Banjo Loner

'Busking is a European term for performing on city streets, subways, and at outdoor markets for tips," reads the inside cover of the 7th Day Buskers' debut CD Long Live the Caboose. "We do this on Sundays." Shawn P. Rohlf founded the band in 1997 while playing guitar, banjo, and harmonica with a rotating roster of players on Sundays at the Hillcrest farmer's market. The former Minnesota farm boy says, "Before I moved here, I spent two years in Amsterdam and Ireland as a street musician, playing for tips. I stood out a lot in both places, since I was probably one of only two or three banjo players in the whole country."

Performing acoustic originals and traditional roots music (folk, blues, bluegrass, alternative country, and thanks to that European jaunt, Irish), the Buskers still occasionally play the market (10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Sunday in the DMV parking lot near Park and Washington). After winning a 2004 San Diego Music Award for Best Americana, the group's current lineup -- Rohlf (also a whitewater river-rafting guide), dobro player Robin Henkel (who, years ago, gave Rohlf guitar lessons), fiddler Melissa Harley, and upright bassist Ken Dow -- released their third CD, Fool's Grass, in February.

The 7th Day Buskers appear Saturday, April 23, at the Carlsbad Village Theatre.

WHAT'S IN YOUR CD PLAYER?

Shawn P. Rohlf

1. John Hartford, Aeroplane ("Broke all the rules of bluegrass and invented some new ones.")

2. Café Tacuba, Avalancha de Exitos ("Punk, hip-hop, pop, and folk mix via Mexico City.")

3. The Replacements, Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash ("Kicks major ass.")

4. Joni Mitchell, Blue ("For my sensitive side.")

5. Tom Waits, Frank's Wild Years ("A freakin' masterpiece.")

Robin Henkel

1. Wayne Shorter, Speak No Evil ("His music is deep and emotional.")

2. Miles Davis, Kind of Blue ("The piano solo on 'Freddy Freeloader' kicks my ass.")

3. Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, Anthology ("A memorial to an almost 40-year history.")

4. Anna Troy, Dollhouse ("She's cool.")

5. Noel Boggs, Stealin' Home ("The steel guitar and fiddle hits the American funny bone.")

Ken Dow

1. David Gates, The David Gates Songbook ("Jammed with him [Gates lives in San Diego] a few days back.")

2. Bruce Hornsby & the Range, Scenes from the Southside ("Still like it, but the synth bass bugs.")

3. Peter Sprague, Soliloquy ("I'm working on learning the bebop break in 'Seattle Stomp. '")

Melissa Harley

"7th Day Buskers' CDs are taking up all the space in my CD player right now because we are on tour and I had to do some last-minute practicing."

BEST BAND NAMES?

Rohlf

1. Hüsker Dü ("It's an old board game I used to play growing up in Minnesota.")

2. The Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash ("Wish I would have thought of that one.")

3. Tourette's Lautrec ("Old friends of mine.")

Henkel

1. The Negro Problem

2. Jane Likes Dick

3. Dow 3x1-1 ("From [television's] Mister Show...not really a band name but it should be.")

4. Harley Nashville Pussy

SONGS YOU HOPE TO NEVER HEAR AGAIN?

Rohlf

1. The Barney Song ("I liked the 'knick-knack, paddy-whack' version much better.")

2. "Sister Christian" ("Or whatever the hell that song was called. I think it was by Night Ranger.")

3. "American Woman" ("Lenny Kravitz version...actually I don't need to hear the other version [by the Guess Who] again either.")

4. "Iris," the Goo Goo Dolls

Henkel

1. "Me and My Arrow," Harry Nilsson

2. "American Pie," Don McLean

3. "Bad Is Bad," Huey Lewis & the News

4. "Never Gonna Give You Up," Rick Astley

Dow

1. "Believe," Cher

2. "Anything with auto-tuned vocals...so you can pick any four pop-country songs."

Harley

1. "My Precious One," Celine Dion

2. "My Heart Will Go On," Celine Dion

3. "The Power of Love," Celine Dion

4. "Beauty and the Beast," Celine Dion

5. "If Walls Could Talk," Celine Dion

FAVORITE TV SHOWS?

Rohlf

1. South Park ("It's just wrong.")

2. VH-1's Behind the Music on Mötley Crüe ("The one where Ozzy Osbourne snorted ants.")

Henkel

1. Alfred Hitchcock Presents

2. The Twilight Zone ("Rod and Alfred could tell a unique story without resorting to the bombastic bullshit of today's television.")

3. The Simpsons

4. King of the Hill

Dow

1. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart ("Consistently hilarious and bitingly satirical.")

2. Aqua Teen Hunger Force ("Cuz Meatwad make da money, see / Meatwad get the honeys, G.")

3. Star Trek: The Next Generation ("Especially third season or later...characters are great and tackle big issues.")

4. King of the Hill ("Really funny characters.")

Harley

1. Family Guy ("It's funny; I don't know.")

2. Futurama

BEATLES OR STONES?

Rohlf "That's a real tough one, but I got to go with the Stones."

Henkel "Beatles were more creative and brilliant, but I always liked the Stones better."

Dow "Beatles, but you got to admire the Stones for their tenacity."

Harley "Beatles."