The terms “street musician” or "busker” usually call to mind someone with an open guitar case playing for some spare change on a street corner. That's how blues legend BB King and even pop icon Justin Bieber got their start in front of a crowd. In Downtown Sioux Falls you might come across a few trying to do the same thing. As SDPB’s Kaitlynn Wornson reports, Street Musicians are helping change the image of Downtown Sioux Falls, and business owners aren’t complaining.
It's a busy Friday night in Downtown Sioux Falls. There's a crowd of mostly young women outside of the Diner on Phillips Avenue. In the center of the crowd are two stylish college-age guys playing their music. Their names are Bryce Bedinger and Zach Fuller. Bedinger is singing while furiously strumming his guitar and rocking back and forth with the effort. Fuller has more than a few tattoos, spiky blonde hair and a proper pair of tap shoes. Bedinger says their performance was Fuller’s idea.
"I guess you could say we’re both multitasking a little bit. Like, I’ll sing and play guitar and he’s dancing as well as like providing a beat for the song a little bit so," Bedinger says.
In the past buskers might have been considered a nuisance. But today, things are different. Dan Nissen is the owner of the record store Total Drag. He's a musician himself and says street musicians are helping improve the opinion of Downtown Sioux Falls.
"It’s just a place where people come, convene, have a good time. And, you know, every weekend there is so many different music options, just in Downtown. And you can go to all sorts of restaurants, check out some live music, or the Downtown Street Musician thing. I mean, you can just walk down Phillips and check out, I don’t know, 5-10 different artists, you know, that’s great, that’s awesome. Just makes it a fun place to be," Nissen says.
But, in order to busk in Sioux Falls, a musician needs to get an annual $35 permit, unless that musician has been hired by Downtown Sioux Falls, Inc. The group calls itself DTSF for short.
Holly Vandeberg is one of those musicians paid by DTSF. Vandenberg loves playing in Sioux Falls, even though she's already released five CDs.
"And some people are dancing to my music. It's so awesome, it's so fun. I get the audience involved and I do 'name that tune' and I do, 'ok, what movie is this song from?' and I have some trivia so that the audience gets involved," Vandenburg says.
DTSF also pays musicians to play on the streets. Brienne Maner is with DTSF. She says those musicians are placed with various restaurants downtown.
"And we pair them up with the right location, you know, if they’re acoustic they’re better for a certain venue, that sort of thing. So we make sure to really pair them with the right venue," Maner says.
Not all street musicians in Sioux Falls are playing with the permission of City organizations. Some have even skirted the permit. Bedinger and Fuller, the guitar and tap duo, found a loophole. They play on private property with permission from the business owner.
"We started talking to some businesses around there. The Diner was the first place that we talked to. And we just said, hey would you be fine if we played for you guys, maybe inside or whatever. And they were like, as long as you’re on our property you can play out there. I said, don’t we need a permit for that, like if we’re outside? And they go, nope, as long as you have our permission you can do whatever you want on our property," Bedinger says.
Even though Bedinger and Fuller are flying under the radar, they say the response from families and their audiences is positive.
"We had a kid the other night, actually, who kinda watched. And he and his dad were there for a little bit and they were just watching us. The little kid was in awe of Zach and his tap-dancing and Zach was like, 'you wanna come dance with me?' and we just played a little song and let him do that for a little bit," Bedinger says.
They might be playing to a crowd by the river or to some passersby on Phillips Avenue. Either way DTSF officials say the musicians in Downtown Sioux Falls are good for business.