Food Revolution Mealku + Jamie Oliver

All around the world a Food Revolution is emerging. As a singer songwriter the power of song and inspiration figure prominently in my life so does food. I awakened to the need to know my food source and stay clear of Agribiz in my early 20's when first I discovered that I had Hepatitis C.  I have found my choices of eating healthily have made me stronger, clearer, more focused and certainly healthier.  I want to give a shout out to 2 amazing individuals who are bringing the food revolution into the lexicon of our lives : Ted D'Cruz-Young of the newly developed Homecooked Food Cooperative MealKu, and Jamie Oliver of Jamie's Food Foundation.

Mealku is THE Homemade Meal Cooperative where the best homecooks in the land share carefully prepared meals. They handle delivery. I met Ted D'Cruz-Young developer and founder of Melku, one afternoon at a LIRR Music Under NY gig where I was performing, Ted stopped for a moment and then invited me to sing at his launch party. I have enjoyed performing at many of his inspirational events to help get his food revolution growing in NYC.

MealKu Mission

Our mission is to provide a place for everyone to find delicious, healthy meal options with easy access to locally-prepared food from trusted neighborhood home cooks.

Mealku is a homemade meal cooperative that supports good food practices, community outreach, and local businesses. Simply and fundamentally, we whole-heartedly believe that good food should be universal and affordable. We are creating a platform where home cooks can connect with one another, collaborate their efforts, and share valuable skills and wisdom. Join the Good Food Revolution now!

And it's thanks to Ted that I learned of Jamie Oliver. Mealku has partnered in an event with Jamie's Foundation where I will be performing.  Nothing I like better than helping to change the world through song and food!

JamiesFoodRevolution

Jamie's Food Revolution aims to change the way people eat by educating every child about food, empowering families by arming them with the skills and knowledge to cook again, and inspiring everyone to stand up for their rights to better food; which in turn will fight the epidemic of diet-related diseases.

We're losing the war against obesity in the US. It's sad, but true. Our kids are growing up overweight and malnourished from a diet of processed foods, and today's children will be the first generation ever to live shorter lives than their parents. It's time for change. It's time for a Food Revolution.

"Since I've been working in America, I've been overwhelmed by the number of people who have come out to support the Food Revolution. More than 630,000 people have signed the petition, over 300,000 of you subscribe to our newsletter and thousands of you have written to me. The only message I keep hearing is that you believe your kids need better food, and that you want help to keep cooking skills alive. That's why this Food Revolution matters."

The problem stems from the loss of cooking skills at home and the availability of processed foods at every turn, from the school cafeteria to church function halls, factories and offices. This Food Revolution is about saving lives by inspiring everyone: moms, dads, kids, teens and cafeteria workers to get back to basics and start cooking good food from scratch.

Jamie's ambition: A national movement to change the way America eats

Jamie wants to mobilize the huge response to the Food Revolution so far and turn it into a movement for change in which America leads the world. It will bring together millions of people and inspire the nation to fight obesity with better food. At its heart is a powerful strategy to get people cooking again. Here are some of the ways we'll be doing that:

• More cooking at home

◦ A nationwide network of community kitchens where anyone can go to learn basic home cooking

◦ Jamie's home cooking course

• Freshly cooked meals at school

◦ An activist program to support parents who want better food in their child's school

◦ A community website to encourage grass-roots activities for change all over the US

• Cooking in the community

◦ The Food Revolution truck, a mobile food classroom and flagship center for the Food Revolution

◦ A cooking course available in church halls, community and healthcare centers and the workplace

• Schools and Communities - to inspire and educate parents, carers, young adults and children through:

◦ Freshly cooked meals in schools and colleges

◦ Cooking lessons for kids at school

◦ Lessons teaching basic food skills to healthcare and social care professionals

◦ Cooking classes for the public in the community

• Corporations - to promote culture change and encourage community investment on several levels:

◦ Food industry - help to tackle obesity by producing better food products and labeling products in a more honest way

◦ Healthcare sector - investing in future health means cost savings down the line

◦ Employee health - provide better food for employees in company canteens and provide cooking classes for employees to give them the skills they need to be healthy

jamie oliver's food foundation

Joe's Pub afterglow

It was a great show, over before I knew it.  Here's some comments and a few pictures taken from the crowd:

• I was one of the lucky one's THERE last night for your pure and powerful spirited proof of the power of the song - your songs, Dylan's song, incredibly musicianship, showmanship, your VOICE...you blew me away. Congratulations, Cathy! (Brenda Currin)
• This is one beautiful lady! What a voice!Beautiful songs to challenge us! (Roger Rees) 
• A masterful performance last night...total command of your material--and your audience! I really did have the best seat in the house. (Jack O'Brien)
• Cathy Grier, an accomplished singer/songwriter, rocking the house at Joe's Pub. Honored to have her be a part of Subway: The Series. You were amazing as always. (Veronica Dang) 
• Brava! Another great performance last night, Cathy. (Frank Webb)
• That was awesome, Cat (John Douglas Pritchard) 

photo by John Pritchard

photo by Jackie Grier

photo by Graham Douglas

clip by Jane Abramson

joe's Pub

Time Out NY says

this week Time Out NY says

weds August 8,  2012

• Local singer-songwriter and activist Cathy Grier plays a mean slide guitar and sings twice as beguilingly as pretty much any American Idol starlet half her age; at her best, she sounds like a bluesier Carole King.

Wednesday August 8th 7pm, at  Joe's Pub, Public theatre  425 Lafayette St.  A wonderful club with great sound and a newly redesigned space (with food).

tickets $15 order online or call 212-967-7555

directions          parking        parking coupon

The last time I played Joe's Pub was in 2010 and it sold out!  From what I can see online many seats have sold, but there are still some left.  I expect it to also sell out. There really isn't a bad seat in the house and looking at the online seating map, the single seats have great views (I've been to a few concerts already and love these seats) and have a comfortable counter for drinks and food.  

Hope to see you there.

image from Joe's Pub June 15, 2010 by Geraldine Petrovic

Air Guitar Cop

Performed at Graybar corridor today at Grand Central station. Easy going gig at this spot, but hot, not insane but hot.  I usually don't like to play when it's too hot and usually that means during the month of August. But I was also enjoying running through my set I'd be playing on Wednesday at Joe's Pub so it was a good practice run.

A family from South Carolina came up to me, young girls with smiley face t-shirts that said Hi on the front and Bye on the back. I made a song up about it and they enjoyed it.  I asked if they would let me film them for my inspiration project.  Their inspiration "Jesus Christ."

Up from the stairwell came 2 kitted out terror squad police officers: helmets, huge guns, flank jackets and all in black.  I'm used to seeing military and police presence in the stations, although I don't like that it is something to get used to. I had just finished singing Willie Nile's song One Guitar "I'm a soldier marching in the army got no gun to shoot, all I got is one guitar…."  and in the middle of my song Question of Desire when the cops came up the stairs, one of them with his serious demeanor actually air guitar-ed his gun! It was  priceless.  I caught him in the act and smiling said "now that's what it should be used for, right?!"

Joe's Pub @ August 8th 7pm

Coming off a fun and successful performance with Helga Davis at Celebrate Brooklyn last week, I'm excited about my upcoming gig this Wednesday August 8th 7pm, at  Joe's Pub, Public theatre  425 Lafayette St.  A wonderful club with great sound and a newly redesigned space (with food).

tickets $15 order online or call 212-967-7555

directions          parking        parking coupon

The last time I played Joe's Pub was in 2010 and it sold out!  From what I can see online many seats have sold, but there are still some left.  I expect it to also sell out. There really isn't a bad seat in the house and looking at the online seating map, the single seats have great views (I've been to a few concerts already and love these seats) and have a comfortable counter for drinks and food.  

Hope to see you there.

Here's a clip I recently put together to show a bit of my underground world.

 this pic is from Joe's Pub June 15, 2010 by Lilian Haider

Celebrate Brooklyn Aug 2nd

I'll be singing on the amazing soundstage at Celebrate Brooklyn tonight August 2nd 7:30 pm as a special guest of Helga Davis' The Love Show before the film Romeo and Juliet.  Love and angst, deception and greed. Love rises above-an endless human search. Isn't that why Helga asked me to perform my song Comin' Back To Me?

And Celebrate Brooklyn is a groovy way to get ready for my Joe's Pub gig next wednesday August 8th at 7pm

Hope to see you there.

Celebrate Brooklyn thursday August 2nd 9th St + Prospect Park directions

• 6:30 Gate opens
• 7:30 Helga Davis Love Show with special guest NYCSubwayGirl
• 8:30 film Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet

Joe's Pub Wednesday August 8th

• 6:00 pm doors open, dinner available and throughout the performance
• 7:00 pm (performance time 70 mins)

Joe's Pub, Public theatre 425 Lafayette St.  directions  parking coupon

Summertime Blue-berries

I love summer, it's a time as a subway performer I wonder when I'll make the decision to stop performing (too Hot).  I look forward to the many "above ground" performances and volunteering work that I do in the summer time. A private party in Woodstock-check, Singing at a family reunion and jamming-check, preparing for a Joe's Pub concert August 8th @ 7pm-check, excited about singing my song Comin' Back To Me with amazing Helga Davis and her band at Celebrate Brooklyn Aug 2nd-check

And this weekend it's the 13th annual Blueberry Festival held on the grounds of Old Austerlitz Village, in Austerlitz, NY.  The Blueberry Festival helps to fund the amazing relocation and restoration of the many gorgeous 19th Century homes found on the site.  Crafters and Artisans set up booths to showcase and sell their wares in many of the 19th Century traditions. Spinners spin, Pottery and Brooms, rugs and looms, petting Zoo for the kids young and old.  and lots of entertainment. 

For 6 years I have been the entertainment coordinator, sound reinforcement company, engineer, MC and basic all around grunt to ensure the entertainment is non stop and well entertaining!

Here' a clip I created from last years event.

The annual Blueberry Festival is held the last Sunday of July since 1999 and start at 9am with Blueberry Pancakes-using local ingredients, real butter, milk and maple syrup. Proceeds go to support the mission to present our community's rich history through preservation and education.

NYCSubwayGirl newsletter

For those of you in NYC, save these August dates. It's not everyday I get above ground for a concert and these 2 are truly special:

Wednesday August 8th 7pm, Joe's Pub, Public theatre425 Lafayette St.  A wonderful club with great sound and a newly redesigned space (with food) tickets $15 order onlineor call 212-967-7555 the last time I played Joe's Pub was in 2010 and it sold out!

A really groovy gig Thursday August 2nd @ Celebrate Brooklyn performing my song 'Comin' Back To Me' with WNYC and WQXR host Helga Davis' group The Love Show before the viewing of Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet. Prospect Park Bandshell 9th Street & Prospect Park West, Brooklyn tickets free/$3 (suggested) 6:30 gate opens, show at 7:30

Here's a clip I recently put together to show a bit of my underground world.

June inspirations and news

June was an exciting month underground. I've had fun spontaneous encounters with some truly amazing above ground musicians you may have heard of. 

Vocalist, percussionist Vicki Randle in town performing with Mavis Staples. Local Broadway wunderkind Jim Abbott, musical director to the stars. And the musically exotic Helga Davis, host of WNYC and WQXR "Overnight Music"

I'm thrilled to have gotten some "What's Your Inspiration?" comments from them.

What inspires Helga?"Beauty and music."

What Inspires Vicki?"...what just happened.....just the sound, its the complex beautiful sound of music that creates something

inside you, it makes an emotion in me..."

What inspires Jim? "artists ...like you,.. people that do it for the love of it."

Also I was featured in an article recently by writer Laura Hankin of Galo Magazine.  "Female Subway Musicians A Rarity" 

Happy summer, and I hope to see you at one of my concerts,

Peace,

Cathy

Female Subway Musicians a Rarity

This article is by Laura Hankin and published in Galo Magazine (Global Arts Laid Out)

Female Subway Musicians A Rarity

June 29th, 2012  by Laura Hankin

For subway commuters in New York City and other cities around the world, subterranean musicians are a near-constant presence. These performers range in age, race, and talent. They play everything from the classical violin to the pan-flute. But look more closely at the demographics and it becomes clear that, at least in one category, the numbers are wildly unbalanced. Where are the women?

For some reason, males seem to have a lock on underground music. While stumbling across a woman playing or singing on the subway isn’t unheard of, it’s rarer than one might expect. Still, despite this discrepancy, according to former busker Anna Stefanic, often “girls make more money than guys.” Stefanic thinks it’s because “they’re less threatening” so people might be more willing to stop and listen, and sometimes “people are less likely to assume that a girl is a homeless pothead and more likely to be like, ‘Oh, you’ll make it, sweetie.’”

Money is only one of the tangible benefits performers get from playing in the subway. For musicians who need to practice their craft anyway, busking provides a way to rehearse with the added energy and encouragement of an informal audience. Some performance just sounds better in the subway. According to Natalia Paruz, more widely known as the “Saw Lady” for the oddly entrancing sounds she makes on a musical saw, “the subway has better acoustics” than some of the best concert halls in the world. She has played in these concert halls, but still felt when she started busking that, “in the subway, the sound was so beautiful that I never wanted to go upstairs ever again.” In addition, the busking community can be incredibly welcoming to newcomers. Renée de la Prade, who played rousing accordion songs on the Boston T before moving on to the San Francisco BART, describes in a blog post how she “met other musicians on the subway who taught [her] dozens of tunes” for free because “they want to keep the music alive.”

So why is it that so few women can be found playing underground? The most commonly cited explanation for why women pass up this unique financial and artistic opportunity is safety. Many female musicians worry that stationing themselves underground makes them vulnerable. We live in a world where women often deal with sexual harassment just walking down the street. Worries abound that such harassment can worsen if the woman is standing still in a location that can abruptly empty out, and both offering herself as a performer to and implicitly asking for money from all who pass by. Paruz has received her fair share of lewd comments while performing in NYC subways. “Men have said to me, ‘Oh, you want to make money? Why don’t you come to my hotel room with me?’” she says. “They see a woman working on the streets and their mind goes to that other old profession.”

No one messes too aggressively with Paruz, who does after all have a saw in her hand. Still, the prospect is enough to deter some musicians. Rhiannon Schmitt, a violinist who plays in public spaces in British Columbia, Canada, refuses to perform in subways. “Guys have pinched my butt while I was playing in a beautiful open-air park,” she says. “I wouldn’t feel safe in a subway.”

To combat such concerns, women who play underground often give thought to how they present themselves. That consideration in and of itself may act as a deterrent: no one wants to feel constricted in how they can dress, for fear of attracting dangerous attention. When considering playing in public, Schmitt was told by an older female teacher to dress modestly. She knows female buskers who put on fake wedding rings before they go out and play. Many wear plain outfits like jeans and T-shirts.

But when a different kind of outfit, one that appeals to the male members of one’s audience, translates into making more money, it may be difficult to resist putting it on. Stefanic, who busked her way through college with a portable keyboard and a winning singing voice, frankly lays out the types of people who would and would not give her money. She never received money from couples, unless they were elderly or with their young children. Women by themselves hardly ever paid her either. “Guys are the ones who will give you money,” she says, “so you have to appeal to that. It was kind of striking a balance.” She eventually settled on flowy skirts and red lipstick as a type of work uniform. And Renee De La Prade purposefully wears eye-catching costumes like tutus and corsets. After receiving her first $20 tip while wearing tutus, she wrote in a blog post, “There’s something very nice about getting more money for the same amount of work.”

Issues of presentation can extend beyond dress. Cathy Grier, who has sung and played guitar in NYC subways for years, woke up one morning in 2008 to find a picture of herself performing on the cover of AM New York. Although she was the cover woman for a story on buskers, the newspaper did not mention her name. In order to facilitate people finding her (she has a strong online presence), she identified a need to brand herself. Ultimately, she chose the moniker “NYC Subway Girl,” because it implied a levity that she hoped would draw people to her music. This moniker, now emblazoned on a banner, hangs behind her whenever she performs on the subway. However, she worried for a time about the feminist implications of calling herself a girl when she is decidedly a grown woman. She made her peace with it partially because, as she says, “there’s something about the girl that’s so in need of being cherished and supported. We all have a girl in us… You ask a girl in fourth grade what she wants to be when she grows up and she says, ‘The president.’ You ask her again in seventh grade, and she’s lost that. Somewhere along the way, we have failed her.” Grier hopes that, through performance in public spaces, she can encourage this kind of girlish dreaming to grow and last.

Beyond safety and presentation, female buskers had a number of other theories to explain their lack of cohorts. Some mentioned the difficulty of lugging around heavy equipment, like amplifiers and keyboards. Others pointed to smaller numbers of female instrumentalists in general. Grier believes it’s a larger societal issue, asking, “Where are the women in music today if they’re not bootying themselves up?”

Despite these deterrents, most female buskers love what they do. The ability to interact with an ever-changing audience provides moments of joy and connection. After busking in the subway, the audience in a concert hall may feel too far removed. The Saw Lady sums up the sentiment felt by many buskers when she says, “I fell in love with playing in the subway. I’m basically addicted to it.” Hopefully someday soon, a new wave of women will join her in her addiction.

read it online

Laura came to hear me at Grand Central earlier this month. I made a clip of her for my Inspiration Project.

Natalia Paruz SawLady

NYCSubwayGirl

Cathy Grier aka NYCSubwayGirl sings

The best way to show why I perform in the subway and in public spaces, is to share some of my experiences.

I am usually the one performing and filming so I don't get a chance to show you what I do.  These clips were taken in various locations around NYC above and below in public spaces. With some surprise spontaneous guest performers.

Performing songs Question Of Desire, Dedicate, Cool Trick, Comin' Back To Me, What Fools Do- words and music Cathy Grier Singerfish publishing SESAC with Amazing Grace-traditional, Love Is In Need Of Love Today-Stevie Wonder

Drew Rouse Canadian artist

Drew Rouse is a fiercely independent writer and musician who has toured extensively throughout North America and Europe. He has captivated audiences from coast to coast and across the oceans with his songs of environmental and social justice, plus other fare. Drew has a unique propensity and ability for meshing smooth rhythms with driving and hypnotic melodies around deeply relevant issues. Drew crafts his songs, not to perpetuate thoughtless escapism, but rather to fortify thoughtful, independent thinking with lyrics that prompt us to maintain and assert our freedoms while urging us to protect our future generations. Never preachy, the result is often described as “Conscious Soul Music”. Soulful yes, but Drew effortlessly meanders through many different styles and multiple genres within each set. His sound is melodic and powerful with a heightened sensibility that keeps your mind and body moving. Drew’s extensive and constant touring, energetic live performances, paired with his solid charismatic presence have earned him a very diverse and loyal following. As he always says “All my songs are love songs. Some are of the simple and usual, boy meets girl variety, but most are of a more complex nature, love of life, freedom, forests, oceans, justice, inner and outer reflective manifestations of love, sometimes sweet and other times tough, but all are love songs and none are the lesser”.

Drew has been offered numerous recording and publishing contracts over the years but has always turned them down for deeply principled and ethical reasons. He understood long ago that in signing such “deals” his music would most likely be used to sell unconscious products, thus helping perpetuate a toxic paradigm. Drew has always acted in part as a “Green publisher” and is always interested in licensing his music to truly green products and services, independent films, documentaries, environmental and social justice issues, independent radio, public sponsored media and other such noble causes. The times have caught up with Drew’s vision, the lean, clean, green, renewable energy paradigm is upon us and Drew has been busy for years writing the soundtrack.

Drew choses to remain completely independent and continues to “Occupy” stages and is busy writting songs that seem to reminisce of a beautiful future, while others songs like “Chicken Hawks” with it’s  scathing and correct assertions on war, scold the powers that shouldn’t be. Other songs like “Mountain” and “FatWood” that warn us about deforestation and other forms of environmental destruction or degradation. He has numerous other such songs, that cover a wide variety of pressing issues, everything from genetic pollution to global warming. Drew takes great pleasure in butchering the sacred cows of our belief systems and disassembling the fictions of our, presently, highly controlled societies. He explains: “I write songs to expose and to reveal. I ask this question over and over. Why should we live a controlled, generic, consumeristic, wasteful existence? When we can live a self-controlled, authentic, creative, low-impact experience. That’s living, the other is just as I mentioned, an existence.”

Drew began writing poetry at age 7, he would often roam the forest surounding his families farm writing in his small notebook he titled “My Thinking Spot”. He then started composing professionally at age 14. He has numerous poems and short stories, over a 150 original songs and has released six independent albums, so far: Rage, Flowers, Live From Bearsville studios, In My Movie, The Flesh and The Spirit… and Singing To The Choir. Drew now releases mostly singles, which can be downloaded, right here, off his website.

Drew performs solo or with many different arrangements of musicians and instrumentation. Thus, “The Gathering” is a blend of those musicians, other artists and supporters who come together at Drew’s performances to celebrate live, original music. This provides for an exciting and ever evolving live show.

Drew follows in a long tradition of great Canadian songwriters and storytellers. He is the real deal a troubadour with a gypsy’s soul. If he’s not on tour he is planning the next one. Keep an eye out for Drew’s upcoming performances and his latest releases.

If you try to ask Drew about himself you will quickly realize that he starts to answer, but then moves rapidly onto an environmental, social justice or government policy conversation. An interviewer recently called him on it and he replied: ”Please, I began many years ago to exclude myself from this process. To limit, then evict and finally delete all that my ego had injected. Long ago I made the message, not the man, paramount. Truthfully, I have forgotten the formulaic who I am, where I’m from and how I want others to see me, etc. I mean, I can tell you trite stories of my past, childhood, etc, but they seem more dream like now, then real. I have none of the usual musician addictions. No rock star sex, drugs and booze war stories, no tale of woe. I have no excuses and nothing to blame. To the contrary, I feel spared, informed and a deep responsibility to share with others what a life of resonance with the natural world has taught me. I have an urgency to express these lesson through writing, music, film, conversation and the teaching and practicing of yoga. I will never forget what I stand for, those I love and those who love me, but it has been a blessing emptying myself and, if only for a moment, becoming just a conduit for something greater to pass through. Truly, my personal story is simple and rather boring. Please lets not waste time on personalities, we must focus on policies. We must dedicate our interaction here to addressing the serious issues that are negatively effecting our shared environment and try to ethically answer the numerous questions that are facing us. Its up to us, at this time, to usher in a new paradigm. Our children, their children, are depending on us” And as always, Drew concluded the interview with                             “Love and Respect to you and yours…”

Summer is here radio shows and concerts

Here's a clip I made of a recent interview on WGXC community radio in Hudson NY before a concert I had at the Hudson Opera House. I was interviewed by program director Tom Roe and teen DJ Jack Ross-Pilkington June 8, 2012.  Jack surprised me with his questions and quick mind. Here's a little excerpt including my song "What Fools Do"

I am excited to be performing again at Joe's Pub 425 Layfatte St, NYC wednesday August 8th 7pm. Mark your calanders it's been 2 years and the last time it sold out. 

NYCSubwayGirl @Tony Awards After Party

I was invited to the Tony Awards after party given by O + M and Co in a gorgeous Carlyle suite and brought my guitar (wearing what else but my Armani tux), I couldn't have imagined that eventually I'd be upstairs sitting on the corner of a bed playing away until 4AM in room full of people singing along and dancing having a great time.

Page Six of the NYPost: ……..And Nick Jonas, Harvey Fierstein and Jordan Roth were spotted amid a super-swank scrum at a late-night do organized by O&M Co. and Variety in the Carlyle’s Empire Suite. Cathy Grier, a k a NYC Subway Girl, played guitar on a bed in a packed upstairs room.

I'm having a fun day feeling a moment of recognition above ground for a change.

How about this picture in Playbill.com

Photo by Monica Simoes

Paloma Young won best costume design for Peter and the Starcatcher, in her acceptance speech, she gave a wonderful shout out to my partner Michele Steckler (one of the original creative producers). Peter and the Starcatcher won 5 awards, all 4 design awards and 1 for Christian Borle's amazing portrayal of Black Stach. Of course the play wouldn't be on Broadway without the delicious writing of Rick Elice (adapted from Peter and The Starcatchers book by Ridley Pearson and Dave Barry), and with exquisite direction from Roger Rees and Alex Timbers. Go see the show to know what magic starstuff these three talented men have created.

WGXC radio interview

June 8th I was interviewd on WGXC a Community Radio station in Hudson, NY 

Here's an audio link to the full interview

an excerpt from my interview peforming What Fools Do words and music Cathy Grier SESAC singerfish publishing

Sat June 9th 8pm Hudson Opera house concert

This Saturday I'll be performing in Hudson, NY it's a cool town filled with expat NYC'ites: artists, restaurateurs, creatives, tinkerers. It's full of thoughtful people in need of air, space, and a place to get out of the corporate urban environment for some lets get real and local attitude. Some call it the new Brooklyn of upstate.

For those too far away, I'll be live on WGXC community radio Friday June 8th at 5pm performing live and chatting about what it's like to be a stationary presence with so much shuffling and movement about. Hope you can tune in to the live stream, click to listen in the top right corner of the website.

Here's a nice shout out for my concert from one of those cool designers that have found Hudson so appealing: Andrew Nelson and Upstate's Downtown Weekly, thanks Andrew.

SUBWAY GIRL NYC
at Hudson Opera House



Like the picture above, a busker's life can be that of one without a face, just another in the crowd providing a soundtrack for those moving from point A to point B. Cathy Grier, aka Subway Girl NYC is not one to sit unnoticed. Since 1999 she has been participating in New York City’s MTA program, Music Under New York and been turning heads ever since. 

"New York based singer-songwriter, activist, Cathy Grier combines rhythmic guitar, gutsy vocals and an infectious energy. Grier mixes folked-up blues with a political mind-set, and there’s more than a little funk in there too.” Time Out, NY Smith Galtney

Cathy has opened for Laura Nyro and Joan Armatrading, received an MTV basement tape award, and has performed at Avery Fischer Hall, BAM and has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning.

“You’ve really got to see Cathy, she has such great energy and you can see that she loves what she’s doing, it’s contagious.”  Larry Wolfert, DJ WRSU radio

Performing Saturday, June 9, 8 pm

HUDSON OPERA HOUSE
327 Warren Street 
Hudson 
More info here

Update on 2012-07-02 17:17 by NYC Subway Girl

Here's a link to the archive of my interview

23 years since Tiananmen Square

It's been 23 years since Tiananmen Square (1989). I wrote this song Witness, and recorded in 1998 on my "Retracing" CD also available on itunes and CD Baby.

Today you can download it free:    Witness.mp3

WITNESS     WORDS & MUSIC: C. GRIER (singerfish publishing SESAC)

EVERY NIGHT ON THE T.V. SCREEN

IN FULL COLOR I SEE THE NEWS

WITHOUT FAIL I WANT TO SCREAM

SO MUCH MIND ABUSE

THE LOWERING OF IQ'S I WANT TO FIGHT BUT WHAT'S THE USE

Chorus:

WHAT'S IN THE CARDS WE WILL POSSESS

IS IT PAIN OR IS IT HAPPINESS

AND THESE THINGS I CAN'T EXPRESS

I'M JUST A WITNESS TO ALL THE CRIMES

AND THE THINGS THAT HAVE TO BE

I'M JUST A WITNESS OF THE MODERN TIMES

HOW I WISH OUR WORLD WAS MORE FREE

I'M JUST A WITNESS

I CAN GO TO TIANANMAN SQUARE

AND FIGHT TO THE BITTER END

BECOME A HOSTAGE IN IRAN

BECAUSE MY SKIN IS DAMNED

NO ONE CAN RUSH EQUALITY

BUT THE T.V. SCREEN KEEPS HAUNTING ME

CHORUS

IF SOMETHING UP THERE IS LOOKING DOWN

IT'S WITNESSING A FOOLISH EARTH

IF IT COULD HAVE THE POWER

TO TURN TO AN HOUR

OF TOTAL PEACE AND HARMONY

I'M JUST A WITNESS

MUNY new artists

I want to welcome all new musicians to the amazing program that provides music underground.

check out the newbies of the Music Under New York program.

newbies of MUNY announced

this year's auditions in Vanderbilt Hall of Grand Central were full of musical talent. I truly enjoyed judging this year.  Here's who got in, so when you pass them on your way to work or play say Hi and congratulate them. WNYC our amazing public radio station is calling for video and photo submissions of your favorite subway performer.  I know of so many fantastic performers, you pass them every day, next time take a clip or a pic. follow the link and submit. 

Welcome new Music Under New York musicians

here's a nice recap of the auditions from WNYC's Abbie Fentress Swanson

and check out the great pics of auditions by Rob Wilson on the MTA tumblr page

2012 AUDITIONS New MUNY Members

Acapella Soul Male acapella

Afrikumba Utibe Drummers Drum ensemble

Aria Eclectic vocal & guitar duo

Petula Beckles Gospel/ jazz singer songwriter

R. M. Bridgewell Guitar, Mozart to Metallica

Allan Chapman Guitar & vocals, originals & covers

Chicken Barn Heros Bluegrass trio  

Jason Cordero Piano, romantic classical 

Keith Dorgan Vibraphone & bass duo

Melissa Elledge Accordion, classics to originals

Holliewood Ft. Venor Alternative hip hop duo

Emily Hopkins Harp, classical to pop

Atsumi Ishibashi & Robin’s Egg Blue Guitar & duo, pop/folk

Richie Kaye Music Jazz duo

Karikatura Latin, gypsy, ska, reggae fusion band

Leah Laurenti R&B/ jazz singer

Buster Marengo Piano, classical 

Mariachi Flor de Toloache Female mariachi band

Jeff Masin One man band

Caesar Passée Steel drums

Matt Pless Singer songwriter

Ryutaro Shibuya Guitar, contemporary jazz

Nadine Simmons Pop/ Gospel singer

Charles Tighe Handpan player

Washington Square Winds Wind quintet 

Through the Turnstile: Subway Performing in NYC

May 2012:  This month's guest blogger is from writer Laura Hankin

Laura Hankin grew up in Washington DC, but since 2010 has been enjoying a passionate, live-in relationship with New York City. She graduated from Princeton University with a major in psychology and a minor in theater. In addition to GALO, she writes regularly for The Artist’s Forum, and has been published in The Washington Post and The Daily Princetonian. As a performer, she has toured the United States in a musical for children, acted off-Broadway, and sung back-up for The Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Karen O. She's not quite sure where she'll end up, but she hopes to spend more time talking to interesting people and passing on their stories to the world. In her free time, she attempts to teach herself how to play guitar, bakes a lot of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, and likes to read as much as possible.

from GaloMagazine.com Global Arts Laid Out, an interesting article on subway performers

Featured in GaloMagazine.com Global Arts Laid Out

By Laura Hankin:

One cold morning in 2007, a man stood inside the entrance of a Washington, D.C. subway station and played the violin. Occasionally, the people walking by tossed money into his violin case or, in extremely rare instances, stopped for a minute to listen. Mostly, they kept going, eyes fixed anywhere but on him. Playing for a mobile audience of 1,000 people over the course of 45 minutes, the violinist made $37. That violinist was Joshua Bell, widely regarded as one of America’s best and most famous classical music interpreters.

The now-notorious experiment, conducted by The Washington Post to determine whether a person’s innate appreciation for beauty could override their rush hour routine, called attention to the plight of subway buskers. Five years later, in New York City, these performers are a familiar sight to anyone who rides the train. Passing from one track to another, commuters might find themselves caught in the glorious cacophony that can arise from the exertions of a single drummer, his beats echoing off the walls. Doo-wop groups set up shop mere feet from where the trains pull in. Most days of the week, a mariachi band executes a delicate balancing act, the members playing their way through the moving MTA cars. A guy with a didgeridoo confounds neophytes to Australian aboriginal music with the duck-like sounds he produces. But in a world where people increasingly glue themselves to the phones in their hands and the music pounding from their headphones, how do performers reach them, either to give them a transcendent musical experience or to convince them to drop a crumpled bill into a tip jar so that rent can be paid on time?

For some performers, the keys to a successful experience are straightforward. “I think Joshua Bell picked a stupid spot and the worst time,” says fellow violinist Filip Pogady, alluding to the fact that Bell played in a passageway during rush hour. “You need five minutes to convince people you’re good while they have to wait for the train.”

Pogady, who came from Slovakia to earn a Master’s degree at the Manhattan School of Music, initially started street performing for fun with friends. In the third year of his Master’s program, however, he realized that busking could be a powerful tool for exposure. “Everyone passes through the subway, people who wouldn’t normally get to hear you,” he says. Now, in addition to playing professional gigs and teaching violin, he performs frequently in stations, complex classical pieces emanating from his instrument with ease. He has come to know the stations where the money flows freely (“The East Side is just terrible,” while the best spots “are usually the touristy ones,” he says) and learned not to look directly at people as he plays, so he doesn’t make them uncomfortable. If a couple of people stop to listen, it’s easier to build a crowd drawn by the spectacle.

Ron Wingate, who has made singing and playing guitar in subway stations his primary job since 2001, jokes with the people standing on the platform with him, and high-fives children who drop money into his case. “I’ve gotten so comfortable with what I do,” he says, “and I’ve learned techniques so that, at the end of the night, I’m going to have some money, and the people who pass my way are going to have a good time.”

But even once performers learn the ropes, setbacks abound. A gulf of misunderstanding stretches between the police officers who patrol the NYC subways and the musicians who play there. Three different policemen, none of whom gave their names, maintained that the law forbids all performance in the subway, unless artists obtain a special permit. Buskers can apply for an audition with the city and, if deemed talented enough, they get to perform under a legitimizing banner in certain locations at set times every week. These policemen said they usually only gave warnings to banner-less musicians, but could arrest them if they wanted. Yet the section entitled “Entertaining on the Subway” on the New York Police Department (NYPD) Web site states that “artistic performances on transit facilities are permitted” as long as they abide by a laundry list of rules forbidding amplification, specifying the number of feet performers must stay from token booths, and so on. Police officers have ticketed Wingate multiple times over the past eleven years, even though his actions were not violating any of the laws listed on the Web site. He estimates that he has been to court ten times, always successfully fighting his way out of paying the tickets given by cops who were unfamiliar with the rules. Morgan O’Kane, whose banjo playing produces more sound than one would expect to come from just ten fingers, says, “I’m chased and harassed by police all the time. It has become part of the job,” although he has also had positive experiences with cops who bought the CDs he was selling and listened to him play for hours.

Sometimes, more straightforward law-breaking occurs. Minhao Lu, who came to subway performing after many years of working in electronics manufacturing, and who elicits sweet, wrenching sounds from the minimal-looking Chinese violin he plays, once had to chase after a couple of young men who stole his full tip jar. He keeps the iPod that plays his backing tracks strapped to his knee, so that no one can easily grab it. And although there’s nothing illegal in mockery or neglect, it’s hard to keep spirits high when countless people pass by without a second glance, or make overtly snide comments. A 2011 New York Times piece by Aaron Retica asked, only partly in jest, “If a bad musician on the subway damages my train trip, may I take a couple of dollars from his case?”

Still, it’s hard to find commuters who will publicly admit to disliking these hard-working musicians. Most enjoy and move on, like actress Carol Linnea Johnson, whose young daughter always asks, in anticipation of taking the subway, “Is someone going to entertain us?” Pre-school teacher Julissa asserts that “it makes waiting for the train much easier,” although she rarely gives money. Others, like filmmaker Matt Finlin, feel the effects in more momentous ways. Upon moving to NYC and “navigating the chaotic arteries of the subway system,” he realized that performers always put a smile on his face. His ode to them, the short documentary film Below New York, has now won awards worldwide, and continues to play the film festival circuit.

In some scenarios, buskers receive big, tangible rewards for their hard work. O’Kane, who was featured prominently in Below New York, now sells his music on iTunes, and has embarked upon a European tour, none of which would have happened without him honing his banjo skills in the subway. Wingate has been flown to France and Australia for gigs he landed playing on platforms. Sometimes, Lu gets flowers. Girls drop their phone numbers into Pogady’s violin case. But the less glitzy, incorporeal benefits add up too. Tarah Williams and Alana Kelley, college students who sing cheerfully while accompanying themselves on guitar and ukulele to make pocket money, echo the feelings of many buskers when they talk of the enormous fulfillment they feel when children dance along to their music or when they notice that they’ve made a positive change to someone’s day. And, according to Wingate, who toured for many years as a guitarist in multiple bands, “Before I got to NYC, I didn’t even have a personality ‘cause my smile onstage was painted on. Playing on the subway taught me to be an entertainer. If I was playing on Broadway, I’d have the best pay and benefits, but I wouldn’t have the freedom to stop and talk to people.”

When Wingate first got to NYC, he lost six pounds in two weeks because he couldn’t afford to both pay his rent and eat. Now, he makes enough money performing in the subway to support himself. It’s not always the most glamorous job, and buskers can never count on a steady income. But, on occasion, Wingate earns $100 an hour from the people passing by. Eat your heart out, Joshua Bell.

written by Laura Hankin Through the Turnstile: Subway Performing in NYC

INTI and the Moon, Music Under NY

Performing in the Graybar corridor of Grand Central Staion, I discovered INTI and the Moon, a trio led by guitarist Geovanni Suquillo, with Fatih Tabboushe-percussion and Muammer Aryar-Guitar.  Geo has been with the Music Under NY program for many years and I am always thrilled to find him performing.  He has a way of collaborating with other musicians that makes his music sound fresh and organic.