wow, it's finally here. Spring. The air is milder, the rain warmer and softer and the city is awakening.
After a long Earth Day weekend I thought it's always good to tell more of my story:
NYCSubwayGirl evolved after I was featured on the cover of AMNY one morning in 2009. Commuters rushing past as I perform may not catch my name so I thought of keywords used in searching the internet and NYCSubwayGirl was born. That's a good marketing reason, but on a more personal level, NYCSubwayGirl is a way to participate in the underground fabric of sound and be a presence in the urban environment. NYCSubwayGirl is also the part of me that loves connecting with people and seeing the powerful influence music has on all of us, whatever the genre or style. It's the sense of community I feel while performing in public spaces that really gave me the impetus to create NYCSubwayGirl.
I love singing under the elegant ceilings of Grand Central Station that captures my voice as if in a cathedral. And when I sing on the platform at Astor Place, the acoustics capture a edgier effect. Performing against the backdrop of a gorgeous mosaics wall in Times Square as multiple subway lines converge is a poetic dance of people, art, music and sounds. These places have one thing in common; the life force of this amazing city and the people who live and travel here. And of course when I get a chance to come above ground for a concert, club or benefit performance, I'm thrilled.
People often ask if I'm from New York. I was born upstate in Ogdensburg because I was a bridge brat-my father was a civil engineer building the bridges across the Saint Lawrence River. He also worked on the Harlem-Broadway Bridge (we moved to Elizabeth, NJ during that one, and then on to Middlefield, CT where I spent my k-12 years). Both Mom and Dad were born and raised in NYC. Three of my grandparents were born and raised here too (my mother's father arrived from Antigua in the late 1920's). One great grandfather played the piano to silent films in NYC movie houses and another worked in the garment district. I performed my first NYC club date at Folk City in 1981. I have been living in NYC since 1996, when I returned after living in France for many years. I love my NYC history.
Ever wanted to ask a subway performer a question? Well ask away, just click on post a comment in the section below.