The Lost and Wandering Blues Band are one of the acts chosen to join the Music Under New York program(Marlon Bishop/WNYC)
Coming soon to a subway station near you: a Japanese mandolin player playing Italian classics, Baroque harp music, and a full blown Afro-jazz group. They're just some of the 19 individuals and groups chosen by the MTA's Music Under New York (MUNY) program to join the roster of musicians officially sanctioned to perform underground.
Last week, 68 groups tried out for the program in front of a panel of judges culled from New York's cultural scene in an alcove of Grand Central Terminal. The new acts will join about 350 sanctioned groups already in the program. Although anybody can play in the subway legally, MUNY artists can display official banners, use amplification, and have dibs on some of the best and busiest spots underground.
Check out the list of the winning artists below -- or listen to what one of the winners, the Lost And Wandering Blues Band, sounded like at the MUNY auditions last week.
Marcella Louise Adame (opera singer)
Harold Allen (country singer)
Brazilian Quarter (Brazilian & New Orleans music)
Lindsay Dragan (singer songwriter and guitarist)
Meta Joy Epstein (Baroque harpist)
Erik Hegar (contemporary and classical harpist)
Keizo Ishibashi (Italian mandolin player)
Tom Larsen (guitarist and singer songwriter)
Lost Wandering Blues & Jazz Band (swing band)
Mike Lunapiena (cellist improvisation)
Metro Brass Quintet (classical, pop, jazz)
MetropoliTones (female a capella)
Eric Reimers (classical & Argentinean guitarist)
Ron Service (saxophonist)
The Body Electric (Afro-beat jazz ensemble)
The Connections (Motown, R&B duo)
Threeds (Oboe trio)
Matt Vorzimer (electro improvisation)
Christopher Worth (contemporary & traditional singer)
Several of the artists chosen, including Tom Larsen and the Body Electric, are featured in the audition video below produced by the MUNY staff.
Gil Scott-Heron one of my musical influences and late night radio mentors of my youth died last Friday May 27th at the age of 62.
Late at night, with only the glow from the FM dial, his "B Movie," and "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" stirred up something important in my ears. Awakening possibility and helping me to find a place to put all my concern for the world, fear over the hypocrisy I was witnessing and the seemingly lack of curiosity from the adult universe I was soon to join. To learn what I believed in, then to stand up for it was what Gil was urging me to be..
That was in the early 70's. Today instead of a glowing radio dial there's a screen, in the hand.
Memorial Day weekend is what we call the unofficial start of summer, here in NYC it does feel like summer. It's beautiful. I'll be happily singing at my cousins wedding in Brooklyn and then heading upstate for the rest of the holiday.
All the warm and happy festivities aside, Memorial Day was created as a way to honor those who have fought for our Country.
On Monday we'll wake up early and join other community members to gather on the town green to honor Memorial Day with VFW guards, placement of a wreath and a reading of a proclamation usually from the President or Governor Cuomo. America is in our 10th year of war in Afghanistan and still present in Iraq. The least we can do is to take a moment of silence and give thanks to those fallen soldiers of today and the past.
This Memorial Day I hope like me, you go out and find where people are gathering to remember. Maybe it's a local VFW remembrance, or a visit to a cemetery, especially with your children, they need to know.
Today was one of those days performing in the subway that I will cherish. I arrived at my scheduled location at Union Square to find Salieu Suso an amazing Kora player performing in the spot. We've always talked about performing together and so I said, "why don't we just share the gig?" To which he replied, "why not!"
I started to set up when Richard Allen a commuter came by to talk to me about singing at his wedding. His wife and daughter had seen me perform at Columbus Circle a few weeks ago. I think it's really cool that seeing my performances in the subway inspires someone to want my music for a wedding. I've done a few (actually singing for my cousins wedding this weekend, but I digress).
Salieu and I started by him joining in on my song Question Of Desire, which within the first few bars I adapted to his playing and rhythm. I had to tune up a 1/2 step to be in tune with his 21 strings, and believe me it's a lot easier to tune 6 strings with modern machine heads than tuning 21 strings that are tuned by pushing up a ring made from animal hides. The Kora is made from a large gourd and it's played in front of the musician with both hands not unlike a harp. It's from West Africa and Salieu sings songs as the storyteller in Africa it's called the "Griot" a common and much respected role in the village. So why would it be a stretch for a white girl playing and singing the blues jam with a black man playing the Kora? It's world music. The combining of styles. Anyway the blues came from Africa, nurtured in the US with Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker to name a few, then ironically discovered by groups like the Rolling Stones who truly gave those artists a chance to be appreciated in their own country. Such a long and windy road for the blues. There we were in Union Square. What a lovely sight to see people realizing what they were seeing and hearing.
Throughout the day I'd play a few songs and then Salieu would play a few songs, each time the other finding our groove and place within the others style. I'll tell you my wrist is tired from all the repetitive finger picking. Songs in the Griot style are long and use a lot of rhythm.
I'll be putting together a clip of our day and will add it here soon. In the meantime here's a picture.
Union Square where the current advertising is for the Lion King. what could be better than Salieu Suso a Kora player? photo by Richard Allen
I had a thought about one of my favorite questions that Cathy aka NYCsubwayGirl asks regularly. “What inspires you?” I was thinking that what inspires you today may terrify you tomorrow and that is okay. In fact, when the thing that drives you begins to frighten you, this is a sign that you are alive and pushing towards your fullest self. You finally started that business and you know in your heart that the only way for it to grow is to quit your day job. That’s pretty scary. Or, maybe you have lost your job and the hobby you did for fun is now looking more and more like the way to make a living. Not so bad until it comes time to figure out how to make money doing it. How about this one? You’ve been at the same job forever and you know it is time to go. You have no idea where to go or what to do but you know you can’t stay where you are. Deep stuff. So many of us are living these realities including me! What should we do? Look to our inspirations. There is light there.
However, I find that inspirations aren’t so inspiring if we attach outcomes or goals to them. In my current life transition I have faced this a lot. I turned to my inspirations and found fear where I once saw possibility because there was an expectation that these inspirations were supposed to do something for me, propel me forward into the next phase of my life. The most important thing that I could have done was to notice this way of thinking and turn the lens just a bit to refocus.
Remember, while you are looking to inspiration look FOR inspiration and nothing more. Does that make sense? I mean, look for inspiration and expect to find it but just leave it there before you like a sunrise. Inspiration will be everywhere. When I caught myself and did this, I even found inspiration in my fears.
In fact what would it be like to look for inspiration in each other, in each other’s eyes while expecting it to be there? If we all did this right now everything would change. We couldn’t think of hurting someone purposefully if we looked for inspiration in them. What would it be like to look for inspiration in the eyes of our enemies? There’s a scary one. Not an easy thing to do. However, even the thought of doing so starts to open the mind. Okay, I’m pushing the envelope here but we’re going to have to if we hope to get our planet back on track. This need for global awareness starts within each one of us. We can do this.
So what inspires you when you expect to see it? I would guess almost everyone and everything...
Aubrey Lynch stopped by LIRR station while I was performing. In this clip he describes what he's up to now. Another spontaneous interruption provided us with a touching moment. This month Aubrey is my guest blogger
Check out Aubrey's What's Your Inspiration? clip. See how he has taken a career of dancing, choreography, and producing to now mentoring and using dance art to heal people.
May 17, 2011. The annual Music Under New York (MUNY) auditions is such a wonderful event from every perspective. For the organizers and judges, it is a long day, but well worth the effort. For the performers, it's a chance to perform for some pretty wonderful judges chosen from the amazing cultural fabric that makes up NY. Of course there are always MUNY artists on hand as volunteers and as judges too. I have been a judge in the past and have found it an interesting role to play.
In this clip booking agent Gus Rodriguez comments how even though talented, not every performer is the right fit for the program, and so his judging needs to be extra careful in his notes for the MUNY directors who will have to read through all the judging notes and choose. Judge and Joe's Pub director Shanta Thake's inspiration is "Seeing people do what they love."
I went to this years 2011 auditions held at Grand Central Station. It was fun just being a spectator instead of a judge as I have been in previous years. Many of this years judges were MUNY artists and seeing them outside of a performance setting is unique and fun-Jesse Selengut from Tin Pan, Sean Grissom the Cajun cellist, Kelly and Liah from Left on Red, Wendy Sayvetz, Irving Louis Lattin, and Floyd Lee.
Don't want to forget to mention the other MUNY artists on hand as volunteers to help the auditionees get checked in and setup. Natalia Paruz the Saw Lady, Angel Marin, and Nicola. It's always great to see Gina and Tim Higginbotham overseeing the event. It's a long day 9:30-3:30 with non-stop artists. There were some really great groups and solo artists. I was happy to see a few I've already seen perform in the subway without the MUNY banner, and hope they'll make the cut. Grand Central station is such an iconic place, hearing the voices and music resonate throughout the hall is quite an experience.
For anyone who missed the once a year opportunity to audition, there is always next May. Stay tuned.
Her voice echoes beautifully, not competing with the din of the school children chattering and the homeless people shouting and the clicks of turnstiles and clattering of shifting train tracks, but complementing it. The harried commuters rush by to get to Penn Station to take the LIRR, the hipsters head to Brooklyn on the NQR, and mothers pushing strollers rush to catch the uptown 6, but for just a moment, people in the Union Square subway station are brought together by that age-old unifier: music. And in that moment, there is a community in the subway, one of the least friendly places in New York, all because of Natalie Gelman,
subway chanteuse.
“You have to be prepared for anything. You don’t know who you will connect with, who will open up their heart to your music,” says Gelman. “You’re throwing people out of their normal daily commute…you’re giving them something more substantial to think about than ‘what’s for dinner?’”
As a native New Yorker born to musician parents, Gelman began performing at open mic nights in clubs like CBGB and The Bitter End when she was only 17, but it was the subway that really influenced her music style, allowing her to sing for a wider variety of listeners.
“In a perfect world, the term alternative would still mean what it used to in the ‘90’s,” she says of her genre. “But it [my music] straddles the line between the quieter and more intimate stuff, but also powerful and rocking. It’s alterna-rock punk-pop.”
After a few attempts at “busking” (as street performing is called) nine years ago, a friend encouraged Natalie to start playing guitar and singing in the subway for money. It was here she realized the influence not only she can have as a performer, but subway performing can have on her. As a member of Music Under New York, or MUNY, Natalie now has a schedule of where to perform, her MUNY permit affording her protection from harassment by police officers for starting crowds.
MUNY was initiated by the Mass Transit Authority in 1987 to promote the music culture by “presenting quality music to the commuting public” according to its website. With over 100 musical acts performing music of various genres, from folk to opera to blues, the popular program is positively changing our commutes. Just ask Cathy Grier, or NYC Subway Girl, a MUNY member since 1999.
“The message of MUNY is just ‘good sounds’,” says Grier. “Whether you like the genre or not, any music is definitely more pleasing than door alarms and metal scratching and grating train brakes. The program is to create and provide diversity, and as a performer, your lofty ideals of life, career and success are turned around. It’s a humbling experience.”
Despite having performed her “folked-up blues” music everywhere from bars in Key West, Florida, to across Germany as a member of a touring French girl band, Grier is most inspired by subway performing, favoring three spots within Grand Central (each location has different acoustics and atmosphere, so she “changes rhythms and tempos accordingly”). She is even recording an album of songs about the subway in the subway.
“Music becomes different in the subway. I’m influenced by what’s around me,” says Grier. “I’m not just standing there-it’s different every time. You pick up on the energy around you.”
Tom Swafford, a classically trained composer and arranger with a PhD in composing from UC Berkeley, also recorded an album about performing in the subway called 7th Avenue. At first, he did not even realize he was improvising the same songs repeatedly, but when he did, he decided to make an album.
“An album would literally give me a record of what I’ve been doing with my life lately,” says Swafford. “I played so often at the 7th Avenue subway station in Brooklyn, people who knew my music appreciated it.”
Although Gelman, Grier and Swafford have had very different performance experiences, all describe the subway as one of their favorite venues due to the inherent spontaneity of busking underground.
“It took me awhile to understand the concept of performing in the subway. Live performance is a type of art in itself,” says Cathy. “The immediate reaction, or no reaction. Either way, you’re part of the fabric. It’s a pass-through because people are not coming to hear you [like at a concert]. This is a way to just make people happy.”
This is a sentiment shared by all subway musicians; regardless of what type of music they are playing, it is about how that music makes the listeners feel that matters. Across the board, the goal is to put a smile on the face of just one person.
It is not a requirement to be a MUNY member to perform in the subway, however. Plenty of musicians perform without a permit due to a variety of reasons, including the competitiveness of becoming a MUNY member.
Morgan O'Kane taking a break in Union Square subway station
“The nice part about playing on the streets and in the subway is there are no real rules,” says O’Kane. “The city just wants a piece of everyone, and I’m doing my part to give it with my music.”
In other words, he does not need MUNY because it’s the freedom that comes with performing that he enjoys. O’Kane does not have another job besides busking around Union Square and Lorimer stations, but does make “a decent living.”
This is what makes playing in the New York City subway the ultimate performance: you do not need a permit, contract, producer, album, or big name. You need your voice, perhaps a musical instrument, and that is it. Commuters can come and go, but that experience of performing will last forever. You were there and sang a song, and even if only with a smile, you changed someone.
“Subway performance is just about the music,” says Swafford. “It’s about the expression of the players, what we are communicating to the commuters. It’s not about flashy labels and showing off. It’s about expressing a genuine love for music, plain and simple.”
interesting notes from Katherine leading up to the piece:
May 2, 2011
Hi, all. I hope we spend some time on Tuesday talking about the coverage of the reported death of bin Laden. Interesting, indeed.
As for my project, this week just made me realize how many incredibly talented musicians perform in the subway. I recently made friends with a man who plays the didgeridoo, a group of male break dancers, and a really strange man that sings while he makes a puppet move to the beat (!?). I need to figure out who my “star” stars are though for the piece – I need better quotes. So far, I don’t have any stand-out interviews, but I do have a lot of background information on what subway performing is like. It’s coming together, but slowly. I want to get some high quality videos to include in the final blog post (I do have one so far, but the acoustics are a bit off). Lastly, I put a call into two of the Arts for Transit authorized (and publicized) musician groups. I think it will all come together.
APRIL 25, 2011
Ok I don’t know why, but the “links” feature is not working for me right now. I keep trying to link to all of the various websites I have used for my research so far, but it won’t let me. Basically, I got the idea to write about the subway performance artists (most of whom are musicians) through a NY Magazine article from February 27. Then, I read various online articles about the musicians, including the March 21 blog post from the NY Times (about the changing face of subway musicians), a April 19 NY Daily News article about Lyle Divinksy (a singer/guitarist), and additional NY Magazine articles about different performers (one about Susan Cagle, who has now sold 30,000 copies of her album because of her subway performing). Additionally, I researched the various laws associated with performing, especially in regard to MTA – Arts for Transit and MUNY. In the past week I have checked out musicians at Lorimer, Union Square, Battery Park and Bed-Stuy stations.
In my research, I have noticed a couple of (random) things that might pose problems/become more interesting. A) It is going to be hard to find new ways of saying “performer” throughout the piece without being contrived. B) Many of the laws contradict one another, or at least the resultant discrepancies between law enforcement and musicians contradict the actual laws. C) People actually can and do get arrested…for singing too loud? Shameful. D) Some people have actually garnered moderate fame from this. E) MUNY is actually very selective, but also a permit is NOT necessary to perform down below the city.
So, as for my angle: I know we discussed the MUNY tryouts and such, but I’m trying a different route. I, of course, am intrigued by the legality of the whole thing. I get a kick out of interviewing police officers (“I’m sorry, ma’am, but I can not give you an answer at this time”) and I want to focus not on the shiny cool performers that cover freaking Oasis/The Beatles, but the homeless guys that just belt it for kicks. So basically I’m going to figure out the intricacies of the nitty gritty underside of performing underground
NYCSubwayGirl clip from the Music Under New York 2010 auditions where she was judge. Following Carl Kriss documantarian who was creating a film on NYC Subway Performers (entitled "Give and Take"). and with MUNY artist volunteers Meghan McGeary from Dagmar, Sean Grisson the Cajun Cellist, Jesse Selengut from Tin Pan, Irving Louis Latin, Natalia Paruz the Saw Lady, Juan Castillo from Andes Fusion, Angel Marin from Aqua Clara and MC Bob Helman.
Once last year while performing at 34th street station I saw a group of about 20 young school children passing through. It isn’t strange to see school kids traveling in large groups, but rarely have I ever had a teacher point me out as this one did. What I usually experience is at least one of the kids will start mugging, dancing, being silly-air guitar or mouth singing. But this particular time, the teacher to my surprise and thrill gathered them around me to listen. I sang my song Through My Eyes, and eventually they caught on and by the end were singing along. It’s a memory that I cherish. The lyrics are “see the world through my eyes," so imagine these young children singing along. It was quite a sight and sound. At the end I spoke with them a bit, asked if any were guitarists, a couple of boys said yes, and there was one girl too. I encouraged them to practice and thanked their teacher for stopping. I never did get their names. They said they were from The Bronx, and I handed out my card to them-the teacher had to keep them from all taking one! I had hoped to get an email to let me know who they were, but never did. I was just happy to have provided a school class from The Bronx a chance to hear a subway/performer.
It’s just one reason why I believe that the MUNY program is so essential to NYC. An interesting coda is the following day I was at Graybar and could see a group of kids heading my way, and wanting a repeat of the day before, I attempted to engage them. Nothing doing. No reaction. Goes to show these spontaneous moments cannot be recaptured, they are little gems to savor as they happen. That moment of those 20 or so kids singing along with me will stay in my head for a long time.
Unfortunately I didn't have my camera filming that day (some things are best left to memory), but here is a clip made of kids I have captured. edited by Brendan Padgett
Here's the 2nd installment of my Green Apple blog for Busker site The Noise Beneath The Apple. Today, I thought I'd share some tips on 2 things most NYC buskers use every day on the job, Batteries and Metro cards.
Batteries: Street/subway musicians for the most part use battery powered amplifiers and playback units. It's a must to use rechargeable batteries. Of course the initial expense is higher than using alkaline batteries, but the result does mean financial savings, more hours on one battery and less waste.
There's no easy solution where and how to get rid of used/dead batteries. Do not to throw batteries in the trash. If the law is an incentive, as of 2006 it's illegal in NYC to discard rechargeable batteries. Batteries are toxic that leach serious metals/chemicals into landfill if not properly discarded. It's amazing that we still don't have a great way to return/recycle batteries, follow the links to sites in your area that do. The good news is that most companies will take your rechargeable batteries for recycling. Just ask. If they don't, your asking might finally prompt them to do something and make a new policy. That's how it's done folks, old-fashioned care and demand for change.
These sites can help: The Lower East Side Ecology Center and Call 2 Recycle both have local e-waste information(collection of batteries, small personal devices and larger items like computers and printers).
I save my used batteries in a take away container and return when I have enough to make the trip worthwhile.
The BGA, Broadway Green Alliance, made a fantastic campaign and got Broadway houses to switch their Marquee's to LED lights and rechargeable batteries for all their body mics. Imagine the amount of eco-energy savings. And there's still juice left over, enough to use in ushers flashlights. Cool.
Metro cards: Unless you like to use them to clip on you bike spokes, learn to reuse your metro card. Cards are good for 1 year so that's one years worth on 1 card. Think of the eco-savings. Then you can use on your bike. Make sure to check the expiration date on the back because unfortunately you have to send the card in for a refund after expiration date.
That's all for now folks and always remember to be mindful of the 3 R's. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
Not to be missed, for a truly unique NYC experience Music Under New York Annual Auditions
Tuesday May 17th 9:30 am- 3:30 pm
It's such a wonderful event, stop by to take a listen to the approximately 65 artists who will be auditioning!
Grand Central Station Northeast Balcony, take escalators up from main terminal, you can't miss hearing it!
NYCSubwayGirl clip from the Music Under New York 2010 auditions where she was judge. Following Carl Kriss documantarian who was creating a film on NYC Subway Performers (entitled "Give and Take"). and with MUNY artist volunteers Meghan McGeary from Dagmar, Sean Grisson the Cajun Cellist, Jesse Selengut from Tin Pan, Irving Louis Latin, Natalia Paruz the Saw Lady, Juan Castillo from Andes Fusion, Angel Marin from Aqua Clara and MC Bob Helman.
Been in quiet reflection, and stillness over the news since Sunday night of the killing of Osama Bin Laden. Sympathy for the families of those who died on September 11. It's their moment for now. Feeling uncomfortable though, watching people, gloat, mob like hysteria as if his death, a murder of a murderer would be the end of the story. Paraphrasing Martin Luther King Jr. "The ultimate weakness of violence is that it's a descending spiral, with violence you can murder the hater but you do not murder hate, you just increase hate...darkness can not drive out darkness, only light can do that."
I have to turn off the media or take it in small doses, maybe a radio program so I don't have to see, or a printed article to allow the words to seep in about "the operation." No matter what, I still get confused, have too many questions. All that is swirling is hard to digest. We went to war, wars over this man and his ideologies, but we don't know the exact cost of lives lost or as our military calls it, collateral damage. I am uneasy to say the least. And we're still at war. How can you wage a war on terror?
My thoughts in reflection:
Waking up September 11, 2001 in my apartment in Washington Heights to a city forever changed.
Walking past flyers and posters plastered throughout the city announcing the missing.
Returning to perform in the subway as soon as I could to be a "canary in coal mine," of sorts.
Singing to grieve.
Singing to let people know we're still alive and breathing and capable of getting through the tragedy.
Singing even during all the Anthrax scares, and family concern that maybe I should "wait before returning to subway gigs."
Singing at St. Paul's Chapel the epicenter for exhausted recovery workers.
Singing at a funeral for fallen fireman Sergio Villanueva, from ladder 132 engine 4
Heartbreaking weeks and months of the loss, sadness, death, and ever burning smell.
A torn apart and grieving city.
Joining in voice with others fearing America would be changed in very negative ways-like with the fast tracked Patriot Act; the horrible side of humanity with backlash of anyone Muslim; racial profiling at it's most reviling. President Bush racing to war.
A media frenzied.
Putting a hand written peace symbol on my subway banner and getting very mixed reactions to it.
A small and growing group called "New Yorkers Say No To War" meetings with anti-violence guest speakers, trying to understand the new world we were being delivered into.
We found our own solace in attempting to be educated and proactive not reactive.
All this only months after September 11.
In Union Square in the underground corridor above N/R line on the west wall are all the names of those who perished. It's just label stickers someone put up onto the subway tile, some names are fading. You could miss it if you're not paying attention. I look at it every time I perform there and point it out to people as they rush on by. A quiet reflection of the gravity and loss, slowly fading from the finger tips that brush over the names.
Update
on 2013-02-06 16:18 by NYC Subway Girl
thanks to Melea Seward for informing me that the wall sticker installation was created by John Lin.
She writes:
My friend John Lin did this. He measured the space, mapped the white subway tiles, printed all the names of those that died on 9/11, and enlisted a bunch of us to help him make this wall. It was the weekend after September 11 -- maybe 20 people or so -- unpeeled Avery labels and affixed them in alphabetical order -- to the wall. I had just moved to New York a few months before. I have recently left NYC -- was there a few weeks ago and ran into this wall, noticed the peeling stickers. And had a moment. I was writing about it and wondered if anyone else had noticed it.
I'm pleased to see that you made this video. And accompanied the long walk down that hallway with your song.
The Chosen Voices a fantastic Doo-Wop group, waiting for the uptown 1 at Columbus Circle 59th street, gave NYCSubwayGirl a special performance. They usually perform in the cars. I've followed them as long as I can remember. They brighten my day.
About a year ago they pushed a flasher off a car who was sitting right next to me. I was oblivious because I was watching the guys sing, but as they got closer they stopped smiling and I thought, that's odd. Then they yelled at the guy and so I turned to see what the fuss was about, luckily we were already at a stop and they shoved him out yelling, "that's disgusting." Before the group came by and disrupted the scene, no one else had said a thing. And I wondered why when I got on the car people looked at me strange-because I sat down right next to the guy. And that's NY folks.
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.
Earth Day is every day in my world, but this week and especially tomorrow April 22nd is the 'official' Earth Day, now 41 years in existence. I remember the first one back in the 1970's and thank my Mom for opening my eyes to being more mindful and earth friendly.
Japan's tragic earthquake and tsunami have had horrific and catastrophic repercussions on shortsighted human made environments i.e building nuclear power plants on earthquake fault lines, and ignoring tsunami calculations. It's one year since the BP's Deep Water Horizons off-shore drilling disaster. Drilling is not the answer. Finding new technologies away from our deep addiction to oil, is. Hey we moved on from the horse when there was great resistance to automobiles. I've just returned from a trip to France, gas there is $8+ per gallon. I took a high speed train from the south of the country to Paris, it was efficient, comfortable and cheap.
Along the way I passed a field of wind turbines. They might not be pretty to some people, and there is that whole NIMBY (not in my back yard) rage, but we have to do something to counterattack oil consumption. And let me add this thought, if a wind farm was hit by an earthquake and tsunami, no one would be evacuating for miles or stopping to eat livestock or agricultural harvests for seasons/generations to come.
Why bother with Earth Day? Living a life with consideration for our planet's sustainability takes time, takes conscious effort and intent. My take is the effort is well worth the time well spent, it’s good to feel good about caring about our world!!
In time, even one thing done to help make a difference, does make a difference.
One thing is certain: the world of today will be different tomorrow - and the day after that, and on and on ad infinitum. The question is not whether we must learn to live sustainably, but how fast we can do so. from University of North Dakota website
My Earth Day 2011 thoughts to consider, it's not if but when you...
1) ...will decide it's too expensive to drive alone for one trip you could easily consolidate with other trips. Rethink your relationship with your car and consider some kind of commuter transportation.
2) ...unplug all the electronics in your home when not in use, and do anything you can to truly understand your energy consumption. Then make adjustments.
3) ...reduce, reuse and recycle. How many bags do you throw away, how many items could you reuse but find too time consuming to do anything about. What do you do with all your now obsolete gadgets? Find an e-waste depot near you.
4) ...ask local and national government to consider next generations, not next election cycles. If you find resistance, vote for change.
5) ...switch to homemade or non-petroleum based cleaning products (yes most household products from dish detergent to shampoo use petroleum). And no fooling, switching is much healthier for your home environment.
6) ...support your local economy. There is a reason you can get cheap goods at big box stores-off shore corporations pay labor cents per hour and get huge tax breaks to do so.
7) ...eat out less and use what you have in your cupboard more.
8) ...update appliances and recycle the old (do not reuse those energy guzzlers).
9) ...take advantage of state and national tax credits for updating your energy systems and home weatherizing.
10) ...teach a child to care about the environment and they will carry it with them throughout their lives. It's their future.
Regarding my 10 actions to consider: Call it sacrifice, learn to embrace it, or better yet, find a solution. But,
Catalogs: don’t just throw them away, certainly recycle, use as wrapping paper, better yet call the number on catalog and get your name removed from the list. Most company’s products are available to view online and are the most update anyway.
Household cleaning products: step away from your kitchen and bathroom sink cabinets and smell the toxins! Most household products you’ve been using since well, who can remember when? Most are really toxic and there are great alternatives, and much cheaper too. For example, save an old window cleaner spray bottle, buy a gallon jug of white vinegar and experiment mixing with water, I use about one cup vinegar for one spray bottle, and voila a great window cleaner. Same for cleaning floors, vinegar in a hot bucket of water does the trick.
A clothes dryer is energy wasteful and actually destroys the fabric, Where else does all that lint come from. Little by little the dryer is eating away at your clothes. Okay, I too use a dryer, but not for too much time. Actually we over-dry our clothes, or over pack the dryer so it has to work that much harder. Try hanging clothes over the shower bar and you’d be surprised how quickly things dry on their own. A folding wooden clothes hanger was best investment I’ve made. Where possible, hanging laundry on a line makes clothes smell fresh and saves energy.
Reuse as much as possible, I know it can be yucky, but come on what’s wrong with reusing a plastic veggie bag from the store? I rinse and hang on a door cabinet pull (hide away when neighbors drop by, so the kitchen doesn’t look like a plastic factory), plastic is the most intensely disgusting wasteful product we seem to not be able to live without. Plastic bottles, try switching to a glass one, or refill. Of course do not leave a plastic bottle to heat up in a car-harmful toxins seep into the drink. Same with plastic containers, for a long life, hand wash, as the dishwasher heats up enough to release toxins. Scratching plastic with coarse sponge can also release toxins, so be gentle with them. When done recycle.
To-Go containers are horrible and here in NY we can’t even recycle most of them. Look for the lower numbers on the bottom. Actually, aluminum to-go containers are the best bet as they can be recycled. Luckily products are coming more and more available that are biodegradable. So try and either support those businesses who use them, or make sure to ask them to make a switch.
So my thought for Earth Day, we have to take responsibility for our consumption and our waste. We can't just throw it all away, it's got to go somewhere. What goes up must come down, what goes in must come out, so just because we can't see it (unless you live near a landfill, or happen to watch a garbage barge float by) doesn't mean it's not there. What is mine becomes yours, for better or for worse, so let's try and do better.
April 2011: Erin McHugh author of fun and not so funny things. I love her spirit, insight and humor. Author of the fantastic L Life a table book of fab Lesbians.Every woman featured, needs to be discovered, or remembered and rediscovered. These are just some of the true heroines of the Lesbian world, Feminist world, okay I'll make it simple, The world. Erin does a fab job honoring them and Jennifer May's photos are exquisite.
Because we can do a little better....
By Erin Mchugh:
Welcome to the blog that mirrors the eponymous book I’m writing: a journey of one year, performing ONE GOOD DEED a day for one year. I’ll post a couple of the deeds per week here, and hope you all will enjoy the reading, or, better yet, join me in trying to do just a little bit better, one day at a time. And if you do, recount them here, would you? I’d enjoy seeing them.
The Noise Beneath the Apple™ TNBTA is a global e-zine that focuses on the people, players and politics of busking and street performers. Believing that busking is a collective adventure, social commentary and political statement. Street performing promotes culture, preserves community and creates an environment for our ever changing times and human evolution. Their subject matter is produced by a team of passionate bloggers, music professionals, policy makers and enthusiasts from around the world.
Heather Jacks and photographer Bryan Close came by Staten Island Ferry terminal last week to meet and film me for this amazing project.
I am excited to be asked to write a blog on TNBTA. I'm particularly interested in sustainability and how we can make our world more environmentally protected. You might have seen my Sustainability section on my site where I share stories, information and links on how to learn to make a difference. On The Noise Beneath The Apple, I call it "The Green Apple."
Here's my first blog and there's even a free download MP3 of my song 'Comin' Back To Me.'
The other day I was hoofing my subway gig stuff up a set of stairs at 35th st and a woman asked if she could be of help. It's a rare request, maybe because I look like I know what I'm doing, but even the gesture to ask is welcome. This warm hearted woman lifted up the back end of my cart and up we went lighter than usual, in spirit and in physical strain. We chatted briefly about how hard it is to get around with anything of weight in this city. I am always in awe of people (mostly women) carrying precious children in strollers around the archaic and underdeveloped access into our mass transit system.
Thank you my subway angel.
Yesterday while traveling to Columbus Circle I met lovely people from San Francisco needing directions to the Central Park carousel. We struck up a conversation on the B train to Columbus Circle. Recently I watched a clip by Luke Rudowski (wearechange.org) who decided to talk on a subway car with people he chose arbitrarily, because in his words, "nobody ever talks to each other, no eye contact, no interaction, no humanity." He wanted to prove himself wrong. Maybe it was with his experience fresh in my mind that I was comfortable to chat across the car. I knew people were listening. We all do, we just don't appear to be tuning in. We protect, we insulate. Hey it was a nice conversation that was sparked by a girl with a guitar on a shoulder lugging a roll-y bag and nice people wanting to find a NYC treasure.
A subway performer sees the best of people, the smiles, the spontaneous conversations, unlike in a subway car filled with strangers trying to get where they are going with the least resistance. By adding music and a live performer, the resistance is broken down, it's a common denominator, it's safe, no one gets hurt, there's nothing to do if you don't like it but to move your feet away.
