Shutter On The Street

I’m headed to the beach for the holiday weekend and it’s fitting that I wrap up this series of Boardwalk Buskers with one of my favorite entertainers on the walk, Boardwalk Bill.

This is Bill’s first year busking. He’s been a long time performer with children’s shows and other gigs but a car accident left him unable to carry his equipment any longer so he has moved his joy of entertaining to the street with a scooter. Bill is incredibly charismatic and really loves what he does. During holiday weekends, Bill will spend 10 hours or more working the boardwalk for tips.

Guitarist Robert Prasley plays softly into the setting sun.  The boardwalk’s inlet amusement park serves as his backdrop and the gentle sea breeze as his accompaniment.  Roberts playing is soft and smooth, a perfect compliment to the laid back atmosphere provided by the scenery and weather.

The boardwalk of Ocean City, MD is home to many musicians who play to entertain the roving crowds of tourists.  The boardwalk is 2.5 miles in length so it offers plenty of space for street performers.  On this day alone, I met five performers, all of which were very friendly and entertaining.

Roy plays a steel resonator guitar which has a great sound, especially when complimented with Roy’s raspy voice.  He was a little leery of me and putting a camera in his face but we talked for a while after I was done shooting and he’s a really nice guy.  He’s been playing the guitar since the 70’s and has been on the boardwalk for the last ten years.

This week I decided to invite my friend Steph to guest blog.  She is another talented photog that I know and she comes along with me on most of my adventures.  I asked her to give her impression of the performer for this week’s post (because I was too busy drowning myself in Sam Adam’s Summer Ale but also because she’s a very talented photographer and writer).

Koga Rite plays the Saxophone

This young man was by far the most inspiring street performer we found in Boston during this week Shawn and I have been here. We stumbled upon this musician in the Old State House subway station on our way back to the hotel.

When we first entered the station the faint sound of a saxophone was luring us further on. Unfortunately, a train was pulling into the station and it was our ride home. With just a glance, we decided we would stay to hear more and Shawn would take a few photos. After the train passed, Koga Rite announced that he would be playing a few traditional Zimbabwean songs on an unfamiliar instrument called an mbira. The sound was incredible and was made even more pleasant sounding when Koga began singing along. After gathering a small crowd of folks who skipped trains to stay and listen to him, he sang his rendition of Sade’s “By Your Side” with musical accompaniment. Koga is a very talented musician and I only wish we had had more time to to talk with him.

Of course, it was most interesting when an older gentlemen who was asking everyone he saw for money for food, sat down a little further down the bench and lit up a cigarette. Voicing through the mic that we all want a little clean air Koga eventually asked the man to stop smoking. As we were finally boarding the train, the man walked over to Koga and I heard “If I give you like $7 will you leave?” And as the train was pulling out of the station, I saw Koga reach into his case and fish out a few bucks to give to the smoking man.

For street performers, bad weather can be detrimental to their income when they depend on large crowds to earn their living. If a street performer has not prepared for the lulls in the business they could be in trouble if the weather turns south for several days and their hats are smaller than normal. For this reason, many of the most popular pitches for street performers are places with moderate climates.

Additionally, performers who rely on amplifiers and music face additional danger to their electronics in wet weather.  They are forced to use natural voice projection to attract people and keep their attention.  If you’ve ever cheered for a sports team, you can understand how demanding yelling with your voice for several hours can be.  Now think if your paycheck was dependent on your ability to keep that up for 3 hours or more.

Rain spoils Evan Young's shows for the day.

A version of this photo has also been submitted to JPG Magazine.  Please click the link and vote for it if you like it.