K&W in Laguna - 30Aug2011

For our second attempt at street busking in Laguna Beach, we decided to forego the corner where we got busted last week, and just start up the street. I was purely acoustic, but Warren braved the use of his little amp, with, this time, the more valid excuse of just amping up to match the volume (such as it is) of his acoustic partner.

We played at the big green bench/art thing on the corner, directly towards the sidewalk passers by, and elicited a few smiles, slow-downs, and stops-to-listen. One lady with a toddler in a stroller stopped to have him hear us, as they do, but was talking to the baby in a strange language, which turned out to be Hebrew. My challenge, therefore, was figuring out what American song she might know. I usually go to The Beatles for that, but for some reason, settled on John Denver's "Country Roads" instead, which she seemed to be mouthing the words along to, so I apparently guessed right.

Then a guy came by, listened for a while, and asked if we knew any Russian songs. I'm not sure I've ever even heard any Russian songs, much less learned any. Cosmopolitan, I'm apparently not. He was up from San Diego for the art festival, but originally from the Ukraine. For some reason, he was *sure* we'd know the song, in Spanish, from the Antonio Banderas movie "Desperado" (no, not the Eagles song of the same name), but we struck out there, too. Where *have* we been?

He left to find his friends, and brought them back with him, and started asking about the "Desperado" song again (apparently, with some research, "Cancion del Mariachi", which Antonio performs himself in the movie), disbelieving that we'd never heard it (though I guess I'd actually heard it once, having seen the movie), and making guitar-playing gestures while singing snippets from it. So I handed him my guitar and said, "Show us", and he did, while Warren played along. Then he launched into a Russian song, which his wife sang along with. The perks of street music -- no rules, no audience, no equipment, everybody's "in it".

Warren went to check on The Alley, and while he was gone a couple came up and the lady took one of my business cards, saying, "You have a beautiful voice". I said, "Thank you", but was thinking, "How can you *tell*, out here?"

They left, but came back later on to ask about where else I play and stuff like that, and then she asked "Do you play any Christmas music?" My favorite question of the month!

We did manage to get down to The Alley later on, but most of the action was down on the corner where a 6 or 7 piece string band was blasting it out. They were very loud, and very good. But it was getting late and we decided to pack it in after not too long. As we were packing up, the lady from the shop next to The Alley came out and told us that our music had made her evening enjoyable. That was nice, 'cuz I imagine she hears *lots* of different musicians there. We made $20 to split, and had fun. I reckon we'll do it again, pretty soon.

K&W in Laguna Beach -- 23Aug2011

Busted! We were aware that amplification isn't allowed on the streets of Laguna Beach, so I'd given up even trying it, 'cuz my fingerpicked guitar style wouldn't stand a chance on a busy street corner. Jim & Warren have been managing, somewhat, but Jim strums his big Gibson, and six strings at a time make a lot more sound than only one.

Warren plays a hollow-body electric, though, and has been getting away with using a small amp, on the premise that it's just bringing him up to match the volume of Jim's acoustic. And lately, since they seldom see cops on foot to catch them, Warren's been using a mic on a stand as well, which is clearly over the line, but, so far, so good.

So I decided the give it a try, and rigged up my little battery-powered amp for my guitar and head-mic. I even found a way to add reverb to the voice by running the mic into, then back out of, my iPod. Sweet.

The idea was to just barely enhance the volume so we *seemed* to be acoustic-only, but be loud enough to be, you know, heard. But apparently somebody in the ice cream shop that we were set up in front of decided that either (a) we were interfering with their hip-hop radio jams, or (b) The Rules are The Rules, or (c) they just didn't like us being there. So they called the cops.

We managed to get through one whole song ("Hotel California"), and The Man showed up and asked to see our "Amplifier Permit". Obviously, we didn't have one, but he let us off with embarrassment served and a warning, but also a promise to cite us if he caught us using the amps again. ("Amplifier Permits" are issued by City Hall, but, he said, "They're stingy with them.")

We briefly half-tried to play acoustic, but my guitar was drowned out, and Warren's was totally inaudible. Warren suggested a place he calls "Acoustic Alley" up the street, so we packed up and walked up a ways, but it was occupied. So we went up to the next corner, where there are some little "conversation pit" benches set up, and the traffic noise is much less. We played there for a while, where we could at least hear each other, and basically played for ourselves for a while, garnering an occasional smile from passers-by, so I guess we weren't *completely* inaudible.

After a spell, Warren decided to go check if the Alley was available, and while he was gone, I launched into "Over the Rainbow". As I started the verse, one of a pair of old ladies blurted out "Oh! I love this song!" and they stopped to listen. Then, halfway through it, up comes my high-school friend (and fellow member of the Spanish Armada, but that's another story), Susie Elliott!

Susie stayed and clapped loud and long after every song (best shill ever!), and we started to accumulate a (single-digit) "crowd". (I assumed that she had seen my announcement on Facebook and decided to come down since she lives in Laguna, but nope, just coincidence.) It was quiet enough to almost hear me, and Warren's "acoustic/electric" was surprisingly loud (if you can call it that). I was playing as loud as I could, at first with my "strummy songs", but then, embarrassed by the lack of finesse that those feel like to me, graduated to some fingerpicked ones. I was picking as loud as I could, and wondered what would happen first: ripping the strings off my guitar, or ripping the fingernails off of my fingers.

A couple strolled up and started talking to Susie like they were old friends, which didn't strike me as unlikely in Laguna, and grandly appreciating the music. The wife sat right down on the bench next to me, and they asked for their favorites, clapped loudly, and chatted Susie up a bit. After a while, they had to go, but needed a business card first, so he could call us up to play one of his backyard business parties, and also insisted on my digging out the Tip Jar, so he could put a twenty in it. And it turned out that they *weren't* old friends of Susie's, they were just super friendly.

After a while of that, Warren and Susie went to check if the Alley was open, and it finally was so we moved down there. What a difference! The narrow passageway and hard walls provide a lot of "focus" for the sound, and you can actually hear and be heard. We played there the rest of the night, and with Susie and the after-dinner strolling crowd to play for, I had a great time. A lady came up with a handful of change, but couldn't find our tip jar to put it in, so I had to dig it out yet again. We ended up with $32 to split, and decided to pack it in about 9:30.

So, after a quite inauspicious beginning for my first time out, it ended up pretty great. I'm up for another go.

P.S. Susie told us that she's up and bought a gift shop, right down the street on PCH, and will be happy to host some live music (inside, where amps are allowed!), once she opens in September sometime.

Keith at Irvine Spectrum -- 20Aug2011

OK, I give up.  I get it -- nobody's out to hear some guy playing music at the mall in the afternoon.  Fortunately, I don't have any more afternoon gigs booked, and now that I'm fully convinced that they're *not*, in fact, "better than nothing", I won't book any more.

I was expecting the new big round stage over the fountain again, but apparently they're reserving the right to decide to just use the old little square one.  Makes sense -- that big one is a lot of trouble, and they'll probably only use it when it's appropriate, either a bigger band, or a "bigger" name band.  That's fine with me.

It was hot, but not miserably so like last time.  And there were a few people out, but it was hopeless to get anything going with them.  I had a brief fun time with one of the many young girl soccer teams that came by, but they took off to go get some overly-sugared juice after only a few songs.

And I had a guy perceptively ask me about the harmony box, and another guy came up and told me that he had been in a folk-song band back in the sixties, but that he'd never learned to fingerpick like me.  It's always fun to talk to other musicians, however briefly.

I did make $20, which is an all-time low, I think, but still not so bad.  Last time I had inexplicably sold almost all of the CDs that I had in stock, so I spent the morning making up a bunch of them, only to sell absolutely none.  Maybe it was 'cuz the fountain stage is out in the flow of traffic?  Probably just the random nature of the thing...

New Home Recording Rig

I was all set up to do some home "studio" recording using the MacBook Pro, but I had to give it back when I got laid off.  So I've been trying to figure out a new rig, since I'm determined to get a new CD made pretty soon (the newest one I have now is from 2006).

The advantage I have this round is the Harmony box, which, along with adding harmonies when needed, also has nice reverb and vocal compression, which as karaoke enthusiasts everywhere know, make you sound better than you really are.  On my previous recordings, I had to add reverb via software after the fact.  With the box, I'm less likely to overuse it, as I'm prone to do.

To do decent recordings, though, you need to be able to hear yourself (guitar and vocals) through headphones as you're recording, so you can hear your usually-unnoticed mistakes, and any outside noises that are getting into the recording (dogs barking, loud trucks, etc.).  I could use a Windows box, but they don't do real-time monitoring, and hearing yourself a half-second delayed is *really* confusing.  Fortunately, the iPad can do it with no detectable delay, so I've settled on recording on the iPad, and then transferring the file to my Windows laptop for trimming, editing, etc.

Unfortunately, the iPad (and Windows boxes, for that matter) only have mono microphone input.  On the MacBook, the mic was stereo, so I could record the guitar and vocal on separate tracks.  That's nice if you want to edit one part but not the other, or to balance the mix after the fact.  I could record the two parts separately -- play the guitar part only, counting measures in my head, and then overdubbing a vocal over that on a separate channel, but disconnecting the guitar and vocal just doesn't come out very musical.

So, I'll make do with performing both parts at the same time, on one track.  All I have to do is get the mix right before I start (by trial and error), and simply not make any mistakes.  Easy!  That'll result in recordings with guitar and vocals (with reverb and optional harmony already built-in, courtesy the box), exactly like what you get at a live show.

I might decide I'm clever enough to add some more stuff (bass, a lead guitar solo, keyboards, or even cello, like I did on my Christmas CD), or I might decide to keep it "honest" (i.e., "live equivalent").  I guess I'll try a few things and see how it goes -- I'll probably end up with a little of each.

I've found appropriate software for the iPad, and cables to run the output of the harmony box (which is guitar and vocals combined) to it, and then back from it to the headphones, so I'm all set up back in the bedroom, er, "home studio".  And it's kinda cool that the iPad can just sit right there on the music stand. Now all I gotta do is figure out how to keep the dogs from barking, the guy next door from mowing his lawn every other day, and the room from reaching the 90's in the afternoons...

Keith at Irvine Spectrum -- Sat, 06Aug2011

I asked too late for gigs at Spectrum for August, and all that was left was the "early shift", so I took two Saturdays, 1-5pm, as "better than nothing". And with the demise of Borders, without *something* at Spectrum, I would have had literally nothing.

So, of course, it was hot, being a Southern California August afternoon. They did bring me the shade umbrella, so it could have been worse, but still. The fun part was that they've abandoned the old Food Court stage, and bought a custom circular stage that sets up over (!) the big round fountain in front of the movie theaters. It's really big (for just me), quite prominent, and up high enough that they have a little two-step staircase. It's in the same plaza as the old stage, and faces the same clump of patio furniture and big-tree planterbox bench seating, but from a different angle.

It's really nice -- maybe too nice. I'm afraid that they'll decide to start charging for it pretty soon -- especially considering the 4 hour (according to the maintenance guy) setup time. It's really a far nicer place to play than the old "main stage" that they've been charging $50 for all along, and when they get people asking for this new one over the old one, they'll undoubtedly decide to start collecting.

But on a hot Saturday afternoon, the plaza is pretty deserted, except for people that are on their way somewhere. Nobody's there to just hang out that early, nor in that weather, so I played to a lot of stone silence. There were quite a few people to play to, sitting over there under the tree, but they seemed to be more interested in the shade than the music. Occasionally, though, someone would be going past that couldn't resist listening in for a while -- that's pretty gratifying, to stop somebody in their tracks.

And, for some reason, there were a surprising 11 CDs sold. Not sure why -- the tips weren't all that great. I made $55 in combined tips plus whatever people bought the CDs for. Just another thing that's more random than I'd expect, I guess.

I had a "hard stop" at 5:00 (just when it was cooling off and people were starting to hang out more, of course) to allow time for me to tear down and the next band to set up. I was grateful for it this time, though -- I seem to be able to play for 7 hours in the evening/night, but after just two hours in the heat, I was wiped out, and my fingertips were inexplicably already trashed.

Keith at Irvine Spectrum -- Sun, 31Jul2011

Wow!  Great night for a Sunday!  After the poor showing last Friday, I was starting to think that "Summer" was over, but I guess it's a just a lot more random than I think it ought to be.

I started at 5:00 this time, instead of my usual 4:00, which worked out quite well, since it really starts to be "evening" at 6:00.  That's when the shadows from the buildings make it possible to survive in more than just the few seats under the shade umbrellas.

The stage was back against the big round planter box by the turtle fountain again, but literally every time I've come since they started putting it there, it's been further around the circle.  This time it was so far around that I decided to just set up "diagonally", since the corner was pointing exactly at the main group of furniture that folks camp out in to hear me.  It was a little odd, but actually worked out quite well.

Early on, a pair of Asian girls came by and tried to talk to me, though only one of them was brave enough to try her English on me.  They stared at the list for a while, but couldn't find (or read?) any songs they knew, so I fired up "Let It Be", which *everybody* knows, and saw some definite sparks of recognition.

I had lots of really nice people all night long (and made $84).  I'm supposed to shut down at 8:00 on Sundays, and the guy came and took the lights about then, but I kept playing.  About 10:15 or so, a nice 50-ish woman came and listened for a long time, and kept commening to anyone else around that I'm "amazing".  She asked me if I'd ever played any of the Folk Music festivals, which, um, I don't really play any "folk music", so, um, no.  But, I guess I don't know much about them -- maybe James Taylor qualifies these days?

She went to fetch her two friends -- "They just gotta hear this" -- and after a few songs one of them asked me when I'm supposed to stop playing.  I told her the truth, 8:00, which had them all baffled for a while since it was almost 10:30 by then.  I told them that I wasn't getting paid, and was there for the joy of it, so why would I "knock off early"?

Keith at Irvine Spectrum -- Fri, 29Jul2011

A surprisingly quiet night.  Usually Fridays are almost as busy as Saturdays, but nobody showed up this time.  Maybe there was a Big Game on TV?

Anyway, there were still enough nice people there to make it worth doing.  And my brother and his wife came by, as did my wife with the dogs, my daughter, and her friend.

At one point, two teenage girls were up at the table, looking at the list.  My brother started stage-whispering "Play 'Baby'!" at me, which I was confused by -- he probably couldn't tell from behind them, but they were 3 or 4 years too old for that.  The Bieber fans go from 8 or 10 to about 13, but above that they get too cool.  I've had groups of teens actually get up and walk away when I started up that song -- it's a big hit with the right audience, but a double-edged sword.

But it was quiet most of the night, though I seem to have finally stubbled on a setup where I can hear myself without feedback, so that makes it pleasant to just sing.  There was only $48 in the tip jar, which isn't bad, but low for a Summertime Friday.  But later in the evening, a group of people walked by while I was mid-song, and the lady looked at me and mouthed so I could read her lips, "Beautiful".  Made my night.