We actually dropped this one last year on Boxing Day, but I've been enjoying it quite a bit over the last few weeks, so I thought it deserved a little showcase.
There are plenty of paths for an artist to get heard, nowadays, what with Al Gore's Internet and all. But one road that you're hearing more and more of seems, at first blush, the precise opposite of the Internet. And that is the road of the busker, a word used to describe a street performer. But the Internet's strength is also a weakness. Sure, you can potentially reach millions of people all across the globe, but the key word there is "potentially". The Internet is so vast that you might just drown in the mighty ocean of it all and reach no one. Whereas a busker isn't going to reach millions playing on the street, but the people who do pass will definitely hear you and see you. You'll even get the spontaneous response that will let you know how much the audience either does or doesn't like you. Not to mention the occasional tip.
And, obviously, people like L.A.'s Katie Ferrara, whose street performances have given her the opportunity to tour the world. Because (who knew?) there was a street performing contest last year sponsored by Toyota with the winners got to go on tour in a whole bunch of places like Spain, Belgium, Portugal, Columbia, New Zealand and more.
You can see in the video of "The Joy That Seasons Bring" that Katie is a one woman band, complete with foot tambourine and sea-salt shaker (say that 5 times fast). It's a solid Folk Pop groove. I guess that's "The Joy That Seasons (and, apparently, seasonings) Bring" (ouch). You can find Katie Ferrara's Christmas song at Noisetrade. And, if you like the sound you're hearing, you should also check out her new EP (released last month), "Dream Catcher".
There are plenty of paths for an artist to get heard, nowadays, what with Al Gore's Internet and all. But one road that you're hearing more and more of seems, at first blush, the precise opposite of the Internet. And that is the road of the busker, a word used to describe a street performer. But the Internet's strength is also a weakness. Sure, you can potentially reach millions of people all across the globe, but the key word there is "potentially". The Internet is so vast that you might just drown in the mighty ocean of it all and reach no one. Whereas a busker isn't going to reach millions playing on the street, but the people who do pass will definitely hear you and see you. You'll even get the spontaneous response that will let you know how much the audience either does or doesn't like you. Not to mention the occasional tip.
And, obviously, people like L.A.'s Katie Ferrara, whose street performances have given her the opportunity to tour the world. Because (who knew?) there was a street performing contest last year sponsored by Toyota with the winners got to go on tour in a whole bunch of places like Spain, Belgium, Portugal, Columbia, New Zealand and more.
You can see in the video of "The Joy That Seasons Bring" that Katie is a one woman band, complete with foot tambourine and sea-salt shaker (say that 5 times fast). It's a solid Folk Pop groove. I guess that's "The Joy That Seasons (and, apparently, seasonings) Bring" (ouch). You can find Katie Ferrara's Christmas song at Noisetrade. And, if you like the sound you're hearing, you should also check out her new EP (released last month), "Dream Catcher".
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