New Orleans

[Mark Cmor]

Hi everyone

Does anybody have info on New Orlens? Pitches, permits, cops, accomodation, etc. Is the weather ok from January thru March?
How are the hats?

Thanks

Mark

[Evan Young]

everything about it sucks except for acomodation, which is just cheap, not nice. It's a fun place to drink. I'll probably be there from Jan through mardi gras.
Just go and find out how much it sucks for yourself.

[worldwidese]

Evan is right. Don't expect to leave with a load of money. They are trying to get rid of all homeless and young street kids, and buskers seem to be also on the list. All last week there was a police squad car parked 24/7 on Jackson square. It's tough for buskers. Most have left town. They have new laws which have cut down many of the available pitches. If you use amplification you're chased by the cops. Ask again just before you come. Things may have calmed down by then. If you come for Mardi Gras accommodation will be tough.

Weather at that time of year can range from freezing to hot.

[The Amazing Beaumanz]

hey mark!!!

How's things?? N.O. SUCKS!!!!!!!!!


Email me humanvolcano@hotmail.com and i'll give ya some ideas.

Dallas

[Mark Cmor]

where else might be good in the states jan thu march

thanks

mark

[GlassHarper]

Hey, Mark --

Worldwidesse is right -- newly enacted laws (that are being litigated) have closed off St. Ann and St. Peter Streets to anything but license-buying visual artists, which has crowded all of the card readers onto Jackson Square thus effectively cutting out two of the best circle-show sites (Mark, the Juggler, and Ishtawa, the bird magician, notwithstanding -- they apparently have come to an agreement with the local gend'armes who apparently don't hassle them). If the card readers' lawsuit wins (they are now nearly $5,000 in debt and would appreciate any support you can be to their defense fund) it will free things up, hopefully in time for Mardi Gras.

Me, I made the mistake of signing a lease on a French Quarter apartment just before the assault on street performance became public so I'm stuck here for a while!

Royal Street is still closed to traffic during the say, but is not appropriate for large circle shows. The "big pitch" on Decatur street is controlled by the French Market Corporation (and the nasty tumbler show if they choose to wrest the pitch from anyone who happens to have the temerity to be there when they want to use it)!

All-in-all Key West and Clearwater Beach are looking better and better as winter venues.

[The Amazing Beaumanz]

is Chris(the juggler) still performing in the quarter?? how about Dr. Eric (glass walker)???

[GlassHarper]

Friday, Nov 7, '03. There has just been a meeting that included the new priest at St. Louis Cathedral, Fr. Kern, three of the NOPD officers that patrol Jackson Square and most of the professional street entertainers who regularly use Jackson Square.

Fr. Kern outlined his concerns about respect for the church and holding down crowd noise during church and special services. Each of us had the opportunity of voicing our own concerns about the viability of the pitch. The upshot is this: we're all on the same page of the Jackson Square Bible. Those of us who live here have agreed it is our own responsibility to make sure other users of the Square are informed about the necessity of keeping control of our audiences during services -- ie. holding the noise level down so it doesn't impact the serenity of the worship services in the Cathedral.

Some of the local performers were not there. At least one of them is a continuing problem & we agreed we must try to handle that. The officers in attendance pledged their support. Itinerant performers are, as always, welcome to share the pitch, but PLEASE honor the requirement for audience control -- hold down noise level during services and keep the wide "sidewalk" in front the the church open for church-goers and pedestrians.

The "big pitch" across Decatur St. is to be shared -- no all-day tieups by groups. The French Market security has, we are told by NOPD, no authority to limit the pitch to any one particular performer or group. The city police Captain and Patrolmen agreed mediate to make that point if necessary.

I'm told there was a court hearing this morning in Federal Court in which the psychics and card readers obtained an injunction against the city enforcing the ill-conceived legislation that reserved all of the Jackson Square fence line to only the licensed visual artists. I haven't gotten confirmation of that yet, but this should aleviate the blocking of the Jackson Square pitches by a solid line of card-readers' tables.

All told, a good set of news for the buskers' community with lines of communication open and general agreement on informal rules for use of the pitch.

[theincrediblelarry]

how is the peace holding up these days? is all still well?

[GlassHarper]

So far, so good. Things seem quiet at the moment. The number of card readers increases daily. Musicians are not being hassled and the circle shows are doing OK as long as the performer maintains control of the audience. With performers respecting the religious enterprise there seems to be no static from within the cathedral.

We ARE, however, about to start the ramp up to Mardi Gras -- one of the times of the year when both gend'armes and politicos tend to exhibit an unhealthy amount of paranoia.

More news as it breaks (wind).

[The Amazing Beaumanz]

How's it going up there now??? i might need to run somewhere away from ivan.

[worldwidese]

There a almost no buskers here right now because it's still hot and humid here and few tourists are coming through town.

At present we have a big Baptist Convention. but they don't count for much as contributers to hats.

The big pitch at the riverside is open for grabs. If you are not amplified you can come and try your luck. If you're amplified the cops will probably hassle you.

Jackson Square is full of Tarot and Palm readers, but you can do a small show around the edges of them

There is a small possibility that Ivan will turn our way. If that happens, this is the last place you would want to be. Good luck!

[The Amazing Beaumanz]

I've worked the big pitch in the past as well as infront of the cathedral.

Anything is better than nothing. I'm sure that some oof the performers will be coming up from the Keys also and will be looking for a pitch.

Although i wouldn't wish it on anyone, i hope we don't get it.


Dallas

[GlassHarper]

Hey, Dallas --

I was heading back to New Orleans after a biumphant tour of New England (it wasn't actually triumphant, but it certainly deserved a couple of umphants) when your series of storms dissuaded me. I played Harvard Square; Yankee Homecoming in Newbuyport, MA; Portsmouth, NH, and one of the prettiest venues I've yet found, Burlington, Vt on Lake Champlain.

By the time I left N.O. in early August there was very little circle show activity and tourists were complaining about the lack of street entertainment. Neither my correspondents nor the forums on performers.net have indicated a change in the hassle cycle (which was quiet when I left, though the powers-that-be still frown on fire. Dr. Eric Von Knownothing actually got a fire department permit a year or so ago, but that's probably not viable for an itinerant performer) so I've got to believe there is a need for a good professional show such as your non-fire repertoire.

Remember, however, the periphery of those storms has probably left N.O. a damp place at this point, but then "damp" is a relative term there.

I expect to be back there in a week or so, although by that time Clearwater may once again be safe. I'd love to see you on the street!

Best regards,

Peter (The Glassman) Bennett
Sur la route doing festivals and farm markets in Central New York State

[The Amazing Beaumanz]

missed us, Thank God!! Sorry to those it affected that way.

Looks like another is coming though. Damn this sucks!!

[Christopher Cool]

What do u mean another? I thought this was it. Great :( I'm getting an evening job at McDonalds :P Maybe I will be an exotic dancer that would be fun. Dealing with drunks not much different. Arrrg!

[worldwidese]

Busking spots are getting to be fewer in the Big Easy. Time was when Buskers were allowed, and Readers were not. Now the Readers have won a court case, and as long as they have a license they can set up anywhere with their tables, chairs and umbrellas, which pretty well obscure the Artists and their paintings. Money talks!

So now in Jackson Square it's like this- Artists along the fence on all 4 sides, Readers in front of them, and mimes on all 4 corners,

There are no permits or licenses available to Buskers. Supposedly they can set up around the edges of the readers in Jackson Square, But the Readers will try to run you off if you have a noisy, popular, or distracting show. Mimes and Statues are tolerated because they are silent.

Because there are so many of them, the overflow of Readers has infiltrated into Royal Street and other sidestreets, leaving very little opportunity for Buskers.

[GlassHarper]

Today's Times-Picayune reports that the pretty little "pocket park," Edison Place, on Bourbon St. has been turned over to commercial interests, which means we've lost one more performance venue here in New Orleans.

Although the park has long been gated and used only at Mardi Gras by a beer vendor, the relatively quiet niche in front of the gate has proved fruitful to many a robot mime, magician (Sonny Holiday, Doug Conn, Cosmo etc.), itinerant guitar player and an occasional glass player.

During winter, when it's sometimes too cold to bring the glasses out, I've enjoyed playing my hurdy gurdy here.

The only constant in this business is change, and I'm not takling about coins!

[Doctor Eric]

So is there any new word on busking in N.O.? What about the big pitch?

[CFazzone]

I go to Tulane university, and had been hoping to do a few shows to make some beer money (not just an expression down here). This is all really too bad. I suppose I could try doing shows on campus, but I know that's doomed to failure. The only bastards who have money down here are the jackass frat boys driving their daddy's beamer...do you know, I actually saw a student driving a jaguar today? A fucking jaguar. I nearly shat myself.

But I digress. Yeah, no pitches, bad for circle shows. It's too bad, too, the city's missing out on something. Card readers and street art add a lot to the ambience, but with the city's reputation it really should have some world-class street acts. And maybe a starving college student or two.

[GlassHarper]

Hey, CFazz...

It really is a dirty shame how, playing the salami game, the city politicos have denied us use of the most logical circle pitches in the quarter. They did it a slice at a time:

They turned over the one decent-sized Bourbon Street pitch to commercial interests -- construction continues at Edison Park and what little space is left has been taken over by card readers.

The onerous "street artists ordinance" has closed off the fence-line area around Jackson Square to any but those officially sanctioned visual artists who cowtow to the powers-that-be.

The "big pitch" to which Dr. Eric refers seems to have become the exclusive right of a couple of hip-hop tumbler troupes and woe to the interloper! A two years ago the "quality of life" officer of the NOPD 8th district told several of us that the pitch is open to all on a first-come-first-served basis and the French Market rent-a-cops do not control it and if any of us had trouble there to call him. Right! And in the mean time I've seen performers' rigs thrown into busy Decatur Street. So, if you can take being beaten up for long enough for the "quality of life" officer to arrive you'll probably win at least the battle if not the war. Valentino, the puppet guy, seems to have been successful using the pitch when the tumblers aren't around.

That said, there are still opportunities for circle shows if you are wise and professional about it. The first thing you've got to do is learn to control your crowd and reduce the size of your show.

Royal Street is still closed off as a pedestrin mall every day of the week from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (7 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays). For god's sake, though, be respectful of the merchants and DON'T LET YOUR AUDIENCE BLOCK ACCESS TO THE STORES. Several merchants have mounted a campaign to reopen Royal Street to traffic because thoughtless performers' audiences clog the street and sidewalks.

The four and five hundred blocks of Royal Street are a little less congested and should present oportunities for shows. It would seem to me that the area in front of the Supreme Court Building across from Brennan's might work, but it often is occupied by card readers and musical acts -- you just have to get there first AND CONTROL THE SIZE OF YOUR CROWD.

I've seem small circle shows pulled off on the plaza near the Natchez wharf at Toulouse Street.

So, man (or womyn as the case may be), quit snivelling and get out there and start entertaining people! :o