Thanksgiving

Yesterday, the day before Thanksgiving Day, I played at the 34th street subway station. The closest piece of music I could come up to for matching the theme of the Thanksgiving turkey was… the ‘Swan’ by Saint Saens 🙂 Three people said they missed me – they noticed I wasn’t at my usual busking spots.…

Read More

A Glimpse Into People’s Souls

I was playing ‘Danny Boy’ at the 14th street subway station when a man approached me with such a look on his face. He told me he is a writer and was just coming back from a meeting with a publisher, who accepted his first book. The book is about Ireland. He walked into the subway…

Read More

Music Under New York Audition 2011

Every year subway musicians who are members of Music Under New York help with the annual audition for musicians who wish to play in the subway under the Music Under New York umbrella. While it is legal for any musician to perform in the NYC subway, many musicians find it easier and helpful to have…

Read More

Very Soothing

Riding the subway train to my Music Under New York busking spot at Union Square, I realized that my watch’s battery was dead, so I looked up at the time announcement strip in the train. It said: 11:51. A few minutes later, as I was setting up to play, the time announcement on the station’s…

Read More

Subway Music Telepathy

Going up the subway station’s stairs, a guy refused to help me bring my busking gear up… While setting up to play at the Music Under New York busking spot at the 14th street subway station, a guy dressed flamboyantly asked me if I was sponsored by Duracell. He said a long time ago Duracell…

Read More

Power of Music

Every now and then I come across poetry about street musicians. This time I found a real gem – a poem about a street musician by Wordsworth! Written in 1806, it could have just as well be describing subway musicians and their audiences in the subway of NYC today: POWER OF MUSIC/William Wordsworth AN Orpheus!…

Read More

20 People Together is a Lot

As I waited for the subway train to take me to my busking spot at 34th street, there were MTA workers taking a break on the platform. One leaned a ladder against the wall. Then I saw what they were doing – new white speakers were placed by the ceiling every 10 feet. This is…

Read More

It’s Special Because It’s Live

On my way to the subway station a guy in a white shirt said: “Saw Lady!” He said he’s been seeing my flyers advertising the Musical Saw Festival or my CD for years, on the billboard at the park. He has lived in the neighborhood for 20 years. It never ceases to amaze me that…

Read More

X-Pickpocket Girl

While I busked at the Grand Central Station’s Shuttle to Time Square the girl who used to be a pickpocket in the subway came to say ‘hi’. I haven’t seen her in a long time. She now has beautiful blond hair. She told me that she is back to work on the trains (as a…

Read More

A Dancer, a Musician and a Film Maker

While busking at the 14th street subway station, a lady named Mary told me that inspired by my musical saw playing, she found a saw. It’s an old saw, maybe from the 1930’s, with a nice carved handle. Her mother has it. She told her mother that she wants this saw, but she will probably…

Read More