Gussing is the term used for when a harmonica player jumps up on the stage and starts playing with the band without being asked or asking in advance. I always referred to it as a drive-by.
The Story
"Have you ever gone to see a band and someone from the audience will start singing along really loudly and it totally distracts you from the show? Have you ever seen someone do that, but instead of singing along, they take out their own instrument and start playing? This is such a common problem in the harmonica community that it has its own name: gussing! This term was coined in 1996 on a harmonica message board called Harp L, where it was officially defined as:
v. 1. To force one's way into a musical performance against the wishes of the scheduled performers.
2. To remain onstage for longer than appropriate when asked to accompany previously scheduled musicians.
Gussing is named after some guy named Gus from a story that a user named Barry Bean told in this message board. The post has been archived, so here's the full story.
My man Gus walks onto the stage, whips out his harp and says "Oh, Susanna, boys!" after three or four verses of "Oh, Susanna" later we thank him profusely and start to vamp on the next song. Before we can get into it Gus announces that his next number will be "You are My Sunshine." Again, we thank him and try to start our next song, but Gus isn't leaving. He says "one more boys!" and launches into "Blue Eyes Cryin' In the Rain." Finally he leaves the stage and we get back on with the show.
30 years later, in harmonica spaces, an important rule of etiquette is still no gussing. I often wonder if musicians outside the harmonica world ever deal with this or is it unique to harp players? Like do we think we can get away with it because we have a small instrument? Do other genres or instrument communities have an equivalent term for gussing? Do they even need one?" --Elise Brown
Gussing Through the Years
Having played harmonica for over 50 years and probably being a bit neuro atypical I have participated in a number of gussing incidents which I am going to confess to here.
My most obvious gussing incident was probably in the late 1990s. There was a biker bar called My Place which happened to be across the street from the gay bar called Scooters, which I always wondered how they got along at closing time since they seemed a little like polar opposites. One evening I happened to stop in at My Place because I heard a band playing. I recognized the guitar player as Leif Peterson, who had been a friend of my brother in Junior High and had been in one of my favorite punk bands called "The Commercials". The place was packed, and the band was crammed into a corner near the entrance. I don't think there was a stage. They had a woman as the front person who was the lead singer. As I watched, they started playing "Train, Train" by Blackfoot. I had been playing the harmonica part of this song with another band for a couple of years now, and I could see there was no harmonica player. Usually this song is played in the key of E, but there have been some occasions where a band will drop tune to Eb or something. So I approached Leif while he was playing, flashed him my harmonica, and pointed to his mic with a questioning look in my eye. He had an uneasy look in his eyes. Then I wanted to make sure it was in the right key, so I held out three fingers sideways like the letter E. I think he may have nodded. Anyway, when they got to the harp solo, I played it as usual and then went back out into the crowd. Later the woman who seemed to be the leader commented to me, "I didn't know you knew that song; I would have had you play." I mean, I had no idea they were going to play it.
There are certain songs that just really need a harmonica. I can't stand watching a band play "What I Like About You" without a harmonica. I once saw a girl band playing "What I Like About You" by the Romantics. I had a harmonica in my pocket, and I had played the harmonica solo for this song on many occasions. I was really tempted to gus them, but I remained seated and listened to their keyboard player play an awful version of the harmonica part on the keyboard. I think I died a little inside listening to that.
Probably one of my earliest experiences with gussing would have been in the early 1980s at the Mays Barstow Tap, or it might have been Gallagher's, which is what it was called after Mike Gallagher bought it from May. They had a number of blues performers play there, including local favorite Howard "Guitar" Luedtke. I was friends with Howard's drummer at the time, Bronson. I know I played with Howard because on Howard Luedtke's website, they used to have a picture of the band that showed me with a harmonica listed only as an unidentified harmonica player. James Solberg was a frequent performer, but I don't remember ever playing with him.
When I was in college in 1980 or 1981, a friend had scheduled a protest at the UW Eau Claire student union, Davies Center. I don't remember what we were protesting, but I was supposed to play harmonica for a few minutes until the band showed up. It turned out the band never showed up, so I ended up playing for about an hour.
I did something similar at a friend's wedding. They had a wedding reception but no band. It turned out the bar owner was a drummer and one of the other guests was a guitar player. We ended up playing the whole night.
Probably one of my worst gussing incidents was at a company picnic where they had hired the university jazz band to play. I invited myself to play along with them for several songs before they got rid of me. Near the end I asked them why all of the songs sounded similar and the band director informed me it was because I only had one key harmonica.
Gussing a Busker
One of my most effective strategies is gussing a busker. It goes like this. You hear someone busking guitar. You approach them, toss them a couple of bucks, show them your harmonica, and ask if they know any blues. If they are agreeable, you jam with them for a few minutes. I once did this at a wayside in the UP of Michigan. A woman came out of the bathroom and tossed us a $20 bill. Usually a harmonica and guitar will attract more attention than a guitar alone.
All By Myself
Most of the time now I just play in the park or sit on a city bench somewhere and play. That way, people have a choice whether they want to stay and listen. It's always a good idea to check the busking laws in a city or country before you play in public. I was playing on a bench in the Naval Yard in Washington, D.C., and later noticed that there was a rule against public performances. Barcelona has very strict licensing and busking rules. Even if you are walking around playing an instrument, they will confiscate the instrument and fine you. Greece, on the other hand, pretty much allows you to play anywhere.
