Peel Street's heartbeat

During the Country Music Festival, Tamworth's main shopping street, called Peel Street, is alive with a vibe and eclectic mix of different styles of music.

It is alive with buskers who take it in turns to impress and dominate their allotted 20-30 mins of entertaining the local masses. They plug into the power points of the local shops and sing, play and entertain as earnestly as they can for those bursts of time.

They have dozens of styles of country music and they even had a latino band playing. There was a polynesian singer there too. There were children and families who bring their talents to the streets in free concerts. Peel street is a fairly long street and there are dozens of performers all vying for your attention. The atmosphere is like a massive carnival without the facade of Vegas, it is a simple but endearing float through the heart of country music.

There are people who have been busking in the same spot for many years, there are people who make unusual guitars, there are wives who sit patiently thru each set of their husbands or partners musical sets as they belt out a tune. I couldnt help feel the devotion they had to their men and to the songs they must have heard thousands of times. I was so impressed. But then I found one woman wearing ear plugs and realised of course! that is how she gets through it all. Too funny.

There are painters on the street, there are paid concerts you can see in the many pubs and other drinking establishments. There are posters of EVERY singer and where you can see them perform throughout the festival, there is a man who can do the sound of a didgeridoo in the back of his throat and sound absolutely real.

There is even a spot where you can go and have your butt branded with CMF 2010 in the bum of your jeans, WHILST wearing them!! Yeeha

The smells of cooking food, the smell of fairy floss, popcorn and coffee all permeate the air mixed with the sounds of people laughing, clapping and cheering. A pleasant assault on the senses all round I submit.

One shop owner said to me it IS good when you have someone who can sing in tune playing outside your shop, but he didn't.

Busking outside his shop was a rather dishevelled man who obviously has been surrounded by well meaning friends and family telling him how wonderful he was, so every 20 minutes it was cringe factor time for the owner of this shop. I listened and was in awe at the process that anybody in this country can get up and have a go. I applaud the initiative, even if I would not buy one of the CD's he was plying.

Around one corner was an aboriginal band playing the old standards of many years ago, I remember hearing them from my own parents, and there was a couple who decided to dance in the street to the delight of all who were there.

I even found a religious concert happening called Scripture union and smiled as I saw a number of people foillowing that particular style of country music, it was truly an interesting experience. I did note however the few drunkards who were completely unconscious and asleep in the very back rows. Perhaps they were the most in need of another kind of spirit revival.

Just near the scripture union in a side car amusement style van, they had guitars for sale and they were cheap. They looked it, BUT, I found a white acoustic electric guitar which in my recent research would suggest would have been in the order of $200-$400 and looked worth every bit of my assessment price, and so I asked the lady "How Much?" to which she glanced at the guitar and mumbled something and said $80! Trying not to show my enthusiasm I said $80 Oh, ok I will take it. I took the new guitar incredulously at the biggest bargain of the month...and it was, dusted it off and found a permanent black marker and commenced getting autographs on the guitar. More than a few people asked if i was putting it on ebay to sell. But no it will be proudly on my wall as a reminder that I was there at the concert. It has been signed by many of the stars of country music, and even a few stars who have nothing to do with country music who I happened to meet there enjoying the vibe as well! More to be written about some of the stars soon...