Walk down Euclid Avenue at noon on a normal weekday, and chaotic sounds of city traffic and construction blend into the background. The rumbling of car exhaust, the pounding of heavy machinery and the horns of the impatient all create the soundscape of Downtown Cleveland on any average day.
But today was a little different.
Standing on the corner of Euclid Avenue and E. Sixth Street, the crisp strums of the guitar and a powerful melodic voice cut through the city noise. Donned in a patterned jumpsuit and a big sun hat, shielding her eyes from the bright sunlight, this busker performed like a master of the craft with her trusty guitar. She goes by her stage name, Thistle Down.
Life of a traveling musician
Thistle is originally from Scotland and grew up with a musical background. She started to learn the violin at age 7 and picked up a guitar shortly after. She attended music schools in Scotland, where she learned the ins and outs of recording and production. When she speaks, you can hear her bubbly demeanor and her passion for music through her thick Scottish accent. All she’s wanted to do since those formative years is write music.
She and her family — her husband and three children — bought an RV two years ago and have been traveling around the country. Thistle and her husband are in a band called Daniel Michael, and they perform at festivals and shows across the country. They recently performed at The Great Blue Huron Festival in Sherman, a small town in Western New York.
“That was our first time there,” Thistle said. “We got to meet tons of people. I think we played about ten sets or something [like that] over the weekend, so that was great.”
Since hitting the road two years ago, Thistle said she and her family have traveled 30,000 miles through 26 states.
Her favorite stop so far?
“Oh gosh, I loved Arizona,” Thistle said. “I had no idea that the cacti were so giant. Oh, it was amazing.”
Ohio is also one of her favorite states. She and her family consider it “a home base” of sorts; the family RV is registered in Ohio, so they visit every year to renew the registration. Her husband also has roots in the region, as his family and friends live in the area. When they come to visit, the family often stays at their friends’ homes. Thistle mentioned that she often enjoys these visits because she has access to a “real shower” and “real bed.”
Her musical philosophy and style
When she’s not rocking on stage or cruising in the RV, Thistle grabs her guitar and busks on street corners. She usually performs covers; those get better responses from people passing by. On this particular day, she was singing her rendition of KT Tunstall’s "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" at the top of her lungs, playing her guitar with vibrance.
These performances serve a purpose greater than drumming up extra gas and food money for Thistle. She often finds that busking is the perfect environment for collaboration. She’s had passersby join in the musical experience with her, from children clapping and singing along to other musicians jamming along with their instruments.
“Sometimes, you’ll get in a good flow with somebody,” Thistle said. “On the street, you’ll get people coming by and rapping, or playing a little bit of fiddle, all sorts of stuff.”
Thistle uses these impromptu jam sessions as inspiration for her own music. Her main goal is to write her own music that speaks to people wherever they are in life. She allows the music to speak through her and allows inspiration to strike at any time, such as the moment she got a song idea in the bathtub.
“I was having a bath, and I was like, ‘I need a pen!’" she recalled. “Then I find this tattoo pen and a goldfish box and I just stringed this whole song out. It was like two verses and a chorus, and I’m like, ‘Wow!’”
Moments like that encapsulate Thistle’s music philosophy; she takes a more spontaneous approach to her craft. She said she believes in forming authentic relationships with her listeners, meeting them where they are, because she wants listeners to feel empowered to perform with her, whether they’re proficient musicians, amateurs or complete novices. Her performances aren’t just to make some extra cash, but to build something greater than her.
“That’s what I want to do, is get everyone to sing or bang a drum or dance or anything,” she said. “Just remember that we are all a part of this beautiful song of the universe and just sing it.”
Return to that same street corner today and you won’t find her there. Just as quickly as she shows up, she disappears, leaving only the memories of her performances. The corner of Euclid Avenue and E. Sixth Street return to the symphony of everyday street traffic and bustle, no guitar strumming or big sun hats.
Thistle and her family are back on the road, bringing the music wherever they go.
