They set sail for Vancouver Island, and ended up coming home with a whole boatload of treasure.
In 2008, Vancouver indie folk quartet Headwater starting busking aboard BC Ferries on their way to and from gigs on Vancouver Island. But soon after, the roots musicians realized the journey was more lucrative than the destination.
"We'd be going to a show, we'd busk, and then we said, ‘Hey wait a minute – the ferry show is better than our show on the other end,’ says front man Jonas Shandel with a laugh. “So we took a regular gig at Swans [in Victoria] just so we could do the ferries. Then it progressed to the point where we would just do the ferry on its own. So we do the 1 p.m. and then we’re home by 6 on Friday.”
The move has seriously paid off: over the course of 55 return sailings, the band has grossed a whopping $83,000 in loot. That’s $1,500 bucks a pop, on average.
Most comes from CD sales, which they also work into their set; the remainder is from private gigs they've lined up as a result of the impromptu shows.
Their costs have been $5,000 in CD manufacturing, $3,000 in ferry fares and $1,100 in gas and parking; but even so, they’ve debarked with a tidy net profit of $73,600.
The group doesn’t have permission to perform, or any kind of busking permit; but after some trial and error, they managed to develop a top-secret technique that doesn’t anger the captive crowd, or get the staff telling them to walk the plank.
"We got stopped once because we didn’t know how to structure the set in a way that would appeal to the maximum amount of people. So now we have a structure to our set and a technique we use to draw people in very gently. Then once they’re on board, we make it more of a show," says Shandel, who adds that word of their performance spreads, so by the end of the set, it's often standing room only. "But it’s not until we kind of win them over through charm and gentle sounds."
On one sailing, those dulcet tones came in especially handy when a man went overboard and needed to be rescued, and the whole ferry had to turn back and head back for shore, which caused jitters and frustration among the passengers.
"People were really responsive because I think everyone had shared that experience," says Shandel. "It ended up being one of our busiest days ever, and the chief steward came down and personally thanked us, then bought us lunch."
The musician says the group has also encountered its share of colourful characters – including a guy who ate nine hamburgers right in front of them.
The quartet always plays the 1 p.m. ferry from Tsawwassen, even though the boats traverse the Georgia Strait from early morning until late evening. “We didn’t want to switch it up because it’s working so well,” says Shandel, who adds that, if all goes according to plan, the group will be on the 1 p.m. ferry this Sunday. “Because every time we do a ferry, we think, ‘This has got to be the last time this works. It can’t work. This is crazy.’ But it just keeps working.”
The group could be in for an even bigger windfall if they win the Peak Performance Project. They’ve made it into the Top 20, and voting is on for the next week.
The winner lands $100,000; second and third place win $75,000 and $50,000. The Top 5 announcement happens November 1; the final winner will be named at a special Vancouver show at the Commodore Ballroom November 22.
To tide you over until then, here are some Headwater videos posted by ferry passengers on the high seas.