After the busker fest
9-20-2006
Seattle has returned to its roots. The weather comes down low and hugs the ground, soft gray rolling wetness covers everything with a sheen that glistens into itself. Its not exactly raining and its too slow and gentle for drizzle. I call it seeping. The sky seeps on a day like this. Magic.
Well, it took me a couple of days to recover form the festival. It was a good burn. I had to be there at 7 in the morning to start setting up and I had things going the night before so I didn't get to bed until 1 am. I set the alarm for 5 but of course sleep wouldn't come for long and I kept waking up all night. I was excited. So I got up at 4, made the coffee, fixed the breakfast, checked on the weather, and got ready for the day. I had packed up the car the night before so all I really had to do was get in and drive.
I had two of the hats - the big ones that Niceol had made for the first festival five years ago. She made them out of plastic buckets and covered them with black duct tape, fixing brims onto them also with tape. They look like enormous top hats and they're supposed to be set up in front of each stage. Jim Hinde had the other one.
I had one of the dry erase boards for announcing the acts. I had the fabric to hang behind the south stage, plus the fasteners to hang it with. I had the table cloth for the merchandise table. I had a rug for the north stage where I would be sharing MC duties. I had my guitar (duh) and CDs. And I had coats and hats and my boots in case it got real rainy.
Things actually went quite smoothly. We all know how to do it now - how to set up the canopies, outline the stages, set the sound. It's an established event and the city has embraced it. The official starting time was 11 but there were some acts that started early. I had my digital camera and ran around all day taking pictures of everything. I would introduce someone on the north stage, go out in front and take a few shots, and then run down to the middle or Post Alley stage and shoot, and then down to the south stage and shoot, and then head back to emcee the act off stage and the next one on. As I had had only about 2 and a half hours sleep the night before it was a good idea to keep moving so I wouldn't pass out.
Jim Hinde had set up his sound system and his son Nate ran it most of the time. Jim and I shared emcee duties. Every stage had at least two people at it. My set was at 3:00 and I was ready - floating in that sleep deprivation space where everything is artistic and there are no mistakes. My buddy Joe Martin came down and played harmonica with me on three songs. The sets were 25 minutes long so I only had 5 songs all together. Joe is a social worker and one of the founders of the Pike Market Clinic. It only seems right that a festival celebrating the Market and the return of Seattle to itself would have Joe there. People seemed to like what we did - we finished with an improv piece about the festival and Seattle. Niceol was there with her parents who, she says, are religious conservatives - though I think her language might be stronger. They liked some of my stuff, not all of it. Which is normal.
We had good crowds all day and no complaints. Breaking down at the end was a little sad but welcome as well. It meant that I would soon be able to go to sleep. Of course that was not to happen right away as Jim and friends had arranged for us all to go out to dinner near their house - which is on the other side of town from mine. That meant loading the gear, then unloading it at their place, then going to the cafe, then waiting to get in, then ordering, eating, paying, going back to their place, and me driving back to mine. By the time I lay down I was really too tired to sleep and I tossed around all night.
But damn! What a gas. Anybody reading this who does street performing, if you want to come down and be a part of it next year, just remember: next year it will be September 16th. Go to the Guild site http://pikemarketbuskers.org/ and get an application. They should be on line by April or May. You have to actually be a street performer - this is not a showcase for up and coming bands. But do apply and do come to the festival. And hey, come down early at 7 am - we could use the help.
Seattle has returned to its roots. The weather comes down low and hugs the ground, soft gray rolling wetness covers everything with a sheen that glistens into itself. Its not exactly raining and its too slow and gentle for drizzle. I call it seeping. The sky seeps on a day like this. Magic.
Well, it took me a couple of days to recover form the festival. It was a good burn. I had to be there at 7 in the morning to start setting up and I had things going the night before so I didn't get to bed until 1 am. I set the alarm for 5 but of course sleep wouldn't come for long and I kept waking up all night. I was excited. So I got up at 4, made the coffee, fixed the breakfast, checked on the weather, and got ready for the day. I had packed up the car the night before so all I really had to do was get in and drive.
I had two of the hats - the big ones that Niceol had made for the first festival five years ago. She made them out of plastic buckets and covered them with black duct tape, fixing brims onto them also with tape. They look like enormous top hats and they're supposed to be set up in front of each stage. Jim Hinde had the other one.
I had one of the dry erase boards for announcing the acts. I had the fabric to hang behind the south stage, plus the fasteners to hang it with. I had the table cloth for the merchandise table. I had a rug for the north stage where I would be sharing MC duties. I had my guitar (duh) and CDs. And I had coats and hats and my boots in case it got real rainy.
Things actually went quite smoothly. We all know how to do it now - how to set up the canopies, outline the stages, set the sound. It's an established event and the city has embraced it. The official starting time was 11 but there were some acts that started early. I had my digital camera and ran around all day taking pictures of everything. I would introduce someone on the north stage, go out in front and take a few shots, and then run down to the middle or Post Alley stage and shoot, and then down to the south stage and shoot, and then head back to emcee the act off stage and the next one on. As I had had only about 2 and a half hours sleep the night before it was a good idea to keep moving so I wouldn't pass out.
Jim Hinde had set up his sound system and his son Nate ran it most of the time. Jim and I shared emcee duties. Every stage had at least two people at it. My set was at 3:00 and I was ready - floating in that sleep deprivation space where everything is artistic and there are no mistakes. My buddy Joe Martin came down and played harmonica with me on three songs. The sets were 25 minutes long so I only had 5 songs all together. Joe is a social worker and one of the founders of the Pike Market Clinic. It only seems right that a festival celebrating the Market and the return of Seattle to itself would have Joe there. People seemed to like what we did - we finished with an improv piece about the festival and Seattle. Niceol was there with her parents who, she says, are religious conservatives - though I think her language might be stronger. They liked some of my stuff, not all of it. Which is normal.
We had good crowds all day and no complaints. Breaking down at the end was a little sad but welcome as well. It meant that I would soon be able to go to sleep. Of course that was not to happen right away as Jim and friends had arranged for us all to go out to dinner near their house - which is on the other side of town from mine. That meant loading the gear, then unloading it at their place, then going to the cafe, then waiting to get in, then ordering, eating, paying, going back to their place, and me driving back to mine. By the time I lay down I was really too tired to sleep and I tossed around all night.
But damn! What a gas. Anybody reading this who does street performing, if you want to come down and be a part of it next year, just remember: next year it will be September 16th. Go to the Guild site http://pikemarketbuskers.org/ and get an application. They should be on line by April or May. You have to actually be a street performer - this is not a showcase for up and coming bands. But do apply and do come to the festival. And hey, come down early at 7 am - we could use the help.
posted by Jim Page at 2:02 PM
1 Comments:
Hi Jim...sound like a great fest!
Speaking of top hats, I can still remember you wearing one outside the Wine Cellar in Los Gatos circa 1969, and chasing a beautiful young lass, about our age (then), with only a tip of the hat to yours truly as you were too busy to chat!
You were both running between the trees and she was obviously enjoying the chase!
Who needs conversation?
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