Busking in Boston and Beyond
By: Heather Mulgannon
Whether walking through the Common, grabbing a bite at Quincy Market, or waiting to catch the T, it is not unusual to hear the sounds of performers trying to make a few extra dollars. Musical street performers range from bands looking for publicity to people trying to make money doing something they love.
If you are waiting for the T at Park Street Station on a Saturday night, you will probably find four well-dressed boys from Berklee trying to earn extra money. Boston based band, Me Vs Gravity is made up of four sophomores; Zach Nelson (vocals, guitar), Dave Colicchio (lead guitar), Jeff Kinsey (bass), and Ben Meyers (drums) who attend Berklee College of Music. Nelson never refers to what they do as street performing, preferring to use the term “busking”. “Busking is the same as street performing. It just means playing in public places for tips. Not a lot of people have heard that term being used before.”
From their first try busking they discovered when people recognize a song, they are more likely to stop and listen. “It took us a while to really figure out what works and what doesn't, but we have a pretty cool setlist now of all covers.” Since they play mostly in T stations, they all had to apply for permits. “We went downtown and got it all taken care of in a day. It was definitely worth it.” Although you can find them playing mostly covers, original music is their true passion. “Busking is a lot of fun, and we've been surprised at how much exposure it's actually gotten us, but in the end, we do it to make money to support what we truly want to do--our original music.”
Even though they have only played in Boston, they haven’t dismissed the idea of playing in other cities. Zach said, “It'd be interesting go to Jeff's hometown (L.A.) and try playing there”, but added, “I doubt anything can beat our spot in Boston!”
While strolling through the Common, you can follow the sounds of a saxophone to a man named Joe. Plasterer by trade, “Joe Sax” began busking in Boston after his permit was taken away in his hometown, Salem. After locals complained about the noise, Joe was given the chance to have a hearing to try and get his license back. Discouraged, Joe decided to try his luck in Boston. He was excited by the fact, “You can play almost anywhere and you don’t have to have that permit, except for down in the subway and Faneuil Hall.” Joe has enjoyed the practice busking has given him. “I’ve always wanted to do this all my life I just never thought I would ever do it”, he said. “I’m a plasterer by trade… I’m doing this as a hobby, but this is my passion.”
Joey, Jeremy and Kirk are freshmen at Northeastern who have something in common: their love of music. They consider themselves “a band in progress” with Jeremy and Kirk having started busking in September and Joey joining them later on. They can usually be heard in their spot in the Common just past the gazebo, playing covers of indie rock songs. While they all love music and find busking fun, they aren’t afraid to admit they do it because they need the money.
Berklee freshman Erik Jalajas has plenty of experience busking, just not in Boston. “For my senior project I decided to visit the Pacific Northwest via train. I had heard great things about the people and culture in Oregon and Washington. Also, being a musician, I thought it would be a cool idea to bring along my guitar and some harmonicas, to try and make some money playing on the streets.” Performing in other cities required him to research the performance laws there so he didn’t get into trouble performing in places he wasn’t allowed to.
On his trip, he learned how people react to buskers. “In Portland people were very accepting, but in Chicago people were not as much.” Being from Berklee, Erik knows a lot of people who busk in their spare time. Personally, he couldn’t see it being anything more than a hobby though. Jokingly, he said that a person could make it a career, “If the person likes being broke and hungry and homeless.”
