Foreign coins and such

The other day, I decided to take the huge pile of change I had accumulated over the year and bring it to the Coinstar machine at the store down the street. I discovered I had more than $50 in change, but more interestingly, I had quite a bit of foreign change. From the ordinary (Canadian quarters) to weirder and less common currencies like the Chilean Peso and Turkish Lira, there was a great diversity of change in my bin. This, I think, attests to the diversity of the tourist population of Harvard Square - I get tourists from all over the world hearing my music.

Day 24: Fighting a losing battle

Yesterday, I performed in Harvard Square for what was probably the last time this year, as the weather gets colder. It was 70+ degrees yesterday afternoon, but strong winds created quite the problem for me - I lost a dollar to the wind, and several times I had to adjust my equipment, which was repeatedly shifted by strong, swirling winds. I had moderate audiences at times, but most were teenagers, and so I made just $1. I also had to spend $10 for batteries as I had left mine at home, so I lost money on this particular performance. I had a great time, though, trying out some new songs from the album I'm currently working on, which will be due out on Belgian Man Records in June or July.

I have noticed recently as I've been singing in our school's choir (I'm a bass) that my higher range has dropped off significantly. I have lost about an octave off the top of my voice over the last two months, and it's frustrating to not be able to sing the same songs I used to without mangling them beyond repair.

After two years of performing, I am finally getting comfortable putting myself out there and singing publicly. It is certainly not a typical activity for a high school student, but I feel like I have become one of the regulars, part of a family of Cambridge street performers. Even when I have angered some of the others by playing too loudly, they have never been anything but helpful and respectful to me, and I feel that it's great that we have that sort of community despite frequently being in direct competition for donations.

Day 23: Fail, Fail, and More Fail

I really had some terrible luck on Wednesday when I decided to try performing in Harvard Square again...I first managed to forget my capo, which is essential for several songs, at home. Then, I discovered that every single one of my usual spots were taken, mostly by people with no busking license. I ended up sitting on top of a ledge about 10 feet up across from Hidden Sweets. My high-up perch made me essentially invisible to passers-by, who gave me just $2 over 2 hours.

However, there were a few interesting things. First of all, I was surprised to see Ray Magliozzi of the NPR show "Car Talk" sitting at a table outside a nearby cafe, listening. I've been a fan of his show since I was just a little kid, so I was pretty excited to see him there, though I didn't say anything to him. Also, a woman was sitting nearby with a (very cute) baby for a while. Every time I stopped singing, the baby started crying. It was very surreal to hear every pause filled with crying.

A good friend who has been in a couple of unsuccessful bands with me just got his busking license, so we may start playing together, probably doing just instrumental jams due to his lack of an amp.

Day 22: Protesters and hobos

Yesterday, after a disastrous audition for the Music Performance Club at school (basically, our school's unofficial rock band), I played in front of Au Bon Pain for about 2 hours. My time was cut short, however, by a group of protesters angry about the firing of a professor (I think) from Harvard. They decided to set up about 30 feet away from me. As soon as I realized this, I tried to find a police officer, because by setting up so close to me and with their absurdly huge loudspeaker setup, they were violating Cambridge street performing and noise ordinances left and right. However, as soon as they showed up, all of the Cambridge cops nearby seemed to disappear, for whatever reason. In the end, I had to crank my amp far beyond the legal limit, and so I decided to play songs to annoy the protesters. Mostly, I went for songs with lines like "Open your eyes," in the hopes that maybe they might notice my plight, but to no avail. With my voice faltering, I was left with no course but to pull out the deadliest weapon in my arsenal: The RickRoll. If you don't know what that is, you should probably go look it up for a full explanation, but basically, it consists of singing a particular Rick Astley song to unsuspecting people.

In other funny things, a possibly drunken homeless man stood next to me for most of my set, laughing every time I sung just about anything. As one might imagine, this is rather disconcerting, especially when coupled with loud chants about justice.

On the whole, the day was quite amusing, though I made nearly nothing and left feeling rather angry at the protesters, who didn't seem to notice at all that I was 30 feet away and screaming my lungs out.

Day 21: Falling apart

Yesterday, I screamed myself hoarse over 2+ hours - I already had a cold, and singing lots was not helping. In any case, I certainly had a good time, though due to a lack of space, I had to play way down the street where there are fewer pedestrians. The employees at the store I was across from seemed rather unamused that I was singing right into their door, but they didn't ask me to move (not that they had the legal right to do so). I had my permit checked by someone from the Cambridge Arts Council, which was nice, because it let me know that someone was checking to make sure that other people without permits weren't taking my spots.

I only made about $15, but that seems to be the norm at this time of year - no tourists.

Day 20: Singing without a voice

I've been struggling with a sore throat for the last week or so, but I decided to go play in Harvard Square yesterday anyhow. As could be expected, I became extremely hoarse about halfway through, but I just played a couple of less demanding songs and rested, then went right back to the really tough stuff. As a result, I mangled a couple of notes, and I can't really sing right now, but I had fun. I made almost no money, however - probably due to the fact that school is now in session and all the tourists are gone.

I've been working on some new material, including some really challenging songs by Radiohead, that I hope to start playing in a few weeks. I've been trying to play more popular music recently, but I really dislike most of the popular songs I know, so now I have to learn a lot of new songs. My setlist is actually going to have to be cut to fewer songs than I know how to play soon.

Day 19: More blindness

I played again today for about 2 hours. I still have no glasses, so I again was reduced to squinting at my list of songs, which is in 10-point font and barely readable. I had a good time - I only missed a few notes, and made quite a bit of money. Nothing particularly interesting happened, however, so there's not much for me to write about. I did get a $20 bill from a girl who said my cover of Avenged Sevenfold's "Gunslinger" made her day. This is the third time that's happened with that song - there's something about the way I play it, or perhaps just the fact that I'm a street musician playing an acoustic arrangement of a country-rock song by a metal band, that gets people's attention. Or maybe its just the fact that it's an amazing song.

Day 18: Blind as a bat

Today, I had the unfortunate experience of playing an entire set without my glasses. They broke the other day, and won't be repaired until at least tomorrow. I decided to play without them, since I may not get another chance until early September, due to vacations. I played from 11:30 to about 1:45 in front of the Coop. The only other "performers" near me were the people from the Bank of America next door, who were doing some sort of promotion, an extremely energetic Greenpeace activist guy, and, near the end, a painter.
One young girl, who was 7 or 8, came up to give me money, but instead of dropping it in the bin, she tried to hand it to me. The problem, of course, was that I was in the middle of a song. After a couple of seconds, her mother directed her to the bin. The girl then proceeded to pose next to me (while I continued singing) as her mother took photos.
I ended up making about $30, which is very good for that time of day and location. I'm really not sure why I made that much, because I messed up several songs, and generally didn't play very well. In any case, if I don't play tomorrow, this will be my last post for a couple of weeks.

Day 17: Chinese tourists and starving artists

Today, I played for a couple of hours. I started in front of the Harvard Coop, but had to move about 15 minutes in when the artist on the bench across from me asked me to move. Since I was technically not supposed to be that close to him anyways (the ordinance says street performers here have to be 50 feet away or something like that, and I was 15 feet from him), I moved around the corner, to the entrance of a little cobblestone alleyway. I played there for another hour and a half, until my batteries decided to die on me. I'm beginning to think that the exertion of starting up drains a lot of battery power, because they can't seem to handle turning off and on very well.

A pair of Chinese tourists listened for a while. After they left, some guy told me that they had told him (in Chinese) that I sang "with soul" and that they really liked me. This, of course, despite the fact that they didn't speak a word of English, so they had no clue what I was singing about.

I didn't make much money, but I had a good time. I particularly have a newfound respect for the artist who asked me to move, because he did so kindly and without the dirty looks I often get from other street performers who try and get me to move.

Day 16: How's this for space?

I went out on Thursday to play, because it was a beautiful day out. However, so many other musicians had the same idea, that I was forced to play sitting on top of a 6-foot wall near Bertucci's. In addition, my microphone wasn't working, until I got mad and punched it, at which point it started feeding back in the worst way. Once I got that under control, it wasn't too bad. I didn't make much money, but I had a lot of fun playing songs I hadn't played in a while.

Day 15: Creepy guys with candy

It's been a bit of a hectic week, so I kept forgetting to post about last week's playing. I went on Monday to play. I ended up playing in front of Au Bon Pain for a couple of hours. It was pretty hot out, but not painfully so. There wasn't much interesting that happened, except that, first, a creepy-looking guy gave me a lollipop (no way I'm even unwrapping that...) and then, a group of kids who were at some video-production camp spent about 15 minutes filming me with about a half dozen cameras. Some homeless guy was standing next to me, dancing, for a while, which amused the kids with cameras to no end (I had a hard time not laughing out loud).

I made about $25, which seems to be about as high as I can make at that time of day.

Day 14: Ear-shattering bagpipes

Today, I went out after work. I got there just as a guy with a bagpipe was packing up in the Pit, so I set up in front of Au Bon Pain. About 10 minutes later, Bagpipe-Man came back WITH ANOTHER GUY WHO PLAYED BAGPIPES and proceeded to drown my performance out entirely. My last song in that location was about ten miles off key because I couldn't hear ANYTHING. It was like they plugged their bagpipes into Marshall amps and turned them up to 11.

I moved to Winthrop Park, where I quietly played for another 2 hours. I didn't make much, but I had some interesting conversations with people who sat nearby to listen.

Day 13: A performance in hell

On Tuesday, after starting my new job, I went to Harvard Square to perform. Unfortunately, it was well over 90 degrees, and apparently reached 105 in some parts of Boston. I played anyways, and made about $15, but it was extremely uncomfortable.

One man brought me a cup of ice water from Au Bon Pain shortly after I started, which was incredibly nice. A few other people stopped to inquire whether I had lost my mind, playing out in such heat. I assured them that I was, in fact, perfectly sane.

So basically, I never want to play in such heat, ever again.

Day 12: The worst day

Today's attempt at busking cannot be described as anything but a complete and total disaster. After rushing to grab a prime spot, I had two sets of batteries die in under 15 minutes, leaving me with no other option than to go home. I made just one dollar, from a drunk guy who insisted on singing terribly, and very loudly, into my microphone. Also, the painter set up across from me kept yelling that I should play Sinatra, instead of "that crappy screaming stuff."
From here, the only direction is up.

Day 11: Forgotten parts and Rick Rolling

Today, I went out at about 11:45 to catch the lunch rush, which was a good idea, as I made about $35 in just over two hours. However, in my rush to leave, I forgot my demo CDs that I was planning to hand out, as well as my capo, which is essential to playing certain songs. I rearranged some of those to work without the capo, which worked on some (for example, "The Only Exception," by Paramore, which fit much better into my vocal range with my on-the-spot alterations), and less so on others (Coldplay's "Viva La Vida," which stuttered and didn't work at all).

Today, I used my platform as a busker to execute something of a prank on unsuspecting passers-by. Rick Astley's song, "Never Gonna Give You Up," has become an internet phenomenon, by way of something called "Rick Rolling." Urban Dictionary defines Rick Rolling as the following:

"A method in which a prankster makes a fake link to the music video of Rick Astley's Never going to give you up. To be rick rolled is to be the victim, rick rolling is the act of being the predator. The prank is considered funny because of the horrible dancing in this music video. Sometimes the bar tender is seen to be funnier. Over one million people have been rick rolled and counting."

I engaged in a variation of the prank, in which I sang the song (while dancing just a little). Most people seemed not to notice, but a kid my age and his girlfriend both fell off their seats at Au Bon Pain when I began singing the first verse.

Day 10: Make Music Harvard Square!

Today, me and my brother Andy (as the band Mimic the French, myspace.com/mimicthefrench) played in Harvard Square in the street festival Make Music Harvard Square. The festival is modeled on the Fete de la Musique which originated in France, and this is the third year it has been organized here (though the last two years were under a different name, Make Music Cambridge), and the third year we have participated. Our music was far louder and more raucous than my busking typically is, and Andy was using our homemade, buckets and pans drumset, which got some stares. We were given about $20 by passers by, $5 from a woman who insisted on paying us for the demo CDs we were giving out free.

We had a great time, and I think we got some people to listen to music they might not normally gravitate towards - the middle age women who stopped to listen probably are not huge fans of My Chemical Romance or Avenged Sevenfold.

Day 9: It's a beautiful rain...

Yesterday, I played in front of Au Bon Pain for about two and a half hours. It was a perfect day - overcast, warm but not too hot, and mostly dry. I say mostly, because around 4:45 (just over 2 hours after I started playing), it started drizzling. I continued to play, as I was having quite a bit of fun, and there wasn't too much rain, but after a while, it got heavier, and I stopped after finishing a version of Bush's "Alien" (which includes the line I used for the title). I met several other musicians who stopped to say hello, but overall, had very few of my "interesting moments."

I made about $30, which was a pretty good sum, given the soggy weather at the end. In any case, I look forward to playing more as school wraps up.

Day 8: Harvard graduation and shirtless men

I'm a bit late (more than a week) on this one - I've been very busy writing some end-of-semester papers and recording a set of demos.

Last week, I played in the Pit during one part of Harvard's graduation ceremonies. The money wasn't great, and I got a terrible sunburn, but I had lots of fun. I played, for the first time in public, my version of the song "Falling Slowly," from the movie "Once," and, though I forgot the second verse momentarily, I got a generally positive reaction from passers-by. The song has a very high note in the chorus, which I can only hit if I shift to more of a scream, but I made it work.

A crazy, shirtless guy came by just after I started playing and got in my face, trying to get me to sing and play louder, despite the fact that I was playing an original song that has to be quiet to get the full effect. He then proceeded (once I had gotten a little louder than I would have liked) to encourage people to give me money, and later sang with me on a cover of "Use Somebody," by Kings of Leon.

Overall, it was a good time, but I need to use more sunscreen.

Day 7: Guest stars and such

Today, my busking was not particularly profitable (just $15 in about two and a half hours), but it was one of the more fun times I've had. My friend Julian of the band Nervous Breakdown came by and sang a few covers with me. I must have been more in-key than usual, because several people complimented me on my singing (usually it's, "you're a pretty good guitarist, but the singing....not so much"). I attribute the lack of monetary contributions to the stiff competition I was up against. Sundays are usually pretty tough, because that's when more musicians come out, and today, they were all playing extremely well. It's days like today when I wish I could arrange a jam session with all of my fellow Harvard Square musicians...

I had to stop in the middle of songs twice today to let the Harvard tour guides do their introductions (I don't like having to compete with them for top volume).

Day 6: TV, but not much money

I'm a bit late on getting this entry written - I've been working on this remix: .

Yesterday, I was filmed by my school's TV station (of which I'm an employee) while busking, as the closing act for this week's episode of Youth View Cambridge. I played a cover of 30 Seconds to Mars' "Alibi," and I'll post a link once we get it online.

Sadly, the filming was pretty much the only interesting thing that happened yesterday. I made only about $15 over two long hours - this may have to do with the homeless woman standing near me, smoking. I've discovered that when people are smoking near me, my profits go down, as people are less likely to stop and listen. The same woman also asked me to play at her coffee house in Hull, but I declined, because, first of all, it's doubtful whether the place even exists, and secondly, Hull is pretty far from Cambridge.

Overall, a pretty boring time, but still fun. Hopefully, I can start to get out more often as the weather gets warmer and drier.

Day 5: This is what they call "average"

Today was a fairly average day of busking for me. Of course, what that means is people heckling me, giving me weird looks, buying me bottles of water randomly, and giving me $20 bills.

I started right after school, and was set up by 3 PM. Right off the bat, someone (I didn't see who) gave me a $20 bill for playing "High and Dry" by Radiohead. Or at least I think that's why. It could have just been a parent who saw a kid and said "that could be my son," or it could have been someone I know. In other notes, a really nice guy bought me a bottle of water, unprompted, because he saw that I was sweating and starting to lose my voice. A couple of people heckled me, singing along mockingly when I was playing "Glycerine," by Bush, and "Day I Die," by Story of the Year (both were radio hits a while back). I've noticed it's always overly muscled college students (always guys) who do this sort of heckling, though I have no idea why that is.

Somewhere along the way, someone else gave me a $20 bill, bringing today's total to about $55 for two hours - not bad at all.

Day 4: Strange People and Dead Batteries

I performed directly after school ended today, and I didn't get very long before my brand new batteries just up and died. A very nice man watched my stuff while I bought new ones from the store across the street. Despite the 10 dollar purchase, I still made money, as some girl gave me $20 for playing "Gunslinger" by Avenged Sevenfold. Some crazy, drunk, homeless guy decided to have a shouting match with an invisible friend directly in front of me. I spent the entire five minutes of his ranting trying hard not to laugh while singing. Some other guy came over and sang (rather badly) along to "Chasing Cars," by Snow Patrol. There were lots of little kids today, which I might attribute to the fact that it was 2:30 - 5:15 on a weekday.

Overall, despite the setback of the dead batteries, I made about $30, so about $20 if you subtract the cost of the batteries. Not great, but not terrible, either.

Day 3: In which I hit the jackpot

I went out today to play in Harvard Square and found that there were already performers in all the places I usually play. After some scouting, I decided to set up in "The Pit," which is the area around the main entrance to the Harvard train/bus station. Before I even got to playing, a large group of teenagers (I think they were German, from hearing them speak) sat on the steps near where I was. Other people stopped to listen, because, well, there's loads of people there: that guy must be good! I played from about 1:30 to 3:15. I discovered that the BEST song I could possibly play to get money is "Starlight" by Muse.

Overview: Made about $55, had fun, did not get sunburned (which is unusual for me...).

Day 2: Into the Darkness

So this afternoon, I decided to go out and play in Harvard Square. It was a beautiful afternoon, and that meant two things: lots of people who were happy to give me their money, and lots of people competing with me. I inadvertently kicked a guy out who was playing acoustic guitar down the street and got drowned out (sorry dude). Some guy yelled out the last line of "Fall For You" by Secondhand Serenade (I think he was making fun of me). Then he yelled out to everyone in the vicinity that "You should give this kid money. If you don't, you're a bad person." He then left, then laughing, returned a minute later to drop some money into my bin. He said he'd return with a ten dollar bill, but he never did. A group of people liked my version of "Viva La Vida" (by Coldplay) so much that they stuck around for more. They asked me to play "Hey There Delilah," but I don't know that song. They were very disappointed. I played from 5:30 to 8 PM, and by the time I stopped, it was quite dark, and I could barely see my guitar.

Day 1

Hey, and welcome to my blog. My name is Ben Cox, and I'm a teenage street musician in Cambridge MA. Today was the first day of street performing for me this year. I set up in front of the Au Bon Pain in Harvard Square at about 1:20 this afternoon (I had school off due to Good Friday). I played until about 3:30, and made somewhere around $25. There were, as usual, some interesting and amusing people. There were a group of guys (and a couple girls who I think were with them) who made repeated requests for Green Day and Paramore songs (I did play a few of those for them, since I love both of those bands). An older fellow (I think he was in his late 60s) sat and listened for a while, and I saw him laughing every time I missed a note. However, he still came over before he left and told me I was playing great. I don't know how serious he was, but it's still nice to hear. I was directly in front of two mailboxes, so I had to pause and move in the middle of one song ("Love Remains the Same" by Gavin Rossdale) so that the mailman could empty them. Also, some woman tripped and went headlong into one of them as she was crossing the street behind me. I stopped singing and just kept playing the chords as I turned to make sure she was okay. Thankfully, she was unhurt, and I was able to continue.

Overall, I'd say this was more successful than any day of playing last year. I don't know if it was the weather, my improved playing, or just people's random generosity that made it better, but I look forward to more playing this spring and summer.

I plan to post every time I go out busking this year, though most likely I won't usually write this much.