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The power and the passion that arise from making street performance a profession have made me realise that busking is not just about the amount of money you make on the street. After years of performing on many streets, I’ve realised that the greatest value comes from not only thinking, but LIVING outside the box. The experiences and relationships that evolve when you make busking more than just a hobby are truly invaluable. You will start to recognise this if you take a moment to read some of the stories here in this blog and on the buskerworld stories page. I guess the scary part is taking the plunge, but once you’re in… you won’t turn back… read on and you’ll understand why.
The great Aussie Outback Busk continues as I headed west of Alice Springs to a small historic town called Hermannsburg in the heart of central Australia.
The spirit of this little place has been calling me for a long time and when I knew I was coming to the region, I contacted the township council and asked if I could play some of my music – but more to the point if I could sing my own song in the historic church. Why the church? Not for any specific religious reasons, but mainly because the song I wanted to sing was about a famous Aboriginal artist called Albert Namatjira who was born and raised in Hermannsburg and sang in that church himself. I also knew that the acoustics of the small 100+ year old stone church were absolutely exquisite. A musicians dream!
One of the exciting things about being a song writer and performer is to be able to play your own music in the place where the conception of the song began. The spirit of the song comes to life and the passion that arises seems to take you on an unforgettable ride that some might say is almost as good as sex! You’ll know what I mean if you’ve had the opportunity to experience this yourself and even if you haven’t written or performed you may still relate to what I’m saying if you’ve walked through a place that has become well known from music. You can feel a certain nostalgia or sentimental recollection in places such as Penny Lane, Memphis, New York City, London, etc etc…
After waiting patiently for many years, I finally received the thumbs up from the indigenous elders of Hermannsburg who gave me permission to bring the song I had written back home. I waited patiently for the gates to close so I could have my own private ‘after tourist hours’ moment, but the locals were excited to see and hear something different and an audience quickly gathered as my sounds echoed around the tiny town. And they weren’t the only ones with a sparkle in their eye and beaming smiles – it was a powerful and passionate moment as I felt the notes bouncing back to me off the stoney walls. Although this wasn’t an official busk and I wasn’t expecting anything other than to fulfil a dream of my own, I still received a bounty of unexpected gifts and many cd orders from the happy audience. Have a look at the video on www.youtube.com/johnniemac111 and listen to the amazing acoustics.
And this is exactly why I’m documenting my busking experiences. Lets push aside all those social attitudes about busking being for the down and out – or simply a part time hobby, and let’s look at the lifestyle that street performance can bring. The whole reason why I want to promote and encourage busking is because it can enable you to live the life of your dreams. Again and again and again. Of course, having confidence and know-how is an important part of the process of turning a part time hobby into a thriving business, but once you’re armed with all the right info, busking can bring numerous rewards of all kinds into your life.
So here I am in the central desert of Australia playing my songs live, meeting lots of interesting people, selling cd’s to new fans, enjoying incredible art, relaxing with my family, swimming in natural billabongs (water holes), collecting seeds for my charity tree planting work – without a doubt – having an absolute hoot! …all thanks to busking.
After my memorable day-trip to Hermannsburg and the incredible historic church experience, I headed back to Alice Springs on a high and couldn’t wait to continue performing in the Todd Street Mall. Whilst my kids danced and played around me keeping a close eye on my steadily filling guitar case, I sang and watched my lady sipping wine in the alfresco bar nearby, chatting to new friends. After another successful street performance, I headed to the bar for a beer and to plan the next stage of this ‘busk-a-bout’ adventure. Tomorrow I drive to Uluru – the incredible Ayer’s Rock and can’t help but wonder if I’ll find a place to perform out there! I picked up some more great busking tips in Alice Springs today, which I’ll share with you on this page in the next few days.
Similar Posts:
- Busking Tips From The Heart
- In Honour Of My Best Friend And One Of Lifes Greatest Gifts – Music
- Lifestyles Of The Rich and Famous
- The Great Aussie Outback Busk!
- Rock Around The Rock
Johnnie Mac is a world class, professional, leading street performer, turned celebrated musician. He is the only Aussie Professional Busker who provides a fast, reliable and sure-fire Busking System that can transform any busker into a well paid and highly acclaimed entertainer enjoying a remarkably exciting lifestyle. To discover 101 Essential Tips to Have More Fun and Earn More Money Busking visit http://www.BuskerWorld.com/theBuskersBible
