By Meg Kennedy<\/p>\n
A local musician has been granted a spot in a busker\u2019s paradise \u2013 Bourke Street Mall.
\nBallan resident Leon Conway was bestowed with the coveted busker\u2019s permit late last year, which allows the musician to take his \u2018Golden Era of Melbourne\u2019-inspired tunes to the heart of the city.
\nMr Conway is a member of local band \u2018The Drongo and the Crow\u2019 and has been busking for \u201ca couple of years now\u201d, completing a rigorous audition process for a Bourke Street permit that was years in the making.
\nThe final step was a live audition – not unlike \u2018The X Factor\u2019 or \u2018Australian Idol\u2019 – to finally receive a busking permit from Melbourne City Council.
\n\u201cIt was just like in Flashdance,\u201d joked Mr Conway.
\n\u201cThere was a big room with a long table with judges sitting there saying \u2018Mr Conway, you\u2019ve got eight minutes, show us what you\u2019ve got\u2019,\u201d he said.
\nThe busy enclave of Bourke Street Mall is a \u201cdifferent vibe\u201d to his usual busking sites in the Ballan, Bacchus Marsh and western suburbs areas, which Mr Conway said has been a \u201clearning experience\u201d to draw an audience.
\n\u201cMy job is to grab people and hold them steady\u2026and I\u2019m honing, I suppose, my act and craft\u2026[and] how I arrange my physical space,\u201d he said.
\nBut Mr Conway hasn\u2019t had to figure things out alone, saying other buskers have been \u201cvery, very helpful with things.\u201d
\n\u201cThey\u2019re amazing, and giving and generous,\u201d he said.
\nMr Conway said he is aiming to \u201cdevelop a musical act for all of Melbourne.\u201d
\n\u201cWith my busking I\u2019ve found some opportunities to work in pre-schools and assisted care facilities, so busking like that is a good way to meet people, or reach out to people, and get in other work,\u201d he said.
\nLeon Conway can be found performing at various sites around Bourke Street Mall throughout the 2019 year.
\nLeon\u2019s band \u2018The Drongo and the Crow\u2019 can be found on Facebook, and their CD is available to purchase online at https:\/\/drongoandcrow.bandcamp.com\/releases.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Meg Kennedy A local musician has been granted a spot in a busker\u2019s paradise \u2013 Bourke Street Mall. Ballan resident Leon Conway was bestowed with the coveted busker\u2019s permit late last year, which allows the musician to take his \u2018Golden Era of Melbourne\u2019-inspired tunes to the heart of the city. Mr Conway is a […]<\/p>\n