Street playing in Oslo

On the evening of May 26th 2014, I decided - let's go play on the street. I already had all the equipment, having bought the battery-charged amp in February and microphone stand a few weeks before. I called Tom with whom we were jamming from time to time those days and we headed off to the square by the City Hall which I selected some time before while wandering the streets of Oslo.

To this day I don't know the name of the square. It's possible it does not even have one as Google maps do not display any. Therefore, I was just calling it "playing by Aker Brygge", since Aker Brygge is the posh promenade by the sea that basically starts there.

We did a couple of outings before that - one at the top of Opera house with Tom and Andrea, whose beautiful voice on More than words earned us the first street playing euro :) . On another evening, when both Queens Pub and Dirty Cow cancelled their open mics, me, Moni, Chris and Maria sat down on Karl Johan's Gate and did Rolling in the deep and Summer nights. After all, summer was approaching, finally...

First earned euro - on top of Opera House, with Andrea and Tom.

But back to 26th of May. Tom and I were switching my electric and electro-acoustic and instead of jamming at home, we did it outside. We did not spend there much time, neither we earned much money, but one thought stuck with me - it was amazing fun. When do we go again?!

A day or two later, we were back, with the new trump up our sleeves.. eer, I mean, with Mada :-P . Mada is a Romanian girl who noticed as the first one a set of yellow rubber gloves and a big knife by the sink in my former room, which says something about her detective abilities! Also, she sings beautifully (and btw, I did not kill anyone). We'd been practicing together since early 2014, successfully forming the band "Brainlive" which had plenty of gigs (2) in front of sold-out stadiums (up to 40 people).

End of an amazing afternoon with Tom and Mada. Think this was a minor gipsy swing jam

Another sunny afternoon with Tom and Mada, in front of the City Hall. (Fast car & Tom instrumental)

I see fire! The song by Ed Sheeran was one of our favorites and clearly also one of the favorites of the people on the street. On a beautiful sunny afternoon, we played and sang for several hours, jammed again with Tom (as about 20 Norwegians danced to our minor-gipsy swing) and I played the first shy versions of Brothers in arms or Local hero.

Soon enough, I was asking myself - what to do with the money. I would hate turning the street-playing into some money making business which (as is the case with many other money making businesses) might quickly obstruct the main purpose.. I wanted to pay back some of the equipment I invested... But first and foremost we had fun! The money was just a sign we've made someone's day more pleasant. Or perhaps someone just wanted to get rid of some heavy change. Anyway, I decided to keep half of the money aside and then.. Perhaps donate? Hmm, we'll see...

Couple of weeks later I started to play with Monika - another girl with amazing voice who I met at Oslo Jam Session meetings. We quickly made a playlist of covers and I still get the goosebumps when I recall Monika's voice on songs like Hallelujah or I can't make you love me (but we sure can make you love us!) which we eventually performed in Nordic black theatre and, of course, on the street during what was (probably) the sunniest day in Oslo this summer.

Definitely one of the sunniest days in Oslo :-)

Soon Mada and Moni left, there was no more singers around and I realized - ok Fero, it's time for you to do what you always wanted to do since you came to Oslo. So I gathered the backing tracks, memorized the lyrics and told myself one important thing - "who cares what others think about you - what matters is what you think!". And that was it - on 29th of June I moved my practicing outside and went to have fun :-)

The setlist varied and I kept extending it, but I think the very first time it was something like this:
Darling Pretty - Mark Knopfler
What it is - Mark Knopfler
Golden heart - Mark Knopfler, acoustic version (but my own lyrics!)
Heart full of holes - Mark Knopfler, acoustic version
Local hero - Mark Knopfler
Tunnel of love outro - Dire Straits
Sultans of swing - Dire Straits
Brothers in arms - Dire Straits

After a few street plays (during which I extended the playlist for Telegraph road (DS), Layla (Eric Clapton), Get Lucky (MK), Devil Baby (MK) and Vices (my own song)) I spent most of the July on vacation. I resumed the street playing in August, when Marco came to visit.

A little girl appreciates our playing with Marco by Aker Brygge

Marco is a friend from Germany, whom we used to jam with in fall of 2013. Being a great guitarist and fan of Mark Knopfler himself, we spent most of the his week's visit playing - both on and off the street. One thing I have to mention is that after I told Marco about the plan to donate the money, he did not hesitate and gave up all we've earned. Thanks Marco :-)

After Speedway at Nazareth, this gentleman shows me his ticket for the concert of Mark Knopfler in Oslo next year (where me, Roman and Ondro go as well!)

You see, playing on the street is not only about playing - it's a way to get to know the city and all sorts of people who often stop by, give you a thumb up, have a little talk or just quitely listen. Some of them would like to say a few words in the microphone. Two Kurdish guys stopped and started to sing some of their local songs. One man showed me his ticket for the concert of Mark Knopfler he'd just bought. Another gave me a bomboniere without saying anything. A Polish lady offered me her burger from MacDonnalds. And sometimes another musician would stop by, and perhaps play or sing something.. Like Karoline did on 27th of September.

Playing on Karl Johan's Gate, near National theatre

I've met her already before while playing on Karl Johan's Gate - this time she was passing by with her friends on another beautiful early fall afternoon. She asked to play a song or two - say why not? After a few minutes, there was a circle of about 20 people watching and listening, and no wonder about that! Karoline really has an incredible voice which she combines with beautiful phrasing on (her own!) melodic songs. Similarly like Marco, she did not hesitate to give up what she earned for a good cause, which, by now, was already determined.

Karoline playing some of her songs. (part 1, part 2)

As I was becoming addicted to the street playing, I started to enjoy it more then ever before. At times I would get involved in the final solos of Telegraph road or Brothers in arms to the point of no longer paying attention to the surroundings. And for me, that's when the playing gets to the best level - just pure concentration on the music, hitting THE right notes that would send a shiver of goosebumps down my back. And people know it - their sixth sense connects to the musician in these situations and this is when they appreciate the music the most.

Pure acoustic street playing by Aker Brygge

Guitar for SOS village in Bergen

My original goal was to raise 1000 kroner (around 120 eur) but since this was already achieved after Marco's visit in August, I decided to continue. The warm summer days were, after all, far from gone. And as I went on playing in the amazing month of September almost every second day (and now actually earning far more then at my real job), an idea came into my head - why not buy a guitar for someone that needs it? I'm having fun playing and earning for it, let someone else have the fun as well!

At the office of Oslo's SOS Barnebyer

I wrote to a few organizations and orphanages if they would find use of a guitar and eventually the SOS Children's Village in Bergen responded - they would love it! They use music as a means of therapy there, and their old electric guitar had just been badly damaged. With a new motivation, I played, till the very last warm day - 5th of October - and made it :-)

The beautiful red Gretsch electric guitar was in a discount and after trying it out, I knew it's the right one. We did the hand-over in Oslo's SOS Barnebyer office on 8th of October and a few weeks later, the guitar was delivered to Bergen. Mission accomplished? I certainly think so. And if there is one thing I took from this it's this one: Do what you love, try to help others, and you'll help yourself more then you would ever imagine.

Overal, I was on the street 24 times. Apart from the donated guitar, I paid back my amplifier, microphone stand and gave some money to Justin, who's doing amazing job helping out guitarists accross the world getting better. Eventually the setlist was extended to this:
Darling Pretty - Mark Knopfler
What it is - Mark Knopfler
Devil baby - Mark Knopfler
Golden heart - Mark Knopfler, acoustic version (but my own lyrics!)
Are we in trouble now - Mark Knopfler
Where do you think you're going - Dire Straits
Heart full of holes - Mark Knopfler, acoustic version
Six blade knife - Dire Straits, acoustic version
Get lucky - Mark Knopfler
Local hero - Mark Knopfler
Vices - My own song
Money for nothing - Dire Straits
Layla - Eric Clapton
Tunnel of love outro - Dire Straits
Sultans of swing - Dire Straits
Telegraph road - Dire Straits
Speedway at Nazareth - Mark Knopfler
Brothers in arms - Dire Straits
Going home - Dire Straits

I still don't have enough. And I'm not finished - summer 2015, starting with a visit to Oslo and a concert of REAL Mark Knopfler, I'll be street-playing again, perhaps finally doing more of my own songs. In any case, see you back on the street ;-)

PS: Thanks again to Tom, Mada, Monika, Marco, Karoline and Oslo Jam Session people - you've all made my stay in Oslo amazing fun, not only musically.