City not swayed by buskers' plea to allow amps
Last Updated: Tuesday, November 3, 2009 | 8:47 AM MT
CBC News
Buskers wanting to amplify their sound, juggle fire or use props in their acts didn't get the answers they were hoping for during a city meeting Monday night.
A very diverse group of street performers, including singers, jugglers, dancers and magicians, met with officials from the city and the Calgary Downtown Association. But the buskers left the meeting without any promise of rule changes from the city.
Musician Ben Rose has received a string of tickets for amplifying his guitar and voice on Stephen Avenue Mall.
"Is there a busker problem? Is there a busker infestation? I say, in fact, there are more loud cars in this city than there are bad buskers?" he said.
Dan Duguay, better known as Dan the One Man Band, said he quit busking and is sticking to festivals because he needs to boost the sound for his act.
"It brings a lot to the city," said Duguay. "I don't see any reason why you should have anything that discourages people from doing it."
Earlier this summer, a city official said by going strictly acoustic, the city is avoiding all kinds of complaints and reducing the cost of having officers enforce noise bylaws.
Janet Jessiman, a spokeswoman with the Calgary Downtown Association, said last Friday the city needs and wants street performers.
"We love buskers; we think they bring total vitality to downtown," she said.
But former busker Chuck Rose, who now owns a pub, said there need to be controls.
"I love people who take their craft seriously, and I'll listen to all kinds of different stuff," Rose said. "The ones that I don't like are the ones who can't play and can't sing, and all they … [do] is put a guitar case out and whack away on a guitar. Those are the ones that sound like panhandlers to me."
