What is the “Summer of Busk”? What even is “busking” anyway? If you haven’t heard the term, you may fall into the common misconception it’s the new dance craze the kids are into, or some obscure seafloor crustacean.
(Un?)fortunately, it’s neither of those things. Busking is the act of street performing. The most common form is music, but it can also include visual arts, acrobatics, juggling, magic, living statues, fire theatrics, interpretive pogo, freestyle beekeeping… anything that could reasonably be categorized as performance! It’s one of my favorite things to do in the world.
This may not be a passion you would expect from a college graduate with a degree in linguistics, who spent other seasons of life interested in tutoring, jogging, and niche board games. But I am a man of many layers (onions have layers, ogres have layers!) There is also a strong thread of music and performance that weaves through my life.
It started with piano lessons when I was young, developed through band practice with my high school church youth group, and continues to manifest in my current singer-songwriter / street performer phase. I actually had my first taste of street performing when I was but a young lad. I played the few songs I could crank out on my first acoustic guitar on the boardwalk, during family trips to Ocean City, Maryland. I even wrote my college admissions essay about it! Now, I find myself back in the same beach town again, ten years wiser, braver, and foolhardy-er…ier.
The Summer of Busk is my commitment to live and work in Ocean City Maryland for the summer, performing my act on the boardwalk on any free evening I can. I’ll be singing, playing acoustic guitar, and working on some loop-pedaling to add beatboxing and other percussive shenanigans.
For some context, Ocean City is an Atlantic Resort Town on a peninsula hanging down the east side of Maryland. It only has a stable population of around 7,000, but hosts up to 8,000,000 visitors annually. One of its trademark attractions is the boardwalk, a three-mile wood-plank promenade on the beach side of downtown. During the height of summer, nearly every block intersection is home to a street performer, some of whom have spent years here honing their craft. I’ll be throwing my hat in the ring. (And don’t worry Mom, I’ll also keep up a day job in a restaurant here).
But Why??
Well, upon returning to the U.S. after two years teaching English in South Korea (a topic which I will delve into more in future posts), I knew that I still didn’t want to settle right away into a conventional life. I had really been pushing myself in the past year to grow my musical ability, and this is the next jump I needed to take.
I figure, instead of facing the long and uncertain road of working my way up through the bar and club scene, why don’t I set up shop where I can perform every night, for as long as I want, for a large and ever-changing audience? I fancy myself as a believer in trial by fire, so it’s time to put my money where my mouth is. I also think busking on the street can be more personal and vulnerable than playing on a pre-ordained stage, but that makes the connections and victories that occur all the more meaningful.
“I’m counting on that lack of crowd obligation to drive me to be a better musician and performer…”
Plus, I get instant feedback in the form of audience attention. If people like what they hear, they can stop and listen. If not, they’ll just walk right on by. I’m counting on that lack of crowd obligation to drive me to be a better musician and performer.
I’ll learn real quick what kind of songs and mannerisms will attract a crowd. Last of all, I’ve seen veteran street-performers rake in some serious dough… and any artist knows the dough that is won through their own creation is that much sweeter.
Goals
Right now I’m hesitating to set out any rigid goals, because I don’t want to put limits on the experience, but these are my main objectives –
- End the summer with more money than I started.
- Play on the boardwalk as often as I can.
- Become the best musician I can be.
- Give it my all to make people smile and provide a memorable moment of their vacation.
My purpose in writing this blog is to:
- Catalog my experience, because I think it will be a pretty unique thing that not many people have written extensively about.
- Share tips, victories, and frustrations so that other musicians can learn from and be inspired by my journey.
- Share the way my view of music and busking interacts with my life philosophy, and general musings that arise.
- Take another step to being a digital renaissance man.
If anyone were to ask me if I saw busking as a viable means of life beyond this summer, I would have no solid answer. All I know is that five years down the road, I still want to be playing music, and I know this is the right step to take at this moment. How do I know? Because it’s what scares and excites me the most.
Thanks for reading and keep checking back for new updates! I’m sure this summer will give me plenty to write about.