Wil Andruschak

Alanna Clarke and Brady Side perform on the C-Train during Juno week

One doesn’t see live music on Calgary’s public transit very often. In fact, it’s mostly forbidden. Bylaw number 4M81 lays it out clearly: “No person shall play any musical instrument on a transit vehicle or transit property without being in possession of the consent in writing of the Director, Calgary Transit.”

Harsh. I think of the scene in Once where Irish rocker Glen Hansard, playing a busker, spontaneously strums his beat-up acoustic guitar on the back of a bus and laments his life as a single vacuum cleaner repairman. Good thing he was in Dublin. Express yourself like that in Calgary, and you risk getting dinged with a $100 fine.

Juno week, however, was different. Music on transit was actually encouraged, and even facilitated by the city. From noon to 2 p.m., local musicians set up and played on the C-Train, effectively transforming what is usually a quiet and solitary experience into an entertaining one. The train is one of the most interactive music venues out there — and it’s all ages, too.

And so, on Thursday, two young singer-songwriters, 16-year-old Alanna Clarke and 21-year-old Michael Bernard Fitzgerald, filled a northwest-bound train car with lively acoustic pop. It wasn’t illegal; all of it was approved by the authorities. In fact, the city had arranged the mobile show specifically for local media.

Brady Side, Clarke’s accompanying guitarist, says he enjoyed the experience of playing on the train. He’s thought of spontaneously doing it before, but “wasn’t sure if it was legal or if you need a permit or what.” He says he’d definitely break out his guitar on the train again if given the opportunity. “People seemed to respond to it pretty well,” he says.

Clarke, who lives in Cochrane, has played music on the C-Train once before — but it was a little different than the Musicians in Motion gig. “When I was in Grade 6, our vocal teacher had us all come on and sing Christmas carols,” she says. “It was really good.” However, she says her vocal teacher probably didn’t get permission from the city.

Not like it matters. Bill Bruce, the city’s bylaw chief, is bobbing his head admiringly as Clarke’s smooth, powerful voice fills the train car. Afterwards, Bylaw Bill offers this review: “Absolutely amazing. I’ll be looking for her CDs.” He’s not the only city hall suit grooving to the tunes. A cadre of aldermen is also having a blast. Ald. Joe Connelly, watching Fitzgerald, grooves like he’s watching his favourite band. When I ask him about the transit bylaw that forbids spontaneous music, he says: “I didn’t know that.”

Ald. Andre Chabot, too, wasn’t aware of the bylaw, but doesn’t see a problem with live music on the train. He’s also loving the performances. “I think it might be a little tough during rush hour,” says Chabot. “Otherwise, I don’t see why we couldn’t have people playing.” Another possibility, he says, is playing music through the train’s speakers to liven up a ride that’s often “pretty bland.”

Ald. Brian Pincott is also in favour of seeing more people play music on transit. “I think that would be cool,” he says. “I love spontaneous art…. In other places, they look at their transit system as a great opportunity for public art.” Calgary, Pincott says, should do the same. “When you think about it, it’s one of our biggest [pieces] of public infrastructure.”

As the train shoots into an underground tunnel, Pincott, a former theatre lighting designer, suggests another idea: art on the tunnel walls. “It’s a dark, dreary tunnel,” he says. “You’re on a train where people are desperate not to look at each other, so they’re looking at nothing out the window. Why not have art out there? The lighting designer in me thinks about how you could do that.” He suggests an “installation piece… best viewed at 40 kilometres per hour.”

Pincott’s touched on another Calgary Transit weirdism: the unspoken rule that people on the bus shouldn’t look at, much less talk to, each other. Music clearly has the power to change this and engage people with each other. The ride becomes less solitary, more communal. “It kind of livens people up and it kind of gets people out of their daily routines,” says Side, 20. “It puts people in a good mood for sure.” Ald. Druh Farrell agrees. Music, she says, helps people feel safe and brings a “sense of delight” onto the train. Farrell says the city is “talking about other opportunities” to bring music onto transit. “There are special occasions throughout the year that we can celebrate,” she says.

Bylaw Bill, himself a guitarist and music lover, says the city is becoming more flexible in its approach to artistic performances — musical and otherwise — in public spaces. The public benefit from activities like busking, he says, is clear: “There’s always a huge crowd of people, everyone’s having fun and no one’s getting hurt,” says Bruce, who builds guitars as a hobby. “So how is that bad?”