Busking Setup for this Years Markets

[Davis Webb]

Well its been busy but not as busy as it could be, you know the drill, for performing this summer. Always modifying my rig for each season, a portable, needs no power, full show sound that is a money maker. And pushes your guitar work to its limits.

I play only country and countrified rock using either the Ovation or Strat/Tele, depending on the gig. For indoors I do a full instrumental set now that is a mix of original rock, country and blues. The rig for this one man show reads;

a. Traynor TVM50 portable amp, battery powered 50 watts
b. Effects: Pandora X4, although the Mini would be just as good, portable is the name of the game, this fits into your pocket
c. Strat through the Pandora or Tele, with either rock or country settings

d. This goes through the Boss Looper. Into the Boss looper I insert an 1/8' jack lead from the Boss DR3 drum machine.

Let me clarify this electric solo setup. The Boss DR3 has 3 different patterns with 3 fills, plus intro and ending. You can set it up on automatic, so it grooves with you, or you can control the shift from verse to verse with a foot switch. When I want more control I can use the foot pedal to cycle through verse settings (the DR3 has both bass and drums, so I get a 2 man backup). When the song works on automatic, I leave it on that setting so it sounds like a drummer is working with me.

Now this goes into the looper. On the looper I have presets for songs like Jessica and my rock originals, so I just have to hit the footswitch and get my pre arranged backing tracks. I do all my own backing tracks and make sure the audience knows it.

For the outdoor country fair gigs, I use a very simple setup. Ovation into the Amp, with a Shure WH20 headset mic. The Shure 57 with a stand is a better option but honestly, the headset teaches you to sing with control, because you don't have mic technique to fall back on.

The Ovation delivers most of what you want for a live performance, it amplifies really well.

So that sums up my gigging rig for one man shows. The electric rig really gives them a band sound and I can go to town on solos. I don't jam, every note of every solo is rehearsed for hours to synch it with my looper. The audience is not interested in a jam, they do like decent lead work with a composition. The acoustic rig is stripped own.

This follows years of solo busking performance trying every combo under the sun. The rig I describe here will get you through any situation.

Finally what's on the country set list for example, ie. proven money makers (I aim for $25 an hour and often exceed it, that's good for busking).

Small Town Throwdown. Brantley Gilbert
All My Exes Live in Texas
Smoke Smoke Smoke by Merle Travis
Dirt Road Anthem, Jason Aldean
Footloose
Heart of Rock and Roll
Momma Tried: Merle Haggard

and so forth, I countrify the rock songs.

Again, final note, the key to successful Farmer's Market busking is ONE THING:

KIDS

I improvise songs about kids, I ask them to participate, I do a rap version of Old MacDonald, I beat box, I make up songs about the kids. The kids all stop, they all dance, and the families follow. Busking is all about the children! They know a good thing when they see it.

That's it for this year's busking work. Next gigs, Sep 6 and 7, all day Markets, Sep 2, Davisville Market, the best in town!, and Sept 15, Riverdale Market. I have been asked to be the main performer for the entire summer next year at one market, that's a steady gig. Amazing the contacts you make.

Over and out...

[El Duque]

looks like you have the formula down.

you do have fun doing it......

I would if I could.

[MikeBmusic]

I'm surprised that country music is that popular in Toronto, guess it's a 'slow filtering to the north' thing.

[drive-south]

Country music has always been popular in Canada.

[moneyspills]

Originally Posted by MikeBmusic

I'm surprised that country music is that popular in Toronto, guess it's a 'slow filtering to the north' thing.

Country music is indeed becoming popular by the day. I came across a video on country music on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTC6x7gYbpU

[Davis Webb]

Its a hard slog for country music in Canada. I often begin my show by saying, time for some country! Sometimes I hear people say, "I don't like country"...but then a couple songs into it they say, "I guess I do like country!". When the crowd is undecided I do some stage patter..."country music is music written by poor folks, blues was written by black poor folks and country was written by white poor folks, they go together like yin and yang". That usually warms them up, seeing that country is just warped Celtic ...

I use a lot of stage patter, its a big part of things. "Now here is a song about Rednecks". They look surprised..."Does anyone know what a redneck is?"..."rednecks are folks who work hard all day outside so they get a sunburn on the back of their neck, hence, redneck"..."now of course, we have SPF, so we don't get a lot of rednecks anymore, we have brown necks"...and so forth.

The upside is I am a big fish in a small pond. There is literally no decent country in our neck of the woods so when I do play, they get something completely different. Central Canada is kind of an alt-indie base, they love Arcade Fire and Fiest. When they get "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair" by George Jones, or "Long Hair Redneck" by David Allen Coe, they laugh and applaud, I get huge thumbs up.

Part of the thing with busking is humor and part of it is playing something folks have not heard a lot of, makes em stop and take notice.

Besides that, country has mass appeal, from cradle to grave. Blues is too much like a middle aged guy (me) looking for glory days. Rock is not popular with a lot of older folks. Folk seems to put them to sleep. But a strong 4/4 kick with some Brantley Gilbert bro' lyrics gets em foot tappin. And busking is all about foot tappin!

As for Canadian original country songs I do, Gord Bamford is really big now, he is a good ole' Calgary boy. And Kira Isabella got honorable mention in Rolling Stone for her provocative song "He was the Quarterback". Yeh, Alberta is cranking em out good.

[Davis Webb]

Here is some hot Canadian country, I cover this one!

[Davis Webb]

Here is Kira Isabella's song... I cover this one too...if this don't bring tears to your eyes you ain't breathin....

[pgilmor]

Nothing wrong with some Canadian country music:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kGH...kGHmIZ4IUY#t=3