My negative experiences with busking in Minneapolis were pressing heavily on me as I lugged my gear to Deep Ellum to claim the spot I had scoped out
I was worried about the noise of the drumkit
I was worried about getting a ticket
I found a parking spot very close to my spot
It was around the corner but not so far that I would have to spend more than 15/20 seconds with my eyes off my equipment
The parking lot across the street wanted ten dollars
I asked one of the businesses next to the spot if they would allow me to plug in an extension cord for future electonic drum explorations but they were afraid of getting a ticket from the city (which is fair)
I REALLY need to figure a way to get portable power on the street
I set up and started playing at about 8pm and it didn’t take long until Turner showed up and was having fun with the extra pair of drum sticks I leant him
Mosquito happened along as well and then the guy with the washboard stepped in
This lasted for quite a while with me letting people make up their own beats and then I would play a complex rythm over it
Sometimes I was only using my double bass pedal because there were 3 people playing my kit and I had no sticks
I ended up playing from 8pm to 2am
Some people played the kit for a few minutes and I also took one bathroom break
I made sure to keep stretching and usually did it when I was running out of ideas for a beat
I sure do wish I had my Zune
It would have been nice to have a bunch of different songs to listen to for beat ideas
Lots of people said I was a good drummer
I flirted with lots of girls
People took pictures and videos of me and I gave out a ton of cards
The evening ended with a cramp in my left leg and forearm
My fears of the police were unfounded because they drove past me all night
One even looked right at me and threw the devil horns
Tonight I got over some pre-concieved anxieties, got a ton of exposure and played drums for about 6 hours
My back hurts, my legs are cramping and I believe I am going to pay for this tomorrow
I played a lot of double bass tonight to please the deep ellum crowd
As I have said before
I need to figure out how to get my electronics on the street
Playing the drums was unique and electonics would be even better
There were rappers there that would have flipped if I had a mic and an effects processor
Not only that, but I think the PyroplasticFlow concept would actually work better in the street than on a stage
All I have to do is figure out how to power my equipment without a gasoline generator
It would be uber super cool if I could get the video projector out there as well
Lots of very very positive thoughts in my head right now
Not only that but a very unusual opportunity is beginning to materialize in front of me
Lots to think about
Rockula Productions 