Notable Buskers

inisboffin

All this talk of buskers and permits got me thinking to some notables over the years. I also used to live smack above the intersection of two busking spots, years ago in town! So the ones I disliked, I REALLY disliked etc:D
A lot of my friends have busked on and off over the years, so I try and give people a fair listen. May have some bias for my mates but I do think they are great.

Plinky plonk man was mentioned in the other thread - funny for 10 mins then meh.

Remember Accordion Robbie, the little fellah. He used to be in Dublin for years then moved here. He's in a ton of films too.

There was a family of small kids that did Beatles numbers. Only one of them was any good. They made a ton of money, bought bigger amps, and started doing it in Dublin. Same stuff only even louder.

Big Geraniums back in the day.

Current faves are Niceol (red-haired girl). Brilliant voice, her gigs are powerful too.
Timber Tramps when they busk are fun.
Tenor guy with grey cap (there's a few of them) who does a lot of Dylan.
Nuala and the guy from Cafe Minor (gypsy fiddle stuff)

Fiddle guy with glasses drives me a bit mental, as does the woman with the backing track (though her voice is ok). And any cr*p drum circle - which is a lot of them - usually under my old flat!:rolleyes:

Xiney

I frickin' hate that fiddler with the glasses and the short ponytail.

He's crap!!

Sponge Bob

What happened to Robbie, jaysus he was loud , and the blind accordionist ...was he Eamonn ??

inisboffin

My fear is that Robbie passed away, at least that's what someone said.
I hope not, I hope he is blasting it out somewhere.
Maybe he got a tv deal in Taiwan..

LadyMayBelle

The ponytailed fiddler with the specs isnt really that good I agree. The one busker I CANNOT STAND is that Nicoel Blue. Her voice irritates the hell outta me. I don't think Im alone with this view! Anyone see the 5 french guys outside easons yesterday afternoon, one with a big double bass? They were excellent and drew a big crowd too.

soundbyte

Robbie died around six or seven years ago.

"Meet a real leprechaun!"

s_carnage

Whats the name of the oldish fella. He usually stands under River Island and mightn't start till about 6 in the evening but then plays all night. I used to live up in Tirellan and he'd always be getting the bus into town when i'd be heading home from college. Had many a drunken singsong with him late at night!!

inisboffin

LadyPennyworth wrote: »

The ponytailed fiddler with the specs isnt really that good I agree. The one busker I CANNOT STAND is that Nicoel Blue. Her voice irritates the hell outta me. I don't think Im alone with this view! Anyone see the 5 french guys outside easons yesterday afternoon, one with a big double bass? They were excellent and drew a big crowd too.

Saw the French guys too, they were great. Nice to see the big instruments out once in a while

Have to really disagree about Niceol Blue. I'm surprised you don't like her, I think you are the first person I have heard of that doesn't! Everyone to their own I suppose..

inisboffin

soundbyte wrote: »

Robbie died around six or seven years ago.

"Meet a real leprechaun!"

Krieg

The guy with the bongos gets old quick, it feels like hes there everyday for the last 2 years playing the same beat. Nobody else stands out for me, except for the "plink plonk" guy and he comes for 1 week each year

JJRocket

if you have about 4 hours to spare and use it to you look on characters of galway thread you will find all the memorable buskers and people of Galway there. its endless......

Sponge Bob

That American magician last year , he was good . The 'broken robot' some years back was great .

No Banjo jammin in shop st on a sunny saturday, priceless .

paulh19

Xiney wrote: »

I frickin' hate that fiddler with the glasses and the short ponytail.

He's crap!!

Indeed. Seems to have a great repertoire of tunes, but needs a lesson or two on technique.

Speaking of fiddlers, there was a guy knocking around last year who used to play fiddle on the bridge between Jury's and the Harvest. Used to kinda screech his bow across the fiddle if you passed him without giving money. Or maybe it was just me.

With an attitude like that I'm not surprised he wasn't around long!

paulh19

Krieg wrote: »

The guy with the bongos gets old quick, it feels like hes there everyday for the last 2 years playing the same beat. Nobody else stands out for me, except for the "plink plonk" guy and he comes for 1 week each year

Can't imagine what the roof of his mouth is like after a few hours of singing like that!

Xiney

The guy with the skeleton puppet that he had dancing to a recording of "you ain't nothin' but a hound dog" was pretty annoying too. I'm glad he's bogged off.

The singer with the red hair mentioned by inishboffin has a really good voice. Always seem to be actually going somewhere when I pass her though, never had a chance to slow down and listen properly. There's been a few very good guitarists recently - one in particular stood out, he was playing and singing very well, and his voice was very strong. Wouldn't know how to describe him though.



There was a cello player in Montreal, he used to start playing a song, get four bars in, and then swear at the people passing by not giving him any money, and then start the song again. I NEVER heard more than four bars out of him. It was "cello cello cello cello FAFANCULO! PUTTANA! CAZZO! cello cello..."

Not sure if he even knew the rest of the tune.

inisboffin

Sponge Bob wrote: »

That American magician last year , he was good . The 'broken robot' some years back was great .

No Banjo jammin in shop st on a sunny saturday, priceless .

Never saw No Banjo busking - cool though. Caught a few tunes last night in Massimo - the biz!

Sponge Bob

Did Paddy Casey not become famous by busking in Galway ??

inisboffin

Paddy busked all over, dunno if he was discovered in Galway or not, but his most trodden pitch was half way down Grafton St. Then off to the Coffee Inn for chips:)

Seaneh

Yeah Paddy was more dublin based tbh, he used the same pitch as Glenn Hansard and Mick Christopher used to use all the time back in the day.

Is this Nicole one the girl with the amp who's usually juct past the kings head if you're facing quay street? She's not great tbh, maybe she's good in a proper venue but I've never been impressed by her.

David McSavage was busking there a few weeks back, he was ok, not as good as he was when he was in Temple Bar Every day during the summers 4-5 years ago though, did draw a massive crowd though. During the VOR there was a young lad on abbey gate street with a bass, he wasn't great to be honest.

The worst is def the bongo circles though, that and the group of 6 South African lads who appeared a few weeks back, they play some mad traditional instrument that looks like a Bow and they hit it with a stick? They were terrible.

inisboffin

I thought Niceol is usually up by Easons but they move around. There's a girl with an amp who sings sort of 'showtunes' near the Kings Head who doesn't do it for me, and another girl who busks late, but don't think she has an amp.

inisboffin

Seaneh wrote: »

The worst is def the bongo circles though, that and the group of 6 South African lads who appeared a few weeks back, they play some mad traditional instrument that looks like a Bow and they hit it with a stick? They were terrible.

You don't mean one of these do you?
If so that's the Brazilian Capoeira lads who are out all the time.

Seaneh

That'd be the one...
3 of them were wearing t-shirts with the south african flag on them last week so assumed they were from SA, never noticed them before a few weeks either...

inisboffin

A lot of people take Capoeira in Galway. Could be from anywhere I suppose
The main 4 guys are Brazilian though. I think they do stuff when the sun comes out, which would explain their absence until a few weeks ago;)

galwaybabe

Johnny Massacre. RIP

spiritcrusher

No Banjo were definitely one of the best busking band in Galway, when they used to do it. Sunny day, standing at the door of the King's Head with a pint watching them... Good memories.

Mrs OBumble

Xiney wrote: »

I frickin' hate that fiddler with the glasses and the short ponytail.

He's crap!!

Wobbly John. I'm told that he's English, and that he was banned from the beginners sessions a few years back.

I'm a Nicole fan, rather like the voice. Have seen her in a concert venue, too, and liked there there.

The older guy near River Island got a big write-up in one of the newspapers last year. Sentential or Galway City Tribune I think. He's Hungarian or Italian or somesuch. Got a very good ear, can do things that sound true to the original, though I'm told he doesn't always know what the words mean.

I rather like the classical guitarist who's been around lately. Middle-aged, swarthy-ish skin, curly black hair. Uses a music stand.

+1 to what others have said re the drummers.

Redhairedguy

Xiney wrote: »

that fiddler with the glasses and the short ponytail.

The sheer look of concentration on his face is inspiring.

mayotom

Does anybody remember the Panpipes band that used to come to Galway for a few weeks at a time. they were always quiet loud but played a soothing rythem of South American Pan pipe music

Have also seen the same band in Dublin, Brussels, Amsterdam,Berlin and Nice. but not for a couple of years

There was 6 or 7 in the group all South American Native looking, they used to sell their CD's on the street too.

If anybody knows who they are or where I could find their music, do let me know..


.

inisboffin

mayotom wrote: »

Does anybody remember the Panpipes band that used to come to Galway for a few weeks at a time. they were always quiet loud but played a soothing rythem of South American Pan pipe music

Have also seen the same band in Dublin, Brussels, Amsterdam,Berlin and Nice. but not for a couple of years

There was 6 or 7 in the group all South American Native looking, they used to sell their CD's on the street too.

If anybody knows who they are or where I could find their music, do let me know..


.

I have literally seen a panpipe busking group in every big city that I've lived in. Either they are omnipresent or it's a franchise! It is soothing but again, I am over immersed and wouldn't be able to listen to tons of it.

I prefer when traditional South American or Native music is played on the pipes, as opposed to pop stuff, which the groups sometimes do (my odd exception is 'I'd rather be a hammer than a nail', which for some reason, I LOVE on the pipes:eek:)
I'd say they'll be back close to Arts Fest time mayotom:)

Jamey

JustMary wrote: »

The older guy near River Island got a big write-up in one of the newspapers last year. Sentential or Galway City Tribune I think. He's Hungarian or Italian or somesuch. Got a very good ear, can do things that sound true to the original, though I'm told he doesn't always know what the words mean.

Romanian I think. No one believes me when I tell them he's Romanian because he wears an Irish Rugby Jacket and plays Galway Girl! I think he's pretty good though. Guy with usually a woolly hat down Buttermilk Lane playing Dylan and such is class too. And dutch guy called Cristof who used to busk on Quay St. was fantastic too, haven't seen him out busking in a while though, think he does sessions on a Sunday in Bar No. 8 instead.

siltirocker

galwaybabe wrote: »

Johnny Massacre. RIP

Not a musician as such, but what a ****in' legend!

RIP buddy!