Last Busk before lockdown - 6 songs on St Ives Bridge - with 3 String Cigar Box Guitar - Videos

Feel as if you werevirtually there by throwing something into my virtual tip jar here : -) https://paypal.me/bemuzic?locale.x=en_GBYou can listen to/buy my music at https://bemuzic.bandcamp.com/Recorded on 4th Nov 2020, the day before lockdown #2 in the UK.I think technically busking would be allowed, as it’s work you can’t do from home, but as I’m in the fortunate position not to have to rely on my busking money to live on I have decided not to.I was hoping this busk would distract me from the pandemic and the nail biting US election results, but that didn’t quite work as I had a long conversation with another busker about both situations, and I kept realising how many of my songs, apart from the ones actually written about it, could be related to the covid situation! Examples from these songs are “How It Ends” and One Step Forward, Two Steps Back”It’s amazing as I write this six days later, how much has changed! Trump lost the election and then the promising vaccine news yesterday.Even though the money was poor, the weather and people of St Ives were both lovely and with lockdown starting the next day I didn’t want to stop!I dawdled packing up and walking back to the car, stopping often to look at the beautiful sunset…Songs played:The Books We ReadThe RiverHow It EndsOpen CLockdownSong #4One Step Forward, Two Steps BackOn the song “Open C” I’m using a recent pandemic pedal present to myself, a Mooer MAW2 Envelope Analogue AutoWah Pedal. Not sure if it works for that song or not?? Fun to use, but I’m still feeling my way with it…I appologise for the even more than usual amount of mistakes and dithering about (especially at the start of Open C!) I was tired after staying up late watching the US election coverage...This is the bridge I was busking on. I've never seen anyone else busk there, but those alcoves seem made for it to me! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Ives...

Thanks John. As I had time I took the audio and adjusted it a bit. Depends on what mood I'm in and how much time I have whether I do that (mostly not!) I wrote The Books We Read late one evening. I had come up with something I liked on the guitar and needed something to sing along to it, so started singing the titles of the books on the shelf in front of me...some of the lines felt right, so the next day, I picked out the ones that leapt out at me and wrote the song mostly from them, with a few bits joining them together here and there. It kind of felt like cheating, but similar to things I've heard Bowie doing...cutting up sentences from newspapers, then making them into a song. The song felt right, so I guess it was ok to do...

The books were by Margaret Atwood, Haruki Murakami and Milan Kundera. I had a lovely moment busking in Cambridge when a young guy heard me, stopped in his tracks and looked as if he was getting the book references. He came up afterwards to chat and he had. People who listen to lyrics are like hens teeth, lol!

I'm very relieved that Biden won. He has a tough job on his hands with the country so divided though, and I feel worried about how some of the far right groups might react when encouraged by Trump. I hope it stays peaceful..

Ha yes, warts are ok...perfection is overrated!

You need to be a member of Cigar Box Nation to add comments!

Join Cigar Box Nation

Comments

bemuzic November 13, 2020 at 12:23pm

Thanks Bob, ha yes maybe I should make people pay a toll to come past : -)
bemuzic November 13, 2020 at 12:22pm

Thanks Nancy
Bob "Ambrose" Negus November 13, 2020 at 11:45am

That was a good busk B. Nice choice of songs, I reckon you have the busking rights to that bridge!
Nancy kat November 13, 2020 at 10:26am

Pretty song!!! Stay strong safe and well..... Meowousaww^..^
bemuzic November 11, 2020 at 7:15pm

thanks a lot Dave, stay safe
Dave Lynas November 10, 2020 at 7:46pm

Such a melancholy world we are in. Very hard to keep the tears at bay. Your mood and emotions ring true. Beautiful place you have to busk. Keep well Belinda. I love the last song best. Thank you.
bemuzic November 10, 2020 at 2:58pm

Thanks John. As I had time I took the audio and adjusted it a bit. Depends on what mood I'm in and how much time I have whether I do that (mostly not!) I wrote The Books We Read late one evening. I had come up with something I liked on the guitar and needed something to sing along to it, so started singing the titles of the books on the shelf in front of me...some of the lines felt right, so the next day, I picked out the ones that leapt out at me and wrote the song mostly from them, with a few bits joining them together here and there. It kind of felt like cheating, but similar to things I've heard Bowie doing...cutting up sentences from newspapers, then making them into a song. The song felt right, so I guess it was ok to do...

The books were by Margaret Atwood, Haruki Murakami and Milan Kundera. I had a lovely moment busking in Cambridge when a young guy heard me, stopped in his tracks and looked as if he was getting the book references. He came up afterwards to chat and he had. People who listen to lyrics are like hens teeth, lol!

I'm very relieved that Biden won. He has a tough job on his hands with the country so divided though, and I feel worried about how some of the far right groups might react when encouraged by Trump. I hope it stays peaceful..

Ha yes, warts are ok...perfection is overrated!
Uncle John November 10, 2020 at 1:52pm

Hi Belinda. I sampled these songs on Facebook and liked them a lot. I commented on the high audio clarity on FB. You and the audio are incredibly clear and bell like. This music is as it usually is for me. Even better on the second listen. Wonderful. Wet eyes good on really listening to 'Books'.

What a beautiful place you are busking from. Sad, but I think smart, that you are going on lockdown again. I tend to believe that if the whole country/world locks down for 2 weeks that the virus will decrease. Lots of folks here do not believe that. I hope we get a chance to find out after our new president is in office.

I don't notice many mistakes - almost none. Live music has some beautiful warts.

Be well and happy. God bless.

This reply was deleted.