Buskers: The On-the-Streets, In-the-Trains, Off-the-Grid Memoir of Two New York City Street Musicians

Buskers: The On-the-Streets, In-the-Trains, Off-the-Grid Memoir of Two New York City Street Musicians

Buskers: The On-the-Streets, In-the-Trains, Off-the-Grid Memoir of Two New York City Street Musicians

Buskers: The On-the-Streets, In-the-Trains, Off-the-Grid Memoir of Two New York City Street Musicians

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Overview

Frustrated by the indifference of the music industry and the stacks of homemade CDs gathering dust in their closets, brothers Heth and Jed Weinstein made the radical decision to bring their music directly to the masses. They began playing on street corners, in subway stations, and wherever else they could connect with a live audience. To their surprise, far from this being the terminal stop of a dead-end career, busking turned out to be just the beginning as crowds of stressed-out commuters gathered around, cheering them on, subscribing to their mailing lists, and actually buying some of those stockpiled CDs--40,000 and counting.

In Buskers, Heth and Jed recount their turbulent, drug- and crime-filled adolescence in the nowhere-land of Livingston, New Jersey, their valiant attempts to achieve rock 'n' roll success through traditional channels, and their unexpected path to circumventing the outmoded music industry. They divulge fascinating details about the technical and legal aspects of street performance, New York busking culture, and the lives of their fellow troubadours.

A world of possibilities opens up when the brothers take it to the streets, proving the value of their music to themselves and anyone who'll listen. Read their story, and your commute will never be the same.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781593764128
Publisher: Catapult
Publication date: 06/07/2011
Pages: 192
Product dimensions: 5.50(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Heth and Jed Weinstein play 200 busking shows annually. In 2006, they earned a coveted spot in the MTA's Music Under New York program, which provides sanctioned subway-station performance space. Previously featured in Gothamist, The New York Daily News, The New York Sun, New York Metro, and Dick Clark's "New Years Rockin' Eve," they live in New York City.

Table of Contents

Introduction In the Shadows xi

1 Background Check 1

2 Daddy's Weed 13

3 Our First Taste or New york 25

4 The Great Escape 41

5 Dead-End Jobs and Confused Guitarists 55

6 Communication Breakdown 75

7 Paid to Practice 87

8 Urban Frankenstein 93

9 Subway Series 117

10 Breakin' 2: Electric Boogoloo 125

11 The year Of No Sleep 133

12 Cosmic Intake Valve 143

13 Fat of the Land 155

14 Future Memory 169

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