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?!"

easy ease-in at Grand Central

My return to subway gigs after a long summer break couldn't have been better. I performed in the Graybar corridor at Grand Central Station (it feeds into the main hall) and has a great people watching vantage point.With amazing warm acoustics naturally created by great architecture, I sang with ease and enjoyed what only time off can provide, the ability to hear myself with fresh ears and ideas. I noticed many people taking an "audio" tour of the station. There's a funny juxtaposition of tourists casually looking up at whatever is being pointed out from a voice in their headphones and the racing commuters who always seem to cut their next train close to within seconds.It's truly a dance, albeit clumsy at best.
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Grand Central Station Graybar corridor: Cathedral-esque or what?

Grand Central Station Graybar corridor 1/08/10 Graybar performing spot is like performing in a perfect performance hall, the sound, the natural reverberation is incredible. As I sing under the amazing granite-limestone? dome, the sound envelops and carries down the corridor towards the main terminal. Over the past years small kiosks have set up throughout the corridor selling all kinds of stuff. I am sensitive not to be too loud for the merchants who, unlike the steady stream of passing commuters, do get to hear my entire 3 hours of performing. Joe, the coffee shop across from me, brings in a steady crowd and the smell of coffee is intoxicating. Today I set up wondering if it would be too cold, it was in the teens outside and the Lexington doors are only about 200’ away from me, but the air didn’t carry anything too icy! I love singing in this spot, it’s effortless, and today

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Did the chill thrill? Back underground in frigid NYC

First blog of 2010. Yesterday was my first Music Under New York performance of 2010. So is it twenty ten? Two thousand and ten? Two thousand ten? I haven’t settled into anything yet, have you? It's been incredibly cold in NYC, and I was worried my gig would be too cold too play, but it wasn’t. I set up in the Long Island Railroad terminal at the far end of the corridor nearer to 8th avenue. It was cozy and warmish, the only thing that seemed to overwhelm me in this location was the incredible smell of grilled steak or was it just the burned oil from a fryer boiling nearby. I immediatel

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