Busker Dustup

A year after ordinance revision, local community has changed

We've said it before, and we'll say it again: Outdoor music season is upon us. But while events like the Santa Fe Opera's 59th season and the Summer Bandstand are upon us, it's important to remember that there are still corners of the musical pantheon that fall into less conventional categories.

Take the busker, the almighty outdoor performer who takes to the streets less in the interest of fame and riches, and more about the purest form of the art. We mean, of course, music as language. For you see, the busker faces an even greater challenge than the poor corner-bar band that people usually talk over and/or ignore—they have all of about two seconds to make an impression on passersby and win over anyone who happens to be nearby, while facing the constant disadvantage of unconventional performance space and cities (Santa Fe, for example) that seem to revile them.

Let's catch up real quick.

Around this time last year, certain Plaza vendors took the buskers and the city to task and claimed that these public performances were costing them business. The existing ordinance for busking came into question, the street performers formed an alliance, the law came into the picture and certain unpopular changes were made. According to public documents, the city does concede that buskers add value to the overall cultural landscape of Santa Fe, but there are new concerns for anyone who wishes to perform downtown. Certain areas are prohibited, amplification is only allowed between 1 and 3 pm and players must be 50 feet away from one another or from vendors at all times. That's tricky for an area as small as the Plaza.

"I grew really disheartened with the effort we made in keeping busking alive on the Plaza," says the former president of the Santa Fe Buskers Alliance, George Robinson. "I am so disappointed that three Plaza vendors could make something like this happen."

Robinson refers to provisions within the ordinance that allow for criminal charges to be brought against buskers in certain scenarios.

"Unless I wind up with a new and refreshed attitude, I'm going to just leave it alone," Robinson adds. "It was heartbreaking."

OK. But it's not all bad. There are still performers out there, even as we speak. Take fiddler Liv Orovich. A recent transplant from New Hampshire, Orovich has lived in Santa Fe for just about a year and makes her living as a full-time busker. And though she says that she has had very little trouble outside of obsessive photography from tourists (you've been warned, out-of-towners), she has yet to face any real difficulty from the city itself.

"I think because I'm, like, one of three females, [police officers] don't give me as hard a time, but they seem to hassle the guys more…I guess they all have to have a penis contest with one another," Orovich muses.

And while she notes that there were many more buskers last year, she does point out that there are still the die-hards who hit the streets regularly. People like Michael Combs (who fought valiantly for busker rights in the past), Roark Barron (who's use of an amplified harp has made it difficult for him to play as often), the mysterious Nail Man or even those awesome crust-punk guys who hang around the corner of Water and Don Gaspar streets at night.

It all points to something kind of awesome—anyone interested in these impromptu, outdoor performances must either go and seek them out or just happen upon them. Every performance is a different, self-contained experience, and it absolutely does add value to our city.

"I didn't ever go out there to earn a living," Robinson says. "I went out to help people hear music and to see people smile and dance, but when the city rules against you, and you just don't feel like it, it's hard to bring that vibe."

Stay strong, George.

Start looking for these tremendous players, everyone else.

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