STREET MUSICIANS OF SAN FRANCISCO
by Waverly Long
From the percussionists drumming outside the Ferry Building to the bands sprinkled throughout the Mission District, you can always find musicians busking on the streets of San Francisco. What's unique about these performances is they are often fleeting — many audience members are passing by and only listen for a few minutes. Even out of those who stay a while, few have the opportunity to hear the buskers' stories. This piece dives into the experiences of three street musicians who have performed in different parts of the city.
Courtesy of Wix
CONMAN BOLO
VALENCIA STREET
Conman Bolo, a band from Arcata, California, drove down to San Francisco on the weekend of Feb. 12 to perform at the Milk Bar and busk in Valencia.
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Conman Bolo formed in 2018, according to Conner West, the band's lead singer, songwriter and guitarist. He said it started with him writing music by himself in his bedroom and took off when a few friends asked if he wanted to start a band. West said the group's music is inspired by 70s soft rock and jazz rock. The band recently recorded an album that West said will come out this year.
Conman Bolo performs on the corner of 16th Street and Valencia Street on Feb. 12. (Waverly Long/Medill)
Conner West, the lead singer of Conman Bolo. (Courtesy of Conner West)
Q&A WITH CONNER WEST
Q: How would you describe your band's music?
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A: I would describe it as either jazz rock or yacht rock, just because there's a horn section in the recordings, so we always have a saxophone player live. And a bunch of us went through the music department at Humboldt State University and we studied jazz there, and it's had an influence on the music that I write.
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Q: How does performing on the street differ from performing on stage?​
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A: When you perform on stage, generally people have come to see you or they have come to see live music. When you're performing on the street, people are on their way somewhere and were not expecting to see you. ... I didn't really know how to work the crowd, because they weren't necessarily a crowd. They were just kind of passersby that we had hooked for a couple minutes or so. But people were really generous. ... I was surprised at how many people seemed like they genuinely liked it.
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Q: What is pursuing music as a career like? What draws you to music?
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A: Pursuing music is really hard, but it's the thing that makes me happy. It's my passion. I do it because I feel like I have to. If people are put on the earth for a reason, then my reason was to make music and perform.
Josh Khan performs in Union Square, where he frequently busks. (Waverly Long/Medill)
Q&A WITH JOSH KHAN
Q: How would you describe what performing on the street is like?
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A: It's a very polarized experience — the highs and lows are very heightened. You'll be sitting there playing your heart out, sure that nobody cares or is paying attention. You're ready to give up and you think, "Oh, gosh, I'm not going to make any money today." And then somebody comes over and puts a five in your basket. It's just a complete emotional roller coaster. ... It doesn't matter if they give me a penny or give me $50, I'm sincerely glad that people came and showed any kind of appreciation.
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Q: How did you start busking for a living?
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A: I only started busking seriously a year ago — I've only been playing accordion for around 13, 14 months. ... (During the pandemic) I had a stroke of genius. I went down to Moscone Center in San Francisco, which is the big convention center that they emptied to give people their vaccines back in April of 2021. I started playing there and absolutely blew up. I made an embarrassing amount of money and they put me on the news twice.
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Q: What is special about busking in San Francisco?
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A: There are artists out there that have something to say but have no platform to say it, and it's a special city where you can just build up. One day you can be like, "I'm going to go out on the streets say it. I don't care if I don't have a venue or a stage or Instagram followers or TikTok or whatever. There's a little such thing called real life and I'm gonna go do that."
THE ACCORDION GUY
UNION SQUARE
Josh Khan performs in front of the Bay Bridge. Khan said practicing safety precautions such as always wearing a mask has been a priority for him throughout the pandemic. (Courtesy of Josh Khan)
Josh Khan, also known as The Accordion Guy, busks in various locations around San Francisco around two to three days a week. He started busking when he was a kid for fun, he said. Now, he does it for a living.
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Khan said part of why he busks is that he sees the arts scene deteriorating in San Francisco, specifically in the decreasing number of musicians who busk for a living. He said he's motivated to help change this through his playing.
Musicians from A Better Chinatown Tomorrow perform in Portsmouth Square. (Waverly Long/Medill)
A BETTER CHINATOWN TOMORROW
PORTSMOUTH SQUARE
A Better Chinatown Tomorrow is a musical organization that brings performances of traditional Chinese music — mostly Cantonese opera, as majority of the musicians are from Guangdong — to the streets of Chinatown.
Wilma Pang founded the group in 2003 during the SARS outbreak, she said.​ The group performs every Saturday and Sunday in Portsmouth Square. Pang, who is a singer, said she enjoys dedicating her time to organizing musicians because singing and listening to music have both lifted her spirit, especially during the pandemic.
Wilma Pang, the organizer of A Better Chinatown Tomorrow, stands by the banner that hangs above the musicians. (Courtesy of Wilma Pang)
Q&A WITH WILMA PANG
Q: How did A Better Chinatown Tomorrow start?
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A: We started when SARS broke out in 2003. Nobody wanted to come to Chinatown because they were afraid to eat there. So what I did was, first I organized street musicians and line dances weekly to attract tourists. ... It got bigger and bigger and bigger. So now I have an orchestra of at least 10 to 12 people at the park playing different instruments, and people dancing and singing.
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Q: What is your goal for A Better Chinatown Tomorrow?
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A: I'm not saying I'm an expert in Chinese culture, but I love Chinese culture. I've done a lot to promote Chinese culture in San Francisco's Chinatown, but music is really my top priority. ... I learned to sing from the elderly and I became an expert in Cantonese song.
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Q: Is there something about the experience of starting this organization and running it for so long that's stuck to you as particularly special?
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A: People genuinely come out, not because they're top performers, but because they enjoy doing what they do. They love to dance and sing, and it's not exactly what you see in the Chinese community. It's very fulfilling. ... And promoting the culture to the visitors is very important.