Music on the Street

Okay, so this isn't exactly a post about ways of getting your music out there, but it is a post about people doing fun things with music.  Specially, playing music on the street.  For me, street music is really powerful.  I'm out somewhere, minding my own business when all of a sudden I'm tractor beamed into a group of other strangers to watch music.

LURED IN BY STITCHCRAFT

This happened to me a few today as I was leaving the Green Festival.  I walk out the door, a little sad about walking away without a good supply of fair trade chocolate when I'm zapped by the beam of a group of 3 musicians powered by two kids on bikes.  That probably makes no sense.  Let me try to explain that again. There was a singer/guitarist in a cute green dress accompanied by two percussion guys (one playing the telephone pole with a what looked to be a wire hanger).  The amps/mics/speakers were powered by two girls biking to the rhythm.  Awesome.  Band name is Stitchcraft and they do this Rock the Bike thing with a bunch of other musicians.  I tried to walk away and get on home, but I couldn't.  The pull was too strong.  So I took out a video camera and took this video... My favorite moment is the comic relief at the end when the old man charges the camera.  Good times with strangers.

DIRTY BLUEGRASS (THE BEST KIND) AND GOSPEL

A few months back this happened to me with a band called Fruition.  I was walking down Haight and did the same thing.  Disturbed traffic a little bit crossing the street.  They were awesome.  And then a couple weeks ago when I was walking home from class I walked passed the SFSU Gospel Choir singing in the crosswalk near campus.  I think they were just waiting for cars to pass, but once they realized they had attracted a little audience they kept on singing.  So I grabbed this.

SO LONELY

I tried this a couple of times, singing in random places.  I brought a guitar to a farmers market and a few people sat down and ate lunch nearby.  I've played some music at various MUNI stations a couple of times.  Always a healthy mix of awkward and kind of fun.

So actually, I completely take back what I wrote in the first sentence.  This is absolutely a post about getting music out there.  Maybe not for record deals, but for sharing.  In three separate instances, I've come home being a fan of someone I would never have heard of.  So maybe next time I'll try to make it more legit.  Maybe make a sign so people can look stuff up later.  Maybe think up a good gimmick to make it exciting for those who aren't into music.  Maybe I'll wear my "I Love Muni" t-shirt.  That'll get people riled.