Back in the spring, when I was looking at busking opportunities in Saskatoon for the summer, the most obvious event I thought of was the annual Fringe Festival. But I was uncertain whether or not this would be a good one for me this early in the game. They must have so many performers, would they really be interested in me? What if I pay the application fee and don't get in? And can I really handle that many performances?
It takes a lot for me to quiet my brain enough to do anything in life let alone to put myself out there as a solo musician but I managed to stop the chatter long enough to apply anyway and I'm glad I did.
This year's Saskatoon Fringe was held from August 1st to the 10th. I had a total of eleven 45 minutes sets with the bulk of them occurring between Friday, August 3rd to Monday the 5th when the outdoor part of the festival spilled out on to Broadway Avenue for Broadway Days. I was pretty scared when I saw my schedule. As someone living with multiple chronic health conditions, I really didn't know how I'd survive such a grueling schedule. Due to some family issues, I knew I couldn't rely on anyone for rides and/or assistance with gear. Thankfully, I was able to grab a residential parking pass from a musical friend with property within a couple of blocks of the festival. This helped ease my anxiety - and the toll on my body - a lot!
Another thing that sent my sanity on holiday was the issue of gear. At the Downtown Sidewalk Sale, one of my students came to listen for a bit. She said she was having trouble hearing me. After all, the ukulele isn't exactly a loud instrument! So, I hopped onto Amazon and found a multi channel, battery powered amplifier. I already had a microphone, cord, and stand from the early days of running ukulele jams Zoom. My blue Fender Jazzmaster ukulele has a pickup built in and I had and cable for that uke. The problem was my low G Kala tenor which has such a beautiful, deep tone for jazz and blues, has no pickup. Years ago, I bought a transducer for it - a sort of external pickup that's stuck to the outside body of the instrument - but I didn't know if it would work too well and couldn't find the stickers to attach it to my uke so I had to MacGyver a solution. For gigs with the Toon Town Big Band, we always had knowledgeable people to set up the mics and other gear. Now, it was all on me and I was panicking.
My first set was a bit of a mess. Yes, I was nervous but being planted right next to the park gate was a bit awkward. As the festival went on, many of us performers chose to set up on the other side of the street to make it easier for people coming out of the park to see us…and have to look us in the eye! I chose to go unmic'ed for this set but was later told by the family of the performer following me that yes, I really should bring that amp! So, that's what I did the next day. It started as a bit of a debacle but fortune smiled on me and a guy came running out from the park and asked if I needed help. After a bit of fussing and fiddling, we got it all set up. Sure enough, he is an actual sound tech but I didn't get his name so, to whomever you were, thank you so very much!
Little by little, I got more and more comfortable with everything. Looking at people while playing is something I will probably always struggle with but it was still great to talk with people before, after, and during sets. I met a lot of cool performers, artisans, and festival staff. I also got some great compliments from people. According to one staff member, I was a favorite of one of the folks who lived on 11th Street. I can't say that I struck it rich busking at the Fringe but quite a few people took business cards or scanned in my QR code for lessons so hopefully, I got a few people hooked on the ukulele enough to call for lessons! All in all, it was a great experience for me and I had a lot of fun despite some hiccups. I'm hoping that I will still be strong enough to play again at next years Saskatoon Fringe Festival!
In addition to music, I'm also a photographer. I took my DSLR with me on a couple of days to practice a little street photography. If you're interested in seeing more photos from this years Fringe, head to https://patriciagakisimagery.com/fringe-festival-2024/