I’ve been away for a while, so here’s a largely summarized group of news events from the last week or so.

License to bore
Banff, Canada; their four month permit has reduced from $800 to $100. What’s the significance of this? (read: why would I ever be in Banff?) Well, their lovely improvements come with a loveless stipulation as told in the Calgary Herald:

Banff buskers can’t stay in the same spot all day. They can’t have amplification. They must stick to dedicated busking zones. They can’t sell CDs. There’s even a memo from the Banff Small Business Association that says “we expect to see clean, properly dressed performers with clean-looking signage and equipment.”

Nice. And later from that same article:

There, in addition to permits, time limits and busking zones, buskers must be of “reasonable proficiency.”

Reasonable proficiency, according to the two-page Banff busker permit application, will be determined by unknown town officials acting on an unspecified number of complaints or if the performer is deemed unable to “consistently maintain a satisfactory standard.”

Under these rules, a young Bob Dylan would have been run out of town.

You should read the rest of the article. Robert Remington has done a good job.

Eh?
Street performers in Santa Monica are “fighting for permits,” saying that at least with a permit they have some control over what is going on there. Their permits regulate volume, say that a performer should move at least 120 feet every 2 hours, not be within 40 feet of another performer, and be at least 10 feet away from store doorways. And costs $37. They fear it will be difficult to maintain order, should people just turn up without permits. I say, “let the market decide.” Performers are intelligent enough to order themselves. No need for govt. intervention on this one.

Moses Leads Out of the Subway
Stephen Witt, ex subway musician in New York City, has just published a book, titled American Moses. Witt’s writing career began with a first-person account of being a subway musician, titled “The Street Singers Beat,” from 1987 until 1993.

Susie Tanenbaum
Street performer rights activist, Susie Tanenbaum, did an interview with Second Avenue Sagas, 15 years after publishing her book, Underground Harmonies: Music and Politics in the Subways of New York. She extols the virtues of street art, pits Bloomberg against Giuliani (who she describes as a bully), and explains that MUNY is not the only lawful means of playing on the subway, and that freelancers are just as lawful. Well, I didn’t know that. Read the interview; it’s fascinating.

Busker Fest
Just a reminder: Canada’s biggest performer festival is from August 27th to 30th. Check out their website; it’s a media rich and well-made experience. Scotiabank’s BUSKERFEST! Can’t wait. So excited!

MSG – A Year Late
Okay, okay, this was around a year ago. But it’s worth having a look at. Perhaps if they start getting enough hits, they’ll think of starting the show again…

The Decemberists get BUSTED
Well, almost. They were issued a warning for being there without a permit, or something. Reminds me of the story about Joshua Bell playing his $3.5 million violin in Washington D.C., although apparently he’s a good musician. (haha, joke. I’m sure the Decemberists are fantastic guitarists.)

Videos, videos, videos
Here’s another one. Vimeo.