Bert

When I started to play guitar, I was the only musician of the family, I taught myself, and I remember, it was weird, but good weird, it was a brand new feeling I never felt before, it was feeling kinda natural, and I was thinking: how did I never tried that before? A friend of mine at school had one, and Christmas was coming, and my grandpa was always buying me the cool stuff, sometimes a bit expensive or what my parents didn't really want me to have, and when he asked me, my parents were there, and I said: what about a guitar? My mum was like: but you don't even know how to play! I said: well I will learn, and my grandpa just said: well a guitar it is then! So we went to the shop a few days before Christmas, and I saw one I really liked, the guy ask me if I wanted to try it, I replied I didn't know how to play, I will learn, and he was like I will show you how it sounds, then he played, and I was like that's the one! It was an electric, so we got a little amp with it and went back home. They put it downstairs and asked me to wait til Christmas Day, but as soon as they were out, I was going to the garage and I was trying stuff, I had no idea what I was doing but I loved it. After Christmas I went to buy a book of chords, and I started to practice. A year later I bought a second hand acoustic guitar with my own money, and I still play it now. I was leaving in a small town, and I started to play in bands, and it was even a better feeling, something else I had no idea about, it was like playing all together as one! And one day I had the opportunity to move to the UK, and I took it, I gave up everything and brought my acoustic guitar with me. After 4 years we formed a band with a friend in Ipswich, and got more people to join. I was working in bars and restaurants and I needed a change, I thought an office job will be the next thing, so I moved to the south of England in Canterbury. Turns out it wasn't really for me. I tried another time with another office job and I lost it. I remember I was feeling a bit lost that day, but not really in a bad way, I was more feeling, free. It was a Wednesday. I took a couple of days to empty my head, and just do nothing, the Saturday I started to think about the next thing to do. Canterbury is a city of buskers, it's like a religion here. I did some busking when I first arrived, but it was like 30min/1h, same again new feeling and I loved it, so I thought, relax, no rush, why don't you try to busk tomorrow, Sunday, for a couple of hours, and see how it goes, even though I thought it was a crazy idea, so I went and after a couple of hours, I had something like £70. I was like, that's crazy! So I thought: give it a go, you have nothing else to do, so I started pretty much to do it full time, between 2/3h a day, and after the first week I made something like £350, playing everyday, I laughed to myself and I was like, ok carry on! Everybody thought I was crazy, I was going mad, and off course not everyone supported me, it helps you to understand a lot of things, to learn more about the people around you, and who are the people you should keep around you. I was doing a lot of open mics as well. I loved it, it's fun and helps to build your confidence. A few people noticed me, I started to record a bunch of stuff with a friend, I wasn't entirely pleased, so I decided to keep practicing and practicing, realising I wasn't ready for the studio. Between 9/10 months later of playing everyday, at home in the morning, then in the streets, and one more time back home, I tried again with another friend, and I pretty much recorded 5 songs for an EP, 1 take per song. I was confident and it felt natural. Meanwhile I started to get booked for gigs, festival etc...it was slowly taking shape, I was starting to feel it, I realised I have never been so happy in my life, I was doing what I loved, and I could live from it, which was my aim, find my passion and make a living out of it. I felt proud, and I was feeling a lot different, for the first time I knew where I was going. My parents came to visit and they saw me play for the first time like I was playing, on my lap, my sister, brother in law and my little niece were there too, seeing my little niece holding a tambourine as I was playing, and kinda playing with me, was probably one of the best feeling in the world, my parents loved it, they were not massive fans of me playing in the streets, I don't blame them, but they knew I was doing well, and after I played my mum was like, it's not like the video you post on Facebook, it's totally different, it's much better live! that's fine carry on! I was thinking: Finally! I remember I could see my dad constantly starring at me, I was really wondering what was going on in his head, he doesn't talk a lot, I guessed he liked it. Everybody was making a lot of noise, it was an awesome night. It felt like a lot of people were behind me, helping me, supporting me. We finished to record the EP, and I carried on doing gigs and festivals, and still a bit of busking. I realised I was 33, and my life just started. I was free! It's my dream and I believe in it, to me I kinda have already accomplished something, and I'm looking forward to what's to come next. Whatever you wanna do in your life, just jump, you could be surprised of what you can do, I've done it and I ve never been so happy in my life, and what I find even cooler is, to me it's only the beginning, whatever happens, I'm there already! I will never stop because I know it's what I'm supposed to be doing. I'm just saying to myself, We don't have long here, so make sure you do what makes you happy, and make every.second.count! I'm a busker, full time musician, playing guitar on my lap, singer/songwriter, enjoying life to the fullest...now Canterbury based...