Berkeley and Powell Street BART stations

Lisa, Kate and Maya at the Powell Street BART station.

The last few weeks, we have been taking our show to the public. On the evening of the 11th, we went to the Berkeley BART station and played until we were too tired/hungry to continue. We learned that we should start playing our high-energy songs right when a BART train pulls into the station and brings us a large crowd. We got the best audience reaction from "Siki, Siki Baba."

Tonight (Halloween night!), we played at the Powell Street station. At first, we played outside, where we were up against a "Thriller" dance number, the police and a fight between two homeless people. Then, we moved it indoors to the corridor between the two ticket machine areas (there were other musicians at the prime locations). We ran through our set list a couple times, and played a few songs we hadn't played for a long time, including "Jambalaya" and "The Sound of Silence." A fellow busking group stopped by and listened to "Scenic World" and "Pompeii," calling the former a "refreshing" song and the latter "a blend of pop, rock and even a little bit of soul."

Live Oak Park

On Sunday, it was Kate, Lisa, Steven, Ciana, Russ and Devin. We played our set. Somebody gave us chips and cookies. And we had a little debate about whether to invoke "Twist and Shout" at the end of the "Dead Parents" bridge.

Dolores Park

We played at Dolores Park on Sunday to celebrate Maya's birthday. Russ, Ciana, Steven, Lisa and Maya were there. In addition to our regular set, we worked on "Night Life," "Parish," and a cover of "Eleanor Rigby."

How to mic our band

Here's something to consider about regarding our live sound: using a single condenser mic for vocals and multiple instruments. The linked article says,

This “old fashioned” technique has made a comeback; for example, many bluegrass and folk bands utilize the one-mic method with surprisingly good result, typically using a large diaphragm cardioid condenser . . .

One obvious advantage of the single-mic technique is that the stage looks cleaner. Gone is the forest of mic stands, booms and cables.

Instead, you have a low-tech, old-fashioned look that fits in well with the music. Setup is much quicker as well: just place the mic, plug it in, adjust position, and you’re done.

So I'm thinking it might be worth getting this vintage-looking condenser mic. I'm guessing we should have two of these shared mics during our performances; three of us can huddle around one mic. I already have one condenser mic and a dynamic mic (less sensitive) that we can use, too. If we figure out a setup, then we can go confidently into any venue and just plug in and play, just making sure that the speakers are placed in front of us, so we don't feed back.

Bird Noises

BP/P is now on twitter. We'll use it to keep you informed about when, where and how awesome our practice/parties are. That way you can come and listen!

Find us at: @swarthynoise

http://twitter.com/swarthynoise