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60-479: Prior to the band's conception, brothers Garnet and Snow Keim had busked around the country writing music in the late 1990s, ultimately leading them to Seattle, Washington . The band formed in 2001 when the Keim brothers met their future drummer, Bob Husak, in a local Seattle coffeehouse ( Tully's ). Named after a dream that bassist Snow Keim experienced involving an encounter with 18th-century English poet William Blake in

120-503: A crosswalk while the traffic lights are red. A variety of disciplines can be used in such a format (juggling, break dancing, even magic tricks). Because of the short period of time available to them, stoplight performers must have a very brief, condensed routine. This form is seen more commonly in Latin America than elsewhere. Buskers collect donations and tips from the public in a variety of containers and by different methods depending on

180-456: A footpedal-operated "sock" (hi-hat cymbal), a homemade neck harness (for a harmonica, kazoo and microphone), and a 12-string guitar . Fate Norris , of the Skillet Lickers , a hillbilly string band of the 1920s and early 1930s developed a geared mechanical contraption with footpedals that enabled him to play guitar, bells, bass fiddle , fiddle , autoharp and mouth harp. Joe Barrick, who

240-516: A guitar, a harmonica, a drum and a tambourine. They may also include singing. Many still busk but some are booked to play at festivals and other events. Folk music has always been an important part of the busking scene. Cafe, restaurant, bar and pub busking is a mainstay of this art form. The delta bluesmen were mostly itinerant musicians emanating from the Mississippi Delta region of the USA around

300-520: A little to come and see us. But it all started on street corners, and that is still very connected to what we do. It's such a validating musical experience. Busking is a very humble and brave act that takes courage to do well. It's also about the energy of music being alive outside in a city ... You can walk right by it right in front of you. Sure, to some people you're just another guy with his hand out, so sometimes busking can be great social barometer. You're able to gauge who you live with on earth. Around

360-701: A long-running annual one in Santa Cruz, California, and others in various countries. Live looping can be sung along prerecorded sounds. Since the development of Musical Instrument Digital Interface ( MIDI ) in the 1980s, musicians have also incorporated chest-mounted MIDI drum pads, foot-mounted electronic drum triggers. Some "one-man bands" use organ-style pedal keyboards to perform basslines . A small number of MIDI enthusiasts use custom-made MIDI controllers connected to different parts of their bodies to trigger music on synthesizers. Custom-made MIDI controllers range from wind-operated controllers to small triggers mounted on

420-405: A metal shop, The Blakes moved to Los Angeles and began their musical career, playing shows and living for nearly two years in a Days Inn Hotel. The band put out a string of self-released EPs and eventually moved back to Seattle. In 2005, The Blakes gained major exposure from their fourth release, Little Whispers , when Seattle radio station KEXP began playing and promoting their music. In 2006,

480-538: A multitrack studio and synchronize it with video multitrack video playing on all instruments, creating a one-man band illusion. One-man bands in this context have become more common in extreme metal , especially black metal , where a number of bands apart from Burzum consist of only one member. Such artists include Nargaroth , Xasthur , Falkenbach , Arckanum , Nortt , Horde , and others. While most of these bands do not play live, some such as Nargaroth hire additional musicians for live performances. "One-woman band"

540-531: A performance occurs is called a "pitch". A good pitch can be the key to success as a busker. An act that might make money at one place and time may not work at all in another setting. Popular pitches tend to be public places with large volumes of pedestrian traffic, high visibility, low background noise and as few elements of interference as possible. Good locations may include tourist spots, popular parks, entertainment districts including many restaurants, cafés, bars and pubs and theaters, subways and bus stops, outside

600-722: A performer who plays every instrument on a recorded song one at a time, and then mixes them together in a multitrack studio . While this approach to recording is more common in electronica genres such as techno and acid house than R&B and rock music, some R&B and rock performers such as Joe Hill Louis , Stevie Wonder , Prince , Lenny Kravitz , Paul McCartney , Elliott Smith , Kevin Parker , Kabir Suman , Dave Edmunds , John Fogerty , Emitt Rhodes , Todd Rundgren , Pete Townshend , Steve Winwood , Roy Wood , Nik Kershaw , Dave Grohl ( Foo Fighters ), and Les Fradkin have made records in which they play every instrument (one after

660-423: A person had to produce any music or entertainment, save for a few mechanical devices such as the barrel organ , the music box , and the piano roll . Organ grinders were commonly found busking in the 19th century and early 20th century. Busking is common among some Romani people . Romantic mention of Romani music, dancers and fortune tellers are found in all forms of song poetry, prose and lore. The Roma brought

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720-544: A six-week US tour all but two songs were scrapped by the band: "Surf's Up" and "Sea Fishing". 2011 brought yet another BEADS record Thin Air the band's most extensive exploration of musical composition to date. Also, during this time the band signed a worldwide publishing contract with Memory Lane Music Group. The summer of 2011, the band again went into the studio writing, recording and producing for what will be The Blakes' "Art of Losses" LP, due out July 24, 2012. The song "Commit"

780-463: A special permit to use electronically amplified sound and may have limits on the volume of sound produced. It is common law that buskers or others should not impede pedestrian traffic flow, block or otherwise obstruct entrances or exits, or do things that endanger the public. It is common law that any disturbing or noisy behaviors may not be conducted after certain hours in the night. These curfew limitations vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. It

840-501: A stick) with a footpedal-operated pair of cymbals. Blues singers such as "Daddy Stovepipe" (Johnny Watson) would sing, play guitar, and stomp their feet for rhythm, or used a foot pedal to play bass drum or cymbal. One of the earliest modern exponents of multiple instruments was Jesse Fuller . Fuller developed a foot-operated bass instrument which he called the " footdella ", which had six bass strings which were struck by hammers. In "one-man-band" shows, Fuller would use his "footdella",

900-492: A way of drawing in potential clients and relaxing them. The people would often associate this feeling of well-being with the products sold. After these performances, they would "pass the hat". One-man bands have historically performed as buskers playing a variety of instruments simultaneously. One-man bands proliferated in urban areas in the 19th and early 20th centuries and still perform to this day. A current one-man band plays all their instruments acoustically usually combining

960-472: A youthful busker this way: Sometimes the customers threw something in the hats. Sometimes they took something out of the hats. Sometimes they took the hats. Organisations Press Other One man band A one-man band is a musician who plays a number of instruments simultaneously using their hands, feet, limbs, and various mechanical or electronic contraptions. One-man bands also often sing while they perform. The simplest type of "one-man band"

1020-419: Is a singer accompanying themselves on acoustic guitar and playing a harmonica mounted in a metal "harp rack" below the mouth. This approach is often taken by buskers and folk music singer-guitarists. More complicated setups may include wind instruments strapped around the neck, a large bass drum mounted on the musician's back with a beater which is connected to a foot pedal, cymbals strapped between

1080-451: Is also used in a general sense to refer to a person who runs a small business alone (a sole-proprietorship business), particularly if the operation requires that person to assume multiple different roles, in a manner akin to the way a musical "one-man band" performer plays different instruments and sings at the same time. In some small businesses, the owner also produces the product or service, markets it and delivers it to clients. In TV news,

1140-540: Is common law that "performing blue" (i.e. using material that is sexually explicit or any vulgar or obscene remarks or gestures) is generally prohibited unless performing for an adults-only environment such as in a bar or pub. In London, busking is prohibited in the entire area of the City of London. The London Underground provides busking permits for up to 39 pitches across 25 central London stations. Most London boroughs do not license busking, but they have optional powers, under

1200-740: Is not a term generally used in American English. Performances are anything that people find entertaining , including acrobatics , animal tricks , balloon twisting , caricatures , clowning , comedy , contortions , escapology , dance , singing , fire skills , flea circus , fortune-telling , juggling , magic , mime , living statue , musical performance, one man band , puppeteering , snake charming , storytelling or reciting poetry or prose , street art such as sketching and painting, street theatre , sword swallowing , ventriloquism , weightlifting and washboarding . Buskers may be solo performers or small groups. The term busking

1260-550: Is not used very often in the vernacular, but women have increasingly had a presence as musicians in most forms of music. Edith Crash who creates "dark and haunting, drawn-out melodies". In the 2000s, as digital looping pedals became widely available, performers have been able to use a mixture of previously recorded music, delay effects, and looping devices in live performances of everything from beatboxing to classical violin. Live looping performers create layered looped accompaniment for musical solos that are sung or played later in

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1320-526: Is open to the general public and busking does not interfere with its function and management allows it or other forms of free speech behaviors or has a history of doing so. While there is no universal code of conduct for buskers, there are common law practices that buskers must conform to. Most jurisdictions have corresponding statutory laws . In the UK busking regulation is not universal with most laws (if there are any) being governed by local councils. Some towns in

1380-605: The London Local Authorities Act 2000 , if there is sufficient reason to do so. Where these powers have not been adopted, councils can rely on other legislation including the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to deal with noise nuisance from buskers and the Highways Act 1980 to deal with obstructions. Camden Council is currently looking into further options to control the problem of nuisance buskers and

1440-477: The 1840s and 1850s described a blind street performer who played bells, the violin and accordions. Guitarist Jim Garner played guitar with his hands and triangle with his feet, and Will Blankenship of the Blankenship family of North Carolina played harmonica, autoharp and triangle in shows during the 1930s. In the 1940s, entertainer and clown Benny Dougal used a crude "stump fiddle" (a single string stretched on

1500-442: The 1950s were Doctor Ross and Joe Hill Louis , playing guitar, harmonica and bass drum/ high-hat . The simple guitar and harmonica combination (as used by such musicians as Tex Williams , Anton Newcombe , Jimmy Reed , Bob Dylan , Neil Young , and Ray Dorset of Mungo Jerry ) is so common now that it is rarely considered to be a one-man band. British-born Don Partridge made the classic one-man band outfit (bass drum on

1560-400: The 2000s and 2010s, the availability of affordable digital looping pedals has enabled singer-musicians to record a riff or chord progression and then solo or sing over it. The earliest known records of multiple musical instruments being played at the same time date from the 13th century, and were the pipe and tabor . The pipe was a simple three-holed flute that could be played with one hand;

1620-487: The British Isles limit the licenses issued to bagpipers because of the volume and difficulty of the instrument. In Great Britain places requiring licenses for buskers may also require auditions of anyone applying for a busking license. Oxford City Council have decided to enact a public spaces protection order . Some venues that do not regulate busking may still ask performers to abide by voluntary rules. Some places require

1680-657: The Hollywood area, in Chicago on Maxwell Street , in the Delmar Loop district of St. Louis , and many other locations throughout the US. Busking is still quite common in Scotland, Ireland ( Grafton Street , Dublin ), and England with musicians and other street performers of varying talent levels. The first recorded instances of laws affecting buskers were in ancient Rome in 462 BC. The Law of

1740-554: The Internet for people to download or "stream" and if people like it they make a donation using PayPal . There are three basic forms of street performance: circle shows, walk-by acts, and stoplight performances. " Circle shows " are shows that tend to gather a crowd around them. They usually have a distinct beginning and end. Usually these are done in conjunction with street theatre , puppeteering , magicians , comedians, acrobats , jugglers and sometimes musicians. Circle shows can be

1800-552: The Republic of Ireland, the traditional Wren Boys, and in England Morris Dancing can be considered part of the busking tradition. In India and Pakistan's Gujarati region, Bhavai is a form of street art where there are plays enacted in the village, the barot or the village singer also is part of the local entertainment scene. In the 2000s, some performers have begun "Cyber Busking". Artists post work or performances on

1860-620: The Twelve Tables made it a crime to sing about or make parodies of the government or its officials in public places; the penalty was death. Louis the Pious "excluded histriones and scurrae , which included all entertainers without noble protection, from the privilege of justice". In 1530 Henry VIII ordered the licensing of minstrels and players, fortune-tellers, pardoners and fencers, as well as beggars who could not work. If they did not obey they could be whipped on two consecutive days. In

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1920-853: The United States have particular areas known to be popular spots for buskers. Performers are found at many locations like Mallory Square in Key West , in New Orleans , in New York around Central Park , Washington Square , and the subway systems, in San Francisco, in Washington, D.C. around the transit centers, in Los Angeles around Venice Beach , the Santa Monica Third Street Promenade , and

1980-403: The United States under constitutional law and most European common law , the protection of artistic free speech extends to busking. In the U.S. and many countries, the designated places for free speech behavior are the public parks , streets, sidewalks , thoroughfares and town squares or plazas. Under certain circumstances even private property may be open to buskers, particularly if it

2040-515: The adage "Music hath charms to soothe the savage beast" plays out in regards to busking. Her sociological studies showed that in areas where buskers regularly perform, crime rates tended to go down, and that those with higher education attainment tended to have a more positive view of buskers than did those of lesser educational attainment. Some cities encourage busking in particular areas, giving preference to city government-approved buskers and even publishing schedules of performances. Many cities in

2100-413: The arms or feet. At a certain point, the use of body MIDI controllers may come to resemble performance art , because the musical sounds are triggered by the performer assuming certain poses or dancing. One of the pioneers of this performance art is McRorie Live Electronic, who uses drum sensors on his shoes, tom sensors on his chest, separate rhythm and bass keyboards and vocal lead instruments. The term

2160-489: The attention of KEXP and received heavy rotation. At this time, the band embarked on a three-month tour of the US. Also in 2009, the Keim Brothers collaborated with producer Brian Brown and created the project BEADS. An acoustic, psychedelic pop record called No One Knows . Much of 2010 was spent in studio, recording what was supposed to be a follow-up to Souvenir . The record was called Low Low , but after completion and

2220-424: The audience and encourage them to contribute, sometimes by cajoling them in a humorous fashion. The term bottler is a British term that originated from the use of the top half of a bottle to collect money. The bottle had a leather flap inserted in the bottleneck and a leather pouch attached. This design allowed coins to be put in the bottle but did not allow them to be removed easily without the coins jingling against

2280-513: The back, guitar and harmonica) famous in the streets of Europe , and was an early busker to enter the Top Ten of the UK Singles Chart , with his hit singles "Rosie" and "Blue Eyes" in 1968. Modern one-man bands include such performers as Hasil Adkins and Sterling Magee , better known as "Mister Satan," from Satan and Adam . The term "one-man band" is also colloquially used to describe

2340-847: The band released their self-titled LP and toured extensively. In the following year, the band signed to Seattle independent record label Light In the Attic. In 2007, on their new label, the band released the Streets EP, and later remixed (Martin Feveyear) remastered and reissued The Blakes LP. 2007 and 2008 found the band touring internationally playing such prestigious venues as Le Bataclan and L'Olympia as well as international festivals Lollapalooza, Bumbershoot, Sasquatch, Eurockéennes, and more. In 2009, The Blakes released two more independent releases: Lights On EP (a limited run of hand silk screened cd's in jackets) and Souvenir LP composed of 17 songs quickly drew

2400-570: The bands that performed in this manner were Janis Joplin with Big Brother and the Holding Company , the Grateful Dead , Jefferson Airplane , Quicksilver Messenger Service , Country Joe and the Fish , Moby Grape and Jimi Hendrix . Christmas caroling can also be a form of busking, as wassailing included singing for alms, wassail or some other form of refreshment such as figgy pudding . In

2460-491: The early 1940s and on. B.B. King is one famous example who came from these roots. The counterculture of the hippies of the 1960s occasionally staged "be-ins", which resembled some present-day buskers festivals . Bands and performers would gather at public places and perform for free, passing the hat to make money. The San Francisco Bay Area was at the epicenter of this movement – be-ins were staged at Golden Gate Park and San Jose 's Bee Stadium and other venues. Some of

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2520-468: The entrances to large concerts and sporting events, almost any plaza or town square as well as zócalos in Latin America and piazzas in other regions. Other places include shopping malls, strip malls, and outside supermarkets, although permission is usually required from management for these. In her book, Underground Harmonies: Music and Politics in the Subways of New York , Susie J. Tanenbaum examined how

2580-447: The feature film Meet Bill 2007. Busker Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities . In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is practiced all over the world and dates back to antiquity . People engaging in this practice are called street performers or buskers . Buskers

2640-479: The first two albums released by Dashboard Confessional , Varg Vikernes for Burzum and Billy Corgan for The Smashing Pumpkins since 2009. Nash the Slash (1948–2014) played all instruments on his recordings. He also played solo concerts from 1975 to 2012, using synchronized drum machines and synthesizers as he plays either an electric violin or electric mandolin . Some artists record and mixed their music in

2700-555: The glass. The first use of such contrivances was recorded by the famous Punch and Judy troupe of puppeteers in early Victorian times. The increasing use of cashless payments in the 21st century, and the corresponding lessening of the amount of cash typically carried, has affected buskers, some of whom have begun using electronic payment systems including contactless payment terminals and web or app based payment systems (sometimes reachable by QR code ). This trend accelerated after COVID-19 lockdowns, but predates this. The place where

2760-434: The knees or triggered by a pedal mechanism, tambourines and maracas tied to the limbs, and a stringed instrument strapped over the shoulders (e.g., a banjo , ukulele or guitar ). Since the development of Musical Instrument Digital Interface ( MIDI ) in the 1980s, musicians have also incorporated chest-mounted MIDI drum pads, foot-mounted electronic drum triggers, and electronic pedal keyboards into their set-ups. In

2820-659: The mid-19th century Japanese Chindonya started to be seen using their skills for advertising, and these street performers are still occasionally seen in Japan. Another Japanese street performance form dating from the Edo period is Nankin Tamasudare , in which the performer creates large figures using a bamboo mat. In the 19th century, Italian street musicians (mainly from Liguria , Emilia Romagna , Basilicata ) began to roam worldwide in search of fortune. Musicians from Basilicata , especially

2880-553: The most lucrative. Sometimes the crowds attracted can be very large. A good busker will control the crowd so the patrons do not obstruct foot traffic. " Walk-by acts " are acts where the busker performs a musical, living statue or other act that does not have a distinct beginning or end, and the public usually watches for a brief time. A walk-by act may turn into a circle show if the act is unusual or very popular. " Stoplight performances " are performances in which performers present their act and get contributions from vehicle occupants on

2940-474: The other). Mike Oldfield was noted for using this recording technique during the recording of his 1973 album Tubular Bells . Other examples of a one-man band in the recording studio are Dave Grohl for the first studio album by the Foo Fighters , Trent Reznor for Nine Inch Nails , jazz piano player Keith Jarrett for his album No End , Peter Tägtgren for Pain (musical project) , Chris Carrabba for

3000-464: The playing of amplified music to the detriment of local residents and businesses. Buskers may find themselves targeted by thieves due to the very open and public nature of their craft. Buskers may have their earnings, instruments or props stolen. One particular technique that thieves use against buskers is to pretend to make a donation while actually taking money out instead, a practice known as "dipping" or "skimming". George Burns described his days as

3060-531: The so-called Viggianesi , would later become professional instrumentalists in symphonic orchestras, especially in the United States . The street musicians from Basilicata are sometimes cited as an influence on Hector Malot 's Sans Famille . In the United States, medicine shows proliferated in the 19th century. They were traveling vendors selling elixirs and potions which purportedly improved people's health. They would often employ entertainment acts as

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3120-480: The song. Using this technology, a simultaneous combination of various instruments and vocals, or one instrument played in different ways, can be created over the course of one musical piece which rivals the sounds of studio recording. Notable artists who incorporate this technique live include Ed Sheeran , Keller Williams , That 1 Guy , Zach Deputy , and KT Tunstall . Rick Walker is another looper and multi-instrumentalist who has organized looping festivals, including

3180-466: The tabor is more commonly known today as a snare drum . This type of playing can still be heard in parts of rural France, in England and Spain. An Elizabethan -era woodcut shows a clown playing the pipe and tabor. An 1820s watercolour painting shows a one-man band with a rhythm-making stick, panpipes around his neck and a bass drum and tambourine beside him. Henry Mayhew 's history of London street life in

3240-444: The type of busking they are performing. For walk-by acts, their open, empty instrument case or a special can, box, or hat is often used. For circle shows the performer will typically collect money at the end of the show, although some performers will also collect during the show, as some audience members do not stay for the entire performance. Sometimes a performer will employ a bottler , hat man , or pitch man to collect money from

3300-554: The word busking to England by way of their travels along the Mediterranean coast to Spain and the Atlantic Ocean and then up north to England and the rest of Europe. In medieval France, buskers were known by the terms troubadours and jongleurs . In northern France, they were known as trouveres . In old German, buskers were known as Minnesingers and Spielleute . In obsolete French, it evolved to busquer for "seek, prowl" and

3360-451: The word is still used in Spanish but mostly reserved for female street sex workers , or mistresses of married men. There have been performances in public places for gratuities in every major culture in the world, dating back to antiquity . For many musicians, street performance was the most common means of employment before the advent of recording and personal electronics. Prior to that,

3420-566: Was born in Oklahoma in 1922, wanted a way of accompanying himself on fiddle, so he built a contraption with a guitar neck on a board with footpedals to operate the notes. Subsequent versions of this "piatar" also had bass guitar and banjo necks and a snare drum which are played by foot-operated hammers. To change notes on the guitar-family instruments, a foot treadle operates a mechanical fretting device. Two notable one-man blues bands active in Memphis in

3480-452: Was featured on an episode of the third season How I Met Your Mother , Little Boys . The Blakes appear in the film True Adolescents . In the film they are called The Effort and play the songs Streets and Circuits (which is an outtake from the Lights In the Attic release). The song "Don't Bother Me" was featured on an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 . The song "Modern MAN" was featured in

3540-583: Was first noted in the English language around the middle 1860s in Great Britain. The verb to busk , from the word busker , comes from the Spanish root word buscar , with the meaning "to seek". The Spanish word buscar in turn evolved from the Indo-European word *bhudh-skō ("to win, conquer"). It was used for many street acts, and was the title of a famous Spanish book about one of them, El Buscón . Today,

3600-430: Was generally used to describe prostitutes . In Russia, buskers are called skomorokh , and their first recorded history appears around the 11th century. Mariachis , Mexican bands that play a style of music by the same name, frequently busk when they perform while traveling through streets and plazas, as well as in restaurants and bars. We like playing for big crowds, and the goal all along has been for people to pay

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