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| DREW CALLANDER -- MY LONGTIME HOCKEY BUDDY |
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| ROOKIE DREW CALLANDER -- NHL PHILADELPHIA FLYERS |
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| CHERYL -- LONGTIME MANAGER AT THE BUSHWAKKER BREWPUB |
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| CHERYL SERVING "CHERYL'S BLONDE ALE" |
BUSKING. OPEN MICS. GIGS. All three venues are on a boustrophedon entertainment continuum that begins and ends with BUSKING, and with the OPEN-MICS and GIGS intermittently noted somewhere in between.
BUSKING,
OPEN-MICS, and GIGS should always be a win-win-win scenario for the performer,
the patron, and the proprietor, provided these following simple
rules of business are practiced:
- BE PUNCTUAL
Punctuality
matters.
When you
decide to go BUSKING, it is you alone who runs the clock. One of the main reasons I love busking is
that I, alone, control the time. I can
go for five minutes or five hours; it is only up to me to decide. Nobody will care.
OPEN MICS
are stricter. When the MC calls your name,
you must rise for the occasion. If your
name is called from the hat but you are not in your seat, then it is sayonara
for you. And the person whose name is
called next is up.
GIGS are more
rigid than open mics. If you are
scheduled to hit the stage at 8:00 P.M., then your sound check needs to be at
least 15 minutes ahead of that. And to
be really prepared, one should arrive at least a half hour earlier to check the
stage for sound or chairs or whatever else that could go awry without a pre-gig
inspection.
- MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION
Looks matter.
When I go
BUSKING I always dress the part. When
busking I present my perfect-stranger alterity to that slew of passers-by who
just happen to be, really, perfect strangers. Expressing that alterity my busking costume is
rather crisp. Always hatless, I don the
shades, the white t-shirt, the faded blue-jeans and the leather work boots.
At OPEN MICS
it is best to look sharp. There is no
tolerance for being grimy or grubby on the stage. However, at open mics, generally, the
audience members will tolerate you no matter what, but if being discovered is your
goal, if you look like a dreg, you’ll be only discovered as a performer not to
pursue.
Making a
good first impression at your GIG is a stage priority. When gigging you are representing more than
yourself, you are also representing the establishment for which you are signed on
the contract. Impress both your audience
and the establishment. If you are a good ambassador and deliver a quality
product, you will be asked back. If not,
then you will be saying good-bye to any other gigs at this venue.
- ALWAYS BE POLITE
Respect
everyone.
When BUSKING
attempt to look every passer-by in the eye, even if just for a moment. This does not mean to disconcertedly
stare. Whether you are recognized as a
wandering minstrel or perceived to be the lowly busker, acknowledging another
person’s existence is of the utmost importance.
Treating others with respect is treating yourself with respect. This is projective psychology relating to BUSKING,
OPEN MICS, and GIGGING.
At OPEN MICS
it is very, very important to show respect for both the MC and the sound
person. Factoid: You really need them more than they need
you. For sure the open mic personnel
need the collective you, but they certainly do not need the individual jerk
you. I have a couple examples of
jerk-you behaviors. I have witnessed
open mic performers publicly on the microphone complain about the physical
aspect of the stage, too many chairs, too many cords, too low the sound. And I have witnessed the arrogance of many
open mic performers appealing to the audience, rather than the MC, in their
feeble and disgusting attempt as they lobby for more than their allotted stage
time. For example, the best-by-far open
mic in my city is every Monday night at THE CURE (downtown
Regina). Stand-ups are allowed a maximum
of five minutes stage time, and musicians limited to two songs. Oftentimes, the stand-ups exceed their five
minutes by adding maybe a couple minutes at most. Musicians, on the other hand, oftentimes
deliver anthem-length songs, and some musicians, even, appeal to the audience
to whether to add yet another (third) song.
An open mic is certainly a place to be somewhat capricious, but to act
socially irresponsible on a whim in this manner, is downright narcissism.
At GIGS one
needs to exude respect toward the audience, the venue staff, the sound person,
and your gig mates. Sincerely thanking
all the above right at the beginning and again at the end of your show is an
essential gesture of social and professional etiquette. I say “professional” because anyone
gigging is under a paid contract and therefore acting in a professional
capacity.
- BE MINDFUL OF WHAT YOU SAY
Words matter.
While
BUSKING there is always someone approaching me, even baiting me wittingly or
unwittingly, what I think of this or what I think of that. Lately the baiting has included the topics of
Covid vaccinations, the patriotism of truckers, and, of course, Trumpism in
America. I must, too, the discussions of
missing Indigenous women and buried Indigenous children. Showing empathy and expression compassion is
certainly appropriate, however, to actual engage and take sides in banters
about politics or religion or sexuality is a no-no, at least for me. If you do mention certain topics even in
humorous fashion, you are asking for socially awkward and embarrassing
shout-outs.
Expressing
any of the above-mentioned topics while on the OPEN MIC stage is, too, a
no-no. If you dare to, you will for sure
be offending somebody. Everybody in your
audience counts. Never attempt to please
or impress the imagined majority by making fun of the few.
I remember a
specific incident long ago, while some friends of mine were GIGGING at a local
bar. I was an audience member, but only as a support for these guys, who were
former bandmates of mine and of each other, and who had just created a new
cover band. This was their first gig,
and introducing one of their songs, the lead guitarist mentioned that this
Elton John song, “was on top of the charts when Elton was married to
a female.” Yikes. Right his stock dropped; his social capital compromised.
And just a
couple things to remember before I close.
Do not pump
your audience! “Are you ready to rock!”
is an expression that ought to be used only by real rock stars. Over the years I have seen people modify this
expression to their own personalized cliché introduction. This phrase, or any phrase similar, shouted
out to the audience right away reduces my expectations of any performer at an
OPEN MIC or GIG.
Do not
promote other venues!
While at
OPEN MICS or GIGS, some performers feel compelled to promote other venues. This may seem a harmless gesture, but it is
very disrespectful toward the establishment upon whose stage such a
proclamation is made. Just lately, while
gigging at a local bar, one of my gig-mates announced to the bar patrons that
they ought to consider attending a Monday night open-mic at such-and-such
venue! Can you imagine? At a paid gig, a
performer on contract announcing to the crowd to attend a show, and to eat and
drink and watch other artists elsewhere?
Yikes.
(I will
mention that when I am BUSKING, I often promote my favorite guitar shop, B
Sharp in Regina, SK)
In summary:
I regard BUSKING as an easy venue where I get paid to practice.
Any OPEN MIC is the perfect place to polish one’s stage presence and to test new songs.
For paid GIGS ...
NOTHING is de minimis –
EVERYTHING, including every gesture and
every word, is significant.
