Joe Hanneman Inspiration

 

 

I met Joe in Grand Central and we had a wonderful and engaging chat.  He has led such an interesting life. Many years ago he was asked to help coordinate the German Day parade, which led to a pretty busy career coordinating parades in New York City and throughout the country. One of the curious insights he told me was how to deal with crowd control. He realized if people looked up they would naturally want to lean backward and in so doing, create more space and less pushing forward. So the ticker tape and the float were really put into use. Who knew?


What Inspires Joe? 7 trombones and 4 tubas in an army band.

 

Margie Ruddick Landscape Architect

I met Margie Ruddick Landscape Architect at the Central Park Woodlands Stewardship conference on October 5th. There I was the subway musician, amidst architect students, landscape architects and firms representing top minds in the field for a day long conversation about stewardship of Central Park. After the conference Margie and I chatted about what inspires her.

Margie designed the evocative and re-imagined Queens Plaza. She expressed, "Art helps people connect with a place and helps proprietary commitment."  As a subway musician performing in public spaces I see that first hand every time I perform.

What Inspires Margie? "Lake Minnewaska in the Catskills……..When there's unbelievable energy and you pick up on that, that's very inspiring"

I love NY and I love the Park so I was excited to attend the event. One of the presenters (Cultural Landscape Foundation) found my sustainability blog (I love search engines), I blogged about the conference. They invited me to come along and see for myself. It was held at the fantastic Museum Of The City Of New York. 

It was an truly informative and wonderful day spent with thinkers in the world of landscape architecture. I left feeling empowered and optimistic about the people out in the field working passionately every day to find solutions to better serve communities and humankind while not forgetting nature's involvement.

read more about my day at the conference on my Sustainability Blog 

 

Ecotone NYCSubwayGirl

Bridging The Nature-Cultural Divide Central Park Woodlands Conference

It might appear illogical that NYC SubwayGirl a subway performer was at the Central Park Woodlands Stewardship conference on October 5th amidst architect students, landscape architects and firms representing top minds in the field for a conversation about stewardship.  It actually was as logical as a woodlands thriving deep in the center of an urban environment.

I love NY and I love the Park so I was excited to participate. One of the presenters of the event (Cultural Landscape Foundation) found my sustainability blog (I love search engines), I blogged about the conference. They invited me to come along and see for myself.  It was held at the fantastic Museum of The City of New York.

During breaks and a beautiful walk through the Park, I asked my favorite question to a few participants, What's Your Inspiration? 

As I explained why I was there, I found my description of myself in the context of the conversation about urban parks, not only interesting, but it actually helped me to define myself a bit more completely than just "I sing in the subway."

I love analogies, so I was trying out the thought of the subway musician as an ecotone (definition: the defining geographic transitional line where valley meets mountain, prairie meets forest,  where land meets water), where a stationary musician meets commuters rush, where music meets subway sounds, where my asking "What's your inspiration?" to a stranger meets community.

I learned landscape architecture and stewardship of a public park has to include emotional feeling and experience, something not necessarily associated with riding or commuting in a subway system.  NYC Subway Girl attempts to bring these into the conversation.  Meeting a commuter who pauses to chat and then asking the question about inspiration, brings out an emotional feeling that is deeply poignant and inspirational itself.

Here I thought I was going to the conference to learn about Central Park (and I did), but I left learning more about myself.

Read More on my Sustainability Blog

The clip features inspirations from Charles Birnbaum, founder president Cultural Landscape Foundation and Eric Sanderson, Wildlife Conservation Society, Michael Boland, The Presidio Trust, Alanna Rios, student City College of New York, Christopher Valencia, student City College of New York, Mauro Crestani, EXP US Servces Inc., Joanna Pertz, Landscape Architect, Eddie Krakhmalnikov, University of Minnesota, Margie Ruddick, Landscape Architect, Elizabeth Meyer, Professor Landscape Architecture, University of Virginia.

Alanna Rios inspired

I met Alanna Rios, a student of landscape architecture at the City College of New York Spitzer school, during a Central Park Woodlands Stewardship conference I attended. There I was the subway musician, amidst architect students, landscape architects and firms representing top minds in the field for a day long conversation about stewardship of Central Park. During the lunch break Alanna and I chatted about what inspires her.

"Non-conformity."

It was an truly informative and wonderful day spent with thinkers in the world of landscape architecture. I left feeling empowered and optimistic about the people out in the field working passionately every day to find solutions to better serve communities and humankind while not forgetting nature's involvement.

I love NY and I love the Park so I was excited to attend the event. One of the presenters (Cultural Landscape Foundation) found my sustainability blog (I love search engines), I blogged about the conference. They invited me to come along and see for myself. It was held at the fantastic Museum Of The City Of New York. 

read more about my day at the conference on my Sustainability Blog 

Shine The Light Times SQ

It might have rained October 2nd in Times Square, but the evening was charged with amazing energy.  New Yorkers rising up to acknowledge Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Manhattan Borough Pres. Scott Stringer was on hand to officiate with speakers Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance, Eve Ensler, NYC NOW Pres Sonia Ossorio, and NY Assembly member Linda Rosenthal including Yolanda Jiminez commissioner of the Mayor's office to combat domestic violence.

I went to witness Times Square being illuminated in purple and thrilled to hear from Eve Ensler writer of Vagina Monologues and creator of VDay, who fired up the crowd despite the rain and a sudden blown PA, thankfully a megaphone was on hand. Beforehand I got a chance to speak with the fearless Sister Mary Nerney, founder and former director of STEPS to End Family Violence and Greenhope: Services for Women, Sabrina Mosquera, and Connie Marquez deputy director of STEPS, Helen of Korean Family Services, Steven Walerstein and Jack Raplee of Powers inc.  All of whom shared their inspirations with me and their commitment to ending violence.  These people are on the front lines of domestic violence and I want to honor them.

"We are blessed to be living in the safest city in America, but what good does it do if in fact we're not safe in our homes." Cyrus Vance Manhattan DA

STEPS director Connie Marquez stated with passion "we will be a violent free society."  

I love that. What can you do to help end Domestic Violence? Stand Up, reach out and refuse to accept a violent society. 

Rise Up Against Violence words and music Cathy Grier 

What's MY Inspiration? by NYCsubwayGirl

 

What Inspires Rachel Chanoff?

I was a special guest artist at Celebrate Brooklyn! for the Helga Davis Love Show before the film Romero and Juliet. I caught up with Rachel Chanoff (artistic director Celebrate Brooklyn!) on stage during soundcheck. 

Rachel's inspiration is Celebrate Brooklyn! Because it's free, the audiences are diverse, they hear great things, unexpected for them and for the artist. Sounds a lot like why I've been singing in public spaces with MUNY since 1999.
  • A little backstory: It was Rachel who was a judge for my Music Under NY audition in 1999 that got me into the program. From that audition she programed me as the opening act for Joan Armatrading at MASS MoCA, fast forward 11 years, Helga Davis WNYC and WOR radio host judged my Battle Of The Boroughs Manhattan performance at WNYC's Greene Space. Helga recently passed by my Music Under NY performance at LIRR, she stopped listened and invited me to be her guest artist. There I reconnected with Rachel. It's a full circle of connections made from performing in public spaces. I love this story.
Comin' Back To Me performed by Cathy Grier NYCSubwayGirl and the Helga Davis Love Show with Sean Dixon - Drums, Fred Cash Jr.- Bass and Ted Cruz- Keyboards
words and music Cathy Grier singerfish publishing SESAC

 

Laura Hankin from Galo Magazine

Laura came to hear me perform for an article she was writing about female subway musicians for Galo (Global Art Laid Out) Magazine. She listened for a while and then we chatted.  

What inspires Laura?  "Friends and family….the love that we give to each other.."

Here's a link to the article she wrote: Female Subway Musicians A Rarity - Galo Magazine

Comin' Back To Me words and music Cathy Grier singerfish publishing SESAC

 

Vicki Randle Inspiration

Summer Solstice arrived June 20th at 7:09 PM EST and already giving NYC some serious summer heat. I was performing on the uptown 1 platform at Columbus Circle, and the unmistakable vocalist and percussionist Vicki Randle (of the Kevin Eubanks group on Jay Leno) passed by me with a grin. 

In town performing with Mavis Staples at the Beacon Theatre with Bonnie Raitt, Vicki and I chatted about inspirations and the first time we met many years ago in Key West when I opened for Laura Nyro and Vicki was in the band.

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…"

a little 1980's history in Key West

Helga Davis WNYC + WQXR radio host

Helga Davis WNYC + WQXR radio host of "Overnight Music," passed by my LIRR gig and recognized me from my appearance at the 1st WNYC Battle of The Boroughs.  She was a judge and I was representing Manhattan.  I was surprised to see how fresh my performance that night was still in her mind.  Made this subway performer smile. 

What inspires Helga?  "Beauty and music."

here's a link to my Battle of The Boroughs performance of my song "Comin' Back To Me"

What's MY Inspiration? by NYCsubwayGirl

I created this short of my experience performing in the underground of NYC. Here are the things I see, the people I meet and the moments that turn my music in collaboration with commuters into it's own version of public art. And why I created the Inspiration Project.

 

Inspirations from people I meet, spontaneous jams with other artists. Life, humanity and human connection. Filmed throughout NYC subway and train stations.

words and music Cathy Grier singerfish publishing SESAC

Question Of Desire, Keep You Out, Cool Trick, Jungle,

with Bobby News Guy and featuring Inspired commuters: -Leonie- Graybar -Jeremy- Graybar-woman- Grand Central mezzo-Ruth- Columbus circle-Michael- Shuttle-Guy- Grand Central mezzo-Sonia German student- Shuttle-Richard- Col cir-Qainat- Shuttle-Jorge- Col Cir-Myah -Union SQ-Cathy- SI ferry terminal-Mustafa- LIRR and musicians, Break dancers, Poet Myah, Cathy sings duet Amacing Grace, Josjua bucket drummer,Justin sings duet-You've Got A Friend-Carole King, Ray saxaphone and Don The Shoe Dude.

Janine Inspiration Falun Dafa

I met Janine in Graybar corridor of Grand Central Station with Trisha, they are both in the US from Australia to share and practice the work of Falun Dafa.  After chatting with Janine I realized that I happened to pass them one evening in Madison Square Park as they sat with others in a circle practicing this spiritual discipline of meditation, it was a lovely peaceful experience to witness.

What inspires Janine?  "Falun Dafa…to tell people about Falun Dafa because it helps people to cultivate their hearts, come back to their true selves and beautiful thing about it, is to think of others… to be truthful and to have kindness, compassion and tolerance."

 

Jim Abbott Inspiration

 

While performing in Times Square against a backdrop of gorgeous colorful mosaics, who should walk by but Jim Abbott.  He's an amazing musical director, soulful, has great timing and the ability to put together a group that sounds as if they've been together for years. cohesive, emotional and well, musical.  He also works in a lot of Broadway shows. NYC would dim without him.

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

Myah subway poet Union Square

I've been pouring through many of my archives of clips and discovered this gem that I never edited.  

I met Myah one afternoon in the Union Square subway station, we chatted about how God and poetry inspire her.  She's also a basketball player, the combination of poetry and sports really inspired me. I asked if she would recite a poem and she took the mic and haltingly recited her poem "Misunderstood."  Make no mistake she truly owned that moment.  These are the beautiful things that happen underground that I love to share. 

Jeremy Inspiration Grand Central station

 

I met Jeremy as he was working at the Civic Duty footwear kiosk in Grand Central's Graybar corridor where I had been singing. Civic Duty is socially responsible product, made from Tyvek a recyclable material. The imprint of the shoe sole reads 'conspire to inspire'.  Imagine leaving that mark on a beach….. They have a mission to support charitable organizations by creating a personalized shoe and donating all proceeds.

What inspires Jeremy?

"Love to see other people that are vibrant and that are inspired themselves…it's contagious"

 

 

Steven Weinrub Inspired creator of Civic Duty footwear

I met Steven Weinrub in the Graybar corridor of Grand Central Station where I was performing, his eye catching footwear was on display in one of the kiosks set up along the corridor. 

Steven calls himself the Chief Inspiration Officer of Civic Duty so of course I had to ask what inspires him.

So what Inspires Steven?  "Color"

Civic Duty is socially responsible product, made from Tyvek a recyclable material. The imprint of the shoe sole reads 'conspire to inspire'.  Imagine leaving that mark on a beach….. They have a mission to support charitable organizations by creating a personalized shoe and donating all proceeds.