Evelyn Hornbeck, Arts Contributor
The busking rules at the new Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market are “arbitrary” and designed to discourage musicians, according to one Halifax band.
On Oct. 23, Krasnogorsk arrived at the Saturday market to play their music. After two songs, they were asked to leave and informed that the new market has a two-person cap on busking groups.
“It was annoying,” says Jacques Mindreau, who plays violin and sings in the band. “I don’t understand why there’s a problem in the first place.”
Krasnogorsk, consisting of Mindreau and Corey Hinchey on bass ukulele, has been playing music in Halifax for two years. They formed at the old farmer’s market at the Alexander Keith’s Brewery. They added a third member, Devin Ryan on upright bass, last July. The three play regularly at local bars, recently toured Canada and retain a loyal following of fans in the city, often playing with another popular Haligonian band, Gypsophilia.
Hinchey and Mindreau say that the number restriction is arbitrary, since musical trios are common. They believe the cap was implemented to discourage musicians.
“Musicians don’t have the best reputation with the market management,” says Hinchey. “You restrict a lot of bands that way.”
The two admit they were breaking other rules that Saturday. Buskers must contact the market to book a time to busk and stand in a designated location. The limit on group size, however, surprised them.
They want to return to the market for its atmosphere.
“We love the market,” says Hinchey. “We knew we’d get in trouble but we didn’t care because we wanted to play music… and we think the rules should be adjusted.”
While buskers were featured as a prominent element of the old market at the Brewery, it seems things have changed at the Seaport Market. Where the old market had six locations for buskers, the new market has only three.
Some shoppers have noticed a difference.
“There wasn’t as much space in the old market,” says Terry McCarvill, who has shopped at both the old and new locations. “Here they have 10 times as much space, you’d think they could, I don’t know… I find you see them less here. You just rush by them.”
“At the new market, it’s harder to hear them, because their sound goes out into open space, instead of in the little hallways,” says Nathaniel Harper, a student who comes weekly to buy all his groceries, adding, “I wouldn’t mind if there were more.”
The old market put a two-person cap on busking in place two years ago due to fire code. There is no such restriction at the new market, according to Ewen Wallace, the market organizer who removed the band. Wallace, whose job title is “fluid,” is in charge of keeping business moving and patrons happy at the new market.
“When it came to busking at the Halifax farmer’s market in our old location, it was very relaxed and friendly,” says Wallace. “In the past couple of years, fistfights have actually broken out between buskers, fighting over spots at the market. So the previous operations manager put some rules in place about scheduling.”
Wallace says the limit at the Seaport Market has to do with volume.
“Three buskers is too loud for people to hear at the tables, because everyone’s in close proximity,” he says.
The vendors across from where Krasnogorsk set up agree. Doug Brown, who works at the Pasture Hill Farms booth, said staff were not able to hear their customers, and patrons stopping to listen caused a jam in foot traffic.
For Wallace, vendors are the top priority.
“The buskers do not pay for their spots. It’s gratis. Every other vendor pays money to do business.”
Wallace isn’t ready to make allowances for any group, like Krasnogorsk, who want more flexible rules.
“If you get into all that other subjective categories, then I’d be spending all my time managing buskers rather than managing the market. It has to be simplified somehow,” he says.
Wallace says he has trouble working with Krasnogorsk because they don’t play by the rules.
“(With that trio), they didn’t know I’d been around the market for nine years and I’ve seen them breaking the rules before,” says Wallace. “(Mindreau), he already knows the rules. He has his own way of trying to sneak in and get what he wants.”
Buskers who are able to snag one of the spots say they enjoy working with the Seaport Market. Leah Collins-Lipsett busks with a friend every Saturday. She says working with Wallace has been very positive.
“He stops by as he goes around on his rounds,” she says. “And they know our names … he’s like ‘oh yeah, the ukulele girls!’”
Wallace says that a summer lunchtime concert series, which may accommodate larger groups, is in the works.
“We’re looking at the logistics of it,” Wallace says. “But we have so many things to do right now … unfortunately the people who don’t pay to be here are not as big a priority.”
For their part, Mindreau and Hinchey would like the market to work more to accommodate the musicians.
“If anything I think music and culture and arts adds to the vibrancy of the culture and the market would benefit from more,” said Mindreau. “If there’s more music and people feel better, they’re going to shop more.”
“They’re making musicians feel unwelcome without even giving them a chance to play.”
Recent Comments