HAWAII

[Sunshine]

Does anyone have any tips on Busking Sites, Festivals, Etc. in Hawaii?
I considering going there for the winter season.

Sunshine

[Barry]

hi,
you know in hawaii, there either are NO pitches or else nobody is talking. it can be, however, a very cheap place to winter. you can camp in many many places for free or one dollar a night, if it is a campsite and one popular enough to have a ranger. if you like mango and coconut, these are free and if you fish, also free. if i wanted to go and play. i would go to the juggling festival. and find someone there to tell me the REAL scoop. i was there only once and i just went to party. i suppose honolulu probably has a street pitch, though it is a bloody horrible place (imagine L.A. with lava). still there might be something there and if it is, it may just be the best kept secret of the century( notice - NOBODY responded ). even if there is no pitch, it is an incredible place to be. just my thoughts...

[jayrodin]

I met a one man band in Helen GA called Bob London. He mentioned Hawaii but I do not remember what his take on it was. I think he mighta been there for a long time. I dunno though. I've got his number and I'm thinking of going there myself. I'll try an let you know how it works out.

[Rex Boyd]

Even if you don't find a pitch here is a video of the kind of thing they get up to on the big island.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWDK1oIGNvU


Rex

[Rex Boyd]

Here is the website of the people who put on the Hawaiian Vaudeville convention. I don't know if they are doing a convention this year or not but maybe get in touch with them anyway.

Bellyacres

http://www.hawaiispace.com/

[Rex Boyd]

Here is the website for the Juggling Festival.

http://www.hawaiianjugglingfestival.com/


Apparently they have had a two year break from the festival so maybe it is on again this year.

Rex

[nick nickolas]

nice one Rex,,,
I'm in the lava juggling video can you spot me?
Blimey that was a long time ago...
hohoho maybe I'll go next year..

[Butterfly Man]

Interesting place these islands ... I have been to Oahu on a couple of occasions and the street scene there seems to be in a constant state of flux.

I have seen some small non-circle type acts working walk-by crowds @ Waikiki but have yet to see a major player crack it for real dosh. Certainly, the people are there (American touristas and Nihojin) and there's no question the weather is excellent for evening shows but I dunno ...

Mardene and I walked the length and looked at some spots that would/could work for a big show and I even talked to a coupla cops. The police presence was significant but they didn't give a rat's ass about my questions of "legality" My impression was how strikingly similar they were to that of the LAPD (do what they want, when they want).

Remember, being white around here has major disadvantages ... both getting in and getting out.

Ari & Eli have done some team stuff over there in the past ... they'd be your best bet for real info. on Oahu.


Other than Oahu ... Well, I say Kona (over here on the Big Island) has the people and weather ... but howzcome only Bosco (who has unique status) has managed to survive there for the past 25 years? You tell me.

[Butterfly Man]

Graham will speak for himself but my sense is that until The Pavilion is built ... everything is on hold.

They are working hard every day ...

[gav]

who's this bosco chap ? sounds like a croatian name to me.

[Butterfly Man]

I talk to Graham today and I was right to tell you about the Belly Acres convention "on hold" status ... personally, I don't believe it will ever happen again. Too bad, it woulda been right down the block ... oh well ... it had a helluva run.

I also saw Elron (AKA Eli AKA Flyin' Hawaiian) do his show down at the SeaView annual uh, Smokedopeanddrinkfest. The time he spent last year pounding the streets of Germany et al have paid off ... I am very proud of him and plan on inviting him over tomorrow to smoke some of his weed.

Aloha to all

P.S. Bosco is a hoele dude who smokes more herb than Cheech and Chong ... he is the sweetest kindest one man band I ever talked to for more than 30 seconds.

[Lex Brodie]

This thread is OLD but I gotta weigh in.

I grew up on Oahu. Not an easy place to live if you are "Haole" (white). A LOT of jobs are closed to you. You have to be smart, and creative, as Butterfly Man no doubt knows. My latest fresh info is from 03 but I think it's too good and solid not to share.

The cost of living is CHEAP and you don't have to live in a beach park in a tent to live cheap. You can get a room near the university for $230-$300 a month, as long as you don't need parking space for a car. And you don't. The bus will take you most anywhere and you can really cover ground on a bicycle. Petty theft of mopeds, bikes, etc is high so ..... consider that bike you purchased to be something you have custodianship of for a while, but sooner or later it may fly .... and just buy another. The people who steal it may or may not need it bad but it will end up used by someone who needs it more than you do. Relax!

Getting back to cost of living, food especially local type food is cheap, and plentiful. Rents are cheap, I had a studio (really since it had a divider a one-bedroom) apt with walk-in closet, balcony, nice kitchen, in Waikiki just one block off of Kalakaua (the main drag) for $600 a month. You can get smaller ones for $400 a month. I quote prices from 2003 but with the recession, I'm sure the prices are the same or a "tinch" lower.

Kalakaua is "the" main drag, and there's money to be made from when the sun is low and its rays weak, to well, 2AM or so I guess. The "vibe" changes after 10PM from family oriented to a bit more sinister, so it's up to you to stay with it or not. In '03 I saw some caricaturists (proving the tastes in Hawaii are basically Midwestern in nature) musicians, breakers, Tarot card readers, and "walking panhandlers" and panhandlers in general. All make money unless they are really terrible. Music is understood to be 1st Amendment protected, as for the rest, well, some of these guys are in and out of jail all the time, some others just play it real low and avoid that.

There are a LOT of other places one could perform, North Shore, other places ..... just gotta not rub people wrong.

The whole economy IS dependent on tourism though, the local people tend to be hard-working, sharp, and disciplined both in work and in finances. The tourists are your savior, since they came there expressly to spend money.

The winter tourists tend to stay longer and have deeper pockets.

Oh, there are a million craft and quilt fairs there too, really, a person with a decent act and some "hustle" can live fine there.

I think Oahu can be a great place to "winter" and also, a possible stepping-stone to performing in Japan, since you can see what Japanese tourists like, are in a good environment to learn Japanese, and can probably make some contacts.

[jeep caillouet]

I played in Waikiki beach for about a month several years ago. There was also a ukalale band playing there as well. we never got hasseled.

[Lex Brodie]

I played in Waikiki beach for about a month several years ago. There was also a ukalale band playing there as well. we never got hasseled.

Luckily, musicians don't get hassled unless they're really loud or obnoxious or something. Some acts, like caricature drawing or people tipping/paying to have their pictures taken with parrots on their shoulders, etc are kind of in a grey area because a physical object (drawing or Polaroid etc) change hands. Masseurs tend to get hassled on the basis of hygiene, I believe, they get hassled too. For some reason, the large groups of Pacific Islanders selling little fish woven out of a coconut leaf, or blinking LED pins, don't get hassled but they're smart in two ways: They invade Kalakaua in large groups, and they tend to keep moving through the crowd, petitioning people "on the walk" if not "on the run" instead of sticking with a fixed location as in sitting with a blanket-load of stuff in front of them, in a fixed location. The dynamics of street performing and street hustling in general, are complex and fascinating!

If I get good enough to really "kill 'em" on trumpet, I would actually really consider wintering back there. Or at least someplace warmer like San Diego.

I just had to add what I knew because I feel it's an under-appreciated State for performing, although since I am so new to the whole thing, it may in fact be a high cost/low hat venue.

Anyone can ask me any questions about the place though, and I'll answer!