I was not in violation of any. The sidewalk was six feet wide, I was on the road side, I wasn't sitting on a bench, etc. Regardless, I moved about six feet to my right so I wasn't directly in front of their door. A while later, the owner came out. She snapped at me, "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but you're too loud. It's hard to hear customers as it is inside." She turned and went back in, not even demanding that I move, thinking it was just implied. I didn't point out that she could have just closed her door. I don't expect that kind of reaction in a city that promotes the arts as much as this one. Even so, I moved about six feet in the other direction. I liked it here because I could see my reflection in the store window, and could thus remind myself to smile and use my whole bellows, but the sun was at a weird angle and I kept tripping over loose bricks around a tree.
After a while I decided to take a break. I got a chai and went to listen to the Coyote Choir for a bit. My wrists and shoulders have been sore since I'm playing a lot these days around the house, so it's important to take breaks! I began my second set around 4:30. Steve had left and I took his spot outside of Faces. This was really great, since, as you know, once the sun sets I start playing better and everyone starts tipping better. The Faces crew never gives me a hard time. I had to put some sweaters on eventually, but the evening set could not have been better.
Here's what happened, in both spots:
1. I ran into a lot of former high school classmates who were home for Thanksgiving! Some ignored me while I ignored them, and others I exchanged pleasantries with. Some showed surprise at my current occupation, and others just said, "Hi Sophie" as if it wasn't the first time we were seeing each other in five years. The most interesting of these interactions was with Leland Moore, a unique character from high school. He confessed that he's in law school, and I told him that I would not have guessed in high school that that's where he'd be in five years. He said, "Howie did." Apparently another strange classmate, Howie, told him "You'll either be a Greenpeace hippie or a corporate lawyer." We all expected the former. These things happen!
2. There were adorable children out. The first was this little brunette girl who couldn't have been more than a year and half old. She was super serious, and didn't change her expression as I played my repertoire of kids' songs, but she flexed her hands as she watched mine. Finally I took out Flaca, and her mom manipulated her. It wasn't until she grabbed Flaca and had a go with her that she let her smile shine, and it was worth the wait. Such a pretty little girl! She had her do the dance that Flaca most often does at the mercy of little kids: bouncing flat on her back. She must have great abs! Another kid was out, and I asked for a favorite song to play. The answer was "Happy Birthday," even though it was no one's birthday. Another little boy danced all over the place, and asked for "more" after every song. He wanted "the cow song," after I played Old MacDonald once. Right when I set up some parents revealed their 7-week-old, who was about to hear her first accordion. It did not end well. They can try again in a year!
3. Two people were waiting to cross the street as I did Bad Romance. The man showed excitement, and naturally wanted to dance. The dance he did was the whole arms crossed, kick legs out routine that one associates more with Jewish weddings than with clubs. Usually I don't do the pop songs in an area as sophisticated and indie as Northampton, but I was playing everything yesterday so they came out, and people liked them, even here. Dynamite is still an ace card. No one recognizes Friday, even on Black Friday!
4. A strange thing happened: "I Want You Back" was sooooo good. I arranged the timeless Jackson 5 hit last winter, but it's been super challenging. For whatever reason, I was just nailing it yesterday. Hope it'll be true other days!
5. I had a very nice talk with Steve, and guitar player, as I was switching spots. He immediately offered me his spot, which I declined, but was so nice. He smiled as he jested, "Your music's great, but I don't know about that haircut." As I was walking away, he sang a song about me. I forget the words, but it used my name and rhymed with "fun." He's a notable colleague.
6. There was a guy between Steve and I sitting on a bench playing guitar. I wasn't sure if he was trying to busk, so I felt a little bad setting up so close to him. He came over at one point, and I was sure it was to complain, but he was just listening! I dusted off my old arrangement of "What is Love?" to which he did the Night at the Roxbury head dance.
7. People were reacting to my signs! Some commented on the loans, and other just read "Sophie's Smokin' Squeezebox" aloud to their party and chuckled.
8. A man came up to talk. He looked sort of haggard and held a paper bag with a bottle in it. He reminded me in appearance of the people in the Mission District of San Francisco who would see my money and ask me for it. I stood a little closer to the box. As it turned out, I very much misjudged this man. In broken English, he asked me to play an Argentinian tango. I told him, in Spanish, that they were very hard. But I said I'd try "El Dia Que Me Quieras," but then I couldn't find the key. He sang it anyway. We conversed in Spanish a bit (felt so good!), and he said I should go to Colombia, where he's from, to learn accordion songs. I said I would try. He took my hand and kissed it before wishing me a good night and leaving. This was a very nice interaction.
9. Someone told me about a band called Bela's Bartok that features accordion, I guess! They were playing at the Iron Horse last night.
10. Best donation ever: a standard alternative Northampton teenage girl came up and laid a single red rose wrapped in yellow tissue paper in my box. It looked so beautiful next to Flaca and the painted box. It touched me that she would give me such a wonderful donation at a young age, and it was such a perfect gypsy touch for my setup. She said "accordions are sexy." Damn straight! She and her friend lingered for a while, joined by more friends. I told her to pick a song, and she studied my set list and chose the Tetris theme song. Her friend confessed that his life was now complete after hearing it. They're great people, it's nice to know there's hope for teenagers!
11. There was an interesting sight that walked by twice: a woman with her real dog and her latex one. She had an adorable little white dog on a black leash. In her other hand, she walked the craft of a balloon man who had folded her a little white dog on a black leash. I wish I had a photo. Only in Northampton or Ptown.
12. I talked to a fellow member of the 99%, who asked about my loans. He was just laid off from his job so money was tight. He used to be in a cover band. Cool!
13. Around this time of year, Faces sets up a projector in their window that throws tiny green dots on the sidewalk in front of it. They move around and explode when they collide. This is great entertainment for people trying to figure out where it's coming from, and it was surprisingly not competition for me.
14. I met someone who works at Faces. He said he has his mother's old accordion. I told him he had to learn Jingle Bells by the time I was back in town.
I packed up because it's Thanksgiving and my family was going to the movies! In summary, it was a great day and I want to play more in Northampton. I have to always wear my piano dress since I got tons of compliments! The end.
Buskers were out in full force. My friends The Coyote Choir were set up immediately outside Thornes, where the Salvation Army bell-ringer didn't even try to stay in rhythm--wtf? They sounded fantastic. I tried that side of Main St. first, but every few feet someone was set up: the old black guitar player who's been there for years, a young talented hipster-ish guitar player, and a saxophone player at the intersection. I went to the other side of the street and saw Steve, the veteran guitar player in his usual spot across from Faces.
I ended up around the bend outside Sam's Pizzeria. It seemed to be a good place, since there were people sitting outside and lots of foot traffic, but I was doing poorly. I finally realized that my back was directly to the sun. Great for me, but that meant folks had to look directly into the sun to look at me. D'oh. I moved to right outside Synergy. The management there gave me a really hard time. One employee came out and said "Oh, no! The owner is NOT going to be okay with this. You're going to have to move." I explained that it's the biggest shopping day of the year and that the buskers were out in full force and that once another spot opened up I would move. In this case, she had no legal leg to stand on. There are specific busking laws in Northampton, and I was not in violation of any. The sidewalk was six feet wide, I was on the road side, I wasn't sitting on a bench, etc. Regardless, I moved about six feet to my right so I wasn't directly in front of their door. A while later, the owner came out. She snapped at me, "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but you're too loud. It's hard to hear customers as it is inside." She turned and went back in, not even demanding that I move, thinking it was just implied. I didn't point out that she could have just closed her door. I don't expect that kind of reaction in a city that promotes the arts as much as this one. Even so, I moved about six feet in the other direction. I liked it here because I could see my reflection in the store window, and could thus remind myself to smile and use my whole bellows, but the sun was at a weird angle and I kept tripping over loose bricks around a tree.
After a while I decided to take a break. I got a chai and went to listen to the Coyote Choir for a bit. My wrists and shoulders have been sore since I'm playing a lot these days around the house, so it's important to take breaks! I began my second set around 4:30. Steve had left and I took his spot outside of Faces. This was really great, since, as you know, once the sun sets I start playing better and everyone starts tipping better. The Faces crew never gives me a hard time. I had to put some sweaters on eventually, but the evening set could not have been better.
Here's what happened, in both spots:
1. I ran into a lot of former high school classmates who were home for Thanksgiving! Some ignored me while I ignored them, and others I exchanged pleasantries with. Some showed surprise at my current occupation, and others just said, "Hi Sophie" as if it wasn't the first time we were seeing each other in five years. The most interesting of these interactions was with Leland Moore, a unique character from high school. He confessed that he's in law school, and I told him that I would not have guessed in high school that that's where he'd be in five years. He said, "Howie did." Apparently another strange classmate, Howie, told him "You'll either be a Greenpeace hippie or a corporate lawyer." We all expected the former. These things happen!
2. There were adorable children out. The first was this little brunette girl who couldn't have been more than a year and half old. She was super serious, and didn't change her expression as I played my repertoire of kids' songs, but she flexed her hands as she watched mine. Finally I took out Flaca, and her mom manipulated her. It wasn't until she grabbed Flaca and had a go with her that she let her smile shine, and it was worth the wait. Such a pretty little girl! She had her do the dance that Flaca most often does at the mercy of little kids: bouncing flat on her back. She must have great abs! Another kid was out, and I asked for a favorite song to play. The answer was "Happy Birthday," even though it was no one's birthday. Another little boy danced all over the place, and asked for "more" after every song. He wanted "the cow song," after I played Old MacDonald once. Right when I set up some parents revealed their 7-week-old, who was about to hear her first accordion. It did not end well. They can try again in a year!
3. Two people were waiting to cross the street as I did Bad Romance. The man showed excitement, and naturally wanted to dance. The dance he did was the whole arms crossed, kick legs out routine that one associates more with Jewish weddings than with clubs. Usually I don't do the pop songs in an area as sophisticated and indie as Northampton, but I was playing everything yesterday so they came out, and people liked them, even here. Dynamite is still an ace card. No one recognizes Friday, even on Black Friday!
4. A strange thing happened: "I Want You Back" was sooooo good. I arranged the timeless Jackson 5 hit last winter, but it's been super challenging. For whatever reason, I was just nailing it yesterday. Hope it'll be true other days!
5. I had a very nice talk with Steve, and guitar player, as I was switching spots. He immediately offered me his spot, which I declined, but was so nice. He smiled as he jested, "Your music's great, but I don't know about that haircut." As I was walking away, he sang a song about me. I forget the words, but it used my name and rhymed with "fun." He's a notable colleague.
6. There was a guy between Steve and I sitting on a bench playing guitar. I wasn't sure if he was trying to busk, so I felt a little bad setting up so close to him. He came over at one point, and I was sure it was to complain, but he was just listening! I dusted off my old arrangement of "What is Love?" to which he did the Night at the Roxbury head dance.
7. People were reacting to my signs! Some commented on the loans, and other just read "Sophie's Smokin' Squeezebox" aloud to their party and chuckled.
8. A man came up to talk. He looked sort of haggard and held a paper bag with a bottle in it. He reminded me in appearance of the people in the Mission District of San Francisco who would see my money and ask me for it. I stood a little closer to the box. As it turned out, I very much misjudged this man. In broken English, he asked me to play an Argentinian tango. I told him, in Spanish, that they were very hard. But I said I'd try "El Dia Que Me Quieras," but then I couldn't find the key. He sang it anyway. We conversed in Spanish a bit (felt so good!), and he said I should go to Colombia, where he's from, to learn accordion songs. I said I would try. He took my hand and kissed it before wishing me a good night and leaving. This was a very nice interaction.
9. Someone told me about a band called Bela's Bartok that features accordion, I guess! They were playing at the Iron Horse last night.
10. Best donation ever: a standard alternative Northampton teenage girl came up and laid a single red rose wrapped in yellow tissue paper in my box. It looked so beautiful next to Flaca and the painted box. It touched me that she would give me such a wonderful donation at a young age, and it was such a perfect gypsy touch for my setup. She said "accordions are sexy." Damn straight! She and her friend lingered for a while, joined by more friends. I told her to pick a song, and she studied my set list and chose the Tetris theme song. Her friend confessed that his life was now complete after hearing it. They're great people, it's nice to know there's hope for teenagers!
11. There was an interesting sight that walked by twice: a woman with her real dog and her latex one. She had an adorable little white dog on a black leash. In her other hand, she walked the craft of a balloon man who had folded her a little white dog on a black leash. I wish I had a photo. Only in Northampton or Ptown.
12. I talked to a fellow member of the 99%, who asked about my loans. He was just laid off from his job so money was tight. He used to be in a cover band. Cool!
13. Around this time of year, Faces sets up a projector in their window that throws tiny green dots on the sidewalk in front of it. They move around and explode when they collide. This is great entertainment for people trying to figure out where it's coming from, and it was surprisingly not competition for me.
14. I met someone who works at Faces. He said he has his mother's old accordion. I told him he had to learn Jingle Bells by the time I was back in town.
I packed up because it's Thanksgiving and my family was going to the movies! In summary, it was a great day and I want to play more in Northampton. I have to always wear my piano dress since I got tons of compliments! The end.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Where the Coffee is Strong and So Are the Women
Yesterday we rocked the streets of Northampton! It was Bag Day, the annual sale day for folks carrying their brown paper bags. Stores were mobbed, and foot traffic was ample. I played for a couple hours between Faces and the Mountain Goat. I like that side of the street, but I had forgotten that a lot of hooligans hang out around there smoking and stuff and it sort of looked like they could be my groupies. Oh well.
It was a very typical afternoon of playing: there was the pianist who asked about how accordions work, thinking about playing one. There was the little girl with her mom who played Flaca. People loved Yann Tiersen. Also...
1. There was an 18-month-old with his dad. He stood at his very tall dad's feet, reaching up to hold his dad's finger, transfixed. The dad explained that he's always had a thing for accordions. The boy's expression didn't change at all, and he wouldn't budge. Adorable.
2. I got a tip for "Ring of Fire."
3. There was a weird, very disheveled looking guy who asked me a lot of questions. Even as some kids came up and I started playing for them, he kept trying to talk.
4. I had an encounter with the worst kind of listener: the musical know-it-all. I was playing "La Vie En Rose" and he stopped me and told me to play it slower, and do just the simply melody rather than the arrangement I do. I started a different song. He protested, telling me to go back to La Vie En Rose and do it that way. Then he asked if I play any Astor Piazzola. I told him it's way too hard for me. He took that to mean I hadn't heard of him, and took a very long time telling me who that was, with a long story about him. Dude, it's Bag Day, I need to play. Then he stayed and listened, which I hated. Luckily my mom came back soon and we left. Ugh.
I saw a ton of people I know, which always happens. Sometimes they recognize me (if I knew them as a kid) and sometimes they don't.
That's pretty much all I remember.
I went back out later while my parents were out to dinner with friends. That was really the best. As my faithful readers know, I love playing at night. I thought about trying to play on the Thornes side of the street, and when I went over there a group was set up. It turned out to be the Coyote Choir, an accordion-guitar-vocals duo that I had heard about and had contacted, but hadn't met. They're super nice, and they sound great. I hope to be friends with them/collaborate. The accordion player had trouble with cold hands, so I showed him my accordion gloves. He wants a pair. I want to start working on a better version! They were packing up, so they gave me that spot, right across from the Cedar Chest.
I love playing at night because people are more relaxed, just strolling, maybe on dates, maybe having drunk something. Accordion is especially good at night because of the relaxed Italian restaurant/Paris Cafe reputation it has. I am also more relaxed at night and play better. The air felt better at night too, probably because the wind had settled down. I ended up only using my left glove (and thus wasted a hand warmer).
1. There was a group of young folks from Boston who were up for the night. The lingered for a while, and gave me a few requests to which they danced ("The Way You Make Me Feel," "Dynamite," etc.)
2. Some Russians came by and asked if I knew a Russian song. I said I didn't, but the Tetris theme song sounds Russian. They were okay with that. I played it, much to the amusement of the Boston folks, and everyone was happy!
3. One girl said she didn't have money, but had an English pound. Nice!
4. A couple walked by and the guy offered me a square of their chocolate. Yesss.
5. Two girls came by and recognized me from First Night. They said they heard the accordion and wondered if it was me.
6. A man named Jesse said he recognized me from Provincetown. I assumed he was just a passerby, but then I saw his stuff. He's a busker too, a harp player. He confirmed that he's the one sometimes playing outside the candy store that I like to play at in Ptown. Cool!
7. A guy told me to play a New Orleans song "Echo Echo." I'll have to look that one up!
8. A bunch of kids came by, and two girls came right up. One said "I play piano!" and the other said "I play violin!" That one saw Flaca and said, "You must have bought that in Mexico!" or something. Smart kid!
9. A group of teenage boys kept walking by, and one danced and tipped me. Love those surprising donors!
10. I made a new set list, and included some of the songs I don't really play anymore ("What is Love?" "Love Me Tender"). They went over well!
I didn't play for long, and when I was done my parents and their dinner mates came by (who I've known my whole life). Having six people standing there listening drew others, and I had the biggest crowd I've had. They applauded after songs! I'm so not used to that, but I played better with them there. These two guys stayed as long as the parents. My mom played Flaca on one number. Having my parents there is always fun because they know my best songs and know what to request.
I'm getting excited to Elf again this year! I need to get started on other shoes, though.
Till next time!
It was a very typical afternoon of playing: there was the pianist who asked about how accordions work, thinking about playing one. There was the little girl with her mom who played Flaca. People loved Yann Tiersen. Also...
1. There was an 18-month-old with his dad. He stood at his very tall dad's feet, reaching up to hold his dad's finger, transfixed. The dad explained that he's always had a thing for accordions. The boy's expression didn't change at all, and he wouldn't budge. Adorable.
2. I got a tip for "Ring of Fire."
3. There was a weird, very disheveled looking guy who asked me a lot of questions. Even as some kids came up and I started playing for them, he kept trying to talk.
4. I had an encounter with the worst kind of listener: the musical know-it-all. I was playing "La Vie En Rose" and he stopped me and told me to play it slower, and do just the simply melody rather than the arrangement I do. I started a different song. He protested, telling me to go back to La Vie En Rose and do it that way. Then he asked if I play any Astor Piazzola. I told him it's way too hard for me. He took that to mean I hadn't heard of him, and took a very long time telling me who that was, with a long story about him. Dude, it's Bag Day, I need to play. Then he stayed and listened, which I hated. Luckily my mom came back soon and we left. Ugh.
I saw a ton of people I know, which always happens. Sometimes they recognize me (if I knew them as a kid) and sometimes they don't.
That's pretty much all I remember.
I went back out later while my parents were out to dinner with friends. That was really the best. As my faithful readers know, I love playing at night. I thought about trying to play on the Thornes side of the street, and when I went over there a group was set up. It turned out to be the Coyote Choir, an accordion-guitar-vocals duo that I had heard about and had contacted, but hadn't met. They're super nice, and they sound great. I hope to be friends with them/collaborate. The accordion player had trouble with cold hands, so I showed him my accordion gloves. He wants a pair. I want to start working on a better version! They were packing up, so they gave me that spot, right across from the Cedar Chest.
I love playing at night because people are more relaxed, just strolling, maybe on dates, maybe having drunk something. Accordion is especially good at night because of the relaxed Italian restaurant/Paris Cafe reputation it has. I am also more relaxed at night and play better. The air felt better at night too, probably because the wind had settled down. I ended up only using my left glove (and thus wasted a hand warmer).
1. There was a group of young folks from Boston who were up for the night. The lingered for a while, and gave me a few requests to which they danced ("The Way You Make Me Feel," "Dynamite," etc.)
2. Some Russians came by and asked if I knew a Russian song. I said I didn't, but the Tetris theme song sounds Russian. They were okay with that. I played it, much to the amusement of the Boston folks, and everyone was happy!
3. One girl said she didn't have money, but had an English pound. Nice!
4. A couple walked by and the guy offered me a square of their chocolate. Yesss.
5. Two girls came by and recognized me from First Night. They said they heard the accordion and wondered if it was me.
6. A man named Jesse said he recognized me from Provincetown. I assumed he was just a passerby, but then I saw his stuff. He's a busker too, a harp player. He confirmed that he's the one sometimes playing outside the candy store that I like to play at in Ptown. Cool!
7. A guy told me to play a New Orleans song "Echo Echo." I'll have to look that one up!
8. A bunch of kids came by, and two girls came right up. One said "I play piano!" and the other said "I play violin!" That one saw Flaca and said, "You must have bought that in Mexico!" or something. Smart kid!
9. A group of teenage boys kept walking by, and one danced and tipped me. Love those surprising donors!
10. I made a new set list, and included some of the songs I don't really play anymore ("What is Love?" "Love Me Tender"). They went over well!
I didn't play for long, and when I was done my parents and their dinner mates came by (who I've known my whole life). Having six people standing there listening drew others, and I had the biggest crowd I've had. They applauded after songs! I'm so not used to that, but I played better with them there. These two guys stayed as long as the parents. My mom played Flaca on one number. Having my parents there is always fun because they know my best songs and know what to request.
I'm getting excited to Elf again this year! I need to get started on other shoes, though.
Till next time!
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Old Posts
There are two days from August that got lost that I didn't write about. I took notes, but unfortunately so much time has passed that I forget what most of them mean. Here they are anyway:
August 4th
Played outside of the candy shop by the Shell Shop.
1. I met Nikita, one of this year's henna boys at the West End Salon. He's from either Ukraine or Bulgaria (notes are confusing), and he was totally into my act. He said he plays guitar, but could never perform. "I suck," he explained with a heavy accent.
2. Someone said "You play nicely." I liked that, since I'm not a good accordion player. Bad accordion players can still play nicely, so that was a good compliment.
3. I saw some kids from Leverett on vacation with their parents. The little girl obviously recognized me, I've subbed in her class, but more importantly my accordion and I made an appearance in her Kindergarten classroom last year as elf and reindeer. Her parents didn't see me and didn't stop.
4. The main event: an old man came out of the shop. He said I could only play there if I got some lessons. He's Italian and he's a musician. He notices every wrong note. He says he wants to support musicians, but bad performance drives him crazy. (Another time I went back there and asked if I could play for a bit if I only played good songs. He smiled and said I could, and said no Italian songs if I was going to murder them." Fair enough.)
5. His comment surprisingly didn't bother me. It made me laugh in spite of myself. I was fine with it until this super nice lady who witnessed the whole thing said not to listen to him, that I sounded great, etc. etc. For some reason her kindness about it made my feelings on the matter turn on the spot, and suddenly i was fighting tears. i've got to get out of this town.
The rest doesn't really need noting. For my own reference:
-Ben Pegg pulled over, didn't talk to me
-Flaca, boy in trouble, buttons
-dog on skateboard
-cell phone girl
August 19th
The day after Carnival! Carnival was awesome because my BFF Kai spontaneously came to visit. He's one of my favorite people in the whole world but we rarely see each other. I bought some piano key fabric and crafted a dress for the occasion. Kai and I walked the parade route in the wrong direction and got lots of attention. I didn't busk, but I had a grand time.
The next day I thought I'd play a bit since I was driving Kai to the ferry anyway. Here's what I can decipher from my notes:
1. A guy from Minnesota said "girl's too fat for me." No idea what that means anymore.
2. Some girls said "We couldn't leave you like that!" I think that means they saw me then came back later with a tip.
3. Kid named Minna, sign language, songs, parents singing. Oh yeah, perfect kid interaction.
4. German boy with beautiful hair, serious girls, looks like Wesley Snipes (the 30 Rock character), sang along with Chim, Somewhere, Morir, What is Love.
5. Accordion in basement for 11 years (someone has).
6. Folks from Buffalo, 43rd anniversary, he's the son of a steel worker (told me life story). "Music helps" (staying married for 43 years).
7. Guy with trombone playing daughter, Long Center in Texas.
8. There was a baby in a stroller with an unconventional toy: a lint roller.
9. Teenage girl from before
10. Lots of people I know! (Jeff and Amy, Yael, Melissa McClung)
August 4th
Played outside of the candy shop by the Shell Shop.
1. I met Nikita, one of this year's henna boys at the West End Salon. He's from either Ukraine or Bulgaria (notes are confusing), and he was totally into my act. He said he plays guitar, but could never perform. "I suck," he explained with a heavy accent.
2. Someone said "You play nicely." I liked that, since I'm not a good accordion player. Bad accordion players can still play nicely, so that was a good compliment.
3. I saw some kids from Leverett on vacation with their parents. The little girl obviously recognized me, I've subbed in her class, but more importantly my accordion and I made an appearance in her Kindergarten classroom last year as elf and reindeer. Her parents didn't see me and didn't stop.
4. The main event: an old man came out of the shop. He said I could only play there if I got some lessons. He's Italian and he's a musician. He notices every wrong note. He says he wants to support musicians, but bad performance drives him crazy. (Another time I went back there and asked if I could play for a bit if I only played good songs. He smiled and said I could, and said no Italian songs if I was going to murder them." Fair enough.)
5. His comment surprisingly didn't bother me. It made me laugh in spite of myself. I was fine with it until this super nice lady who witnessed the whole thing said not to listen to him, that I sounded great, etc. etc. For some reason her kindness about it made my feelings on the matter turn on the spot, and suddenly i was fighting tears. i've got to get out of this town.
The rest doesn't really need noting. For my own reference:
-Ben Pegg pulled over, didn't talk to me
-Flaca, boy in trouble, buttons
-dog on skateboard
-cell phone girl
August 19th
The day after Carnival! Carnival was awesome because my BFF Kai spontaneously came to visit. He's one of my favorite people in the whole world but we rarely see each other. I bought some piano key fabric and crafted a dress for the occasion. Kai and I walked the parade route in the wrong direction and got lots of attention. I didn't busk, but I had a grand time.
The next day I thought I'd play a bit since I was driving Kai to the ferry anyway. Here's what I can decipher from my notes:
1. A guy from Minnesota said "girl's too fat for me." No idea what that means anymore.
2. Some girls said "We couldn't leave you like that!" I think that means they saw me then came back later with a tip.
3. Kid named Minna, sign language, songs, parents singing. Oh yeah, perfect kid interaction.
4. German boy with beautiful hair, serious girls, looks like Wesley Snipes (the 30 Rock character), sang along with Chim, Somewhere, Morir, What is Love.
5. Accordion in basement for 11 years (someone has).
6. Folks from Buffalo, 43rd anniversary, he's the son of a steel worker (told me life story). "Music helps" (staying married for 43 years).
7. Guy with trombone playing daughter, Long Center in Texas.
8. There was a baby in a stroller with an unconventional toy: a lint roller.
9. Teenage girl from before
10. Lots of people I know! (Jeff and Amy, Yael, Melissa McClung)
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
This is Halloween/Goodbye Provincetown
Since growing up, whenever that began, the magic of holidays is disappearing. Simply going through the motions of holiday rituals doesn't bring that spirit back, but, as I've learned several times now, exploiting the holiday for money does! In the past year I discovered that nothing restores the youthful romance of Valentine's Day, patriotism of Independence Day, winter wonderland of Christmas, and, now, mystery of Halloween quite like going all out and being a part of others' celebration.
We considered several owner/pet costume ideas (Wallace/Gromit, Man with Yellow hat/Curious George, Dorothy/Toto, etc.) before deciding to be especially Halloweeny and dress as a witch and black cat. I copied the old reindeer costume in black fur (in fact just covering the legs with fur) and the amazing Nate rigged up the tail and head supports using coat hangers. I had a witchy dress which I put over striped tights, gypsy boots, and many many sweaters. Here we are:
Additionally, we had to learn Halloween music. "This is Halloween" from "The Nightmare Before Christmas" was suggested, so we spent the past few days practicing that.
Around 5:00 pm we went to Ptown, expecting to see lots of people milling about in costumes. Town was totally empty. I could count the number of people I saw on one hand. I set up in front of Town Hall anyway since a family I know was coming up. I stayed there for about an hour. People were few and far between, but the donation rate was very high. All but one or two parties that walked by in this hour donated. Score! After this, I went to check out the haunted house in the Aquarium to see if the people were there. They weren't, but the man expected people once it started at seven. I decided to warm up both my fingers and insides with a drink (and wait for it to get to be later) so I went to the Squealing Pig. I've decided that if I'm going to be a real gypsy I need to develop a taste for whiskey, so I'm practicing. The cat's tail and head were attached pretty well so I didn't want to take them off to put the accordion away and risk not getting them back on. I kept the accordion out and went into the bar with my hands full of box, accordion, and witch hat.
Around 7:30 I went back out to play, and set up in Ellie's old spot across from the Crown + Anchor where I played for another hour. The nice thing about playing this time of year is that most businesses are closed so it's easy to find places to play. It was in this spot that I got that feeling of adding to the spirit. I love feeling that I'm not doing this for my own money-making or story-gathering but rather to give to others. People thanked me for being out there. For the first time in Provincetown history, I was the only street performer out. I had the soundwaves to myself. It was cold, but I felt good, and played slow, quiet songs when I wasn't playing "This is Halloween." Oh, here it is, by the way: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxdmcjox4-g
I reflected a little bit on the fact that this was likely my last time playing in Ptown, the place where it all started. I considered all that has happened since that first fateful day, as well as my adventures to come.
Here are the little things that happened:
1. A man commented "I've never seen anyone play one of those before!" I asked him if he meant an accordion or a cat. "Both," he confirmed.
2. People responded way more to my student loans sign than usual. I thought I'd get more comments on the cat costume, so that surprised me.
3. A pack of teenagers was wandering around, continually growing in size. One of them had heard me play TIH before and asked me to play it again. I was glad that teenagers these days still know the Nightmare Before Christmas!
4. A young man who lives above the Crown and Anchor also liked TIH. He said the sound wafted up to his apartment. Nice.
5. Some folks recognized me from last summer!
6. A man told me about his intentions to end his life. His name is Warren or something and I met him my first day ever playing. He said that he didn't have spare change because he was on disability. He said it'll all be over in January. He suffers every day, and has stopped his HIV medication. He wanted to wait till after the holidays for his family's sake. Pretty heavy stuff.
Only one kid gave me candy, which disappointed me. It was a fine last night of playing, although it didn't do much to help my cold :(
Next, I'll be going back to Western Mass to turn this into a book and busk in Northampton a little! After that....who knows.
Thanks for reading!
We considered several owner/pet costume ideas (Wallace/Gromit, Man with Yellow hat/Curious George, Dorothy/Toto, etc.) before deciding to be especially Halloweeny and dress as a witch and black cat. I copied the old reindeer costume in black fur (in fact just covering the legs with fur) and the amazing Nate rigged up the tail and head supports using coat hangers. I had a witchy dress which I put over striped tights, gypsy boots, and many many sweaters. Here we are:
Additionally, we had to learn Halloween music. "This is Halloween" from "The Nightmare Before Christmas" was suggested, so we spent the past few days practicing that.
Around 5:00 pm we went to Ptown, expecting to see lots of people milling about in costumes. Town was totally empty. I could count the number of people I saw on one hand. I set up in front of Town Hall anyway since a family I know was coming up. I stayed there for about an hour. People were few and far between, but the donation rate was very high. All but one or two parties that walked by in this hour donated. Score! After this, I went to check out the haunted house in the Aquarium to see if the people were there. They weren't, but the man expected people once it started at seven. I decided to warm up both my fingers and insides with a drink (and wait for it to get to be later) so I went to the Squealing Pig. I've decided that if I'm going to be a real gypsy I need to develop a taste for whiskey, so I'm practicing. The cat's tail and head were attached pretty well so I didn't want to take them off to put the accordion away and risk not getting them back on. I kept the accordion out and went into the bar with my hands full of box, accordion, and witch hat.
Around 7:30 I went back out to play, and set up in Ellie's old spot across from the Crown + Anchor where I played for another hour. The nice thing about playing this time of year is that most businesses are closed so it's easy to find places to play. It was in this spot that I got that feeling of adding to the spirit. I love feeling that I'm not doing this for my own money-making or story-gathering but rather to give to others. People thanked me for being out there. For the first time in Provincetown history, I was the only street performer out. I had the soundwaves to myself. It was cold, but I felt good, and played slow, quiet songs when I wasn't playing "This is Halloween." Oh, here it is, by the way: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxdmcjox4-g
I reflected a little bit on the fact that this was likely my last time playing in Ptown, the place where it all started. I considered all that has happened since that first fateful day, as well as my adventures to come.
Here are the little things that happened:
1. A man commented "I've never seen anyone play one of those before!" I asked him if he meant an accordion or a cat. "Both," he confirmed.
2. People responded way more to my student loans sign than usual. I thought I'd get more comments on the cat costume, so that surprised me.
3. A pack of teenagers was wandering around, continually growing in size. One of them had heard me play TIH before and asked me to play it again. I was glad that teenagers these days still know the Nightmare Before Christmas!
4. A young man who lives above the Crown and Anchor also liked TIH. He said the sound wafted up to his apartment. Nice.
5. Some folks recognized me from last summer!
6. A man told me about his intentions to end his life. His name is Warren or something and I met him my first day ever playing. He said that he didn't have spare change because he was on disability. He said it'll all be over in January. He suffers every day, and has stopped his HIV medication. He wanted to wait till after the holidays for his family's sake. Pretty heavy stuff.
Only one kid gave me candy, which disappointed me. It was a fine last night of playing, although it didn't do much to help my cold :(
Next, I'll be going back to Western Mass to turn this into a book and busk in Northampton a little! After that....who knows.
Thanks for reading!
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Back in the Saddle Again
Yesterday, I took advantage of the beautiful Friday afternoon to head up to Ptown. I now have an accordion trailer for my bike, so I was able to achieve my summer goal of driving up with a full car, parking far away, and biking the rest of the way in. This was also the first time Ptown saw my newly painted bike. I wore my carnival piano dress for the hell of it.
The trailer is the perfect size for my accordion. I was donated a children's trailer and used the wheels and hitch from it. The amazing Nate built the trailer, and his neighbor Bob did all necessary welding. It's bare as it's not yet painted, but it works wonderfully.
This was the first time I took it out with my accordion in it, and I was a nervous wreck. I didn't really know how wide I was and feared hooking something and launching myself. I packed so much stuff in the trailer and basket that I didn't have my helmet. Oops. For the fear, there was also pride. I got a lot of smiles and compliments, and rode like this was something I do every day. Hopefully it will be someday! I checked out the spots as I paraded by: Amy Scotts was in the Pig pitch, and Marsha was at Town Hall with the guitar player/singer whose gender is still a mystery to me on deck. I went to show Topher my setup, and by the time I rode back Marsha had packed up and the on-deck busker was up. He/she isn't as loud as Marsha so I was confident that I could be heard at the Shell Shop corner. Here, though, I sometimes have trouble with the taffy store owner, an older Italian man. (Have I written about him yet?) I poked my head in to ask if he was there so I could ask him if I could play. The man working said, "Sorry, he's out of town till Monday." Hallelujah! I set right up.
It wasn't an extreme day in any way. There was enough crowd, enough gave me money to satisfy me, and it was perfectly room temperature outside. Often when I play I either feel really great about it or really bad. I didn't have any strong feelings (until later).
Only three things worth noting happened here:
1. This young man kept going in and out of the store and was generally lurking. He came over. I expected him to complain. Instead, he told me that he was going to do some cooking in the basement and would have to turn the fan on. He was concerned that my set list paper would blow away. Sure enough, I was right in the line of fire. I moved two feet to the left and all was fine. It was so nice of him to warn me!
2. Someone told me I was their favorite street musician, and he hoped that I come back next year. Obviously that made me feel happy, since I assume Marsha and Ben Pegg were everyone's favorite.
3. I'm at an intersection where many cars turn right towards Bradford St. One such car pulled over and the passenger got out to drop a bill or two in my box. Cars often smile, wave, honk, and thumbs up out the window, but they rarely stop.
I quit after an hour and a half or so because I was sucking pretty bad and I was worried that the guy working at the shop would develop the same sentiments as his boss about my performance. I decided to bike to the hardware store on Conwell St. and buy a second bike lock for the trailer. For the first time, I biked against traffic on the one-way Commercial St. THIS was scary. The advantage, though, was that no cars were coming up behind me so I could angle my rear-view mirror to keep an eye on the trailer at all times.
The hardware store was closed, but as I came back into town I found two men packing up their yard sale. I stopped and asked if they had any chickens. (I collect chicken figurines.) Did they ever! I scored four chickens in addition to two painted wine glasses for Anne. Then came the challenge of packing it all up. They bubble-wrapped everything, but I had to rearrange things. The trailer and basket were jam-packed, and the non-breakable wooden chicken stood proudly in the trailer peering out. All my wares made me even more nervous biking, since they were breakable. As I went back down commercial street, my fear came true and I hooked a sign post. It made a loud noise and I promptly received a huge dose of adrenaline. Everything was fine, though. The trailer was okay, the sign was okay, and I wasn't launched headfirst into oncoming traffic. I decided I needed a beer, but first I went to Arnold's bike rental place to see if they sold bike locks. Success. The guys there complimented the trailer, and the man in charge said that he's thinking about building similar models to rent to dog-lovers to transport their canine pals.
After having a deliciously Autumnal pumpkin beer and meeting the Squealing Pig bartender (important for later) I set up at my favorite spot across the street. It was prime dinner time, but the streets were pretty bare. It was getting cold fast, and my fingers weren't cooperating very well. I loove playing after dark though, and the chill reminded me of my days playing in Boston. I wasn't sure if the Patio owner was in, but I played as softly as I could anyway. I played only slow songs, hoping to provide a pleasant sound from the shadows. It paid off, since two things happened:
1. A middle-aged couple came out of the Squealing Pig and said it was their anniversary. They wanted a romantic song. I played "La Vie En Rose" and they danced. It was very cute. Later, I went to dinner at the Pig and the bartender presented to me an envelope. It turns out this couple bought me a gift certificate. That touched me so much that my music provoked such generosity. I had a delicious dinner on Rich and Bonnie.
2. A waitress from the Patio came over. I assumed she was sent to deliver her boss's usual message of "scram." Instead, she said that there were newlyweds at the corner table who would love to hear "That's Amore." I couldn't think of how it went before "When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie" so I called my brother to ask him to sing it. He couldn't think of it either so he brought it up on youtube and held the phone up. Aren't brothers the best? After a secret practice round I sauntered over and performed it for the new brides and their friends. I followed it with a round of "Here Comes the Bride" then we settled on "Bella Notte" as the finale. The couple posed for many kissing photos during this, as did other members of their posse. They handed me the money I usually make in a half hour! Not a second too soon, because I was freezing and wanted to quit.
The moral of this day of playing is that I can't half-ass it. I undoubtedly half-assed it this summer and as a result I forgot all my songs. I couldn't finish anything I learned from sheet music (Beyond the Sea, La Vie en Rose, Fly Me To the Moon--my best songs). If I'm going to do this right, I should suck as little as possible, and that can only be achieved through playing as often as I can.
I biked back to my car which was the scariest part yet. I was against traffic, without a helmet, my bike was full of chickens, AND it was dark out. I'm excited to use the trailer more and get used to it! Too bad winter's a-coming.
Hope we can go out in Ptown again!
The trailer is the perfect size for my accordion. I was donated a children's trailer and used the wheels and hitch from it. The amazing Nate built the trailer, and his neighbor Bob did all necessary welding. It's bare as it's not yet painted, but it works wonderfully.
This was the first time I took it out with my accordion in it, and I was a nervous wreck. I didn't really know how wide I was and feared hooking something and launching myself. I packed so much stuff in the trailer and basket that I didn't have my helmet. Oops. For the fear, there was also pride. I got a lot of smiles and compliments, and rode like this was something I do every day. Hopefully it will be someday! I checked out the spots as I paraded by: Amy Scotts was in the Pig pitch, and Marsha was at Town Hall with the guitar player/singer whose gender is still a mystery to me on deck. I went to show Topher my setup, and by the time I rode back Marsha had packed up and the on-deck busker was up. He/she isn't as loud as Marsha so I was confident that I could be heard at the Shell Shop corner. Here, though, I sometimes have trouble with the taffy store owner, an older Italian man. (Have I written about him yet?) I poked my head in to ask if he was there so I could ask him if I could play. The man working said, "Sorry, he's out of town till Monday." Hallelujah! I set right up.
It wasn't an extreme day in any way. There was enough crowd, enough gave me money to satisfy me, and it was perfectly room temperature outside. Often when I play I either feel really great about it or really bad. I didn't have any strong feelings (until later).
Only three things worth noting happened here:
1. This young man kept going in and out of the store and was generally lurking. He came over. I expected him to complain. Instead, he told me that he was going to do some cooking in the basement and would have to turn the fan on. He was concerned that my set list paper would blow away. Sure enough, I was right in the line of fire. I moved two feet to the left and all was fine. It was so nice of him to warn me!
2. Someone told me I was their favorite street musician, and he hoped that I come back next year. Obviously that made me feel happy, since I assume Marsha and Ben Pegg were everyone's favorite.
3. I'm at an intersection where many cars turn right towards Bradford St. One such car pulled over and the passenger got out to drop a bill or two in my box. Cars often smile, wave, honk, and thumbs up out the window, but they rarely stop.
I quit after an hour and a half or so because I was sucking pretty bad and I was worried that the guy working at the shop would develop the same sentiments as his boss about my performance. I decided to bike to the hardware store on Conwell St. and buy a second bike lock for the trailer. For the first time, I biked against traffic on the one-way Commercial St. THIS was scary. The advantage, though, was that no cars were coming up behind me so I could angle my rear-view mirror to keep an eye on the trailer at all times.
The hardware store was closed, but as I came back into town I found two men packing up their yard sale. I stopped and asked if they had any chickens. (I collect chicken figurines.) Did they ever! I scored four chickens in addition to two painted wine glasses for Anne. Then came the challenge of packing it all up. They bubble-wrapped everything, but I had to rearrange things. The trailer and basket were jam-packed, and the non-breakable wooden chicken stood proudly in the trailer peering out. All my wares made me even more nervous biking, since they were breakable. As I went back down commercial street, my fear came true and I hooked a sign post. It made a loud noise and I promptly received a huge dose of adrenaline. Everything was fine, though. The trailer was okay, the sign was okay, and I wasn't launched headfirst into oncoming traffic. I decided I needed a beer, but first I went to Arnold's bike rental place to see if they sold bike locks. Success. The guys there complimented the trailer, and the man in charge said that he's thinking about building similar models to rent to dog-lovers to transport their canine pals.
After having a deliciously Autumnal pumpkin beer and meeting the Squealing Pig bartender (important for later) I set up at my favorite spot across the street. It was prime dinner time, but the streets were pretty bare. It was getting cold fast, and my fingers weren't cooperating very well. I loove playing after dark though, and the chill reminded me of my days playing in Boston. I wasn't sure if the Patio owner was in, but I played as softly as I could anyway. I played only slow songs, hoping to provide a pleasant sound from the shadows. It paid off, since two things happened:
1. A middle-aged couple came out of the Squealing Pig and said it was their anniversary. They wanted a romantic song. I played "La Vie En Rose" and they danced. It was very cute. Later, I went to dinner at the Pig and the bartender presented to me an envelope. It turns out this couple bought me a gift certificate. That touched me so much that my music provoked such generosity. I had a delicious dinner on Rich and Bonnie.
2. A waitress from the Patio came over. I assumed she was sent to deliver her boss's usual message of "scram." Instead, she said that there were newlyweds at the corner table who would love to hear "That's Amore." I couldn't think of how it went before "When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie" so I called my brother to ask him to sing it. He couldn't think of it either so he brought it up on youtube and held the phone up. Aren't brothers the best? After a secret practice round I sauntered over and performed it for the new brides and their friends. I followed it with a round of "Here Comes the Bride" then we settled on "Bella Notte" as the finale. The couple posed for many kissing photos during this, as did other members of their posse. They handed me the money I usually make in a half hour! Not a second too soon, because I was freezing and wanted to quit.
The moral of this day of playing is that I can't half-ass it. I undoubtedly half-assed it this summer and as a result I forgot all my songs. I couldn't finish anything I learned from sheet music (Beyond the Sea, La Vie en Rose, Fly Me To the Moon--my best songs). If I'm going to do this right, I should suck as little as possible, and that can only be achieved through playing as often as I can.
I biked back to my car which was the scariest part yet. I was against traffic, without a helmet, my bike was full of chickens, AND it was dark out. I'm excited to use the trailer more and get used to it! Too bad winter's a-coming.
Hope we can go out in Ptown again!
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