Buskers
Interested in Becoming a Busker?
We are now accepting new busker requests for the Summer Season 2024. We want YOU to share you musical talents with the market community!
Create your online profile HERE! Be sure to fill in as much of your profile as possible, including a link where we can hear your music! All music should be acoustic (we rarely have access to power at any of our market sites) and appropriate for an all ages event.
Bookings must be done in advance. Details are provided once you get onboarded on our booking system. We do a general full season booking with our roster of musicians in October for our Winter Markets, and April for our Summer Markets.
For any questions, write to Laura Gibson.
*VFM reserves the right to remove any Busker at any time.
Market Beats – Meet a Few of Our Musicians
Mickey Slick
Mickey S. is retired from work but not from life and he has been playing markets for several years. His collection of tunes has something familiar for everyone, young or young at heart and might surprise you with a different arrangement than you’ve heard before. Performing for fun, he donates all of your tips to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank and is happy to play at a charity event that you may be part of. A little sample of his tunes can be found here!
Norine Braun
“Every farmers market is different but the energy is always fun and fresh. As a street level performer it’s wonderful to create the ambience of the market that makes people stop and listen or have a dance or two with the kids in front of you.
A highlight playing last year was when a woman had just purchased my song on iTunes prior and didn’t know me. She happened to be walking around the market when she heard me singing “Midnight” – the song she had just bought earlier that week. She was excited, beaming and couldn’t wait to tell me her synchronistic story after I finished playing the song – an instant new fan! As a singer-songwriter the markets are a great place to introduce people to my music, sell CDs, hone my chops, try out new tunes and get word out about upcoming local gigs with my trio or full band.”
The Duo Twangs
The Duo Twangs were formed when the rest of the band didn’t feel like getting up early on rainy weekends to play at the market. Gerard and Mike stuck it out and have built a roots, rock and blues duo based on harmony, harmonica, guitar and mandolin.
After a couple of years of observation, VFM employee Ron joined the duo and now holds down bass and vocals when he’s not actually working. Playing music at markets has given all of us a lot of joy and we’re grateful to be part of the VFM community.
You can follow them and find samples of their music here!
The Heretics
The Heretics Old Time Stringband perform fiddle tunes and songs that derive primarily from the southern Appalachian region of the US.
Much of the music we play predates recorded Country & Western and Bluegrass music. We think of “old time” music as the dance tunes and traditional songs that folks entertained themselves and neighbours with in the “early days”.
We enjoy the simplicity and liveliness of the tunes, and enjoy sharing the music with the patrons, venders, and volunteers at the Vancouver Farmers Markets.
We are David Yorke ( mandolin), Dave Zaruba (guitar and vocals), Alan Mulvenna (banjo), Lori Harkins (banjo), Greg Green (fiddle), Mike Gix (fiddle), and Caroline Murphy (fiddle and vocals).
You can follow them and find samples of their music here!
