Tag Archives: NYC music

7/25: Busker Ball; ghosts of ’11

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Milo and I just got back from Theo Eastwind’s 3rd Annual Busker Ball — and you should be sorry that you missed it! We stayed the full five hours with grins on our faces. If you want to hear one reason why, here’s a quick sample from Elijah Bridges, which I hope he won’t mind me posting. (A bit low-fi — but check that harmonica!)

For me, it was a bit of a tear-jerker too. These days I hear buskers in the subway every last day of my life, of course, but it’s different to have the evening to ourselves. For one thing, talent can do a lot more when it has hour-long sets to work with. (It also doesn’t hurt to have no trains coming through). I’m not saying that I forget how much artistry is in busking — but still, is it ever great to get a reminder of how high the high points can be. So thanks, Theo Eastwind, for making this happen!

One more thing. Just as we were taking off, we ran into Jesse Cohen, who played the third set. He asked if I had played the first set, since I was carrying my case. “No,” I said, “I was just out busking beforehand, that’s all. I play fiddle.” There was a pause — I could see the gears turning — and then, just about at the same moment, we realized that Jesse and I had shared a van the night we were both arrested in 2011.

I don’t want to retell that whole story here  — soon, perhaps — but Jesse was already in the van when me and my fiddle were thrown in head-first that night. I was scared half to death at the time, and Jesse was the first bit of sanity I found and clung to. We were put in different cells on arrival and never swapped contact information, so we’ve been looking for each other for the last two years. And now, here we are. It’s a great big community, busking in NYC, but it seems smaller all the time.

Busking log 7/23: Mandos’R’Us; busking with Hannah

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Things have been quiet here for the last week, both because we’ve been hard at work with the Kickstarter, and because I was as sick as a horse all weekend. Also, the whole of last week was above 90° — and that’s a no-go for performing!

But, we’ve been using the time off to good ends. For instance, BuskNY now has a mandolin:

twang! twang!

Granted, it sounds like a cheapo instrument. But that’s great — it is, in fact, an ultra-cheapo instrument!

It went through a trial by fire yesterday when I busked with my pal Hannah, who I used to play with in the Annandale Ramblers, at the 57th St F station. We were out informally — finished with the workday and volunteer-two-hours, respectively, and we had an hour to kill before the Scottish session at the Iona. That meant that we had no stools, which led to logistical difficulties with the mando. (It’s really hard to pin it against your body while picking — especially when you start sweating!)

Nonetheless, we had a blast. I got to work on my chording, which is a work in progress — but the audience really enjoyed it. Whether for the music or for the sense of humor, we don’t know! But in any case, we made good money, even à deux, and certainly had good fun. To be repeated!

Kickstarter results; 3rd annual Busker Ball

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The Kickstarter closed last night, and thanks to many wonderful friends, musicians, family members, and even unknown Kickstarter aficionados, we made it not just to 100 shirts, but to 135. We’ll be printing them this week and starting to distribute them just after that. Thanks so much, everyone!

On another note, we’d like to point out a concert date that’s not to be missed for those of you in NYC. Theo Eastwind, a long-term NYC busker and an outstanding musician, has organized the 3rd annual Busker Ball for this Wednesday at Spike Hill in Williamsburg. Theo will be performing himself, alongside a handful of the best new busking acts that he’s heard in the last few months. You can catch them all with a complementary ticket ($10 suggested donation). Doors open at 6:30 this Wednesday — and if you make it, find me there!

Busking log 10/07: he plays pianoforti

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I’m dead tired after a long day of commuting, busking, frisbee, and BuskNY conniving with Milo and Kalan. Three quick stories from today:

  1. 68th St Hunter College: a man approaches and says, in the thickest of Russian accents: “You play pianoforti?” “Alas, I play only the violin,” I tell him. “I play pianoforti.” I nod. There’s a pause, then a train begins to pull in. “Next time, I bring pianoforti. We play.” Rest assured, I’ll update you all immediately if (when?) this occurs.
  2. 68th St, ten minutes later: a woman tells me I remind her of “the music they played when I grew up on P.E.I.” What a great compliment! (Well, except that I was playing Irish tunes. Apparently the Iona session is having its effect on me). It’s surprising how many people have experienced traditional dance music in our hemisphere not just as “folk,” but as a living tradition. Always great to hear!
  3. 81st St: ’tis the season for kids’ summer programs, and that means the museum is filled with visiting groups. I get the most amazing reactions — imagine a stream of 40 ten-year-olds coming by, and half of them saying “wow, a violin! Can you play something?” They were on the move, unfortunately, but I played them snippets of the Bach violin sonatas, the Accolay concerto, and the cello suites, and asked which they liked best. Their group leaders kept telling them not to listen, which made me a bit glum. (“Don’t be distracted, kids!”) But then, just at the end of the last group, one group leader took a different approach. “Keep walking,” she said. “But listen!”

Busking log 7/07: White dudes who fiddle

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Sunday is typically a slow day in the subway, but today I nonetheless ventured into my shark-infested concert hall, where a few audience members were already bobbing around my cove:

he never bites, except for the smallest children

81st St is a great station on weekends, since it sees a steady stream of museum visitors headed back downtown in the afternoons. Plus, the B train only runs weekdays — meaning Saturday and Sunday offer extra-long lulls between the screeches of the MTA’s apparently never-maintained brakes.

I had hardly been there ten minutes before a guy came up, holding a violin case, and said he played fiddle. “Which kinds,” I asked. “All kinds!” Having thusly established our shared repertoire, he popped open his case, and we shared a pretty solid set of tunes. It turns out that my new pal, whose name is Douglas, acts, performs, and sings in New York, and has some experience working in the subway as well. You can check out his site here!

Although Douglas had to hurry off to a gig, I kept having a great time at 81st, playing some good tunes and explaining the absence of the B train to visitors from several of Europe’s finest countries.

After two hours, I was feeling pretty played-out and took off for home. By the 14th St transfer to the L, my mind was already more on finding sustenance than on music. But lo and behold: as I stepped of our train, I saw a violinist killing Bach’s fugue in G minor across the platform.

Having previously thought myself the owner of the subway G minor fugue market, I hurried over to check it out. Turns out it was none other than Filip Pogády, violinist extraodinaire, who I had met last summer after he watched me perform at 81st St.

He’s been very active with a burgeoning solo career, but is still finding time to perform underground as well. MTA riders have lots to complain about, but read this guy’s bio — low-quality violin concerts is one problem they don’t have!

Just a good reminder that, while Joshua Bell may only have played that one time, there’s a broad base of serious talent in the subway. So keep your ears peeled!

Busking log 7/2: the best of NYC

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I took yesterday off from busking, which freed up the time to see a friend from Bard, visit Milo in his studio, and go on a massive donut binge. All worthwhile things.

Sometimes it’s hard to transition back into busking, but today wasn’t that day. Two stories about the kind of audience members I wish were more common:

  1. A family visiting from Colombia listened raptly to a whole sonata movement at 81st St. Then they asked to take a photo together with me, and we had a little chat in Spanish. If only all visitors to New York had as much time for the people as they do for the sights!
  2. I don’t usually have the chance talk to other people in the train, although I see them taking notice of the violin case and the stool.  Manhattanites just don’t seem very interested in hearing my side of the story. But on the downtown C train today, I had the nicest conversation about busking with my seatmate — a woman in her sixties — as though it were the most normal thing in the world that I was counting through a big heap of $1 bills. Thanks, stranger — I’ll see you around. For now, I’m psyched to go back out tomorrow!

In other news, you can now sign up for our mailing list on the contact page. Please do — especially the buskers among you! The time will come when we have to spread news around fast, and though I love seeing you all around in the subway, well, it’s just not the quickest way to spread the word…

Busking log 6/29: Y’all performers, and how I chickened out

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Today was a great day to catch performances by other artists. (Seems like Saturday really brings out the best underground!) Highlights included a djembé player on the 86th 4/5, steelpan at the 42nd St ACE, and a really outstanding dance show at Union Square. Now, I don’t think I perform badly — but acts like these are doing the heavy lifting in terms of exhibiting and generating new culture. More power to you guys!

I also met a violin teacher en route from Philadelphia to Ithaca for a violin workshop. She performs herself — in the Philly subway — and said that her experiences there motivated her to become a teacher. Funny: many people assume subway performances are the end of the line for musicians. But if you listen to our stories, it turns very often that the subway is a beginning.

I had planned to play at 81st St Natural History — a station that’s known as “dangerous” for performers — for my last hour. But when I got there at 5:00, the “safe” side of the station was taken by an erhu player. I’m supposed to be standing up for my rights — but at that moment I was tired, I wasn’t dressed warmly enough for jail, and I didn’t want to stand up a friend for dinner. So today, I went home without playing.

Shucks: I guess that’s what they call intimidation. But don’t fret, 81st. I’ll be back soon!

Busking log 6/27: of arresting officers and subway contra

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So, for the first busking log of the season, a couple interesting stories:

  1. Walking up Sixth Avenue, I saw my arresting officer from June 18th in uniform in front of a bank. (Hopefully no violinists do their banking there). I gave him a wave, he gave me a shrug, and life went on as usual. I don’t stay up nights hoping that he learned something from the arrest, but I would love to see him get into a subway performance someday.
  2. I’ve been making an effort to add a few new stations to my performance list. The target for the day was the 49th St. NQR, but due to an unfortunate fecal situation on the platform, it had to be abandoned. (Human? Canine? I’ll never know).
  3. In any case, I wound up at the 42nd St. BDFM at rush hour. It’s a two-platform, four-train station, and seemed a bit overwhelming. I skipped Bach and went right for New England tunes with a big grin, trying to imaging that everyone in the muggy, crowded station was participating in a vast, underground hey for four. (Allemand left, ladies chain, and stand clear of the closing doors!) The tunes worked to crack $20/hour — probably better if I go after rush hour. And they really generated some smiles among the audience.  See you soon for more commuter contra, 42nd!

Subway law: the MTA Rules of Conduct

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Welcome to BuskNY’s all-new blog, a site to behold!

As tradition mandates, our first post is a link to the under-read, under-loved MTA Rules of Conduct. Don’t forget:

“The following nontransit uses are permitted by the Authority, provided they do not impede transit activities and they are conducted in accordance with these rules: public speaking; campaigning; leafletting or distribution of written noncommercial materials; activities intended to encourage and facilitate voter registration; artistic performances, including the acceptance of donations; solicitation for religious or political causes; solicitation for charities.”

That means YOU, buskers!