Street performance or busking is the practice of performing in public places, for gratuities, which are generally in the form of money and edibles. People engaging in this practice are called street performers, buskers, street musicians, minstrels, or troubadours.

Street performance dates back to antiquity, and occurs all over the world.

Performances can be just about anything that people find entertaining. Performers may do acrobatics, animal tricks, balloon twisting, card tricks, caricatures, clowning, comedy, contortions and escapes, dance, singing, fire eating, fire breathing, fortune-telling, juggling, magic, mime and a mime variation where the artist performs as a living statue, musical performance, puppeteering, snake charming, storytelling or recite poetry or prose as a bard, street art (sketching and painting, etc.), street theatre, sword swallowing, and even putting on a flea circus.

History

There have been performances in public places for gratuities in every major culture in the world, dating back to antiquity. This art form was the most common means of employment for entertainers before the advent of recording and personal electronics. Prior to that, a person had to produce any music or entertainment, save for a few mechanical devices such as the barrel organ, the music box, and the piano roll. Organ grinders were commonly found busking in the old days.

The term "busking" was first noted in the English language around the middle 1860s in Great Britain. Up until the 20th century buskers were commonly called minstrels in America, Europe and other English-speaking lands.

The word "busk" comes from the Spanish root word "buscar", meaning "to seek" – buskers are literally seeking fame and fortune. The Spanish word "buscar" in turn evolved from the Indo-European word *"bhudh-skō" (to win, conquer) via the Celtic word "boudi-" (victory).

Busking is common among some Gypsies, also known as the Romani people. Romantic mention of Gypsy music, dancers and fortune tellers are found in all forms of song poetry, prose and lore. The Roma brought the word busking to England by way of their travels along the Mediterranean coast to Spain and the Atlantic ocean and then up north to England and the rest of Europe.

In medieval France buskers were known by the terms troubadours and ''jongleurs''. In northern France they were known as trouveres. In old German buskers were known as Minnesingers and ''Spielleute''. In obsolete French it evolved to ''busquer'' for "seek, prowl" and was generally used to describe prostitutes. In Italian it evolved to ''buscare'' which meant "procure, gain" and in Italy buskers are called ''buscarsi'' or, more simply, Buskers (see loan word). In Russia buskers are called skomorokh and their first recorded history appears around the 11th century.

Mariachis are Mexican street bands that play a specific style of music by the same name. Mariachis frequently wear ornate costumes with intricate embroidery and beaded designs, large brimmed sombreros and the short charro jackets. Mariachi groups busk when they perform while traveling through streets and plazas, as well as in restaurants and bars.

Around the middle 19th century Japanese ''Chindonya'' started to be seen using their skills for advertising, and these street performers are still occasionally seen in Japan.

In the US, medicine shows proliferated in the 19th century. They were traveling vendors selling elixirs and potions to improve the health. They would often employ entertainment acts as a way of making the clients feel better. The people would often associate this feeling of well-being with the products sold. After these performances they would "pass the hat".

One man bands are buskers who perform a variety of instruments simultaneously. One man bands proliferated in urban areas in the 19th century and early 20th century, but they continue to exist in the first decade of the 21st century. A typical first decade of the 21st century-era one man band set-up is a singer who plays acoustic guitar, while also playing a harmonica (attached to his neck with a rack) and tapping a tambourine with his or her foot. Many new one man bands are using karaoke recordings on CD or sequenced MIDI recordings for backup.

Folk music has always been an important part of the busking scene. Cafe, restaurant, bar and pub busking is a mainstay of this art form. Two of the more famous folk singers are Woody Guthrie and Joan Baez. The delta bluesmen were mostly itinerant musicians emanating from the Mississippi Delta region of the USA around the early 1940s and on. B.B. King is one famous example who came from these roots.

The counterculture of the hippies of the 1960s occasionally staged "be-ins", which resembled some present-day busker festivals. Bands and performers would gather at public places and perform for free, passing the hat to make money. The San Francisco Bay Area was at the epicenter of this movement — be-ins were staged at Golden Gate Park and San Jose's Bee Stadium and other venues. Some of the bands that performed in this manner were Janis Joplin with Big Brother and the Holding Company, the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Country Joe and the Fish, Moby Grape and Jimi Hendrix.

Christmas caroling can also be a form of busking, as wassailing included singing for alms, wassail or some other form of refreshment such as figgy pudding. In Ireland the traditional Wren Boys and in England Morris Dancing can be considered part of the busking tradition.

In India and Pakistan's Gujarati region Bhavai is a form of street art where there are plays enacted in the village, the barot or the village singer also is part of the local entertainment scene.

In the first decade of the 21st century, some performers have begun "Cyber Busking". Artists post work or performances on the Internet for people to download or "stream" and if people like it they make a donation using PayPal.

Forms

There are three basic forms of street performance.

"Circle shows" are shows that tend to gather a crowd around them. They usually have a distinct beginning and end. Usually these are done in conjunction with street theater, puppeteering, magicians, comedians, acrobats, jugglers and sometimes musicians. Circle shows can be the most lucrative. Some time the crowds attracted can be huge. A good busker will control the crowd so the patrons do not obstruct foot traffic.

"Walk-by acts" are typically with the busker providing a musical or entertaining ambiance. There is no distinct beginning or end and the crowds do not particularly stop to watch. Sometimes an intended walk by act will spontaneously turn into a circle show.

"Café busking" is done mostly in restaurants, pubs, bars and cafes. Musicians can frequently be found using this venue with the performers doing a show in return for tips and gratuities offered. Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan and Joan Baez all used this venue early on in their careers. Making a living on the piano bar principle (i.e. for tips) is done in a range of genres, including jazz, rock, and even "light" Classical style. Diverse artists like Jimmy Durante and Andrea Bocelli have used this venue. Perhaps one of the most famous of these is Billy Joel, who rose to fame from working in piano bars. His hit song "Piano Man" was written about a six month stint he did in 1972 at the "Executive Room" piano bar in Los Angeles.

Most buskers will use their instrument cases or a special can or box to collect the tips. A ''bottler'' is a British term that describes the person with the job of collecting the money. A bottler may also be called the "hat man" or "pitch man". The term ''bottler'' came from a device old world performers used for collecting money. It was made from the top half of a glass bottle. It had a leather flap inserted in the bottle neck and a leather pouch attached. It was designed to allow coins in but not allow them to be removed easily without being noticed by the jingling of the coins against the glass. The first use of such contrivances was recorded by the famous Punch and Judy troupe of puppeteers in early Victorian times. Bottling itself can be an art form, and the difference between a good and a bad bottler can be crucial to the amount of money earned on a pitch. A good bottler is able to encourage audience members to give money. A bottler usually gets a cut of the money made on the pitch. Prior to the 20th century, it was common for buskers to use a trained monkey as a bottler. That practice has diminished due to animal control laws, but as tribute to the monkey's service there is a device known as monkey stick which buskers use to get attention. A monkey stick is a long stick with bottle caps or small cymbals attached such that they make an attention getting noise when shaken.

Pitches

The place where a performance occurs is called a "pitch". A good pitch can be the key to success as a busker. An act that might make money at one place and time may not work at all in another setting. Popular pitches tend to be public places with large volumes of pedestrian traffic, high visibility, low background noise and as few elements of interference as possible. Good locations may include tourist spots, popular parks, entertainment districts including lots of restaurants, cafes, bars and pubs and theaters, subways and bus stops, outside the entrances to large concerts and sporting events, almost any plaza or town square as well as zócalos in Latin America and piazzas in other regions. Other places include shopping malls, strip malls, and outside of supermarkets, although permission is usually required from management for these.

In her documentary movie and book, ''Underground Harmonies: Music and Politics in the Subways of New York'', Susie J. Tanenbaum examined how the adage "Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast" plays out in regards to busking. Her sociological studies showed that in areas where buskers regularly perform, crime rates tended to go down, and that those with higher education tended to appreciate and support buskers more than those of lesser learning. Some cities are encouraging buskers because they can be a tonic to the stresses of shopping and commuting, and can be an influence which is entertaining and beneficial for all. Some cities give preference to "approved" buskers in certain areas and even publish schedules of performances.

In the United States there has been a rebirth of this art form as the new millennium has started. Buskers are found at many locations like Mallory Square in Key West, in New Orleans, in New York around Central Park, Washington Square, and the subway systems, in San Francisco, in Washington DC around the transit centers, in Los Angeles around Venice Beach, the Santa Monica Third Street Promenade, and the Hollywood area, in Chicago on Maxwell Street, in the Delmar Loop district of St. Louis, and many other locations throughout the US. Busking is still quite common in Scotland, Ireland, and England with musicians and other street performers of varying talent levels.

Legislation

The first recorded instance of laws affecting buskers were in ancient Rome in 462 BC. The Law of the Twelve Tables made it a crime to sing about or make parodies of the government or its officials in public places; the penalty was death. Louis the Pious "excluded ''histriones'' and ''scurrae'', which included all entertainers without noble protection, from the privilege of justice". In 1530 Henry VIII ordered the licensing of minstrels and players, fortune-tellers, pardoners and fencers, as well as beggars who could not work. If they did not obey they could be whipped on two consecutive days.

In the United States under Constitutional Law and most European common law, the protection of artistic free speech extends to busking. In the USA and most places, the designated places for free speech behavior are the public parks, streets, sidewalks, thoroughfares and town squares or plazas. Under certain circumstances even private property may be open to buskers, particularly if it is open to the general public and busking does not interfere with its function and management allows it or other forms of free speech behaviors or has a history of doing so.

While there is no universal code of conduct for buskers, there are common law practices which buskers must conform to. Most jurisdictions have corresponding statutory law. In Great Britain free speech and busking can be regulated. Some towns in the British Isles limit the licenses issued to bagpipers because of the volume and difficulty of the instrument. In Great Britain places requiring licenses for buskers may also require auditions of anyone applying for a busking license. Some venues that do not regulate busking may still ask performers to abide by voluntary rules. Some places require a special permit to use electronically amplified sound and may have limits on the volume of sound produced. It is common law that buskers or others should not impede pedestrian traffic flow, block or otherwise obstruct entrances or exits, or do things that endanger the public. It is common law that any disturbing or noisy behaviors may not be conducted after certain hours in the night. These curfew limitations vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. It is common law that "performing blue" (i.e. using material that is sexually explicit or any vulgar or obscene remarks or gestures) is generally prohibited unless performing for an adults-only environment such as in a bar or pub.

In London, busking is prohibited in the entire borough of the City of London. The London Underground provides busking permits in tube stations, and many London boroughs allow busking by permit. The only borough in London permitting busking without a permit is Camden.

Buskers may find themselves targeted by thieves due to the very open and public nature of their craft. Buskers may have their earnings, instruments or props stolen. One particular technique that thieves use against buskers is to pretend to make a donation while actually taking money out instead, a practice known as "dipping" or "skimming". George Burns described his days as a youthful busker this way:

Notable performers

The American inventor and statesman Benjamin Franklin was a street performer. He composed songs, poetry and prose about the current events and went out in public and performed them. He would then sell printed copies of them to the public. He was dissuaded from busking by his father who convinced him the stigmas that some people attach to busking were not worth it. It was this experience that helped form his beliefs in free speech, which he wrote about in his journals.

Paul McCartney of The Beatles donned a disguise to be filmed busking for ''Give My Regards To Broad Street'' in 1984: : "They just made me up and dropped me off. [...] So I was standin' there plunkin' chords, doing this silly version of the song, and no one noticed it was me. No one wants to look a busker (street singer) in the eye, of course, 'cus then they get his life story. So they'd toss coins and I'd be going 'Yesterday, all my troubles - thank you, sir - seemed so far away.' [...] After we did it, I made sure the money was donated to the Seaman's Mission."

Bruce Springsteen has been known to busk. There is a famous set of videos, recorded on 23 July 1988 in Copenhagen, where he plays a variety of his songs with a busker on the street.

Sting has also donned a disguise and gone out busking. He reportedly made £40. "He pulled a hat down over his eyes, but one woman said: 'It's Sting.' The man behind her said: 'You silly cow. It's not him. He's a multi-millionaire.'"

In a stunt organised by ''The Washington Post'', the classical violinist Joshua Bell played as an incognito street busker at the L'Enfant Plaza Metro station in Washington, D.C. on 12 January 2007. Of the 1,097 people who passed by, only one recognized him and only a couple more were drawn to his music. For his nearly 45 minute performance, Bell collected $32.17 (not counting $20 from the passerby who recognized him). He did this using a Stradivarius violin valued at around $2,000,000.

Bon Jovi has been known to take to the streets from time to time. Among the most famous Bon Jovi busks were those at London's Covent Garden and Moscow's Red Square.

Violent Femmes were discovered by James Honeyman-Scott (of The Pretenders) on August 23, 1981, when the band was busking on a street corner in front of the Oriental Theatre, the Milwaukee venue that The Pretenders would be playing later that night. Chrissie Hynde invited them to play a brief acoustic set after the opening act.

Singer-songwriter Peter Mulvey recorded an entire album down in the Boston Subway, where he was a regular busker. In most cases, songs were recorded in one or two takes.

Guy Laliberté was a street performer when he founded the Cirque du Soleil theatrical company in 1984.

On 18 November 2008, singer Tom Jones went outside London's Royal Festival Hall and busked for charity. He raised £500 for cancer research while doing a twenty minute set.

Hayley Westenra at one time busked on the streets of Christchurch, New Zealand.

John Butler, a well known Australian artist, has been known to busk and started his career busking.

KT Tunstall, a popular Scottish singer, has been recorded busking in Glasgow.

Shannon Hoon, former singer for Blind Melon, was known to busk all over the U.S.

Heth and Jed, New York City street performers and authors of the memoir ''Buskers: The On-the-Streets, In-the-Trains, Off-the-Grid-Memoir of Two New York City Street Musicians''.

Tracy Chapman began her career busking in Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA.

Art Paul Schlosser who's music has been played on Dr Demento and has recenty appeared on America's Got Talent as Buddy Holy Cheesehead is a very popular busker in the Madison,Wisconsin area.

Newton Faulkner has been known to busk and video footage of him busking has been made available on YouTube, including a full acoustic cover of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody".

Earl Oliver, known as the Walkin' Blues Man, performs five days a week in the summer months on the historic Skunk Train based in Fort Bragg, CA near Mendocino.

See also

Music Under New York

Busking Day

Circus skills

Skomorokh

Street artist

Street painting

Street theatre

References

External links

;Press

21st Century Essays on Street Performing or Busking (Ebook) January 8, 2011, Amazon Kindle.

Busking in the Big Apple, New York City (video, 8min., 3 performances) September 10, 2009. Big Apple Channel.

''Striving to make music under the NYC streets''. Daniel Strieff and Jon Sweeney. August 24, 2004. MSNBC.

Busking for Stardom. Alec Hanley Bemis. December 1, 2005. LA Weekly.

What the ailing record industry can learn from a successful subway musician. Nicholas Thompson. December, 2003. Washington Monthly.

Teen goes from busking to starring in The New World.The London Free Press

Busking Can Pay for Travel in Europe Jacob Bear (March/April 2004). Transitions Abroad magazine.

Busking their butts Philip Preville, September 27, 1997. Montreal Mirror.

Suggs to busk for cancer charity. August 3, 2008. BBC News

Rod Stewart: Go Busking. April 20, 2009. ''The Sun''

The Real Piano Man Steven Kurutz, August 30, 2008. The New York Times.

;Other

BUSK Project London Documentary and film focusing on the project which solely uses sounds sourced from other performers as its sonic basis

Busking in the NYC subway First hand account of a street musician with info/photos of many of the subway musicians in New York City

Busking The System Documentary of buskers in NYC. Director: Justin Michael Morales (2010). Official website. 2010. Dallas Vietty (August 17, 2009). Busking: Americans Don't Like Street Performing (blog). ''dallasvietty.com'' - American Attitudes Toward Street Performance.

George McKay (2007) 'A soundtrack to the insurrection': Street music, marching bands and popular protest'. ''Parallax'' vol. 13 no. 1, pp. 20–31. (Full paper(.DOC)) - Scholarly article.

Category:Informal occupations Category:Performance art Category:Theatre Category:Comedy Category:Music performance Category:Magic (illusion)

bg:Бъскер cs:Busking da:Gøgler de:Straßenkünstler eo:Stratspektaklo es:Acto callejero fr:Artiste de la rue id:Pengamen it:Artista di strada nl:Straatmuzikant ja:大道芸 no:Gateartist nn:Gateartist pl:Busking pt:Artista de rua ru:Уличный музыкант fi:Katusoittaja uk:Вуличні музиканти zh:街头艺术

Coordinates	9°1′48″N38°44′24″N
name	Glen Hansard
landscape	Yes
background	solo_singer
born	April 21, 1970Ballymun, DublinIreland
instrument	Vocals, guitar, mandolin
occupation	Musician, Songwriter, Actor
years active	1983–present
label	Plateau Records (Ireland)/Overcoat Recordings (International)Island Records
associated acts	The Frames, The Swell Season, Markéta Irglová
website	Official Frames site }}

Glen Hansard (born 21 April 1970 in Dublin, Ireland) is the Academy Award–winning principal songwriter and vocalist/guitarist for Irish group The Frames and one half of folk rock duo, The Swell Season. He is also known for his acting, having appeared in the BAFTA winning film ''The Commitments'', as well as starring in the film ''Once''.

His song "Falling Slowly" from ''Once'', co-written with Markéta Irglová, won the Academy-Award for Best Original Song in 2007, and earned him ten other major nominations or awards between 2007 and 2008.

Career

Hansard quit school at age 13 to begin busking on local Dublin streets. He formed The Frames in 1990, and they've been staples of the Irish music scene ever since. Their first album, ''Another Love Song'', was released on Island Records in 1991, and their most recent, ''The Cost'', was released in 2006.

Hansard first came to international attention as guitar player Outspan Foster in the 1991 Alan Parker film ''The Commitments'', after attending the New York Film Academy School of Acting. He has often stated that he regretted taking the role, because he felt it distracted him from his music career.

In 2003, he presented the television programme ''Other Voices: Songs from a Room'', which showcased Irish music talent on RTÉ. On 22 April 2006, he released his first album without The Frames, ''The Swell Season'', on Overcoat Recordings in collaboration with Czech singer and multi-instrumentalist Markéta Irglová, Marja Tuhkanen from Finland on violin and viola, and Bertrand Galen from France on cello. Hansard also spent part of 2006 in front of the cameras for a music-infused Irish film ''Once'', in which Hansard plays a Dublin busker, and Irglová an immigrant street vendor. The film had its American premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007 and received the Festival's World Cinema Audience Award. During the promotional tour, he and Irglová began dating. Said Hansard about his relationship with Irglova: "I had been falling in love with her for a long time, but I kept telling myself she's just a kid". One of the songs they wrote together for the film ("Falling Slowly") won an Oscar for Best Song in February 2008. Hansard became the first Irish-born person to win in that category. Hansard and Irglová also recorded a version of Bob Dylan's "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" for the film ''I'm Not There'' in 2007. In 2009, Hansard said that he and Irglova were no longer romantically linked, and that they are now "good friends".

Aside from his projects with The Frames and Irglová, Hansard also took part as a member of the band on the 2006 Oxfam charity album, ''The Cake Sale''. In addition, Hansard has recorded a few cover songs, both alone and with band member Colm Mac Con Iomaire, for the Today FM discs ''Even Better than the Real Thing''. Songs that he has recorded include Justin Timberlake's "Cry Me a River" on ''Vol. 1'' and Britney Spears' "Everytime" on ''Vol. 2''.

Outside music, he appeared on a ''Simpsons'' episode as a street musician in Ireland. A new album of original songs recorded as The Swell Season with Markéta Irglová and entitled ''Strict Joy'' was released on October 27, 2009 on the ANTI- record label.

On August 14, 2009, Hansard sang "Amazing Grace" at the funeral of Eunice Kennedy Shriver. In December 2009, Glen was joined by Bono, Damien Rice and other Irish musicians on Grafton Street in Dublin, to busk in aid of the Simon Community. In January 2010, Glen and fellow musician Mark Geary auctioned off a house concert on eBay in aid of Haitian relief after the catastrophic earthquake left the country in dire need of assistance. The pair would travel anywhere within a 2 hour drive of Dublin and play a private gig in the highest bidder's house. In the end the two musicians played for the highest bidder and a selection of other fans in a central Dublin cafe. The auction raised in the region of €6,000 (six thousand euro) for charity.

From June 15 to July 15, 2011, he will join Eddie Vedder on his upcoming American solo tour in support of Vedder's forthcoming solo album, ''Ukulele Songs.''

Hansard plays a Takamine acoustic guitar, which is named "The Horse".

Influences

Hansard has remarked about his musical influences: ''"In my house, when I was a kid, there was the holy trinity, which was Leonard Cohen, Van Morrison and Bob Dylan with Bob sitting center."'' Hansard and The Frames toured as the support act for Bob Dylan in Australia and New Zealand in August 2007 and Hansard often performs Van Morrison's songs in concert. Two such songs include "Into the Mystic", and "And the Healing Has Begun" which were included on the collector's edition of the soundtrack for the film ''Once''.

Awards and nominations

Awards

Academy Award 2008 Achievement in Music Written for a Motion Picture (Original Song) - "Falling Slowly" from ''Once''

Critics' Choice Award 2008 Best Original Song - "Falling Slowly" from ''Once''

Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award 2008 Best Original Score - for ''Once''

Nominations

Grammy Award 2008 (50th Annual Grammy Awards) Best Song Written for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media - "Falling Slowly" from ''Once''

Grammy Award 2008 (50th Annual Grammy Awards) Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media - ''Once''

Discography

The Frames

Albums

''Another Love Song'' (1991) (Out of production, though available for download from iTunes)

''Fitzcarraldo'' (1995) (as The Frames DC)

''Fitzcarraldo'' (1996)

''Dance the Devil'' (1999)

''For the Birds'' (2001)

''Breadcrumb Trail'' (2002) (live album)

''Set List'' (2003) (live album)

''Burn the Maps'' (2004)

''The Cost'' (2006)

Singles & EPs

"The Dancer" (1991)

"Masquerade" (1992)

''Turn On Your Record Player EP'' (1992)

''Picture of Love'' (1993)

''Angel at My Table'' (1994)

"Revelate" (1995)

"Monument" (1996)

''I am the Magic Hand'' (February 15, 1999)

''Pavement Tune'' (1999)

''Rent Day Blues EP'' (1999)

''Come On Up to the House'' (1999—Compilation featuring "Star Star" by The Frames)

''Lay Me Down'' (2001)

''Headlong'' (2002)

''The Roads Outgrown EP'' (2003)

"Fake" (September 12, 2003)

"Finally" (August 20, 2004)

"Sideways Down" (January 28, 2005)

"Happy" (Radio Single Only – 2005)

"Falling Slowly/No More I Love Yous" (September 1, 2006)

The Swell Season

''The Swell Season'' (2006)

''Once Soundtrack'' (2007)

''Strict Joy'' (2009)

Films and television

''The Commitments'' (1991)

''Once'' (2007)

See also

''The Stars Are Underground'' – 24-minute film documenting the underground music scene in Dublin, Ireland, in 1996

'''' - The Frames: It's Just A Band, a 56-minute documentary on The Frames, in 2005

References

External links

The Swell Season - Myspace

theswellseason.com

Lyrics at Irish Music Central

Excreting Songs - Glen Hansard in interview

Category:Irish male singers Category:Irish guitarists Category:Irish singer-songwriters Category:Irish songwriters Category:Irish buskers Category:People from County Dublin Category:Music from Dublin (city) Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:Rhythm guitarists Category:Best Song Academy Award winning songwriters

ar:جلين هانسارد cs:Glen Hansard de:Glen Hansard es:Glen Hansard fr:Glen Hansard ga:Glen Hansard it:Glen Hansard hu:Glen Hansard no:Glen Hansard pl:Glen Hansard pt:Glen Hansard ru:Хансард, Глен simple:Glen Hansard sv:Glen Hansard

Me One (born Eric Martin on August 19, 1971) is a singer, song-writer and music producer from Wales, known as MC Eric in his days partnering Ya Kid K in Eurodance band Technotronic and as Me One for his solo recording projects. His debut album as Me One, ''As Far as I'm Concerned'', was released in May 2000 on Universal-Island U.K. In addition to his solo work, Eric has written with/for Jeff Beck, Maxi Priest, The Roots, Guru (from Gang starr), Capleton, Michelle Gayle, Lynden David Hall and The Sugababes.

He formed his own record label, Frenemy Records in 2006.

References

Category:1971 births Category:Living people

Coordinates	9°1′48″N38°44′24″N
name	Damien Rice
background	solo_singer
birth name	Damien Rice
birth date	December 07, 1973
origin	Kildare, Ireland
instrument	Vocals, Guitar, Piano, Clarinet, Percussion
genre	Folk, indie rock, folk rock
occupation	Singer-songwriter, record producer
years active	1991–present
label	Vector RecordingsRepublic RecordsHeffa RecordsWarner Bros. RecordsDRM/14th Floor Records
associated acts	Juniper, Bell X1, Lisa Hannigan
website	www.damienrice.com
notable instruments	}}

Damien Rice (born 7 December 1973) is an Irish singer-songwriter, musician and record producer who plays guitar, piano, clarinet and percussion.

Rice was raised in Celbridge, County Kildare, Ireland and began his musical career as a member of the 1990s rock group Juniper. After leaving the band he worked as a farmer in Tuscany and busked throughout Europe before returning to Ireland in 2001 and beginning a solo musical career.

In 2002 his debut album ''O'' reached #8 on the UK albums chart, won the Shortlist music prize and generated three top-30 singles in the UK. Rice released his second album ''9'' in 2006 and his songs have appeared in numerous films and television episodes.

Rice's personal activities include musical contributions to charitable projects such as the Songs for Tibet, Freedom Campaign and the Enough Project.

Early life

Rice was born to George and Maureen Rice and raised in Celbridge, County Kildare, Ireland.

Career

Rice began his music career using the stage name "Dodima" Rice and formed the rock band Juniper along with Paul Noonan, Dominic Philips, David Geraghty and Brian Crosby in 1991. The band met whilst they were attending Salesian College secondary school in Celbridge, Co. Kildare as students. After touring throughout Ireland the band released their debut EP ''Manna'' in 1995. Based in Straffan, Kildare the band continued touring and signed a six album record deal with Polygram. Their recording projects generated the singles “Weatherman” and “Single of the Fortnight” which received favorable reviews.

After achieving his musical goals with Juniper, Rice became frustrated with the artistic compromises required by the record label, and he left the band in 1998. Rice moved to Tuscany in Italy and took up farming for some time, then returned to Ireland before busking around Europe. After returning to Ireland a second time, Rice gave a demo recording to his cousin, music producer David Arnold who then gave Rice a mobile studio.

2000 to present

In 2001, Rice's song "The Blower's Daughter" made the top 40 chart. Over the next year he continued to record his album with New York drummer Tom Osander aka Tomo, Paris pianist Jean Meunier, London producer David Arnold, Dublin vocalist Lisa Hannigan and cellist Vyvienne Long. Rice then embarked on a tour of Ireland with Hannigan, Tomo, Vyvienne, and Dublin bassist Shane Fitzsimons.

In 2002, Rice’s debut album ''O'' was released in Ireland, the UK and the US. The album peaked at #8 on the UK albums chart and remained on the chart for 97 weeks, selling 650,000 copies in the USA. The album won the Shortlist music prize and the songs "Cannonball" and "Volcano" became top 30 hits in the UK.

In 2006 Rice released his second album ''9'' which was recorded during the two years prior. That year he also recorded at Abbey Road Studios for the program ''Live from Abbey Road''.

2007 was a year of heavy touring with Rice appearing at England's Glastonbury Festival and the Rock Werchter festival in Belgium. That same year he performed with David Gray at the UK leg at Wembley Stadium, London and played at the T in the Park music event in Scotland. Rice also performed at the Latitude Festival in Suffolk, the V Festival in Stafford, Staffordshire, Hylands Park in Chelmsford, Essex and the Osheaga Festival in Montreal. He made additional appearances in Ireland and North America.

In 2010, Damien played at the Iceland Inspires concert held in Hljómskálagarðurinn near Reykjavík centrum.

Rice recorded a cover of the Juniper track, "Crosseyed Bear" for the compilation, ''Help: A Day in the Life''. Rice's albums are published under his record label Heffa (originally named DRM) in Ireland and Vector Records in North American. Records released in the UK, Europe and other countries are published by 14th Floor Records via Warner Music.

In spring 2011, Rice featured on the debut album by French actress and singer Melanie Laurent. He appears on two tracks on her debut album en t'attendant while collaborating on a total of five tracks which feature on the album.

Reception

''O'' received favorable reviews and scored 80 on the review aggregator Metacritic. A review in Allmusic said “the entire record makes the empty highway less lonely, the sunshine a little warmer, and life a little more poetic”, describing it as a “hopelessly beautiful record”. A review in the The Guardian called the album “gorgeous and understated”. Rolling Stone magazine review said the album contained “songs that, for all their quietness, leave a dark, lasting impression.” However, a review in Stylus said, “you can actually hear the moment when the album turns sour.”

In 2009, The Irish Times placed Rice at number thirty four in a list of "The Best 50 Irish Acts Right Now" calling him "the quiet one, the intense one, the singer-songwriter most revered by the other quiet and intense ones" and as "a most excruciatingly honest songwriter."

Rice's songs have been heard on numerous television shows including ''True Blood'', ''Hidden Palms'', ''Bones'', ''The Cleaner'', ''Jericho'', ''ER'', ''The Black Donnellys'', ''The OC, Alias'', ''Lost'', ''Huff'', ''Misfits'', ''Crossing Jordan'','' Grey's Anatomy'', ''Criminal Minds'', ''House'', ''Spin 1038'', ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'','' The Inbetweeners'', ''One Tree Hill'', and the Korean drama, ''Spring Waltz''.

Rice's songs have appeared in films such as ''Reservation Road'', ''Higher Ground'', ''Closer'', ''I am David'', ''Stay'', ''In Good Company'', ''The Girl in the Café'', ''Shrek the Third'' and ''Dear Frankie''.

His music is referenced in the novel The Suicide Club and his songs have been used in professional figure skating competitions.

Personal life

Rice participated in the Freedom Campaign, the Burma Campaign UK and the U.S. Campaign for Burma to free Burmese democracy movement leader Aung San Suu Kyi. He campaigned for her release by writing and performing the song "Unplayed Piano" at the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo.

In 2008 he participated in a music album called Songs for Tibet in support of the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso and Tibet.

In 2010, he contributed the song "Lonely Soldier" to the Enough Project which supported women's rights in the Congo.

Discography

Studio albums

Year

Details

Peak chart positions

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2002

*Released: 1 February 2002

*Label: Vector

IRE">Music recording sales certification

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2002

*Released: 1 February 2002

*Label: Vector

IRE: 10x Platinum

IFPI>NOR: Gold

British Phonographic Industry>UK: 3x Platinum

RIAA>US: Gold

2006

*Released: 3 November 2006

*Label: Heffa

*UK: Gold

Live albums

Year

Details

Peak chart positions

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''[[Live at Fingerprints Warts & All">Music recording sales certification

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''[[Live at Fingerprints Warts & All''

*Released: 23 October 2007

Warner Bros. Records>Warner Bros.

''Live from the Union Chapel''

*Released: 26 November 2007

*Label: DRM/14th Floor

EPs

Year

Details

Peak chart positions

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2004

*Released: November 16, 2004

*Label: Vector

Singles

Date

Title

Peak chart positions

Album

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September 21, 2001

"The Blower's Daughter"

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May 17, 2002

March 17, 2003

"[[Woman Like a Man">Music recording sales certification

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2004

*Released: November 16, 2004

*Label: Vector

Singles

Date	Title	Peak chart positions	Album
!width="30"	!width="30"	!width="30"	!width="30"
September 21, 2001	"The Blower's Daughter"					rowspan="2"
May 17, 2002
March 17, 2003	"[[Woman Like a Man"					Non-album track
October 11, 2003	"Volcano"					rowspan="2"
October 20, 2003
April 19, 2004	"Moody Mooday/Lonelily" (vinyl-only)
June 24, 2004	"Lonely Soldier" (with Christy Moore)
July 5, 2004	"Cannonball (re-mix)"
December 13, 2004	"The Blower's Daughter (re-issue)"
March 21, 2005	"Volcano (re-issue)"
June 20, 2005	"Unplayed Piano" (with Lisa Hannigan)					Non-album track
November 20, 2006	"9 Crimes"					rowspan="3"
February 5, 2007	"Rootless Tree"
September 17, 2007

Other contributions

''Eklektikos Live'' (2005) - "Volcano"

''Sounds Eclectic: The Covers Project'' (2007) - "Creep"

Collaborations

''Be Yourself'', Jerry Fish and the Mudbug Club (September 2002)

''Skylarkin''', Mic Christopher (November 2002)

"Get The Party Started" (cover version with Lisa Hannigan on ''Even Better than the Real Thing Vol. 1'') (2003)

''Burn the Maps'', The Frames (September 2004)

''The Beekeeper'', Tori Amos (February 2005)

"Don't Explain", Herbie Hancock, Lisa Hannigan (August 2005)

''Live At The Olympia'', Aslan (2005 - official bootleg)

''The Swell Season'', Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová (April 2006)

"Que Sera, Sera", David Gray on ''Live Earth - The Concerts for a Climate in Crisis'' (November 2007)

''Movin' On Up'', with 50 Cent on the album ''Night Shift: Live from Bonnaroo Festival' (recorded at the 2008 Bonnaroo Festival)

Rice and Lisa Hannigan appear on Herbie Hancock's ''Then and Now - The Definitive Herbie Hancock'', singing "Don't Explain"

''To Love Somebody'', Ray Lamontagne on ''Taratata'', a French TV show

"There Are Debts", David Hopkins on ''There Are Debts'' (December 2010)

Song ''Back to Beginning'' from Lamb's album ''5'' (2011)

See also

List of songs performed by Damien Rice

Juniper

References

External links

Damien Rice - Official website

Damien Rice - Official MySpace page

The Coconut Skins Community - The newest Damien Rice community

Rice, Damine Category:Irish male singers Category:Irish folk singers Category:Irish pop singers Category:Irish singer-songwriters Category:Irish record producers Category:Irish buskers Category:Winners of the Shortlist Music Prize Category:Living people Category:People from County Kildare

bo:ཏཱ་མིན་རོས་སེ། ca:Damien Rice cs:Damien Rice da:Damien Rice de:Damien Rice es:Damien Rice fr:Damien Rice ga:Damien Rice ko:데미안 라이스 it:Damien Rice he:דמיאן רייס nl:Damien Rice ja:ダミアン・ライス no:Damien Rice pl:Damien Rice pt:Damien Rice ru:Райс, Дэмьен simple:Damien Rice fi:Damien Rice sv:Damien Rice tr:Damien Rice zh:戴米恩·莱斯

Coordinates	9°1′48″N38°44′24″N
name	Aloe Blacc
birth name	Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III
background	solo_singer
origin	Orange County, California, U.S.
born	June 8, 1979 (age 32)
genre	Soul, R&B;, jazz, hip hop
years active	1995–present
label	Stones Throw Records
associated acts	Emanon, Exile, Lena Meyer-Landrut
website	http://aloeblacc.com/
notable instruments	}}

Aloe Blacc (born Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III in 1979) is an American soul singer, rapper, and musician. He is a first-generation African American with parents born in Panama.

Early career and ''Shine Through'' (1995-2009)

Blacc first began his music career in 1995 as a rapper with producer Exile in the hip hop duo Emanon. By the end of the 1990s, Blacc was a "Stowaway" on a Lootpack tour in Europe. The duo released six albums in total. This also led to Blacc working with the French Jazz group Jazz Liberatorz.

In 2003, he signed with Stones Throw Records and started a solo career. He released his debut EP in the same year. He then released a debut album, entitled ''Shine Through'' on July 11, 2006. It was released on CD, Vinyl record and online (on the Stones Throw website).

He later went on to tour across Europe and the U.S. with Emanon. During this time, he also worked on his second solo album, "Good Things".

In 2009, collaborating with Japanese Hip Hop Producer Cradle, calling themselves Bee, he released the album "Open Your Mind" on GoonTrax records.

Mainstream success and ''Good Things'' (2010-present)

'Good Things' was originally released on Stones Throw records in the fall of 2010. It was produced by Jeff Dynamite and Leon Michels for TRUTH & SOUL Productions.

In 2010, Blacc signed a recording contract with Epic Records for the UK and Ireland. His album "Good Things" was released there later in the year, as was his single, "I Need A Dollar".

He also recorded a cover version of the John Legend song "Ordinary People" in Spanish titled "Gente Ordinaria". Blacc then went on to write the song "At All" for Lena Meyer-Landrut's album ''Good News'' after meeting the German singer backstage at a TV show.

His song "I Need a Dollar" is used for the intro song for the HBO show ''How to Make It in America'', and was featured as the iTunes Single of the Week. Blacc has performed the song live on many television shows such as ''Late Night with Jimmy Fallon'', ''Later... with Jools Holland'', ''Conan'' and ''The Graham Norton Show''. "I Need a Dollar" is also one of the featured songs in EA Sports' 2011 boxing game, ''Fight Night Champion''. In April 2011, the song was also featured in a commercial for Boost Mobile cellular phone services.

His single "I Need A Dollar" was widely successful across Europe reaching top ten in many countries including the UK. Following the success of "I Need a Dollar" his album, ''Good Things'' started to receive attention and charted in many European countries. The album also managed to chart in the US, at number ten on the Top Heatseekers chart and forty-one on the Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The second single from the album,"Loving You Is Killing Me" was released on the 7 March 2011 and peaked at eight in Austria and top forty in 3 other counties.

He is also set to release his ninth album with his American hip-hop duo Emanon titled "Bird's Eye View" in 2011.

On 25 April 2011, he performed on the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge and played 3 songs. He played the hits "I Need a Dollar" and "Loving You Is Killing Me" and also covered the Jay-Z song "99 Problems".

Also in 2011, he collaborated with Alice Smith on the track "Baby", and Clare Moreno on the track "Nascimento (Rebirth)-Scene II", for the Red Hot Organization's most recent charitable album "Red Hot + Rio 2". The album is a follow-up to the 1996 "Red Hot + Rio". Proceeds from the sales will be donated to raise awareness and money to fight AIDS/HIV and related health and social issues.

In 2011, Kenneth Bager featured Aloe Blacc on "The Sound of Swing, Pt. 2 (Oh Na Na)" co-written by Thomas Troelsen.

Television appearances

Year	Show
2010	''Later... with Jools Holland''
2010	''Late Night with Jimmy Fallon''
2011
2011	''The Graham Norton Show''

Discography

Studio albums

{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1" |+ List of albums, with selected chart positions and certifications ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:9em;"| Title ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:16em;"| Album details ! scope="col" colspan="12"| Peak chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Certifications |- ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"|US R&B;

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"|US Heat

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"|AUS

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"|AUT

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"|BEL (FL)

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"|BEL (WL)

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"|NL

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"|NZ

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"|FRA

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"|SWI

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"|IRE

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"|UK |- ! scope="row" | ''Shine Through'' |

Released: July 11, 2006

Label: Stones Throw Records

Formats: CD, Vinyl

| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — | — |- ! scope="row" |''Good Things'' |

Released: September 28, 2010

Label: Stones Throw Records

Formats: CD, Digital Download

| 41 || 10 || 22 || 36 || 5 || 30 || 39 || 21 || 19 || 31 || 12 || 8 | FRA: Gold |- |colspan="14" style="font-size:9pt"| "—" denotes albums that did not chart or were not released |}

Extended plays

Title	EP details
''The Aloe Blacc EP''		*Released: 12 July 2003	*Label: N/A	*Format: [[Compact Disc
''The Aloe Blacc EP 2: Me and My Music''		*Released: 28 September 2004	*Label: N/A	*Format: [[Compact Disc

Singles

4 12 —

rowspan="2" style="width:10px;"	Year	Title	Peak chart positions												[[Music recording sales certification	Album
!style="width:3em; font-size:85%"	!style="width:3em; font-size:85%"		!style="width:3em; font-size:85%"	!style="width:3em; font-size:85%"	!style="width:3em; font-size:85%"	!style="width:3em; font-size:85%"	!style="width:3em; font-size:85%"	!style="width:3em; font-size:85%"	!style="width:3em; font-size:85%"	!style="width:3em; font-size:85%"	!style="width:3em; font-size:85%"	!style="width:3em; font-size:85%"
2010		16	1	|	5	35	5	52	53	28	2	2	16		ARIA Charts>AUS: Gold	International Federation of the Phonographic Industry>SWI: Platinum	Bundesverband Musikindustrie>GER: Gold
		—	|	12	8	—	26	—	—	—	—	—	52
	—	|	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

With Emanon

With Cradle

''Bee - Open Your Mind'' (2009)

References

External links

Aloe Blacc

Aloe Blacc Official Merchandise Store

Aloe Blacc at Stones Throw Records

RBMA Radio On Demand - Melbourne Marvels - Aloe Blacc (Stones Throw)

Short Film on Aloe Blacc

NPR interview from October 2010

(fr) Interview with Aloe Blacc on Soulrnb.com

NPR interview from February 2011

Aloe Blacc - Radio 1Xtra Live Lounge

Category:1979 births Category:Living people Category:American soul singers Category:African American singer-songwriters Category:Musicians from California Category:University of Southern California alumni Category:Stones Throw Records artists Category:Place of birth missing (living people)

da:Aloe Blacc de:Aloe Blacc fa:آلو بلک fr:Aloe Blacc it:Aloe Blacc he:אלו בלאק nl:Aloe Blacc no:Aloe Blacc pl:Aloe Blacc ru:Aloe Blacc