--Christopher Bell--Canoeing Ukuleleist.
BROCKPORT, N.Y. -- On a rain-soaked evening last week, a small group of people darted through the streets of this Erie Canal town to a large bookstore that anchors Main Street. They sat on plastic folding chairs set up in the basement between Anthologies and Literature, waiting for a folk singer to begin his performance.
Most did not know the musician, Christopher Bell. But they had an idea about how he got there. Mr. Bell had paddled into town in his one-man canoe -- a ukulele, 11 harmonicas, some energy bars and a few pieces of clothing stowed in the canoe's crevices. “This is my attempt to stave off gas prices for six weeks and still go to work," he said to the audience.
Mr. Bell, 22, of Frewsburg, near Jamestown, is on a summer tour across New York State. He started his tour from Buffalo on July 20, and plans to canoe 550 miles to New York City in time for a performance at a coffee shop in Manhattan on Sept. 4. Along the way, he is performing in small towns like Brockport, as well as in larger cities such as Rochester, Albany and Poughkeepsie.
Though he calls it his “great adventure," it is also something of a necessity. Mr. Bell typically tours via his 1997 Toyota Corolla, traveling 40,000 miles over a seven- or eight-month period. He earns anywhere from $20 to $200 a show, making him barely able to eke out a living even when gas prices were $1 per gallon cheaper. “I just get so angry about it," he said.
This year, Mr. Bell cut short a tour in Southern California as gas prices surged to $4.67 a gallon, and headed to his parents' home in Frewsburg, where he lives between gigs, to create a more wallet-friendly tour. He thought about walking or biking, but a friend encouraged him to canoe. The Erie Canal, he decided, would be perfect. “I could do the Mississippi," he said. “But the Erie Canal seemed like a better idea. This is my home state."
