Street performance has become more and more of a priority
\nUp until last weekend, I had just played my drums on the street but last weekend, I got to bring a full elelctronic configuration
\nI got permission from July Alley to use their electricity
\nI was expecting to set up over at Kettle Art (run by the eternally cool Frank Campagna) which had a different set of parameters to consider so I didn’t plan on getting electricity to MY SPOT
\nI had to locate some tape at the last minute to tape down the electrical cord
\nSaturday I brought some rubber slip mats<\/p>\n
This was the first time I have ever gotten to put my electronic ideas to the test and I think I did fairly well
\nThe setup consisted of the SPDS looping pad, a Kaoss pad and the BR864 multi-track as well as the Brock Spock electric Harp guitar (which attracted attention by itself)
\nI took out the 8 track and added the mixer and a DVD player for Sat
\nThe DVD player was for the video projector<\/p>\n
Of course, in my head, I imagined that people would be stopping to marvel at my amazing display of multi-tasking wizardry but most people just walked by
\nI got the usual drunk people wanting to play the drums and a guy played guitar but I would say that I got more attention when I was just playing the drums
\nThis has caused me to re-consider my artistic aspirations
\nJudging by the tips I got, people are less interested in my accomplishments and more interested in my ability to play the drums well
\nLesson learned
\nI will just have to limit my artistic busking excursions to a few time a month<\/p>\n
Which leads me to the next forward step
\nI finally got off my ass and went downtown to scope out busking sites
\nThere were several possible sites but have settled on one for sure
\nI went over to the Farmer’s market and checked out their office
\nIt turns out that they offer a 6 month busking lisence
\nThe only drawback is that you have to do it from 9am to 3pm
\nPlus, i don’t think they are going to let me use electronics
\nThanks to my friend Lily Morris for the tip<\/p>\n
The next big news is that I am playing the WTF Festival in Austin March 14th during SXSW
\nhttp:\/\/www.wtffest.com\/
\nI will be playing short sets throughout the day
\nIn addition, I have some ideas about how to busk during SXSW but I don’t wanna give away my secrets
\nThere are several configurations that I can use including an all-battery powered setup in case I can’t locate a power source<\/p>\n
One more thing that I am doing is playing for a psychadelic project called “Intodown”
\nSo far, it is just me and the guitarist\/songwriter but we are both multi-tasking
\nHe is running guitar effects and also triggering the backing tracks with Ableton Live
\nI am playing drums and doing electronic noise during the quiet parts
\nWe plan to add a solo instrument
\nPreferably a sax\/flute\/trumpet etc.. person<\/p>\n
The Video\/DJ thing has been good for my enthusiasm and I plan on pursuing it more
\nRight now, I have an in with the Fallout Lounge
\nI plan on developing a live “Countrockula’s Theater for the Insane!” concept there
\nThe Butthole surfer’s tribute band called “Sweatloaf” has asked me to do visuals for them
\nThe next thing is going to be March 5th at the Kessler<\/p>\n
On a personal note, Alan went away for 2 weeks and left me in charge of the rehearsal building
\nIt was a big boost of confidence for me and it gace me a lot of energy to start working harder on my individual projects<\/p>\n
All of these things are, not only postivie steps but constructive ones as well
\n-I have relaxed a lot of my stances on what I can and can not do
\n-I have also conquered my anxiety about what I can get away with
\n-There are lots of different things that I can do well and instead of expecting people to accept all of them all at once, I should apply them to fit each situation
\n-I have relaxed my attitude about everything having to be “art”
\n-I am a really good drummer dammit!<\/p>\n
The flipside is that I have a lot of ingrained anxieties and fears that have kept me from trying new things for quite a long time
\nNot only that, I have a lot of doubt that I can actually do all of this
\nMy work habits are improving but I feel guilty when I waste days on end doing nothing productive
\nCan I handle success?
\nDeep down, I have believed for a very long time that I didn’t deserve it even though it wasn’t a clear sentiment in my head
\nIt was more like an underlying tension that kept telling me “Why bother, they’re just gonna ignore you anyways because they don’t get you”
\nI can’t remember a time when that voice wasn’t whispering in my ear
\nEven at my highest points<\/p>\n
It’s not even that I don’t believe I have worth
\nIt’s that I am too selfish to be worth something on anything but my own terms
\nNow that I am having success doing things for other people, I am starting to see how it is opening doors and creating new opportunities<\/p>\n
I have been looking at more and more videos of people busking over in Europe and England as well as Japan
\nNYC has a permit system for the subways so that seems like a decent goal to set
\nThere is a busker-fest in Lawrence Ks that I have been trying to get in with
\nThat would make a good excuse to set up a gig in Mpls<\/p>\n
I am still piecing all of this together but it is starting to look like a new and interesting way to apply my talents<\/p>\n