It’s not just any mall.
Sure, the Santa Monica Third Street Promenade has more than its
fair share of overpriced bookstores, blindingly lit window fronts
filled with back-to-school halter-top specials, and an entire army
of hairsprayed preteens ready at a second’s notice to shoot
up that flirtatious right eyebrow. But the mall also has
something that lures even the broke, the anti-social and
occasionally, the police, night after night, mainly between the
hours of 6 to 10 p.m.
The outdoor shopping strip is one of the last places in the city
besides Venice Beach that doesn’t require a ticket to enjoy
live music. Musicians (not to mention magicians, clowns,
dancers and other performers) ranging from the aspiring to the
accomplished pay $35 for a permit so they can set down, turn over
their hats, and serenade the crowd for a dollar or two.
And what better siren to pull residents and tourists alike from
their cramped Los Angeles quarters than the sound of 12 string
guitars, electric basses, harps, boom boxes, amplifiers, PA
systems, keyboards, drums, garbage cans and sticks and of course,
the human voice, all going off at once? Keep in mind, the city does
require entertainers to keep a certain amount of space between each
other, and will ticket musicians for exceeding the maximum noise
level in order to maintain the Promenade’s shopper-friendly
environment.Â
Ballyrag, a three-manned poppy funk-rock band, whose name means
“to vex by teasing,” has been playing the Promenade for
three years ““ nearly as long as the band has been
together. Guitarist/singer Raif Pomeroy is possibly one of
the few musicians ever who can successfully crack a joke during his
in-between song rants, leaving drummer Paul Madison no chance to
punctuate a failed one with an annoying ba-dump-bump-bah. And
be prepared to be spun in circles by bassist Dan Benbenisty, who
has a quarter-note jump that longs to be copyrighted, as he dances
around the audience showing off his wireless system.Â
“We love playing on the street,” Madison said,
referring to the sometimes unfavorable conditions of playing L.A.
clubs. “You get several thousand people walking by, and
if people are interested, they’ll hang out and talk as
opposed to being a captive audience in a bar and trying to hear
their buddy talk. Most people I’ve seen hanging out at
clubs are actually kind of annoyed that there’s a band
playing and making too much noise.”
However, the Promenade isn’t free from complaints either.
The hip-hop dance team, Street Bandits, draws in quite a crowd on
weekend nights with their head spins and entire assortment of
break-your-back break-dancing moves.
Dancer Carlos Noriega, who attends college in Long Beach during
the day, enjoys the vibe of his Third Street audience but admits
there sometimes are problems.
“Some of the bums leave trash around,” Noriega said.
“And it leaves a mess on the floor, and it makes it harder
for us to work, and some of the businesses out here complain. We
could do more, but there are certain limitations. Certain moves
we’re restricted from doing because we might break a
bone.”
Jennifer Hernandez, an employee of Miss Trapple’s, a
carmel-apple cart that is often located behind the crowd of Street
Bandits’ fans, says her complaints fall more under aesthetic
lines.
“Usually, all the street performers are really, really
good,” Hernandez said. “They provide entertainment for
us, as well, and it brings the tourists in, but just anybody can
get a performance license. They don’t have to have any talent
whatsoever. They just sit there and repeat terrible, terrible
things. So you learn the songs, and you just kind of play with it
so you don’t go crazy.”
Some performers have traveled extraordinary distances to make it
to their specific spot on the Promenade. Acrobat Jason Jiang moved
from China five years ago on a Disneyland contract and now works
festivals and special events during the day. At the age of 12, he
began training for the circus, and since then, his audience has
included the Queen of England and Jay Leno of “The Tonight
Show.” It’s not hard to be impressed when Jiang kicks
four balanced bowls from the tip of his toe up into the air only to
have them fall perfectly on top of each other ““ on top of his
head. If it weren’t for the Promenade’s safety
restrictions, he would do it all from the seat of a unicycle.
Perhaps one of the Promenade’s most captivating performers
is harpist/singer Marnie Boyd, who can usually be found sitting
behind a harp of heavenly proportions Friday nights from 6 to 8
p.m. Her soprano voice and original folkish melodies have
capabilities to lure the young and old alike away from their
weekend night frenzy.
“It’s a nice environment for a musician like
myself,” Boyd said, “where it’s just me and my
harp, where there’s no middleman like a club owner.
It’s very direct. Sometimes I find myself close to an act
that’s particularly loud, and I can’t compete with that
so I like to play on off-peak hours.”
Boyd is a classically trained orchestral pedal harpist who plays
weddings and corporate events during the day to support herself.
She hopes to become a professional composer and is currently
enrolled in the film scoring program at UCLA Extension. In what
sometimes becomes an overwhelming chaos of solicitors, pedestrians,
pan handlers and just plain noise, Boyd’s honest love for her
music and her gentle songs cut across the night with a welcome
reception.
“I’d rather have someone listen and leave me
nothing,” Boyd said, “then worry about whether or not
I’m going to get anything from their pocket.”