Natalie in ADAC Reisemagazin
Underground Music Concert
In the capital of entertainment, even the subway musicians are professionals. Only those who get past the casting jury for a license get to enter that world of music.
Photo Caption: Natalie Gelman tries to win a listener at the Columbus Circle station with the sign to the right of her guitar case as she performs as a subway musician
Gelman waits at Columbus Circle for the subway although it doesn’t want to go at all. On the platform, the 25-year-old sets up a microphone, turns on the amplifier and sets her guitar. The musician has long, blond curls, wears casual clothes, necklace and bracelets. Her appearance reminds one of a singer songwriter that can be photographed on a CD cover happily in the meadows. Gelman stands under cold neon light. In the distance, the train is heard. She makes herself ready, taps her foot on the ground - “One, two three” - and begins to play: “Sex and Candy”, the interpretation of a song that people know form the radio. Her dark, intensive voice sounds. The station with tile walls and iron beams has astonishingly good acoustics. At least until the subway enders the station causing a racket and braking the cycle. Gelman cannot be shaken by the noise. The train is not her enemy but rather brings a new audience. The people leave the silver shining cars. Some commuters and tourist stand remaining in the station for a couple of minutes and a spontaneous concert.
Gelman is one of about 200 musicians with the license for playing in the underground. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New York traffic authority officialy gives permission for them to appear on platforms and to earn money. The program "Music Under New York" aims to offer "the public of New York with quality, high-value music.” There are millions of people who go in the city daily with the subway – the tunnel system under the earth is so to speak the largest of the world. And because of that the MTA does not want for everyone to play. Musicians need a certification,that certifies them as a MUNY member and prevents them from being thrown out by policemen. To get the passport is not simple. Each must try out at the MTA’s kind of audition – New York seeks the super street musician.
Even talents such as Natalie Gelman have no free ticket. "it is embarrassing", she says and laughs nevertheless. Three times she failed in the audition process before getting the desired permit. A bizarre mixture is the Grand Central terminal - a traffic junction and urban forest. Everyday here hundreds of thousands of commuters out of Queens, the Bronx and Connecticut arrive in movement, collisions and a continual humming and humming. 46 meters above that however a gigantic cupola, a deep blue sky arches illuminating itself. Hurried New Yorkers run to their next appointment. Tourists admire the architecture and stair high at the painted ceiling with it’s star signs for minutes as if waiting for shooting stars
Nearly unseen by the passersby is the beginning of auditions. Sixty Five Musicians were invited in 2011: violinists, guitarists, banjo players, brass bands, an A-cappella-group and even a woman with a harp. "the music reflects the variety that our city is priced for", says Lydia Bradshaw, the leader of the MUNY program. The audition is a social event in New York, policemen and others secure the area. The local television station sent a camera team. The candidates performance is judged by a jury made up of prominent professors and musicians. At the same time, explains Bradshaw, they cant listen only for a technically good and good sounding musician, but rather would they also sounds good on a platform. The audition takes place in the end of the terminal under realistic conditions. The railway station noise is enormous. Many cannot sing very loud, "we need strong people ", says Bradshaw, "weak don’t make it in the subway. "New York counts as a city, that never sleeps, probably, because the honking, squeaking and screaming is so loud - then there is also the music. Not only at the opera, the Apollo theater or the Mercury Lounge in the lower East Side, also in the park, on the street where cars hum, and in the subway system. At many stations, there are almost as many people with guitar cases as there are with a laptop case. Listening to the volume - or a MUNY musician.
Each week more than 150 concerts take place under New York. If Natalie Gelman and her colleagues are in the mood and have room in their schedules for an Underground Gig, they call Lydia Bradshaw or her colleague in the MTA and are given a firm place and a time window for a full event. There are 25 booked concert stops in Manhattan. "I am always entirely excited, if I call", says Gelman. In the city, each platform is not the same. Also in the world of the subway and street musicians there is a distribution between the musicians of larger or better spaces with lighting and shadows. Especially desired by the MUNY musicians are the large junctions such as: Times Square, that New York only half ironicly calls the "centers of the universe", Grand Central and Penn station; stations that promise many more people. Also the stops most chosen are at Union Square, West 4th street and Prince street, because Soho and the Village are tourists destinations and inhabited by people who love music. Lydia Bradshaw says: "every musician wants maximum attention. We try to remain fair".
Gelman performs at least twice per week in the subway. She sees the concerts as valuable training. "in the subway you have to be at your best", she says and then that she must push herself sometimes, if she carries down amplifier and guitar the stairways. "it is narrow, impersonal, and sometimes you encounter people, that are annoyed that you’re there". After three years in the underground, Gelman has thick skin and modest successes to show. Not only has she earned money that helps pay for rent and her car, but she also has marketed and sold her CD’s - already 3000, she’s booked again and again for private parties and encountered her lawyer in the tunnel system. "you meet so many people", she says , "and eventually you form a team". Gelman and her colleagues have challenged a few with the old stereotype of the street musician. Both the accordion player grayed in honors with a hat full of holes or the traveling man that with his guitar plays to budget his next trip. The modern street musician doesn’t just leave an open guitar suitcase and wait for a couple. Gelman displays a list to join her e-mail-newsletters, shows her Facebook and iTunes links - the street musician in the digital age. The subway musicians dream the American dream and hope for a career of singing to the millions, on a large platform. The MUNY headquarters denies income and career ways of the interested musicians. "everyone is unique", says Bradshaw, she gives gladly so that it gives again and again, that because of their success many get out of the program. The MUNY permit is good for life however, and there are many musicians who have been in the program since 1985.
On the first floor of Grand Central terminal, Lorenzo Laroc stand, a veteran and absolute pro. The 51-year-old plays the violin and knows after all his years, what the audience wants to see. Laroc carries himself, muscles showing, in a blackly shining pair of leather pants and throws himself again and again into dramatic poses. His instrument is made out of transparent plastic and reminds me of a prop from a Science-Fiction-film. And perhaps most important: Lorenzo Laroc has no fear of hits. He combines the rich, intensive tones of the violin with the hip-hop beats of 50 cent and Jay Z: "these streets will make you feel brand new, big lights will inspire you, let’s it hear it for New York…)." Around 2:30pm the 7 line rustles out of Queens and into the station. A few hundred people spill out of it. Laroc knows that he only has a little time to catch the passersby. He sets the arch on the strings and sends an electric noise through the station. The extraterrestrial tones unfold between the metal beams and tile walls back and forth in a nearly hypnotic effect. Quickly more than 100 people gather around Laroc. "New Yorkers are a demanding audience", he says, "if they don’t like me, they’ll simply walk by". Lorenzo Laroc is one of the stars of the scene. His performances in the subway have brought him innumerable engagements and concert invitations: playing in Carnegie hall, Madison Square and at Yankee stadium. "I owe it all to the subway", he says. The press is so large that he hired an assistant, who sells his CD’s on the platform, distributes cards to listeners and occasionally empties the money discretely into the suitcase. Laroc earns up to $3000 in one evening in the subway. About money, he assures, he would still perform the same without it: "this is a public service".
The New York City subway is not a comfortable place. It is narrow, stuffy and the ceiling is leaking and low. Dirty water drips on the platform. The stations remind me, with its dust, tar lumps and the rough metal surfaces, of industrial drop stone caves. It is no wonder then that in New York people traveling put on their subway-face, an inexpressive costume that they use when they can endure the pushing, shoving and sweating no longer. In the subway, guests are usually inhibited and therefore sometimes expressionless, that city of emotionless people. That’s the reason why Robert Hughes is immediately noticeable in the crowd of people at Union Square Station. The 41 year old leans against the wall in jeans and a t-shirt smiling, radiating from his entire face and begins to sing: "since I saw that beautiful female the chamber of my heart is burning". Hughes is a trained tenor and along with his colleagues from the Opera Collective he sings arias and entire operas regularly in the subway. He plays together with Carla Wesby an excerpt from Mozarts "Magic Flute": "Papagena! My heart! Papagena! Dear woman"! Hughes and Wesby studied at renowned music universities and are in their element, nestling themselves in each other languidly. There is hardly a passerby who does not stop to smile and remain a while. "We need nothing, says Wesby, "we communicate with the music". In New York, there are few places in which people can meet and relax. The skyscrapers gorge narrowly upward and don’t invite you to linger, but rather for to keep moving. On the platform however, New Yorkers come racing to a short stop. And because they are 25 meters underground they don’t have cell phone reception, they are even addressable and open to diversions. Many exploit that: street salesmen, the US Army, who operates a recruitment site, and the apocalypse fearing who warn with stick signs: "the end of the world is near". The message of Natalie Gelman and her colleagues is more positive. "The most beautiful thing", says the singer, "is that when people notice you, that they get out of their everyday stresses of life". A moment becomes a partnership. The people clap and laugh, ten minutes go by. Then the train goes on, the show is over and begins again at the beginning.
Page 2 Photo Caption’s - Subway audition: An acappella-quartet. Below to the left: Natalie Gelman offers Cd’s and gathers e-mail address for her newsletter. Below middle: Guitarist and singer Lindsay Dragan at the West 4th street station.
Page 3 Photo Caption - Light at the end of the tunnel: Natalie Gelman leaves the Columbus Circle subway station – after hours in the underworld she will gladly walk in the rain.
In the capital of entertainment, even the subway musicians are professionals. Only those who get past the casting jury for a license get to enter that world of music.
Photo Caption: Natalie Gelman tries to win a listener at the Columbus Circle station with the sign to the right of her guitar case as she performs as a subway musician
Gelman waits at Columbus Circle for the subway although it doesn’t want to go at all. On the platform, the 25-year-old sets up a microphone, turns on the amplifier and sets her guitar. The musician has long, blond curls, wears casual clothes, necklace and bracelets. Her appearance reminds one of a singer songwriter that can be photographed on a CD cover happily in the meadows. Gelman stands under cold neon light. In the distance, the train is heard. She makes herself ready, taps her foot on the ground - “One, two three” - and begins to play: “Sex and Candy”, the interpretation of a song that people know form the radio. Her dark, intensive voice sounds. The station with tile walls and iron beams has astonishingly good acoustics. At least until the subway enders the station causing a racket and braking the cycle. Gelman cannot be shaken by the noise. The train is not her enemy but rather brings a new audience. The people leave the silver shining cars. Some commuters and tourist stand remaining in the station for a couple of minutes and a spontaneous concert.
Gelman is one of about 200 musicians with the license for playing in the underground. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New York traffic authority officialy gives permission for them to appear on platforms and to earn money. The program "Music Under New York" aims to offer "the public of New York with quality, high-value music.” There are millions of people who go in the city daily with the subway – the tunnel system under the earth is so to speak the largest of the world. And because of that the MTA does not want for everyone to play. Musicians need a certification,that certifies them as a MUNY member and prevents them from being thrown out by policemen. To get the passport is not simple. Each must try out at the MTA’s kind of audition – New York seeks the super street musician.
Even talents such as Natalie Gelman have no free ticket. "it is embarrassing", she says and laughs nevertheless. Three times she failed in the audition process before getting the desired permit. A bizarre mixture is the Grand Central terminal - a traffic junction and urban forest. Everyday here hundreds of thousands of commuters out of Queens, the Bronx and Connecticut arrive in movement, collisions and a continual humming and humming. 46 meters above that however a gigantic cupola, a deep blue sky arches illuminating itself. Hurried New Yorkers run to their next appointment. Tourists admire the architecture and stair high at the painted ceiling with it’s star signs for minutes as if waiting for shooting stars
Nearly unseen by the passersby is the beginning of auditions. Sixty Five Musicians were invited in 2011: violinists, guitarists, banjo players, brass bands, an A-cappella-group and even a woman with a harp. "the music reflects the variety that our city is priced for", says Lydia Bradshaw, the leader of the MUNY program. The audition is a social event in New York, policemen and others secure the area. The local television station sent a camera team. The candidates performance is judged by a jury made up of prominent professors and musicians. At the same time, explains Bradshaw, they cant listen only for a technically good and good sounding musician, but rather would they also sounds good on a platform. The audition takes place in the end of the terminal under realistic conditions. The railway station noise is enormous. Many cannot sing very loud, "we need strong people ", says Bradshaw, "weak don’t make it in the subway. "New York counts as a city, that never sleeps, probably, because the honking, squeaking and screaming is so loud - then there is also the music. Not only at the opera, the Apollo theater or the Mercury Lounge in the lower East Side, also in the park, on the street where cars hum, and in the subway system. At many stations, there are almost as many people with guitar cases as there are with a laptop case. Listening to the volume - or a MUNY musician.
Each week more than 150 concerts take place under New York. If Natalie Gelman and her colleagues are in the mood and have room in their schedules for an Underground Gig, they call Lydia Bradshaw or her colleague in the MTA and are given a firm place and a time window for a full event. There are 25 booked concert stops in Manhattan. "I am always entirely excited, if I call", says Gelman. In the city, each platform is not the same. Also in the world of the subway and street musicians there is a distribution between the musicians of larger or better spaces with lighting and shadows. Especially desired by the MUNY musicians are the large junctions such as: Times Square, that New York only half ironicly calls the "centers of the universe", Grand Central and Penn station; stations that promise many more people. Also the stops most chosen are at Union Square, West 4th street and Prince street, because Soho and the Village are tourists destinations and inhabited by people who love music. Lydia Bradshaw says: "every musician wants maximum attention. We try to remain fair".
Gelman performs at least twice per week in the subway. She sees the concerts as valuable training. "in the subway you have to be at your best", she says and then that she must push herself sometimes, if she carries down amplifier and guitar the stairways. "it is narrow, impersonal, and sometimes you encounter people, that are annoyed that you’re there". After three years in the underground, Gelman has thick skin and modest successes to show. Not only has she earned money that helps pay for rent and her car, but she also has marketed and sold her CD’s - already 3000, she’s booked again and again for private parties and encountered her lawyer in the tunnel system. "you meet so many people", she says , "and eventually you form a team". Gelman and her colleagues have challenged a few with the old stereotype of the street musician. Both the accordion player grayed in honors with a hat full of holes or the traveling man that with his guitar plays to budget his next trip. The modern street musician doesn’t just leave an open guitar suitcase and wait for a couple. Gelman displays a list to join her e-mail-newsletters, shows her Facebook and iTunes links - the street musician in the digital age. The subway musicians dream the American dream and hope for a career of singing to the millions, on a large platform. The MUNY headquarters denies income and career ways of the interested musicians. "everyone is unique", says Bradshaw, she gives gladly so that it gives again and again, that because of their success many get out of the program. The MUNY permit is good for life however, and there are many musicians who have been in the program since 1985.
On the first floor of Grand Central terminal, Lorenzo Laroc stand, a veteran and absolute pro. The 51-year-old plays the violin and knows after all his years, what the audience wants to see. Laroc carries himself, muscles showing, in a blackly shining pair of leather pants and throws himself again and again into dramatic poses. His instrument is made out of transparent plastic and reminds me of a prop from a Science-Fiction-film. And perhaps most important: Lorenzo Laroc has no fear of hits. He combines the rich, intensive tones of the violin with the hip-hop beats of 50 cent and Jay Z: "these streets will make you feel brand new, big lights will inspire you, let’s it hear it for New York…)." Around 2:30pm the 7 line rustles out of Queens and into the station. A few hundred people spill out of it. Laroc knows that he only has a little time to catch the passersby. He sets the arch on the strings and sends an electric noise through the station. The extraterrestrial tones unfold between the metal beams and tile walls back and forth in a nearly hypnotic effect. Quickly more than 100 people gather around Laroc. "New Yorkers are a demanding audience", he says, "if they don’t like me, they’ll simply walk by". Lorenzo Laroc is one of the stars of the scene. His performances in the subway have brought him innumerable engagements and concert invitations: playing in Carnegie hall, Madison Square and at Yankee stadium. "I owe it all to the subway", he says. The press is so large that he hired an assistant, who sells his CD’s on the platform, distributes cards to listeners and occasionally empties the money discretely into the suitcase. Laroc earns up to $3000 in one evening in the subway. About money, he assures, he would still perform the same without it: "this is a public service".
The New York City subway is not a comfortable place. It is narrow, stuffy and the ceiling is leaking and low. Dirty water drips on the platform. The stations remind me, with its dust, tar lumps and the rough metal surfaces, of industrial drop stone caves. It is no wonder then that in New York people traveling put on their subway-face, an inexpressive costume that they use when they can endure the pushing, shoving and sweating no longer. In the subway, guests are usually inhibited and therefore sometimes expressionless, that city of emotionless people. That’s the reason why Robert Hughes is immediately noticeable in the crowd of people at Union Square Station. The 41 year old leans against the wall in jeans and a t-shirt smiling, radiating from his entire face and begins to sing: "since I saw that beautiful female the chamber of my heart is burning". Hughes is a trained tenor and along with his colleagues from the Opera Collective he sings arias and entire operas regularly in the subway. He plays together with Carla Wesby an excerpt from Mozarts "Magic Flute": "Papagena! My heart! Papagena! Dear woman"! Hughes and Wesby studied at renowned music universities and are in their element, nestling themselves in each other languidly. There is hardly a passerby who does not stop to smile and remain a while. "We need nothing, says Wesby, "we communicate with the music". In New York, there are few places in which people can meet and relax. The skyscrapers gorge narrowly upward and don’t invite you to linger, but rather for to keep moving. On the platform however, New Yorkers come racing to a short stop. And because they are 25 meters underground they don’t have cell phone reception, they are even addressable and open to diversions. Many exploit that: street salesmen, the US Army, who operates a recruitment site, and the apocalypse fearing who warn with stick signs: "the end of the world is near". The message of Natalie Gelman and her colleagues is more positive. "The most beautiful thing", says the singer, "is that when people notice you, that they get out of their everyday stresses of life". A moment becomes a partnership. The people clap and laugh, ten minutes go by. Then the train goes on, the show is over and begins again at the beginning.
Page 2 Photo Caption’s - Subway audition: An acappella-quartet. Below to the left: Natalie Gelman offers Cd’s and gathers e-mail address for her newsletter. Below middle: Guitarist and singer Lindsay Dragan at the West 4th street station.
Page 3 Photo Caption - Light at the end of the tunnel: Natalie Gelman leaves the Columbus Circle subway station – after hours in the underworld she will gladly walk in the rain.
Natalie in Dagbladet Newspaper - Norway
To read the original Norwegian scroll down or click here.
Will you also play in the subway of New York? Well, then you must first attend an audition and persuade the 30 judges. Article by Kjersti Flaa. Photos by Sveinung Uddu Ystad
Photo Caption: Natalie Gelman has played at Penn Station for more than a year, but didn't audition for years. Now awaiting the answer she performs. Comes another performer along with their belongings, bound to displace her.
In his hands he keeps a kora, a harp likened instrument from West Africa. Adrenaline still bubbles. Only a few minutes ago he appeared in front of the 30 judges. He had five minutes to convince them that he is good enough to entertain the entire New York. But he will wait two weeks for the result. This brings a Ballet know if he can. For 21 years the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has held the audition at Grand Central Station. This year, the 55 selected artists and groups to fight for seats in the 468 different spots in New York's subway. They play everything from rock, blues, jazz and r'n'b, to folk music, opera and classical, and will have a few minutes each in front of a judge panel, which consists of everything from musicians to MTA employees. They will judge the quality, variety, and how the artists fit into the environment for the spots. Ellen Lovino and Larry Ruhl's trip and while they demonstrate how rytmeinstrumentet to Ellen works. It consists of a crutch, she found in the garage, with a vaskebrett, some kubjeller, and other things attached to it. Ellen stepper as well, and Larry sings.
Together, the duo Sour Grapes. -- We came in the name because we were so angry and bitter every time we saw someone else playing in places we would like to stand. The modest laughs. We have not played on the subway before, but hope we can act at Union Square one day - or Times Square, and perhaps Grand Central, Ellen rays, which is not a musician full time. -- I am computer programer. Man can not live by this. To perform on the streets of New York need permission, and it may be difficult to catch. As a result, many sign on to audition to play on the subway. Do you have come through he process once, you have the permission for life, 'says Lydia Bradshaw. She is head of the 'Arts for Transit', a project that was started in 1985 as part of the rehabilitation of underground system in New York. This year, there were 200 artists who applied, 55 of them had a chance for audition, and 20 pieces come up with a lpermit. But the real place is the most do not get that. -- One can search the various stations, but we are trying to spread the artists in a fair manner. There are many who want to play in rush hour on the major stations. But some of those who have held on very long time, has been a fans who expect that they are where they tend. The course, we try to accommodate, 'says Lydia. At all times, it is more than 100 musicians in action during the ground in New York. The children can act, if they are with an adult. The oldest in the stable is 82 years. -- It is Carolina Slim, an old bluesmann. All artists have their unique history and backgrounds. And all love to have New York as the public.
-- TARA HACK FYLTE 20 years yesterday, crying out konferansieren Bob Holman through the mike. The press throws himself over Tara, who beams with the guitar in arms. Bob continues, introduces Colin Huggins, who has traveled all the way from Tennessee. There are not many who can go from Johnny Cash to Ringo Star, 'says Bob. It appears that the judges conclude that it can not Huggins.
-- I WILL NOT that people should be for the høylytte - or that they are annoying. You may find that it most important, 'says Susan Cagle. She sits on the jury and is singer / songwriter who started his career on the subway. There is a special type of people who play on the subway, its a way of life. Many people do not care if they are discovered immediately. Man can live by it, but one is never rich. She estimates 500 dollars as a good income in a day, even if they also sell many CDs or T-shirts. -- There is also a good way to promote a concert in, by dividing out flyers or sell tickets. It was so promoting that made Susan get a record deal two years ago. But she still sings on the subway. -- It will always be in my blood. Is possible to make the man feel for the whole time. Would you like to play for five minutes so you can do so? The best place is Union Square. Then you can hang in the park afterwards and talk to people. Who gives the most money? -- Both tourists and New Yorkers. They are very generous. If people are picking so, they give a lot.
At Penn Station, stop any further south's Natalie Gelman and plays guitar and sings. She sells CDs at ten dollars a piece. Maybe the right person will go by, and find her one day? In the meantime, she's merely up to play for New York's 4.5 million travelers; the world's best - or at least most diverse - the public. Once you're in through the audition, you have the permission for life.
Vil du også spille på undergrunnen i New York? Vel, da må du først gå på audition og overbevise 30 dommere.
BALLA TOUNKARA STÅR i andre etasje over hovedhallen på Grand Central Station i New York. I hendene holder han en kora, et harpeliknende instrument fra Vest-Afrika. Adrenalinet bobler fremdeles. Det er bare noen minutter siden han opptrådte foran de 30 dommerne. Han hadde fem minutter på å overbevise dem om at han er god nok til å underholde hele New York. Om to uker kommer resultatet. Da får Balla vite om han duger.
I 21 ÅR HAR Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) holdt audition på Grand Central Station. I år er det 55 utvalgte artister og grupper som skal kjempe om plassene på de 468 ulike stasjonen i New Yorks subway. De spiller alt fra rock, blues, jazz og r'n'b, til folkemusikk, opera og klassisk, og får noen minutter hver foran dommerpanelet, som består av alt fra musikere til MTA-ansatte. De skal bedømme kvaliteten,
variasjonen, og hvordan artistene passer inn i miljøet på stasjonene.
KJÆRESTEPARET ELLEN Lovino og Larry Ruhl står og tripper mens de demonstrerer hvordan rytmeinstrumentet til Ellen fungerer. Det består av en krykke hun har funnet i garasjen, med et
vaskebrett, noen kubjeller, og andre rytmeproduserende dingser festet til det. Ellen stepper i tillegg, og Larry synger. Sammen utgjør de duoen Sour Grapes.
- Vi kom på navnet fordi vi ble så misunnelige og bitre hver gang vi så noen andre spille på steder vi har lyst til å stå.
De ler beskjedent.
- Vi har ikke spilt på subwayen før, men håper vi kan få opptre på Union Square en dag - eller Times Square, og kanskje Grand Central, stråler Ellen, som ikke er musiker på heltid.
- Jeg er computerprogrammerer. Man kan ikke leve av dette.
- FOR Å SPILLE på gata i New York trenger man tillatelse, og det kan være vanskelig å få. Derfor melder mange seg på audition for å spille på subwayen. Har du kommet gjennom nåløyet én gang, har du tillatelse på livstid, sier Lydia Bradshaw.
Hun er sjef for «Arts for Transit», et prosjekt som ble startet i 1985 som en del av rehabiliteringa av undergrunnssystemet i New York.
I år var det 200 artister som søkte, 55 av dem fikk komme på audition, og 20 stykker ender opp med en livstidstillatelse. Men fast plass er det de færreste som får.
- Man kan søke på ulike stasjoner, men vi prøver å fordele artistene på en rettferdig måte. Det er mange som vil spille i rushtida på de store stasjonene. Men noen av dem som har holdt på veldig lenge, har fått en fanskare som forventer at de står der de pleier. Det prøver vi selvfølgelig å imøtekomme, sier Lydia.
Til enhver tid er det over 100 musikanter i aksjon under bakken i New York. Også barn kan opptre, hvis de har med en voksen. Den eldste i stallen er 82 år.
- Det er Carolina Slim, en gammel bluesmann. Alle artistene har sin unike historie og bakgrunn. Og alle elsker å ha New York som publikum.
- TARA HACK FYLTE 20 år i går, roper konferansieren Bob Holman gjennom mikken.
Pressen kaster seg over Tara, som stråler med gitaren i armene.
Bob fortsetter, introduserer Colin Huggins, som har reist helt fra Tennessee.
- Det er ikke mange som kan gå fra Johnny Cash til Ringo Star, sier Bob.
Det ser ut som dommerne konkluderer med at det kan heller ikke Huggins.
- JEG VIL IKKE at folk skal være for høylytte - eller at de er irriterende. Det er egentlig det viktigste, sier Susan Cagle.
Hun sitter i juryen og er selv singer/songwriter som startet karrieren på subwayen.
- Det er en spesiell type folk som spiller på subwayen, det er en livsstil. Mange bryr seg ikke om de blir oppdaget en gang. Man kan leve av det, men man blir aldri rik.
Hun anslår 500 dollar som en god inntekt på én dag, hvis man i tillegg selger mange CD-er eller T-skjorter.
- Det er også en bra måte å promotere en konsert på, ved å dele ut flyers eller selge billetter. Det var slik egenpromotering som gjorde at Susan fikk platekontrakt for to år siden. Men hun synger fremdeles på subwayen.
- Det vil alltid være i blodet mitt. Man kan gjøre det man føler for hele tida. Vil du spille i fem minutter så gjør du
det. Er det for varmt, kan du stikke. Det beste stedet er Union Square. Da kan man henge i parken etterpå og prate med folk.
- Hvem gir mest penger?
- Det er både turister og newyorkere. De er veldig sjenerøse. Hvis folk blir rørt så gir de mye.
PÅ PENN STATION, noen stopp lenger sør, står Natalie Gelman og spiller gitar og synger. Hun selger CD-er til ti dollar stykket ved selvbetjening. Kanskje den rette personen går forbi, og oppdager henne en dag? I mellomtida nøyer hun seg med å spille for New Yorks 4,5 millioner reisende; verdens beste - eller i hvert fall mest varierte - publikum. har du kommet gjennom nåløyet én gang, har du tillatelse på livstid
Will you also play in the subway of New York? Well, then you must first attend an audition and persuade the 30 judges. Article by Kjersti Flaa. Photos by Sveinung Uddu Ystad
Photo Caption: Natalie Gelman has played at Penn Station for more than a year, but didn't audition for years. Now awaiting the answer she performs. Comes another performer along with their belongings, bound to displace her.
In his hands he keeps a kora, a harp likened instrument from West Africa. Adrenaline still bubbles. Only a few minutes ago he appeared in front of the 30 judges. He had five minutes to convince them that he is good enough to entertain the entire New York. But he will wait two weeks for the result. This brings a Ballet know if he can. For 21 years the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has held the audition at Grand Central Station. This year, the 55 selected artists and groups to fight for seats in the 468 different spots in New York's subway. They play everything from rock, blues, jazz and r'n'b, to folk music, opera and classical, and will have a few minutes each in front of a judge panel, which consists of everything from musicians to MTA employees. They will judge the quality, variety, and how the artists fit into the environment for the spots. Ellen Lovino and Larry Ruhl's trip and while they demonstrate how rytmeinstrumentet to Ellen works. It consists of a crutch, she found in the garage, with a vaskebrett, some kubjeller, and other things attached to it. Ellen stepper as well, and Larry sings.
Together, the duo Sour Grapes. -- We came in the name because we were so angry and bitter every time we saw someone else playing in places we would like to stand. The modest laughs. We have not played on the subway before, but hope we can act at Union Square one day - or Times Square, and perhaps Grand Central, Ellen rays, which is not a musician full time. -- I am computer programer. Man can not live by this. To perform on the streets of New York need permission, and it may be difficult to catch. As a result, many sign on to audition to play on the subway. Do you have come through he process once, you have the permission for life, 'says Lydia Bradshaw. She is head of the 'Arts for Transit', a project that was started in 1985 as part of the rehabilitation of underground system in New York. This year, there were 200 artists who applied, 55 of them had a chance for audition, and 20 pieces come up with a lpermit. But the real place is the most do not get that. -- One can search the various stations, but we are trying to spread the artists in a fair manner. There are many who want to play in rush hour on the major stations. But some of those who have held on very long time, has been a fans who expect that they are where they tend. The course, we try to accommodate, 'says Lydia. At all times, it is more than 100 musicians in action during the ground in New York. The children can act, if they are with an adult. The oldest in the stable is 82 years. -- It is Carolina Slim, an old bluesmann. All artists have their unique history and backgrounds. And all love to have New York as the public.
-- TARA HACK FYLTE 20 years yesterday, crying out konferansieren Bob Holman through the mike. The press throws himself over Tara, who beams with the guitar in arms. Bob continues, introduces Colin Huggins, who has traveled all the way from Tennessee. There are not many who can go from Johnny Cash to Ringo Star, 'says Bob. It appears that the judges conclude that it can not Huggins.
-- I WILL NOT that people should be for the høylytte - or that they are annoying. You may find that it most important, 'says Susan Cagle. She sits on the jury and is singer / songwriter who started his career on the subway. There is a special type of people who play on the subway, its a way of life. Many people do not care if they are discovered immediately. Man can live by it, but one is never rich. She estimates 500 dollars as a good income in a day, even if they also sell many CDs or T-shirts. -- There is also a good way to promote a concert in, by dividing out flyers or sell tickets. It was so promoting that made Susan get a record deal two years ago. But she still sings on the subway. -- It will always be in my blood. Is possible to make the man feel for the whole time. Would you like to play for five minutes so you can do so? The best place is Union Square. Then you can hang in the park afterwards and talk to people. Who gives the most money? -- Both tourists and New Yorkers. They are very generous. If people are picking so, they give a lot.
At Penn Station, stop any further south's Natalie Gelman and plays guitar and sings. She sells CDs at ten dollars a piece. Maybe the right person will go by, and find her one day? In the meantime, she's merely up to play for New York's 4.5 million travelers; the world's best - or at least most diverse - the public. Once you're in through the audition, you have the permission for life.
Vil du også spille på undergrunnen i New York? Vel, da må du først gå på audition og overbevise 30 dommere.
BALLA TOUNKARA STÅR i andre etasje over hovedhallen på Grand Central Station i New York. I hendene holder han en kora, et harpeliknende instrument fra Vest-Afrika. Adrenalinet bobler fremdeles. Det er bare noen minutter siden han opptrådte foran de 30 dommerne. Han hadde fem minutter på å overbevise dem om at han er god nok til å underholde hele New York. Om to uker kommer resultatet. Da får Balla vite om han duger.
I 21 ÅR HAR Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) holdt audition på Grand Central Station. I år er det 55 utvalgte artister og grupper som skal kjempe om plassene på de 468 ulike stasjonen i New Yorks subway. De spiller alt fra rock, blues, jazz og r'n'b, til folkemusikk, opera og klassisk, og får noen minutter hver foran dommerpanelet, som består av alt fra musikere til MTA-ansatte. De skal bedømme kvaliteten,
variasjonen, og hvordan artistene passer inn i miljøet på stasjonene.
KJÆRESTEPARET ELLEN Lovino og Larry Ruhl står og tripper mens de demonstrerer hvordan rytmeinstrumentet til Ellen fungerer. Det består av en krykke hun har funnet i garasjen, med et
vaskebrett, noen kubjeller, og andre rytmeproduserende dingser festet til det. Ellen stepper i tillegg, og Larry synger. Sammen utgjør de duoen Sour Grapes.
- Vi kom på navnet fordi vi ble så misunnelige og bitre hver gang vi så noen andre spille på steder vi har lyst til å stå.
De ler beskjedent.
- Vi har ikke spilt på subwayen før, men håper vi kan få opptre på Union Square en dag - eller Times Square, og kanskje Grand Central, stråler Ellen, som ikke er musiker på heltid.
- Jeg er computerprogrammerer. Man kan ikke leve av dette.
- FOR Å SPILLE på gata i New York trenger man tillatelse, og det kan være vanskelig å få. Derfor melder mange seg på audition for å spille på subwayen. Har du kommet gjennom nåløyet én gang, har du tillatelse på livstid, sier Lydia Bradshaw.
Hun er sjef for «Arts for Transit», et prosjekt som ble startet i 1985 som en del av rehabiliteringa av undergrunnssystemet i New York.
I år var det 200 artister som søkte, 55 av dem fikk komme på audition, og 20 stykker ender opp med en livstidstillatelse. Men fast plass er det de færreste som får.
- Man kan søke på ulike stasjoner, men vi prøver å fordele artistene på en rettferdig måte. Det er mange som vil spille i rushtida på de store stasjonene. Men noen av dem som har holdt på veldig lenge, har fått en fanskare som forventer at de står der de pleier. Det prøver vi selvfølgelig å imøtekomme, sier Lydia.
Til enhver tid er det over 100 musikanter i aksjon under bakken i New York. Også barn kan opptre, hvis de har med en voksen. Den eldste i stallen er 82 år.
- Det er Carolina Slim, en gammel bluesmann. Alle artistene har sin unike historie og bakgrunn. Og alle elsker å ha New York som publikum.
- TARA HACK FYLTE 20 år i går, roper konferansieren Bob Holman gjennom mikken.
Pressen kaster seg over Tara, som stråler med gitaren i armene.
Bob fortsetter, introduserer Colin Huggins, som har reist helt fra Tennessee.
- Det er ikke mange som kan gå fra Johnny Cash til Ringo Star, sier Bob.
Det ser ut som dommerne konkluderer med at det kan heller ikke Huggins.
- JEG VIL IKKE at folk skal være for høylytte - eller at de er irriterende. Det er egentlig det viktigste, sier Susan Cagle.
Hun sitter i juryen og er selv singer/songwriter som startet karrieren på subwayen.
- Det er en spesiell type folk som spiller på subwayen, det er en livsstil. Mange bryr seg ikke om de blir oppdaget en gang. Man kan leve av det, men man blir aldri rik.
Hun anslår 500 dollar som en god inntekt på én dag, hvis man i tillegg selger mange CD-er eller T-skjorter.
- Det er også en bra måte å promotere en konsert på, ved å dele ut flyers eller selge billetter. Det var slik egenpromotering som gjorde at Susan fikk platekontrakt for to år siden. Men hun synger fremdeles på subwayen.
- Det vil alltid være i blodet mitt. Man kan gjøre det man føler for hele tida. Vil du spille i fem minutter så gjør du
det. Er det for varmt, kan du stikke. Det beste stedet er Union Square. Da kan man henge i parken etterpå og prate med folk.
- Hvem gir mest penger?
- Det er både turister og newyorkere. De er veldig sjenerøse. Hvis folk blir rørt så gir de mye.
PÅ PENN STATION, noen stopp lenger sør, står Natalie Gelman og spiller gitar og synger. Hun selger CD-er til ti dollar stykket ved selvbetjening. Kanskje den rette personen går forbi, og oppdager henne en dag? I mellomtida nøyer hun seg med å spille for New Yorks 4,5 millioner reisende; verdens beste - eller i hvert fall mest varierte - publikum. har du kommet gjennom nåløyet én gang, har du tillatelse på livstid
Links
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