Living out of my car, I was 26 on Rivera Beach in Florida. I was already hot in more ways than one. The police had already noticed me hanging out with my guitar and knew I was meeting girls and getting laid. Once, a cop came up on us knowing something was going on but found no evidence. It was inside my closed guitar case. Then, a jamming buddy made a sign and we crossed the street to an alcove between 2 restaurants. The sign read "Donations gladly accepted for munchies and strings". We made $12 and took off for much greener pastures down in the French Quarter.

(SAN DIEGO) Believe it or not, California's only busker festival will celebrate it's 14th year at Seaport Village in San Diego. This year features 24 eye-catching acts including knife throwing, sword swallowing, pogo stick tricks and juggling on unicycles."Happening Saturday, March 7th and Sunday, March 8th, the Busker Festival at Seaport Village celebrates the fascinating and unique talents of street performers who come from across the world to entertain us here in San Diego."

As an added attraction, this year introduces Busker University. Learn tips and tricks of busking from the professionals.

If you happen to be in southern California, be sure to check it out. This may be your only chance to experience these bloody buskers. As usual, it's free and open to the public. Be sure to bring lots of...

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(USA) It's that time of year again when a young man's thoughts turn to busking. It's all about sun, people, and shade as we take a look at some of the hottest performing venues the United States has to offer.An article in USA Today features David Michael, a former street musician and author of Busker: Tales of a Renegade Harpist. The article mentions Michael's insight into the wide world of busking. Waxing philosophical, he elaborates about the different venues some buskers take that, were it not for street-performing, the talent would go to waste. Crowd gathering is also discussed.

Some cities are obvious. New York, Boston, and San Francisco are considered the centerpieces of American culture. Yet, we find some surprising "off-the-beaten-path" pitches that, normally, one wouldn't think there...

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(WWW) An article at roland.com has what's regarded as the 12 Golden Rules of busking for the UK community."When it goes badly, busking in modern Britain is no picnic and can present some pretty serious challenges from sunburn and on-the-spot fines to abuse and even arrest."

Some of the "Golden Rules" are standard fare for busking yet are often forgotten. It never hurts to review the basics and even expand on the fundamentals of successful busking.

In a nutshell, the 12 are:

#1. Sort the paperwork
#2. Choose your pitch wisely
#3. Don't hog the best spots
#4. Avoid no busk zones
#5. Don't actively ask for money
#6. Spread yourself
#7. Don't get on people's nerves
#8. Trade your wares
#9. Pack a gigbag
#10. Loosen their wallets
#11. Grin and bear it
#12. Use it as an apprenticeship

For deeper insight...

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(KEY WEST) It's been brewing since last year when regulations for street-performing were brought up in City Hall. Now, a tourist was recently bitten on the face by a performer's lemur which has triggered a new law requiring entertainers to have a minimum of $300,000 of liability insurance.

The law was designed to bring street entertainers in line with other groups, such as taxis, pedicabs and street food vendors, all of whom are required to have similar liability policies.

Restrictions where you can perform were placed on Duval Street but not past Petronia. The first two blocks of Whitehead and other "pitch" restrictions also go into effect. The yearly permit was raised from $100 to $150 and if there's is a festival going on, no performing is allowed. Performer's insurance is available on the...

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