Carol Motsinger,

When filmmaker and historian Erin Derham set out to make a film this summer, she started by asking herself one question.

What makes Asheville cool?

Derham, however, ended up answering another question — a much more personal one — during the process of creating, "Buskin' Blues," an hourlong documentary about Asheville's street performers debuting at The Orange Peel on Sept. 21.

"(Street musicians and performers are) one of the reasons I moved to Asheville and I didn't even know it," Derham said.

She learned through the course of interviewing musicians, business owners, industry professionals and other community leaders that busking "connects people back to their city."

"Buskers don't just bring tourists here," she noted. Locals walking on the sidewalk, on the way to work or pick up groceries with a "million things" in their heads, are grounded by hearing a musician perform — even if it is just for a second, Derham said.

You become present in the moment and in the space, she said. With "Buskin' Blues," Derham aims to collect and share these moments and spaces — and document it formally as a part of Asheville's official history.

At The Orange Peel event, some of the artists responsible for making this connection and that history will perform, including Andrew Fletcher, a jazz pianist.

He plans on performing in the lobby of The Orange Peel, making him most likely the first busker to play in the concert venue.

"What I like about playing on the streets is that you get to bring music to people who aren't expecting it," said Fletcher, who, with the help of a friend, built a custom traveling piano on wheels. "They light up with discovery."

Fletcher, who also plays on a variety of stages in town, said the time is right for a documentary about the Asheville busking scene, which is concentrated in downtown.

"In Asheville, we really do have something unique in terms of street music culture ... I think that all these people who are playing on the street are doing something that is worth remembering," he added.

Derham, who moved to Asheville about two years ago, has a formal education in history — she holds a master's from UNC Charlotte in the subject.

But she has worked in video for about the same amount of time. Derham began an internship with the Charlotte PBS affiliate while pursuing her master's, for example, and continues to create digital work for the organization.

Ultimately, oral history captures Derham's imagination. Sitting in an archive, she says, is only interesting for about a week. "I like people; I like being around people and talking to people," Derham said.

And, she notes, you can't ask a book a question and get an answer.

Derham's mother is a jazz guitarist, so she's long been interested in the professional musical community, as well.

She originally planned to answer that "why Asheville is cool" question by heading out to the streets just with her camera and a set of questions to ask buskers about who they are, why they busk and what busking truly means.

But after learning about the interest in the project from filmmakers and other community stakeholders, Derham said she realized her project needed to be more polished.

She self-funded the project and began filming at the end of May.

"This was something I saw that no one else did," she said, later noting the lack of contemporary research on the busking culture. "I wanted to research it, so I did. And I am very happy with that decision."

The film focused on the "mystique" behind the busking culture. She looked into the subculture, asking questions about how the musicians interact, the hierarchy and codes of conduct that define this self-governing group.

"I could tell that busking isn't something that random people do," she said. "They have to abide by the same rules or it doesn't work."

In Asheville, the rules mean respecting others. It's a nicer, less competitive environment than larger busking-centric cities like New Orleans, she said.

Derham also tried to cut to the heart of why busking matters and not just in the cultural sense.

Sure, the street music provides an art-filled landscape for pedestrians. But it's also had a direct impact on musician wages in this town, and on the value people put on musicianship.

A main theme of the documentary, Derham said, is that some musicians opt for street performing over appearance in traditional venues — although they have the talent to book these gigs — because venues often underpay musicians. If they pay at all, she said.

"I think because busking can be lucrative," Fletcher said, "it has pushed up wages" in traditional venues.

Living wages for musicians is a concern, and a part of the new advocacy group AMP (Asheville Music Professionals). The organization aims to provide education, advocacy, connection and collaboration for the people who work in music.

The "Buskin' Blues" event will feature a silent auction to benefit AMP, Derham noted.

Marc Hennessey, a violinist, funded his new album "Bloom" with money earned busking, he said.

"I'm calling it analog crowdfunding," he said.

Hennessey and his group — All My Dear Friends — will perform at The Orange Peel event.

Hennessey is also motivated to perform on the streets because of the connection he makes with audiences.

He introduced a song one day to a crowd, explaining he had written it for his grandmother on her death bed. After, a young girl greeted him in tears, saying the song helped her reach closure about her grandmother's recent death.

Hennessey also regularly gets messages on his fan Facebook page from people who have seen him on the streets, telling him his music "made our experience in Asheville," for instance.

Busking, he said, "creates this magic you can't get anywhere else."

IF YOU GO

What: "Buskin' Blues" documentary showing, with live performances by Andrew Fletcher, The Resonant Rogues, To All My Dear Friends, Flat Pennies and Chris Rodrigues

When: 6 p.m. Sept. 21.

Where: The Orange Peel, 101 Biltmore Ave.

Admission: $15

Learn more:http://theorangepeel.net or www.thehistoryboutique.com.