New Spokane noise ordinance is better than the last

I sat in on city council testimony today, and I think the new law is fair and better than the last. That said, riverfront park should have some sort of busker program with separate nose rules, like Seattle has. Can't wait to blow this pop stand!

Regarding the proposed Spokane noise ordinance

First, let me be clear that my purpose is not to take sides in a debate that will ultimately have little effect on me personally. I am a violinist and street performer from Seattle, I am 25 years old, I have 20 years of violin playing under my fingers, and I just graduted from Whitworth University with a degree in music performance. This week I will be moving back to Seattle.

I think I have some valuable insight on the issue at hand, though. Here is my history of street performing in Spokane and elsewhere:

I first busked in Leavenworth 6 years ago, playing solo unaccompanied Bach sonatas and partitas in the town square. Since then, I have played on occasion in downtown Seattle. At the beginning of last October, 2011, I started performing regularly on the streets in downtown Spokane. With just my accoustic violin and short Classical and Baroque pieces, I averaged about $30 per hour over the course of the month, playing four or five days each week for at least an hour each day. At the end of the month, I started amplifying myself, playing the same repertoire, and my tips doubled. A few months later, I switched to electric violin and loop pedal, which can be used to create a sort of one-man-band effect with percussive and harmonic layers underneath familiar melodies. At this point, I could expect between $75 and $100 per hour in tips.

I quote the dollar figures because as a professional street musician, it is one of the best ways to guage the audience's response to my music. Other meters include gathering crowd sizes, personal face-to-face comments, and online feedback. Nobody has ever told me to stop playing, let alone asked me to turn down the volume. To the contrary, they have told me how wonderful it is to hear quality music from blocks away, and certain streetside businesses encourage me to return to play in front of their stores.

While I enjoy sharing my music for the sake of the public's enjoyment, I also do it for a living. For this reason, I hesitate to take an aggressive stance in a debate that might negatively affect business for me and other peaceful, neutral street performers. However, while I respect the sensitivities of private downtown businesses, my music is not bad for business. To the contrary, it seems that the louder I play (within aural comfort, of course), the more positive feedback I receive--increased volume of tips, larger crowds gather, more people asking me to play at their private events, more businesses inviting me to perform at their workplaces for their patrons, etc.

I think the issue here is more of a vendetta between very specific parties who will remain nameless. That's not my business. But, I hope that whatever the parties do in this debate doesn't stifle the development of culture and high art in the city.

"Paradise" by Coldplay, outside Pacific Place in downtown Seattle

Spring Break in Seattle

I am spending this week at home in Seattle -- my last undergraduate spring break! The pictures above are Hana (top) who requested a picture between songs, and my dog Jack napping (bottom) with me on the couch. These images sum up my spring break experience so far.

It looks like the weather tomorrow might be just barely nice enough to get one more day in at Westlake before I return to Spokane on Friday morning.

See you again in June, Seattle!

Thanks, Leadership Spokane!

A big thanks to Mike Wilson, Linda Finney, and Leadership Spokane for including me in their program this morning on the arts community in Spokane!

Check out Leadership Spokane at www.LeadershipSpokane.org.

Last weekend in Seattle

I spent the weekend in Seattle because I had scheduled a meeting with an engaged couple to discuss the music they want me to play at their wedding. So of course, I hit the streets while the weather permitted me to.

A man in a red polo shirt said, "Man, listening to you was a totally redemptive experience for me. You have a lot of work to do -- lots of people to redeem." I'm not quite sure what he meant by this, so I just told him I was glad he enjoyed it.

A girl with blue hair asked, "Will you be my boyfriend?" I said no, and apologized.

Also, an old Asian woman -- probably somewhere between 65 and 80 years old -- has found me the past three times I have gone out to play at Westlake. She barely speaks English, but talks to me as if she is fluent. Each time she has her Walkman-style cassette tape recorder with her, and every time she comes she leaves it near me to record my music. Then she'll return a while later, collect her recorder, and ask me to write down the name of the songs that I played. Once I write them down, she'll give me $10 to $20, and sometimes additional goodies like snack bags of organic popcorn, or clear plastic bags to stuff my tips into. I told her I would have a CD for her in the summer.

If you have a talent for public entertainment -- whether it's through music, visual art, poetry, dance, or posing as a statue -- bring it to the streets. It's fun for everyone, and it's a great way to make yourself accessible to your audience. I'll start posting videos of other street performers from now on as I come across them.

Downtown Spokane street performers

I think he says their name is "Herb and the Natty" or "Urban the Natty" or something like that. Definitely one of the more entertaining acts I have seen in Spokane.