Sunday, July 24, 2011

Smokin'

Last night may have been the best night of busking yet. I played well, I played a lot of songs, I had a good spot, interesting people stopped, no one gave me a hard time, and I didn't get cold, hot, hungry, bored, or tired. Oh, and I made good money!

I almost didn't go because I worked that day and was kind of pooped, but it was a lovely Saturday night so I went for it. I took the bus since I have two friends who were working in Ptown that night with whom I could carpool home. I love taking the bus, I always talk to interesting people. Also when I take the bus I head straight to the public restroom, where the monitor there recognizes me. She asks about business and if I got a good spot that day. Even though I don't feel bad not tipping other buskers, I do feel bad not tipping her.

I chose to not even try the Pig spot since I would be there for a long set and surely Mr. Patio would have something to say. I went to Town Hall where Will had the big pitch and a new statue in town had the corner. He's a older gentleman dressed as a bronze military man. I politely asked him how much longer he planned to use that spot. He ignored me. Good job of staying in character. Some of his crowd watched our interaction and applauded his stillness. I approached him several times but he wouldn't respond! What an asshole! Finally, I went really close to talk quietly in case he could subtly indicate a period of time to me without breaking character. He saw me and made a talking gesture and pointed to another gentleman. It turns out he's deaf. Oops. Well, good for him. The assistant/translator was super nice, and said that he had just come back from a break and had a few hours to go. He suggested I play across Ryder St. in front of the the Shell Shop building. Usually I hate when people tell me where to play rather than negotiating a compromise for the spot I want, but I considered it. I always thought it was a private spot, but the assistant assured me it wasn't.

As it goes, this is my new favorite spot. It could not be any better. At first a fan was blowing loudly, but it turned off. There, I have a great street in front of me with the foot traffic off the pier (which I don't always get at the Pig). I have a view of the beach for my own pleasure. There is a wide sidewalk across the street where people lingered to watch/listen to me. There is a set of steps into the candy store on my left where people sat to listen. As darkness fell and other buskers were obscured, I had a spotlight from the candy store. Best of all, I was at a busy intersection with cars and people that necessitated a crossing guard. He would stop foot traffic to let cars park which meant large groups were forced to stand there for minute right in front of me. I thought immediately of playing at the Ferry Building in San Francisco that gave me the same benefit of pedestrian rules. When people were again allowed to walk, I had big packs coming towards me as well for whom I could save my best songs.

In addition to the spot being so ideal, I was doing better than usual as well. A couple weeks ago, a guy biked by and said "Don't just stand there, move to the music!" It's true that I'm so used to my songs that I usually space out and just play the notes and don't give much of a performance. That was also a comment I got from May last year, that the songs I'm into are more fun to watch than the ones I don't care about. Last night, every song was my favorite song and I played the hell out of them. I smiled, bounced/tapped a little, and held my instrument up high. The new thing I like to do to look super passionate is to use my pectoral muscles. When my arms have extended the bellows as far as they can but I need more air on a note, I puff up my chest to give the bellows an extra inch or two. I get more air this way, and I imagine that I look like a professional accordionista. I also played all my songs, which I don't usually do. I have a long set list but I usually skip most of it. It occurred to me that I chose to learn all these song for a reason, and I need to give them some bellows time so they can climb the ranks to be as popular as my ace songs.

The main reason things were so good is that I simply loved what I was doing. More often than not these days I don't enjoy myself while playing and wonder what the hell I'm doing. Last night, however, was not one of those nights. I was greatly enjoying myself, and I was so proud of how far I've come on the instrument and how I'm using it. It was one of those nights that makes you want to quit your day job. Additionally, I wondered about the effect of my positive attitude last night and the positive response of passersby on each other: were people listening and donating because I looked like I loved what I was doing or was I loving it because people were listening or donating? I'm sure both matter. I received my record number of 5-dollar bills last night, and the well-lit nature of my pitch indicates that they weren't accidental. Ptown's been slower this year, but last night I got my New Year's Eve hourly wage! Anyway, that was a very long introduction. Here's what happened!


Saturday, July 23, 2011:


1. A little girl with curly hair and a green dress ran over and stood in front of me to listen. Then she saw a dog so she ran over to see it. Then she ran back to listen more. I asked if she had a favorite song, and she didn't say anything. Finally her adults caught up with her, and explained that she speaks only French. The universe is giving me so many signs that I need to learn French. They're French Canadian and have a son, Antoine, in addition to young Genevieve. The dad asked if I knew this French singer, Charles N-something, and played me a song of his iphone. I didn't recognize it. Their friend saw my babysitting flyer and exclaimed "un guardian!" or something. Sure enough, I have a babysitting gig this week! I guess the little boy speaks a little English, but otherwise I'm on my own language-wise.

2. A couple made their mark when the man asked, "Can I put the money in your squeezebox?" I assumed the worst and commented accordingly, and they stayed and listened for a while. They're nice people from Maine who wanted to hear my most "kickin'" song. I forget what I played. Probably Beer Barrel Polka.

3. With my old sign, green marker on cardboard, people would see it an exclaim, "Sophie's smokin' squeezebox!" with glee. That hasn't happened with my new sign, but last night it did! You can still read it! People pay more attention to the loan sign these days, so I'm glad to know my stagename is still a source of entertainment.

4. A young guy recognized "Elephant Gun," declaring Beirut the best band ever. Rightly so.

5. Right at the beginning of my set (song #2) I played "Beyond the Sea." An older gentleman talked to me after, and commented, "That is a French song that Americans know because it was given English lyrics." I confessed having not known it was French until I started getting comments like that. He said that people like him and me are lucky to know the background of the song. True that. I like it better in my "French" category rather than my "Older" (1920s-40s) category. Speaking of "La Mar," it was requested by the French family as well!

6. I met a woman named Sophie! This interaction is a perfect example of why last night was so damn good. Usually my interactions with Sophies are quick and non-profitable. They like to take pics then walk away. This Sophie, on the other hand, stuck around to talk and was generally super nice. She was older, in her sixties. We're both Sophias. I asked if she knew that in 2009, Sophia was the #4 baby girl name in America. She added that it started with dogs, and then moved on to children. When she was a kid, she didn't know any other Sophies. Grey-haired Sophies are the best. I hope to find a young Sophie doing something fun when I'm a grey-haired Sophie.

7. A woman dropped a bill (a fiver, I think!) "This is for having guts. I have an accordion too." "You should bring it out!" "Oh, no, people would pay me to stop!"

8. A kid ran by with a dollar in his hand. He dropped a coin into my box, then continued and gave the dollar to the statue. Ouch. At least hide it, kiddo!

9. A man who looked vaguely familiar lingered for a song. He asked, "I'm Shawn. Do you remember me?" When I hesitated, he said, "We met on Newbury St." "The artist?" I asked. The artist indeed! When I was an elf in Boston last winter, an artist set up near me to paint the street at dusk. I loved his work, but didn't stay long enough for his show. I jokingly asked him if he finished his portrait of me in my costume. He gave me a postcard and said he has an art opening tonight. In fact, he said through a straight face, his life-size portrait of me as an elf was hanging front and center at the gallery! If only. He's just as nice as I remembered, and encouraged me to come by. I agreed to, once it was confirmed that there was wine and cheese. It turns out he lives in Falmouth and commuted to both Newbury St. and Ptown, so I'm sure I'll see him again. I ended up not going to the opening because the playing was so good that I didn't stop until it was time to go. 'Twould have been fun though.

10. People asked for Beer Barrel Polka twice! Good thing I remember it!

11. I ran into two ARHS faculty members, as I did last year. This year they brought their kids!

12. Guess who biked by? John Waters, movie director. Looked at me, but no reaction.

13. Two guys stopped and asked if they could take a picture with me. One photographed while the other posed and a lady walking by offered to take one of the three of us. I liked this, because it is the personal rule of Tim, my host dad in San Francisco, to always offer to take the group photo when you see this scenario. I adopted that rule as well, and have implemented it a few times (once in Mexico in Spanish!). I told this lady that I share that philosophy and she agreed that more people should do it.

14. I was right outside of one Salt Water Taffy store and across the street from another. I kept waiting for a kid to find a flavor he/she didn't like and drop it into my box. Finally a girl dropped something into my box that landed with a thud. I exclaimed, "Finally, I've been waiting for someone to drop me some taffy all night!" The girl and her mom politely smiled. When I emptied my box later that night, there was no taffy to be found. She must have dropped coins all along, and wondered what the hell I was talking about.

15. A guy I recognized but couldn't place (maybe the Swiss man I met last year?) made a joke: "The statue said he wants to switch. He can play accordion and you can go stand there in his place!"

16. Amy Winehouse. Let's talk about her. As you have probably heard, she died yesterday. I reckoned I was one of the few who knew, since most passersby had spent the day on the beach. I tried out a couple of her songs, which were actually quite easy ("Rehab" and "You Know I'm no Good"). Playing them made me super sad. I never gave her much thought, but she should inspire us all to get to work on our projects. I'm sure she intended another album, but she waited and mucked around and then it was too late. Of course she took steps into the negative in addition to not working on the positive, but it's still a good lesson. What am I waiting for with all my projects and goals and dreams? (I drove super carefully on the way home that night with mortality on my mind. It occurred to me that maybe this night of playing was TOO good. I barely exceeded 40 MPH on route six.)

Anyway, somehow Amy came up with this middle-aged lady. Her take on it was, "She had such a talent but just couldn't figure out how to live!" In her company I gave Rehab another spin and she teared up a little. "She shouldn't have said 'No no no!'" This lady laughed in spite of herself, but also confirmed my own sadness. Death at 27 is always sad! That said, I want to actually practice her songs, now that I know how easy they are. ("You Know I'm No Good" is the chord progression I use when I Klezmer-ize songs!)

17. At one point, a band set up at the main Town Hall pitch and they were too loud! I was going to wait for someone I knew to walk by and asked him/her to either ask them to turn it down or watch my stuff while I did, but alas no one showed up. For a while it was mayhem. When the statue left, he was replaced by the balloon man who sings along with recording of old standards while making balloon animals. He's loud and annoying as well. Because I was in this magical spot, though, neither was enough to drown me out.

When I packed up I went to talk to the band. It turns out it was Ben Pegg, a guitar player who I've never had much of an affection for, with an upright bass player. I always expect the worst when complaining to other musicians about their volume, but the bass player was super nice.

18. One interesting thing is that I like to play "Donna E Mobile" early on to test my ability that day. It's so easy, so if I mess it up I know I'm doomed that day. I didn't play it for a while last night but when I did I totally butchered it. That was surprising because everything else was okay!

19. Should have mentioned this sooner: I saw some old friends! When I was boarding the bus to Ptown I got a text from Chris Skoglund, friend from college and band-mate in The Farhanettes (2006) asking if I was in Ptown. He was there with Jon Moran, Sune, and her boyfriend Sam, all folks I lived with freshman year at Clark. They came to Ptown for the day. It was great to see them! Hopefully Chris will quit his day job and come on the road with me.

20. Funiculi Funicula. Note to self: learn the ending!!! I played it several times last night, and a man stopped to listen. He said that he knows that one and explained that Jerry Garcia used to pick the melody in the middle of a song. This man also asked, "You know how electric guitar players made faces while they're shredding?" "Yeah." "Well you totally do it too!" Ha.

21. There were lots of bachelor/ette parties last night! They're usually characterized by groups of women in heels, one of which wearing a crown made of penes (I first saw "penes" used as the plural of "penis" in Cat's Cradle, and will forever use it). When I see these groups, I like to play "Here Comes the Bride." Usually they ignore me (typical heteros, right??). Tonight, there was a bachelor party as well. A group of men wearing all white strolled along wearing colorful veils. The two men in front donned rainbow veils. Unlike they women, they LOVED their bridal serenade. Their laughter continued when I seriously offered to play at their wedding on Thursday!

22. Sometimes I get people who stay for a while, contribute suggestions, and chat. Sometimes they're cool, sometimes they're annoying. I had two last night. The first, a dude, was annoying. It's nice that we share a passion for music, but his long detailed description of this new piece of equipment he bought took away from my playing time. Did sound cool, though. The second was a teenage girl from NYC. She was super pumped about the ocean, and told me about pier jumping that day. Apparently she belly flopped and it really hurt. She had a lot to say about people being cheap when she witnessed an interaction between some teenage boys regarding a donation. I was pumped that a teenage boy was choosing to donate to my cause on his own. The girl listened to what they were saying, and took offense somehow for my sake. Nice to have a fan! The song she requested was Lady Gaga's Alejandro. While I played it another teenage boy came over, so I turned it into the medley. The boy sang along, and I got a small crowd! This was nice, because I've been phasing out the Gaga medley since it's getting a little outdated with all the new songs out there. Glad to know it still works!

23. Something I noticed last night was that my donors represented many different races and nationalities. With the exception of traditions in Louisiana and Mexico, the accordion really has its history with white people, and it's usually white people that donate, comment, and also play. Last night, we were all one family under the sky, we're a family under one sky (as Dayspring would sing).

24. Some more Ptown characters: the pedicab captain and the mean hippie. I've come to recognize the Pedicab pedalers and we usually smile wave. There's one older guy who I take to be in charge. Usually he ignores me, but last night I got my first smile and save from him! Conversely, I continue to get nothing from the mean hippie. There's this young man who rocks a style straight from a 1970s halloween costume: long hair, beard, round glasses, flowy shirt, vest, belt, bell-bottoms, boots. He's clearly a local, and I've found that the locals I see regularly at least acknowledge my presence, if not talk to me. He just walks by coolly every time.

25. A [gay] man walked up, and not breaking eye contact, came in really close, as if he was going to whisper something in my ear. Instead he kissed me on the cheek, smiled, and walked away. (That's a good thing)

26. Towards the end of the evening, a woman tipped me and said, "This is for all the Italian songs." I knew I was learning them for a reason! That brings us to...

27. Italian songs! I learned a couple, and they were being well-received. I've decided to prioritize learning more. Lil Red is Italian, of course, and she seems to love playing Italian songs. I quickly learned a couple more this week, so now "Come Back to Sorrento" and "Marianna/Marina" (which is it??) have joined "Santa Lucia," "La Donna E Mobile," and "Funiculi Funicula."

28. A man dropped a bill and said, "Carry on, my friend." Obviously rehearsed. Will do, sir.

29. Best interaction of the night! Two men stopped, and one said he has an identical accordion! It's a red Iorio! Later he revised that statement and said it's a 48-bass and a little bigger. Still so cool to hear that, mine's the only Iorio I know. He asked about my story, and I told him. He lives in New York and took lessons for ten years. The conversation ended with joking about buying his from him which took a turn for the not-humorous (as in, not a joke. Could happen). He said his Mom is downsizing and he might actually sell it to me. That would be absolutely amazing if the accordion I upgrade to is a slightly bigger version of my perfect accordion. I've been calling mine "Lil Red," and then I could call his "Big Red," naturally. I even offered foster care for a year or two rather than a permanent sale. I hope to hear from him.

30. My notes say "paint." I'll have to get back to you on that one when my memory kicks in.

31. Wow, how's that for timing. I just saw that I have a new email, and it's from the PAINTER I met last night, which is clearly what #30 is about! I met a painter who asked if he could take photos to paint from, and he sent it over:



Check out his work at http://www.davidwellsroth.com/

32. Chris Jim John Tom. These young men whose appearance Clarkies would describe as "metal" (long hair, scary band t-shirts) kept walking by and showing excitement about my act. Finally as I was packing up we talked. Two live in Wellfleet and two are visiting. I asked for requests, and Jim asked for Sublime. Luckily I learned Santeria last winter! I played it and fun was had by all, including two girls walking by. I haven't been playing it because it appeals to a very small set of people (not children, not elderly, not gays), but it could be quite a success with the right audience. They also told me to learn Funkytown right as the Funkmobile drove by. They introduced themselves as Chris, Jim, John and Tom. I commented that it was a mouthful, and they said they also respond to "Hey douchebags." Ha. Hope to see them again!

33. As I was packing up at 11:00 (when the permit ends, the latest I've ever packed up), a lone teenage boy came over. I told him to make a request and he said "Ice Ice Baby." Then he ran off. The cops were right there monitoring traffic so I didn't want to exceed 11:00, even though I doubt they'd say anything. Also, I had to meet Alice for a ride back then. When I lingered in Saki while Alice got ready, a co-worker of hers tried to guess what was in the box. He asked if it was alive and I pointed out the lack of airholes. He then guessed "A dead rabbit or pigeon, then?" Almost.

34. Almost forgot, a little boy was transfixed by the instrument. I presented him with Flaca, hoping to bend gender norms by getting a little boy to play with a doll. Alas, he was not into her, but totally into the accordion. Mom played Flaca instead.

I don't dare remember anything else or my brain will melt being at the computer for this long! This was such a lovely night, thanks for reading!

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Be Kind to Your Fine Feathered Friends part 2

The actual 4th of July! I played in the afternoon because I had to work that evening. Booo.

1. A woman named Sheryl came by with her small daughter. It turns out she used to work with my parents and they had run into each other at the campground. The daughter was great with Flaca.

2. A drunk annoying man also played with Flaca, no thanks.

3. Saw some Leveretteers!

4. A guy walked by, gave my accordion the up and down, and declared, "Mine was bigger."

5. Some folks asked what was in the box as I was walking to meet my brother (fun!) I told them to guess. The guy thought it contained a cat costume that I was going to put on.

6. Someone requested "Smoke on the Water." Not a bad idea.

The end!

Be Kind to Your Fine Feathered Friends, part 1

Part 1 because I did a 4th of July practice round the Saturday before, which is what this post is about! I never leave enough time to get outfits ready (except for the elf), so we scrambled a patriotic outfit together: a blue and white polka-dot dress that's way too short uncomfortably yanked down to almost reach my knees topped with a formerly white blouse that went through the wash with a yellow scarf once and tied around the waist with some red ribbons borrowed from another dress. I covered a party hat with white paper and blue stars to go with it's natural red tinsel-y stuff. Nothing for my smokin' squeezebox. I started playing at the bench area by the pier, and moved to the Town hall.

1. I played "Blowin' in the Wind" for one of the first times, and I immediately got a thumbs up from an obvious hippie across the street. Way to stereotype yourself, guy.

2. Some parents gave their kid money to give to me, but he tried to pocket it instead (this happens not infrequently). When his parents made him fork it over, he stuck his tongue out at me. All mine!!!

3. I solved one of the greatest mysteries of all time! There are three personae I would see in Provincetown, and I suspected that they might all be the same man. One is a street performer who sings along with old songs on a bad sound system. Really obnoxious. But he also makes balloon animals. Another is the local pilgrim, this guy who rides around on a huge tricycle in a pilgrim costume ringing a bell. The third is Ellie, the famous cross-dressing Diva ("78 years young and still living the dream!"). However, this notion of body-sharing was dismissed once I was waiting to play in front of Town Hall. Ellie died last year and there was a memorial to her outside Town Hall. The balloon guy was performing. Then the Pilgrim rode by. THAT would be an impressive feat for one person!

4. While I was waiting for the Town Hall spot (and eating a delicious dinner of veggie sticks), this guy came and sat next to me. We had a strange conversation. I started to write it down when it happened, but stopped because I was sure I would never forget it. But I did. I can tell you the following things: my converser's name is Ian, he has green hair, he does martial arts and has a baby daughter named Sophia. He informed me that sex and weed are good, and invited me to have sex with him.

5. A guy made a bad joke about distracting me and taking all my money or something. Ha.

6. A guy said he plays the concertina! Usually these folks chip in if they're into squeeze instruments enough to come talk. He said, "I'd give you a dollar, but I'm on a budget." Gee, thanks.

7. May rolled by in time to see me in my getup playing "Stars and Stripes Forever." She said, "That's my girl." She loves the gimmicks!

8. A man came up to me and asked, "Do you have an aunt named Laura?" I sure do! It turns out this guy (Jamey) went to high school with my Aunt Laura. They had reunited when she was on college tours with her kids, and had mentioned her accordion-playing niece in Provincetown. Cool!

9. Someone asked where the statue lady was. I said "She's retired from the statue business." They paused for a second, then asked, "Is it you??" Nope, sorry.

10. I had previously established that the tour bus driver lady loves Wallace and Gromit. I played the song when she went by, but she totally didn't react.

11. I played "Morir Soñando," a Mexican waltz that literally no one but Flaco Jimenez and me has heard of. One guy must have mistaken it for something else, because he barked at another passerby, "You know the words, sing!" I don't even know the words!

12. Someone asked exactly how much I have in loans, then bragged that his kid has $400,000 of loans for medical school. Fine, your kid wins.

13. A dog walked by with 4th of July face paint. Oy.

(Stuff I noted but can't remember:
-Ambulance HEY
-Blow kiss
-asians "Red" balloon)

On to part 2!

Snap Shows 1

The evening of my birthday, after buskinhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifg, I performed at a real event! I recently came into contact through babysitting with Ellen Anthony, a local performer known for her children's work, Quirky Circus

She was getting ready for a show for adults and asked me to join her. Snap shows are short little shows based on the snatches of dreams one remembers when waking up. This performance had five shows: three short and two long. i played during the lone lighthearted show, called simply "Accordion," featuring two of Ellen's puppet/figures dancing to an original accordion composition. I played while they danced, once even dancing on my accordion. Ellen opened this number by removing the Kleenex from a travel pack, folding them, and playing them like an accordion, to the amusement of the crowd. I also played the interludes while Ellen changed the set. She wanted songs that were lighthearted (but I opted for some minor keys to match the background music) and not too cliche. I played Vals de Libunca (Milladoiro), Morir Sonando, Tico Tico, and La Noyee (from Amelie) for those who follow my repertoire.

This was a really fun creative expression. I got to use my music in a way that was familiar, since it my same old songs, but mixed with a whole new medium. I really would love to collaborate with her again. Additionally, Ellen has inspired me to try to compose my own music, and incorporate Flaca (my Mexican marionette for those of you just tuning in) into my act more. More on Ellen in another post, if I ever get caught up.

The show took place at Gallery Ehva, which is a nice space. The acoustics are good, although it was hot and buggy. The best part is that it scored me a gig playing a gallery opening there next Friday! Hopefully this will be a positive deviation from the usual use of my accordion. See you there!

Friday, July 22, 2011

Birthday Busking

Busked on my birthday. Last year, it was okay. I suffered a huge disappointment when it rained on my birthday, so I postponed my birthday money-making plans by a day. On July 20th my accordion and I donned our party hats and a confusing sign that said “It’s my birthday and our first anniversary!” and received birthday well-wishes, high-fives, and declarations of camaraderie from others who “shared” my birthday. I figured all this and more would happen again if I played on my real birthday, but, alas, it was a bit of a disappointment.

The good news is that I got my spot. I was there late enough in the day that not everyone was on the beach (3:30-6:30), but people weren’t biting. The only party hats that the Christmas Tree Shops had when I went were pink with pink fur that said "Princess." Good enough. Our sign was better this year, focusing more on the birthday, with a little "and my anniversary with my accordion" on the bottom. This would have been a good day for the Patio man to come complain, since the birthday card probably would have worked. Here's what happened!

Tuesday, July 19th, 2011 (my 23rd birthday):

1. A girl with a ukelele came by. Fellow musicians like to talk or donate, right? Nah, what she dropped into my box was a cigarette and a flyer for a piercing place. Thanks. There was a middle-aged couple sitting on the bench right there, and the man was smoking a cigarette. I gave it to him, after dismissing the idea of hanging onto it till I saw that girl busking and giving it back.

2. A little girl did a really good job of dancing Flaca! Usually they suck, but she got a good bounce going on. They're local, and her mom took a babysitting flyer!

3. Might as well bring out the good story: Crazy Dave. Two middle-aged men stopped to listen, and one was wearing a Key West shirt. I am once again looking into Key West as my winter spot, so I've been asking some strangers about it. This guy did offer some useful information about the busking rules, complaining that they messed up the whole town. I don't know if they messed it up by permitting buskers at all, or by making it difficult for buskers to get permits. I'm going to assume the latter. It came out that they live in Worcester! Apparently Dave is a co-owner of Ralph's Diner, a bar that gives gigs not infrequently to a friend's band. I guess the original Ralph gave it to Dave before he died? We talked about my birthday, and I admitted turning 23. Dave and his friend were immediately excited. One explained that Dave, for a while, only dated 23-year-olds because his birthday is on the 23rd. He said he can't keep it up now that he's past fifty, but jokingly texted his girlfriend Kim (who I guess is in on the joke) that he's leaving her because he found a 23-year-old. They told me to go up to the caricature artist, who I suspected shared my birthday, and mention "Crazy Dave from Ralph's" and that the artist would give me more wisdom than he possibly could. I'll have to do that. He said he always gives the artist weed that he's grown from Canadian seeds, and that he'll bring me some next time. Shades of San Fran? They left, but Dave forgot his iPhone. Sure enough, they came back later to retrieve it. Dave said, "I don't really care about my iphone; what I care about is my wallet" (which he pulled out, safe in his pocket). Even so, he was relieved to get it back and celebrated by taking their picture with me. I asked them to take my official birthday picture:



4. There were some kids. For one little boy, I played "I've Been Working on the Railroad." He lit up and smiled and watched, but his oblivious parents dragged him down the street. Some vacation! A little girl named Scout set up near me selling her artwork. That is all.

5. Believe it or not, people doubted it was my birthday! Lots of people stopped and asked, "Is it REALLY your birthday?" but didn't donate once I confirmed it. I actually taped my ID to the sign as proof. It was annoying that I got more congratulations and birthday wishes and fewer doubters last year when it wasn't actually my birthday. That was the big bummer. It was nice though when people did believe me and wish me a big happy birthday. I did get some tips that people said were specifically birthday presents. I went home that day with four 5-dollar bills which haven't been showing up much this year.

6. Amelie was big! Once lady responded to "La Noyee" with a simple "That's my favorite movie!" and another asked if I knew any Amelie songs. I played my favorite and she tried to sing along but it was obvious that it wasn't one she knew well.

7. I played "Chim Chim Cheree" and a young man came over and said "They made us learn the words to that in school!" "To Chim Chim Cheree?" "That wasn't [Russian title]?" "No." "Oh, well they made us learn the Russian words to that one. Do you know it?" [Sings.] I did not recognize it. "Oh yeah, that one! My favorite!"

8. A man introduced himself and asked if I came often. Turns out he works for a local TV station and has been trying to get footage of Provincetown, including buskers. It seems we both go out sporadically, but hopefully he'll make me a star!

9. I ran into some family friends who I've seen a few times on the Cape. They hung out and listened and suggested some songs, and "Ring of Fire" came up. I had forgotten where I got the idea to play it, but this was it! Last summer they suggested it and apparently I limped through it. I didn't add it to the repertoire till the winter, so I guess their suggestion stayed on the back burner. Cool!

10. Generally speaking, people were bad about taking my picture without tipping. One woman was guilty of this, and she was even named Sophie as well. You'd think Sophies would stick together!

11. A family stopped, and it was made clear that one of their children was, in some way, just like me. I asked the boy, "Do you play the accordion?" No. I asked the older girl, "Is it your birthday?" No. Turns out the younger girl is a Sophie as well! We took a picture together.

12. A family stopped and said it was their aunt's birthday too, who was approaching. I played her happy birthday and they tried to sing along, but it was a really bad key. So we played it again in a new key, but it was unrecognizable on my end due to accidental accidentals. The end.

13. A teenage boy asked if I could play any Zelda. I said no, and he said "I would have freaked out if you could!" Phew, good thing we avoided a freak-out!

14. I met a girl with an accordion tattoo! She said she was an accordion player as well, then confirmed it by lifting her shirt sleeve slightly to reveal a beautiful accordion adorned with "Main Squeeze," the New York based accordion orchestra. I've been thinking about getting an accordion tattoo, and hers was definitely a vote for it. I wish I had gotten a pic!

15. My co-worker Jamie came by with some ice cream, and gave me a lick. I decided that I wasn't going to leave Ptown that night without a free ice cream cone for my birthday. I succeeded at Twisted Sister's, but they didn't let me pick my flavor. The girl working gave me a twist soft serve and sang me Happy Birthday in her Eastern European accent, pausing so I could fill in my own name.

16. As I was headed out wearing my party hat, a brusk woman stopped and asked if I do birthday parties. The conversation continued for a while before she actually asked what was in the box. She said she'd hire me to play her friend's birthday the next day. I said maybe, and told her to call me once I checked my work schedule (such a good liar! I knew I was done at three!). I was relieved that she didn't call me. Professionally, I couldn't say no to my first birthday party offer, but I really didn't want to drive all the way to Ptown, risk embarrassment, and do business with this kind of scary lady. Good to know that wearing a party hat gets me gigs, though!

That is all! Time to quickly write other posts before the library closes!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

The Bear Went Over the Mountain

Bear week. The week when bears, gay men who embrace their natural hairiness (and often size) gather in Ptown. Some simply walk around with a beard and a Bear Week t-shirt, others full-on PDA on Commercial St. wearing only skimpy leather undergarments in addition to their beards. I'm more of the second type, naturally (jk). As we know, playing in costume on holidays is a moneymaker, and this is certainly a holiday. Last year I whipped off two pairs of construction paper ears for myself and my accordion. This year, I wanted full fur, but didn't have time to obtain materials to construct them. I was all ready to go, but when I went to get my old ears, I could only find one. D'oh. I got a later start than planned since I had to make new ones (I printed some kid printable bear ears from the internet). The only bear song I could think of was "The Bear Went Over the Mountain," which actually sounds nice on the squeezebox.

It was a great night of playing. I wasn't sleep-deprived, I was excited to show off my new hair color, I played well, and I had fun interactions. Here's what happened!

Tuesday, July 12th, 2011
I started getting compliments on my ears, mainly from bears declaring simply that they loved me, on my long walk from the car. There was a painter in my #1 spot, so I continued on (as I usually do regardless to avoid Patio upset). Surprisingly, the corner Town Hall pitch was open. The other pitch was occupied by a quiet man on guitar who didn't threaten my act (I just hope I didn't threaten his). This was the perfect spot for me this particular night, because I wanted to stay a long time (at the Pig I get the Patio problem, right in front of TH I get requests from other musicians for a turn).

This was a night full of long interactions. Maybe once an outing I'll spend a good chunk of time talking to/playing with another party, but I usually avoid those because they take up playing time. Last night's were all fun, so I let them happen.

Anyway...
1. Two bears (of the clothes-wearing type) stopped and complimented my ears. They had ears too, made of fur, just like the ones I wanted to make! One man was holding a bag with more fur. These two have a business of making bear ears for people in barter. On Bear cruises they exchange them for fancy cocktails like Mudslides; in Ptown they exchanged some for a primo parking spot. They joined me for a photo:


2. I met Rain and Ry (and Ry's sister). They are a wonderful mother and daughter pair from Bellington (?), WA that spends summers in Ptown. Ry is probably eleven or twelve, and she's learning the accordion as well! She's been practicing on Rain's friend's 48-bass, but they say it's too big for her. I let her try mine (and her big sister suggested she wear the ears while she played as well), and we all agreed it was a good size for her. I have these accordion conversations with other players ("Do you have Bb major?") but never with a musician so young. She's also a piano player, so she demonstrated her Bach accordion. She was a little embarrassed when Rain suggested she play the song she wrote about her pets, with Rain singing. I really liked the family dynamic these three demonstrated. I loved Ry's confidence talking to me and playing, and the non-pushy encouragement from Rain. It sounds like rainy days at their house (ample, I imagine, in Washington) consist of playing music all day. Buying Ry a 12-bass until she's big enough for a 48- went without saying. Rain said that their town is full of musicians, and invited me to look them up if I'm ever out West again!

3. After playing the current Bruno Mars' "Grenade," three teenage girls and one little boy ran over. One said, "You just played my favorite song!" I played it again and they sang. Then we did Dynamite. They perused my set list, but alas that was all we knew in common. These girls could belt. I've had my fantasy of being part of a trio that sings old Andrews and Boswell Sisters songs on the streets, and during this interaction I entertained the idea of managing the three of them as a trio and making them famous (we could be a quartet, but three Black teenagers makes more sense than three Black teenagers and a random white 20-something). During this the 8-ish-year-old boy was lurking, and a passerby asked if he was my son. The girls suggested I learn two Justin Bieber songs for next time. I truly would like to collaborate with these girls.

4. On the heels of this group, Topher and Francois came by (you know them, right? Topher my accordion student and Francois his Parisian boyfriend). They had just seen "Midnight in Paris." Since I saw it last night I've been practicing the lone accordion song from it: Parlez Moi d'Amour. I'm just noting their appearance because they are freakin adorable together. Francois makes silly English mistakes, but they don't stop his talkativeness. Francois was playfully teasing Topher for not practicing accordion or learning French. I told Francois that I am trying to learn French, and he suggested, "Just find a French boyfriend and you will learn" then added a bit about how that actually doesn't work, since Topher hasn't learned French in the two and a half years they've been together (I won't try to quote the mistaken English because it won't be as cute as it was in real life). Love them. As they walked away I played "La Vie en Rose," and Francois turned around to give me a thumbs up.

4.5. I ran into a former camper, Sarah! At the camp I worked at in 2008 there was this group of teenage girls who were friends who I loved. I've run into this particular girl a ton since then, and it was great to see her! All grown up!

5. I met two young men, Matt and Blonde Guy. Blonde Guy helped Jaia the face-painter pack up, then lurked with his guitar. Matt looks strikingly like Jackson Adams. I dramatically double took when I saw him. The two came to talk to me, and later I invited Matt to play with me. When I play with guitarists, we first do Beirut's "Elephant Gun" since it's just four chords over and over again. I love playing with guitar as a rhythm section, and two instruments draw more attention than one (although less money, it seems). Matt suggested a song which he played and sang and I played along with. I tried to pick up the chorus to harmonize, to no avail, but it made me miss singing. I would give up my solo act sometimes if it meant singing with other singers again. Matt is from Greenfield, and came with his family to Ptown about three weeks ago. Their stay was up, and Matt announced that he was staying. He's still figuring out where to live, but got a job as a videographer on the Dolphin Fleet whale watch (that's three I know, now). I don't know Blonde Guy's story. Oh, and Matt recognized Wallace and Gromit. Go Matt.

6. When Matt and Blonde Guy first came over, they noticed Flaca. They had her up in the air. A family walked by, and Flaca was suspended at eye level of the three-year-old girl. Her eyes widened and she just lunged for Flaca. It was adorable, and exactly what I purchased Flaca for. The boys hesitantly handed her over. The girl had some trouble making Flaca dance, since she couldn't hold her high enough, but she utilized her simply as a dolly. Her big sister took a turn, and Flaca danced well. When this happens, I play either Beer Barrel Polka, Lady of Spain, or the Milladoiro song since it's a waltz. The little girl seemed to get it when she saw her sister doing it, and grabbed Flaca back and bounced her around. After, she lay her down on the sidewalk and I asked, "Is she going night-night?" The mother thought I was talking to her about her daughter, and replied, "No, we're off to dinner!" The mom took pictures, which I asked her to send, so hopefully I can post them soon!

7. Older kids are hard to satisfy. Little kids are happy with The Wheels on the Bus, Old MacDonald, etc. Some older kids like Justin Bieber, some like the Beatles, some like musicals, but very few will talk! When they're with their parents and I ask if they have a favorite song, the parents will help them request something. I had my typical one-sided conversation with an older girl who stood and listened and smiled but wouldn't say a word to me: "Hi! Do you have a favorite song?...Um, do you like musicals?...The Sound of Music? The Wizard of Oz?...Here, here's a song from Mary Poppins." I really need to figure out set 8-12 songs.


8. Probably the best interaction yet: a man in his late fifties or so who looks like a combination of Bob Brooks (family friend) and Steve Martin was lurking and eating his ice cream. After a song, he said that he used to busk in Ptown as an opera singer. Okay, cool. We talked more, and it came out that he's not some amateur. He lives in New York and is a currently working opera star. I asked him his favorite role he's played, and his answer was "Don Giovanni." Now, this was THE best answer possible, since Don Giovanni's the one opera I can talk about and sort of sound like I know something, since I studied it in Music 102 at school and wrote a paper on it. Sounding like a total opera savant I told him, "I am simply enamored with Leporello's aria "Notte e giorno faticar" and sang him my favorite phrase. I love the cast of the version in that link (that's a link, Mom), particularly that Leporello. Nathan (the opera star) said that he loves playing Leporello as well and took over singing the aria! I forget how exactly this happened, but next thing I know I was playing the aria while he sang. He is freakin incredible. World class opera singer. Naturally, many heads turned when he started to sing. He has the volume of course to be heard over an accordion. Next we tried "Madamina il catalogo e cuesto" (sp?), Leporello's other fantastic aria, which Nathan said is so hard because it's fast and you have to remember the numbers. He said that he was surprised the first time he was cast as Don Giovanni since it's a baritone role and he's a bass. He now travels the world following Don Giovanni castings, but is worried that he's too old. I assured him he wasn't. He listed other favorite roles in Cosi fan Tutte and various Verdi. Although I don't know Verdi's operas as well, I have a soft spot for him due to my experience with the Requiem.

Somehow we moved onto La Donna e Mobile, which is now in my starting rotation. This was probably the most fun I've ever had. He sang it with full fermata and melisma, so I had to follow him closely. Amazing. And of course everyone knows that one. We went next to Funiculi Funicula, which he corrected me about, saying it's not opera but rather a Neapolitan song. Duh! Even so, he sang it with the English lyrics. He engaged passersby like only a vocalist can. I suggested the last song of my Italian repertoire: Santa Lucia (and pronounced it right, Dad!). For the first time ever, I played the intro perfectly. Guess Nathan's magical. That was a nice one. I asked if I knew "Retorno a Sorrento" which I don't quite know. I can hum it and have the music, but haven't learned it yet. No worries. We agreed on a key and slowly went through it. Nathan would pause and tell me "okay now back to minor" and he got me through the song. "Now the prettiest part, back to major!" I'm so glad I bought that Italian songbook! I need to learn them all for next time.

At one point during a song, Nathan stopped and cleared his throat the explained "Ice cream!" before continuing on. I loved loved loved this interaction. My huge choir geek side has been on hold since finishing school and not having a singing outlet. But we shan't forget that I AM a huge choir nerd, and I love classical vocals more than anything, and wish I could sing like that. Nathan proposed that we go get a lemonade. I assumed that meant "alcoholic beverage." I thought it would be interesting to sit and talk to him more, hear about the life of a true opera singer, so I agreed. I said I wanted to play four more songs then wrap up. He said he'd be back. Sure enough, as I was packing up, he came back with a plastic bag. He handed me a bottle of regular lemonade and said something like "You deserve this." Ha. Gotta stay hydrated! Anyway, here he is: http://resika.com/index.htm Oh, and did I mention that his day job is as a chess teacher?

There's more, but I can't possibly not end this post with that. I'll include the little things in the catch-up post for the 4th of July!