How Few Strings Can You Play With?

Today was a dreary & rainy cold day. When I got to the Shuttle train on its Times Square side I saw the three singers who sing on trains – Romero, Chill and Bo, standing on the platform. They were on their way to singing in the #6 train line. We got on the Shuttle…

Read More

Sneezing, Coughing, Runny Nose

I had severe spring allergy this morning as I was heading into the subway to play. Sneezing, coughing, running nose – the works. I saw Frank playing guitar/singing/whistling on the 59th street platform. Glen Roth, who comes all the way from CT to play in the subway, was playing guitar at the Music Under New…

Read More

Yellow Tulip Hanging on the Hook

When the train doors opened at the 59th street subway station I saw Frank playing guitar/singing/whistling on the platform. Two members of Faustino’s Group (Andean music) were at the Music Under New York spot at Union Square – one guy was playing the pan flute, the other was selling CDs. I sat down on the…

Read More

Questions

When I arrived at the 59th street subway station there was an erhu player on the N/R platform. I headed to the Music Under New York spot on the #6 train platform. The singer who walks with a cane and his singing partner said ‘hi’ on their way to singing on the train. A lady…

Read More

Maybe Once in Every Two Centuries

At the Union Square subway station I took the elevator up from the platform with a lady who erroneously thought she was heading towards the ‘L’ train platform. I pointed her in the right direction. As I started to play, Albert, the messenger guy, came by to tell me that he has a delivery to…

Read More

Music Under New York Auditions

The annual Music Under New York audition attracts a lot of media – many newspapers and TV news shows have reported on it. One reputable newspaper reported that: “…was among 200 people who applied for this spring’s auditions, about 70 of whom were selected to play Thursday before a panel of 40 judges that included…

Read More

A Fake $20 Bill

At the 59th street subway station a lady helped me carry my busking equipment up the stairs. As we got to the top of the stairs the train was in the station. The lady ran to the train and as she got to it the train doors started to close. The lady forced the doors…

Read More

Busker Spirit

Carrying my busking equipment up and down stairs is a workout… I was lucky – a gentleman helped me up the first set of stairs and a lady helped me up the second set of stairs going into the subway (which is actually an elevated train here) this morning. At 11:40AM there was nobody at…

Read More

The Other Way

There was nobody at the Music Under New York spot at the Union Square subway station when I got there. A man was sleeping on the bench and another man was reading. On the opposite bench a lady was counting change. The homeless guy with a hook hand asked me to play the theme from…

Read More

Cross Platform Coin Pitcher

At the 59th street subway station, an oriental guy kindly offered to help me bring my busking gear up both sets of stairs. there was nobody playing at the Music Under New York spot. I noticed that somebody placed the MUNY hooks for hanging the permit banner up higher than where they usually are. they…

Read More