Subway Musicians
Category: Local Questions & Answers
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05/15/2008
Caitlyn L. says:
Figured I'd start another thread with an off-topic comment I was going to post on the how to ruin a commute thread...
I've only seen him once, but there's a guy who plays really great acoustic versions of Beatles songs at Park Street...it was the one time I felt I NEEDED to give someone money. Plus I didn't care that my train took 10 minutes (three songs) to come.
05/15/2008
Joey "Walter" M. says:
There is a kid, probably no older than 18, who plays the accodian around Downtown Crossing on the Orange line. His music sounds like the soundrack to Amelie. I've actually skipped trains on purpose to listen to him. He's incredibly talented, and I love that sort of 3/4 waltz-step melancholy French accordian music.
05/15/2008
Jay G. says:
Caitlyn, that thread was ruined a long-ass time ago.
What song was it?
05/15/2008
Caitlyn L. says:
I remember Hide Your Love Away....I can't remember the others. It was quite a while ago, but he made an impression. :)
05/15/2008
Kenny "Jewanese" L. says:
Caitlyn, you're not talking about that annoying Asian guy that plays the god aweful "music" on the green line platform in Park St, right?
05/15/2008
Caitlyn L. says:
Ha! No, no. :) No, he's always there and I have no clue what he's playing.
05/15/2008
Milee "Not Miley" S. says:
Kenny-
I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks his "music" is like nails on a chalkboard! Or a screaming cat. I always have to put on the ipod to drown it out.
05/15/2008
Rachel C. says:
That Asian guy has been playing for as long as I've lived in Boston (nearly 6 years)!! He literally does not know how to play that instrument! I'm not joking, he does not have a clue...but people give him money because they assume it's cool and ethnic..I hate that guy.
05/15/2008
Bo "Screaming for Vengeance" W. says:
Hey, I like the Chinese guy! The instrument he's playing is called an erhu, and while he's not the most skilled player in the world, it beats all the crappy R&B wannabes.
05/15/2008
Shannon "Loose Cannon Shannon" F. says:
I also love the acordian boy! When i first moved back to Boston it was right around the Holidays and I was feeling rather nostaligic and spirited by the season, and I swear the sound of that accordian juxtapositioned against the busy holiday shuffle of crowds... almost brought tears to my eyes.
05/15/2008
Trish "the Dish" F. says:
I love the R&B wannabes that improv singing about every hot girl they see! haha.. I love a lot the buskers.. some are very cute. haha.. Davis tends to get some good musicians.. Burren/Toad overlfow. There was a guy on the orange line that was doing Bill Withers pretty bad ass.
05/15/2008
Dawn "Lil' Lush" E. says:
I remember a lady in Harvard square that had one of those Casio's that played itself and that was what she played... occasionally touching a key to make it look convincing.
05/15/2008
Tracey G. says:
I like the Beatles acoustic guy--his voice is so soothing. Lily Holbrook is also amazing (I saw her at Park Street.)
05/15/2008
Matt G. says:
I dislike the harmonica guy at Govt Center.
05/15/2008
Tracey G. says:
Oh, and the Chinese guy who plays the Ehru is a Boston-area institution--but it seriously cracks me up that he doesn't know how to play his instrument. I've actually never seen him talk or smile either.
05/15/2008
Becki "Puts on lotion with a Mr Magoo paint-by-number kit" W. says:
I like the breakdancing/Acrobatic guys most
They are not as good as the 4some I see on the 4 and % lines in NYC, but they defintely will get a buck from me
I tend not to give money to people just asking (although i wil lgive my doggie bag up to someone who looks hungry)
But performers who work for it, sure I will throw them a washington every now and then
05/15/2008
Caitlyn L. says:
The guy playing classical guitar in the afternoons at Harvard Square is good, too.
05/15/2008
Melissa "Melicious Female who likes the Pretty Boys" M. says:
does that asian guy still have the tissue box? It is horrendous sounding and the man looks so sad too. It's like he enjoys playing weird music. There is a guy in harvard sq on some weekday afternoons who plays music who is good, he is enjoyable.
05/15/2008
Alex "Prom Queen" R. says:
God, the guy at...is it State or Downtown Crossing? And he plays flute, and he only knows like two songs and he's absolutely terrible at them, so he keeps pausing in the middle of the phrase, and he just repeats the same part over and over...I want to fucking kill that guy.
05/15/2008
Joey "Walter" M. says:
Alex,
I believe he's playing either Bolero or "random mozart piece"
05/15/2008
Jeff G. says:
The only performer that I've actually ever liked seems to have disappeared. he was often @ porter & central, looked kinda like a rivethead buddhist monk. he had some sort of noisemaker that played an F'd up tape loop and he would chant into a distorted mic. Now that's good stuff. He was also the only dude i've ever actually inquired about a tape/cd/etc but he didn't have one.
05/15/2008
Dawn "Lil' Lush" E. says:
Oh... whatever happened to the guy who'd play the theme to the Godfather on the accordian when walking through the tunnel to the North End? I know there's no more tunnel.. but where's the guy... he had that box with the red flashey lights on it...
05/15/2008
Yihwa "kiwi" H. says:
I liked Gifrants too, at least his two songs anyway, but unfortunately I realised that the only reason he plays those two songs is because they are much better than the rest of his... at least in my opinion. He was so nice that I just bought his CD once and he was so sweet about it, but I found the CD underwhelming/disappointing compared to his two live songs that I'd heard. hehe.
I also don't care for the accordion dude at Govt Ctr, who mostly sings Frank Sinatra esque songs (which I normally like but don't like performed by him, unfortunately) whether with or without his harmonica/accordion thing.
05/15/2008
Kerri "(is so Very)" O. says:
Caitlin, and Melissa: too true.
My fave street busking moment was when Don Cherry wandered out of the Charles Hotel, and gave some great trumpet improv's along with the dudes who were doing Beatles tunes in Harvard Square. What he did with Sargent Pepper's should have been recorded.
05/15/2008
Caitlyn L. says:
I don't know, Dawn! I'd forgotten about him!
05/15/2008
Rachel C. says:
I don't think the Asian guy is playing an Erhu...all the erhus I've seen are quite a bit larger, like this one:
http://www.ukchinesemu...Maybe it's a child size...either way he's ripping off the ignorant masses and making my ears bleed.
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