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Music on the Subway


MAA89

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What is the best music you have heard in a subway station/on the platform? If it is an established individual performer/street band which publishes CDs/DVDs, where can I buy them (and which subway station would I find him/her/them at)?

 

The best subway music I have come across is this, though I never actually saw them live (found them when I googled Agua Clara after my dad bought one of their albums, having heard them play the Peruvian folk theater song El Condor Pasa, later popularized by Simon & Garfunkel):

 

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/431523/new_york_city_street_performer_agua_clara/

 

(I know I am reproducing without their permission, but me and my parents are all big fans of the group and would buy their albums again, so a little liberty can't be wrong).

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The best subway music I have come across is this, though I never actually saw them live (found them when I googled Agua Clara after my dad bought one of their albums, having heard them play the Peruvian folk theater song El Condor Pasa, later popularized by Simon & Garfunkel):

 

(I know I am reproducing without their permission, but me and my parents are all big fans of the group and would buy their albums again, so a little liberty can't be wrong).

 

This band played at Union Square a lot last year. Haven't seen them in a while. They're one of the better bands that you see in the subway these days.

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The xylofolks!

 

Who cannot like Cookie Monster playing music. B)

 

How can they stand wearing all that fur in a subway station, especially West 4th St? That place is a hothouse; even in winter, it is perfectly comfortable to be wearing a cotton T-shirt on the platform while it is snowing outside.

 

And I do think they are impromptu performers. I look at the (MTA) Music Under New York site once in a while and never found the "Xylopholks" listed on the roster.

 

I remember seeing a picture of them with the caption "And the unemployment line stretches all the way to Sesame Street" on one of the I Can Has Cheeseburger network sites.

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Playing music in the subway might be an nice hobby, but it ain't going to put food on the table every night.

 

Maybe, but if you can get sanctioned by the (MTA) and grab the best (high traffic areas) and sell copies of your music to passers-by, you probably could make a decent amount. Of course, the idea is to get noticed by someone in the music industry who might be able to get them a better paying gig. Most will also offer to perform at parties; I remember one duo playing a traditional Mexican song (wearing sombreros and traditional clothing) on the (R) train and giving out business cards to interested passengers. If your music is good and you get lucky, there might be a fair amount of money to make, given that the overheads for playing in the subway are rather low.

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What is the best music you have heard in a subway station/on the platform? If it is an established individual performer/street band which publishes CDs/DVDs, where can I buy them (and which subway station would I find him/her/them at)?

 

The best subway music I have come across is this, though I never actually saw them live (found them when I googled Agua Clara after my dad bought one of their albums, having heard them play the Peruvian folk theater song El Condor Pasa, later popularized by Simon & Garfunkel):

 

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/431523/new_york_city_street_performer_agua_clara/

 

(I know I am reproducing without their permission, but me and my parents are all big fans of the group and would buy their albums again, so a little liberty can't be wrong).

 

Those guys rock! I heard them play in Grand Central once, in that area with all the silver columns and maroon tile and hte low ceilings, I coulda sworn they were in Penn Station once too by the LIRR concorse

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I don't like subway music. During the rare times I get a seat on the (E) I want to sleep. 3 Mexican guys play their instruments and wake me up. If I want to be entertained then I'll use my ipod.

 

Yeah, some of the musicians are just annoying or downright painful. I particularly hate this very old woman singing Rod Stewart's "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" every now and then on different trains: her voice is horrible and surely there are other songs she could use.

 

Those guys rock! I heard them play in Grand Central once, in that area with all the silver columns and maroon tile and hte low ceilings, I coulda sworn they were in Penn Station once too by the LIRR concorse

 

I am glad you like them too.

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