Playing Beatles at the Farmer's Market

It's been a while since I put out the guitar case and earned my supper. But that's what happened this morning when my musical friend Frank and I took our Beatles duets to the Hayward Farmers' Market. (The photo is not of us--just representative, although we did have a tent like that and an open guitar case in front.)

Not only did we enjoy ourselves (time flies, mysteriously, when you're playing music live), but we learned which songs will need a bit more attention and which ones are in good shape. At a farmer's market, the crowd tends to be moving, so you attract many visitors, some of whom linger and drop a buck in the pot. Many applauded and waved.

We worked our way through the early catalog--From Me To You, Hard Day's Night, etc. to One After 909 and a few off the White Album and Sgt. Pepper. The music is everlasting and universal. One little girl of about 8, came by with her dollar. It turns out she's a bass player (!) and I gave her my card so she could send me an email. Gotta get them started early.

When you play Beatles material, it keeps the spirit of the band alive. It's something more than catching Hey Jude on your iPod or wearing a John Lennon T-shirt. Not that there's anything wrong with those things, but for me, playing brings the songs to life--even if we have to move some to a lower key to sing them.