Alternative Blues - Guitar and Vocal: Luke Ryan

Luke playing


Luke Playing


Luke playing


Interview with Luke


A quick plug for Luke's music production biz - Hootch Studios

Artist: Luke Ryan – Mocombo Lounge Productions
Medium: Guitar and vocals
Location: 42nd Street Grand Central Station by the S train platform

Luke Ryan is a funny guy with a quick wit, but you’ll really have to watch interview to see what I mean (it’s that first one liner that really kills). Hailing from Georgia, Luke now lives in Astoria, Queens where he runs Hootch Studios, a home based recording studio and writes his tunes.

Luke got into playing because “like any old hippie [he] wanted to be Jim Morrison.” To that end he taught himself to the play the guitar and began to write music. Luke notes that one of his reasons for playing in public is the same reason that American Idol is so persistent, people just want to be heard. In his case, in the subway, “you create your stage, if you can’t find a stage, you bring your stage with you.” The other reason is playing in the subway is an “opportunity to play long, long hours, get the chops up and still make money…theoretically.”

Luke typically plays at Grand Central by the L train about twice a week but can also be found around the city. Aside from this, Luke runs a recording studio for $70 per production.

Like what you see? Check out
Luke’s influences – Tom Waits, Warren Zevon, Leonard Cohen
www.myspace.com/mocombolounge

Really like what you see? Need a studio? Contact Luke
ry7805@aol.com

Percussion (Buckets): Larry Wright

Larry Playing


Interview with Larry and Sonya

Larry Wright is a born drummer. When he was five he was living in a “little hotel place” with his mom. When she told him to empty the garbage from a bucket, he ended up turning it into an instrument. Now he makes a living playing in the streets and subways.

Aside from drumming, Larry has brought his other love with him to the street – his wife. It’s fitting really, the two met in the street while he was playing and have been together for 13 years since then. Now they’ve come full circle and Sonya plays with her husband, making music with him for the general public. Larry has taught Sonya everything she knows about drumming and at the time of this interview she had been playing for about 6 months.

Larry and his wife play in the street 7 days a week. They play for a living and to be discovered. Personally Larry believes the government should enact policies to encourage musicians, give them places to play and help them succeed but that doesn’t mean he and his wife don’t love the street; they have tons of fans who give them love. “A lot of people look forward to us…they say we inspire them…they have a hard day of work, they come home, they smile and see us before they get on the train.”

Larry and Sonya are both from the Bronx and are raising a brand new Bronxite names Clarise. On the day of taping it was Clarise’s birthday so…Happy Birthday Clarise!

Like what you hear? Check out
Larry’s influences - Ayane, Tito Puente, Max Roach, Buddy Rich
Other vids: Larry Wright

Really like what you hear? Hire Larry and Sonya or go hunting for them yourself
streetshoot@gmail.com
Usual hangouts - 4+5 trains and L at Union Sq Station, 34th St Station, 42nd St Station, 59th St and Lexington Ave. Station.

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Breakdancing: Mike and Scoogie from DDT Entertainment

Mike and Scoogie breakdancing


Mike and Scoogie breakdancing


Mike and Scoogie breakdancing


Introduction to the show (no dancing but no NYC dance show is without one)


Interview with Mike and Scoogie

Artists: Mike and Scoogie – DDT Entertainment
Medium: Breakdance
Location: Times Square station near the shuttle

Mike and Scoogie are members of DDT Entertainment, a Bronx based operation. Their style of dance incorporates elements of breakdancing, capoeira and gymnastics which makes their shows especially dynamic and entertaining.

Mike fell in love with breaking and performing the moment he saw it and decided to do it himself. Fortunately, his brother had a group and he joined them and refined his craft. Mike, now a master of his art, teaches others how to break in his own group as his brother once did for him. Mike truly loves the art and says he’d like to teach the whole world for free.

Scoogie is Mike’s student and attests to Mike’s skills as a teacher. Scoogie enjoys the fusion breakdance/capoeira/gymnastics he does because he believes it is on the cutting edge of hip-hop culture. Scoogie admires Mike’s talent and joined his group to learn to perform and entertain better.

Scoogie and Mike dance in the Subway for exposure, pocket money and the entertainment of the people. Although they love their art Mike takes a practical view and says “[dancing] is a hobby, you also gotta have a job to fall back on.” Regardless, Mike and Scoogie are proud of what they do and encourage everyone to “always think positive, never negative. What we’re doing down here, we’re doing something positive, not down on the corner or robbin’ or stealing. Always find something positive – keep that in mind.”

Like what you see? Contact them and hire ‘em for a gig
B_boyscoogie@yahoo.com

Origami Ornaments: Jeremy Walker

Interview with Jeremy Walker

Origami Ornaments
Originally uploaded by gruevie.

Some of Jeremy's pins, earrings and sculptures

Origami Ornaments
Originally uploaded by gruevie.

More of Jeremy's work (click to enlarge)

Artist: Jeremy Walker
Medium: Origami
Location: Union Square by 14th St. and University Ave.

Jeremy Walker makes origami earrings, necklaces, pins, ornaments, large models and window displays, table settings; you name it. A native Brooklynite, Jeremy’s been doing origami since he was seven. When people ask him how he learned he tells them it’s not hard, they could do it too, just go to the library and get a book on origami. Just don’t read the instructions.

Jeremy initially went to college for medical illustration. The field was tight, however, and Jeremy left college after his 7th semester to pursue his own art. He understands that a lot folks are afraid to go out on a limb to pursue their artistic passion for fear of rejection but that’s not his mentality, “you have to be out there as an artist, you have to show your stuff.”

Jeremy’s origami is all dipped in polyurethane or made from Mylar. As a result his paper constructs are durable and water resistant.

Aside from selling his work at Union Square, Brooklyn Heights Park Slope, Jeremy’s work is also sold at the American Museum of Folk Art and he does parties, weddings and other work on demand.

Like what you see?
Jeremy Walker often sells in Union Square, Brooklyn Heights, by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum and the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens.

Really like what you see? Contact him and get some origami
paperart41@hotmail.com

Drums, xylophone, bells: Sire the Purifier

Sire the Purifier playing the drums


The essence of street art - Sire the Purifier plays and a random passerby joins his beat with a rap


Interview with Sire the Purifier


How birds inspire music: A look at a hidden skill - storytelling.


A message from Sire the Purifier

Artist: Sire the Purifier
Medium: Drums, bells, xylophone, squeak toys, flutes
Location: 42nd Street Station in 123-ACE connector

“Never underestimate the power of love to conquer hate.” So speaks Sire the Purifier.

Sire gave himself his name when he started playing music. One day, when he was feeling low, Sire picked up a harmonica and began playing with it. “It changed my mood so wonderfully [I thought] wow, this is what music does to you.” To Sire, music is like medicine, it’s cleansing and uplifting; that’s why he calls himself the Purifier. Never one to play a sad song, Sire tries to keep all his work upbeat to rejuvenate himself and the people who listen to him.

Sire’s music is as eclectic as could be imagined. He plays with flutes, drums, bells, a xylophone and even sqeak toys and claims hip-hop, jazz and R&B as influences. However, he says he strives for a “universal sound.” To this end, Sire’s main influence is nature – especially birds. Sire is inspired by birds because they are naturally made to sing and he never takes their songs for granted. (See two of Sire’s folktale-ish stories about how nature has inspired him in video above to text at the end of this entry.)

Sire is originally from Brooklyn but his great-great-great-grandparents hail from Ghana. The colors he wears are Ghanaian.

Sire’s Story
Once upon a time Sire the Purifier was walking through his life. In this life he met many animals, but none more amazing than a little wild sparrow. Sparrows are a particular lot, they come out to eat and drink but at the sight of another animal they are quick to retreat. So you can imagine Sire the Purifier's surprise when, walking through a woodland, he encountered a sparrow that was not afraid of him. Well, Sire the Purifier knew just what to do - he put that fearless sparrow up on his shoulder and brought him down into the subway. Once in the subway Sire the Purifier took out his drums. "Bom" he went, "tweet" went the bird. "Bom-bom," "tweet tweet." And with that Sire the Purifier went into a musical frenzy. Arms flying, legs shaking, drums bomming, bells jostling - making noise to his heart's content. To Sire the Purifier's amazement, the little wild sparrow sung with his beats. The two makde music all day until the the sparrow took his leave and Sire the Purifier put his drums back on his cart to go home. From that moment on Sire the Purifier never took a bird's song for granted again. Don't believe me? Listen to him tell it himself in the video above.

Like what you see?
Unfortunately the only way to meet someone like Sire is to find him in the subway. If Sire does decide to release contact information you can bet it will be here first.

Soprano Sax: Leviticus Gory

Levidicus playing Take 5


Leviticus playing Serenade in Blue


Interview with Leviticus

Artist: Leviticus Gorey
Medium: Soprano sax
Location: 14th Street Station on the uptown 1,2,3 platform

Aside from having an awesome name, Leviticus is a third generation New Yorker from Manhattan. He graduated from Julliard on classic flute and picked up the saxophones while studying jazz as an extension student at Manhattan School of Music. What you hear here are his alto-sax skills.

For Leviticus, playing in the subway is therapy. When he plays in clubs he’s gotta play popular stuff, but playing in the subway gives him a chance to play “something I like and is classic and maybe other people can identify with.” Although Leviticus has a lot of his own tunes, he particularly likes to play classics, ballads and showtunes.

Like what you hear? Check out
Influences - To many to name but select three: John Coltrane, Miles Davis, George Coleman

Really like what you hear? Contact him for a gig
646-320-4166

Cello and Beatboxing Flute: Greg Pattillo and Eric Stevenson

Cello and Flute playing


Interview with Greg and Eric

Artists: Greg Pattillo (flute) and Eric Stevenson (cello)
Medium: Flute, beatbox vocals and cello
Location: Union Square station on the 6 train platform

Greg Pattillo and Eric Stevenson define themselves as “acoustic instrumentalists” which, incidentally, is a “nice broad genre.” Avoiding confinement, the duo slide from classically inspired music to rock rhythms and even to some hip-hop flutations.

Greg, A.K.A. Beatboxing Flute, comes from Seattle and started flute lessons in the fourth grade. Although a righteous soul, he admits that he works for the man when he’s not playing music and laments that a person has “gotta get health insurance somehow.” Eric, a full time musician, hails from Kentucky. Initially starting on the violin, Eric decided at age three that he preferred the cello.

The two play music in the subway because for dinner money, because “it’s cold outside,” and to unleash their new music on a ripe, unsuspecting public. Greg explains the market economics driving their musical innovation: “people pay for what they like.”

Like what you see? Check out
Eric and Greg’s Influences – Charles Mingus, Gustav Mahler, Led Zeppelin, Ludwig Van Beethoven
Also see Greg’s other work under the name “beatboxing flute.” Here are some samples with beatboxing in them:
Inspector Gadget Theme
Super Mario Bros. Theme

Really like what you see? Get in contact, book them for a gig
Greg: Pattillostyle@gmail.com
Eric: Celloeric@gmail.com

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