I check out the official Green Day site every now and then, and today I read this article about three 10 and 11 year old kids that play Green Day music on the streets to make some extra money.
Pint-sized buskers hit the streets with Green Day cover band
The music of rock band Green Day burst through the Sunday afternoon quiet on Queen St. W.
Strollers stopped, listened and then threw cash into the open guitar case on the sidewalk in front of 10-singer Finn Shimizu, 10, and guitarist Eric Placenis, 11.
Finn, Eric and drummer Jonny Alikakos, 10 (who was elsewhere that day), comprise Warning, a Green Day cover band. It was Mother’s Day and the boys brought in $200 — and a talent agent gave her card to one of the boys’arents.
These boys, who live in the High Park area, may be the youngest buskers in Toronto. They are part of a wave of kids using social media and personal appearances to get their music out there. After all, it worked for Justin Bieber, who busked the streets of Stratford before he was discovered on YouTube.
Finn’s father, Doug Shimizu, a photographer and Elvis impersonator, says he was 16 before he got a basement band together. He says his son’s skills far surpass what he could do when he was much older.
For a Grade 4 student, the boy has a confidence at the microphone that is amazing, says his father. “Things are freer now and they’re not afraid of adults.”
The group has several videos on Youtube and you can follow their adventures by following “guitarboys47” on Eric’s Twitter feed.
The band has a repertoire of 20 songs and has had four paying gigs at bars and restaurants — engagements they got while busking. The most they’ve ever made in one day is $300. But there are also the lean times on dead streets when they pack it in after making only $7.
Jonny, who joined the group last September and cites Rush’s Neil Peart and Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham as his drumming idols, got his drum set for Christmas, 2009. He had lost interest in both the piano and guitar, and his parents insisted he take lessons and show a commitment to drumming before he got his own set. Initially self-taught, all of the boys now take lessons.
That same Christmas, Eric got his first guitar and his dad taught him to play Stairway to Heaven. His dad learned it from YouTube and taught it to Eric.
Warning is currently focusing on perfecting the songs of Finn’s favourite band. The only heated discussion among the group has been picking the name, Warning. Many Green Day song titles were considered too risqué for kids of their age and the lyrics have all been modified, said Jonny’s mother Heather Alikakos.
The parents are totally onside.
“It’s an outlet for Jonny. It’s to be fun and it would be a bonus for him to continue in music and flourish,” says Heather Alikakos, a homemaker. “When they busk, the parents are always there.”
When they play in a bar — such as the Black Swan on Danforth Ave. — they are the opening act and go home at 9 p.m., she says.
Busking last year enabled Eric to contribute $900 toward his new $2,000 Gibson Les Paul guitar, his pride and joy.
It was Eric’s mother, lawyer Laura Craig, who came up with the idea of the boys showing off their talents on the street. She thought performing would give them confidence.
“People honk their horns, give them the thumbs up and tell them that they rock. They always get lots of smiles and people pause to listen,” says Craig.
“Once a person jumped off and back onto a streetcar to give them coins. On more than one occasion, people stopped at a red light have gotten out of their cars to give them tips.”
For the members of Warning, busking is a great experience.
“In the beginning, I didn’t want people to see me but after about three times, I didn’t mind. I feel good now,” says Finn. “It makes people happy and I make a bit of money.”
“I want to be a professional drummer,” says Jonny.
“I just like playing guitar,” says Eric.
Isn't this the cutest thing ever? I'm totally going to check those kids out on YouTube. They're not that much younger that me - I'm almost 14 - but they are so cool! And 'Warning' is one of my favourite Green Day songs. Anyways, I'm going to check them out, and, well, see you next time, I hope ;)
♣ Gasoline Diamond ♣
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| Source: Weheartit.com I like pictures of Green Day in their early days. Probably because me and my friends have the same sense of humor. We could totally make a picture like this. We have to. ... Nevermind. |
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