Latest update from the Simmo's

[simmo123]

Hi folks,firstly just to wish all members a prosperous,happy & safe new year & i look forward to plenty of activity on the forum in the months to come,so saying this i will kick in with Ole Simmo's usual ramblings,OK, Mrs Simmo & myself had all the family down for Christmas day & a good time was had by all,weather was its usual pattern with a pretty hot day so we played safe & geared up to have an inside lunch etc with all the usual trimmings,the house was alive with the seven grandkids with ages ranging from 18 months up to 20 years,plus all our kids (4) + partners etc as well as a few blow-ins during the day,by the time everyone had left we had a pretty relaxing evening,followed by a couple of days with the two of us just kicking back & enjoying the peace.I have finished all of my Xmas gigs & have a couple of weeks before getting back into them so i decided to have a go at something i have been thinking about for quite a while & that is to try my hand at busking, ( can you believe that this "old Fart"would try this at coming up to 72 year this year) our eldest son has been doing a bit of this in recent times up in Perth city with fairly good results,he was able to work it in with he's work schedule where he gets a bit of time off during the day,he like myself is just a strummer with vocals but of course the type of stuff he does is worlds away from Ole Simmo's renderings,anyway for the past few months i have been setting myself up (secretly from the War Office )with a busking kit which needs to be a bit smaller & more mobile than my oldies setup but will still have the ability to play my backing mp3s & also give me the ability to amplify my acoustic guitar & vocals.Right!! i already own a Bose Docking station with an ipod on which i have now downloaded from the Itunes programme my son put on the computer for me, all of my backing tracks which i am currently using at my gigs,the volume of the Bose unit is ample for busking so i have just my guitar & vocal to worry about for amplification,as it happens just by sheer coincidence several months ago i bought a battery/mains Roland AC33 acoustic amp (which i explained at the time to "MY Dearest" was needed for my present gigs ) anyway the result is i now have a perfect mobile setup which all fits into a suitcase.OK so after some devious planning the Old fella is all set to go forth & Busk...first where.. then do i need a licence..& lastly will i have the nerve to probably make a complete fool out of myself..with all of this stuff going through my mind i decided to bite the bullet so this week i ventured down with my new setup to a small coastal town called Mandurah (look it up on Google) which is only 30 mins South from our home in Baldivis,on arriving i located the office which issues the busking licences,(which were for a year & also free)a half an hour later i am sussing out the mall ( Smart St Mall) which is one of the allowed busking locations,i can hear some music coming from down the mall & i spot a Busker in action so i opt to set up the other end ( i can tell you this was a bit different than standing in front of a friendly audience in an oldies home) i have never been so nervous,my hands were trembling,after setting up i got into the stuff i am familiar with, the other good thing was that the mall had big verandahs which was a bonus as the temp was around 40c (107f).after a couple of songs i heard the sound of coins going into my open Guitar soft case & i noticed folks listening from a distance & before long the sound of the coins increased,i was very happy with the quality of my sound,my only problem was having to use the remote on the ipod to keep things running smoothly but this improved as i went along.I played for about an hour & a half before having to get home in time for expected visitors.On arriving home Patricia was keen to see how much "WE" had made & a quick sort through the assortment of coins etc resulted in a grand total of $AU49.20 + a Singapore 20c ,two days later i ventured back again to the Mall with added confidence & in the same time of performing came home with $AU88.00 & an interest expressed from the shop owners committee to be discussed at the next meeting as to offer me a paid position on a part-time basis to be a permanent Part-time busker in the Mall.I must admit just to stand there & entertain really put me on a high (i will have to up the tablets) the other thing which was exciting to me was to have some very attractive young tourist put her arm around me to have a pic taken ( i will definitely have to increase the tablets) ;D.Well folks i hope you didn't mind Ole Simmo rambling on & sharing he's experiences with the forum,i do get a bit carried away sometimes..Latest weather for our area tomorrow Sunday 2nd Jan... 40c...Best wishes to all.... From...Both the Simmo's..Terry & Patricia

[Tubbs]

Well you certainly had a busy Christmas and New Year Terry!!

Fair play to you for getting up and having a go at the busking..a great story mate and i hope it all works out brilliant for you...which im sure it will..

Gerry...

[rainbow]

Hey Happy New Year Terry & Patricia!! You certainly have got some get up and go ... good on yer mate!! Great story ... keep on busking and rambling too. ;D ;D

Best regards ... Graham:)

[geraint]

Happy New Year Terry, and good for you mate, keep on busking pal.

[weegeo]

Good on you old friend `busking` is something i would never have been able to do so you have my absolute respect. I watch and support the buskers here in Belfast and some of the guys are really excellent musicians who should really be gigging with bands. To stand and play to an entirely unknown audience requires get up and go[was gonna say b¬lls]lol i hope that you continue to have success with it and the coins keep rolling in please pass our regards to your good lady wife

weegeo

[cptkay0s]

Well done Terry, a great read and congrats on the busking
Helen's still perusing the list - she's been rehearsing like mad and hasn't sat still long enough to check out your stuff yet, but I keep reminding her, we'll see what happens.

Warren

[simmo123]

Many thanks for welcome comments on my busking experience,Weegeo,Pat,Gerry,Graham,Warren & Geraint,i am totally hooked on it now although still a bit nervous each time i go,i will let you all know of any amusing happenings plus also any disasters as well...Simmo

[rogerb]

Brilliant! I really enjoyed reading about your new venture Simmo. I hope you have to buy a bigger guitar case in 2011.

[doricvision]

your energy and bravery has to be admired Terry
That story was fascinating reading
Maybe you should keep a diary of your busking days and publish them
I for one would buy the first copy
Bigmike

[simmo123]

Thanks for your kind words Re, Busking Big Mike,i'm not to sure about the bravery bit, i think possibly "losing it"may be a better description given my age!!! i was due to have another little session yesterday morning but our weather has been a little unsettled & extremely humid following several 40c days of really scorching heat but in the end i decided to give it another go, that was until i had a call from a local council run group asking if i could fill in & entertain a group of elderly folks who are having it pretty tough also joining them were another group of handicapped children/adults,i opted for the air conditioned gig plus it was more important to me.We all had a good time even though i had lots of help from some of the folks when they decided to flip over the pages of my song book as well as help me with the pa settings while i was in the middle of a song,but it was all good,the other thing was the weather turned out to be extremely wet with some tropical storms so not the perfect weather for busking...but we do need the rain badly as the dams are only 32% full.I have a free day today so a bit of assist with the shopping etc to keep sweet with the good lady,i have another nursing home gig tomorrow its one of my regular jobs,next week is very busy,ranging from the age care venues plus i have been asked to play for 2 hours at the opening of a new cafe in the local councils senior citizens centre which should be interesting.Changing the subject for a moment i was wondering if it is normal that whenever i play at a real oldies gig when i go to unload my gear i am sometimes finding that amongst my equipment is a suitcase with all of my clothes packed neatly inside... is there a message to be had by this strange occurance ;D,,,Ole Simmo....just wondering..
Best wishes to all....Simmo + Mrs Simmo as well

[simmo123]

Hi again folks just to give you all the Simmo's follow up info on busking,local news etc,OK...the ole fella has been doing a few more sessions in the Mall where i ventured to kick of my new career as most probably the oldest busker in town...all is good....great feedback & a bit more in the kitty or as Patricia informs me..."OUR" holiday fund , naturally our weather is on side with me what with us being in summer & we have had a couple of below 30c days which is a bit more comfortable,Saturday mornings in the mall is fairly busy what with a small market type feel about it,several stalls a big fruit & veggie farmer type set up where all the local produce is available so all in all a bit more people traffic through.I decided to setup opposite this marque with my back against the wall of the local chemist where i wouldn't be obstructing the folks passing by & the good thing is because this veggie outlet is really busy the folks have to stand in line to get to the tills which means Ole Simmo can belt out at least a couple of numbers before they get served & they have no choice as to whether listen to the music...it is compulsory by which time they can decide if this silly old bugger is worth a couple of coins in the prominent guitar case stuck in front of them as they pass by,it seems to be working ok as what i can gather from the feedback from the other stall holders it makes the folks hang around a bit longer which can only be a plus for them.I have learnt to be very very quick off the mark when dealing with the "smart alecs" usually trying to act up in front of there mates,eg...one comment i had chucked at me from a no-hoper who was with a bunch of mates he shouted out to me can you play "in the Woolies carpark next door,so quick as a flash i shouted back to him,"no worries mate,i would but i'm not to sure of the words"but anyway its all a bit of fun.Next episode for Simmo's busking experiences was the following week ( this week) i decided because i have only one "oldies gig on which is this friday (21st ) i suggested to the "War Office" that i might try a different area to test the publics reaction,it also is about 40 mins drive from Baldivis but in the opposite direction from my regular spot,it is a small hills suburb of Perth called Armadale where our eldest son had been quite successful at busking in the past prior to him getting a real job.I contacted the local shire for all the busking info,rules etc & found out that they issued a licince on a daily basis,in other words it only covered the particular day that was requested by you,it cost a princely sum of $2.20 per day.Right.....with my sweetnesses approval ;D i set off around 8.00am on yesterday 18th Jan,got my busking permit & hit the local Jull St Mall area all fired up to go,not a busker in sight,come to think about it not to many people around at all...not a good sign.. ,9.00am & this silly ole sod is looking for a place to setup...i decided on a shady spot between 2 banks & opposite a Dome Cafe/coffee house with outdoor tables etc.Dome have a big franchise in Aussie.Next get setup the gear watched by several inquisitive folks...this is when Ole Simmo gets really nervous .the temp is rising quickly probably around 30c already & the palms are sweating...keep going Simmo...make sure that everything is plugged in ok...get the guitar in tune....watch that shifty lookin Bast#*+ thats eying up your float which you have just put in your guitar case just to let people know that you must be good enough for someone to have put money in....ok more drama's the bloody amp is not putting out any sounds...guitar or mic..stupid ole Simmo has plugged into the earphone socket with the guitar lead...right all sorted...the only audience i have at the moment are a couple old soaks sitting on a bench opposite me drinking warm beer out of the bottles in brown paper bags from the night before.I must comment that Armadale is a mixed population but basicly a working class population which i don't have a problem with, unlike my spot in Mandurah which is home to a lot of retirees.OK time to get the show on the road,the banks are just opening & a few more bodies around,i hit off with a couple of songs i feel comfortable with,adjust the balance of the sound at the same time & Bingo!!!! the money starts rolling in...i can't believe it the cash is coming from all sides & all sorts of people..great comments on the sound etc,i played pretty well nonstop for two & half hours,i dont have enough songs at this stage to go without repeating them,my only short break other than stopping to chat with the folks between numbers was to ask a couple watching to keep an eye on my gear because i had left my wide brimmed Aussie bush hat in my car which was parked down the road...the bottom line was that after having a hectic session of full on busking i headed for home.On my arrival home back at Baldivis my "little angel" met me at the door"& enquired to how i had fared ( another way of saying "show me the money") only joking folks ;D she's a little darlin" we both sat on the floor of the music room & we were like a couple of big kids sorting through our goodies.One thing i forgot to mention was that a young woman with a small family came up to me while i was in the middle of a song & actually tucked a $50.00 note under my song book,i couldn't believe that anyone could be so generous,i almost stopped midway through the song because i was so taken aback.OK the result of my 1st gig at a new venue resulted in $178.80 which literally blew us oldies away,( i have been informed that this is officially "our holiday fund" the other twist came today when Patricia sweetly said to me,what if we change our shopping day to Thursday afternoon instead of our normal routine of doing it on Thursday morning,AND!!!!!! if you like you can go busking up at Armadale again ...Well thats all the latest from the Simmo Household so hold your breath for the next installment.
Once again folks i hope i haven't rambled on to long.
All the best to all my forum Friends...Simmo

[doricvision]

read and enjoyed every single word again Simmo
I hope you are keeping copies of your posts
Bigmike

[Jacqui]

Hi Simmo
What a great story, maybe you should be writing books, keep em coming.

Jacqui

[simmo123]

many thanks for comments Big Mike,i never thought about keeping a copy but i have now got copies,great suggestion mate,its nearly 7.00am just getting ready for another session today,weather hot as usual...Simmo

[JohnG]

That's great news Terry, well done.

It just shows, it's never too late to start a career in music.
And not just writing it all up, we want some pictures of
a) Terry busking
and
b) the rig he uses.

I wouldn't publish your takings on the Internet though, you never know who's watching ... like the dreaded Aussie taxman! Hope you're putting some of it away to keep him happy? If they're anything like the ones I'm familiar with, they're a greedy lot! He wants a holiday fund too, and he's bound to want to go to somewhere exotic!

Amazing generosity of the big donator! She must have felt sorry for this old geezer, forced to make ends meet by going busking. Little did she know that he lives in a small palace!

Good on yer mate!
All the best, to Patricia too, from the two of us.
Susanne thanks you for your call and best wishes from the other day.
JohnG.