Underground Gourmet

Photo: Danny Kim

Remember Peruvian Pan-flute players? For a while, it seemed like the only subway music you heard was performed by groups of ponchoed men with bowl cuts. Even if you liked Pan-flute music, the ubiquity of it made you hate it. Not anymore. Maybe it’s the crappy weather this winter, but the underground has been busting with seriously badass music, like the eleven outstanding acts here, handpicked after three months of station-hopping. Many of the performers are licensed with the MTA’s Music Under New York (MUNY) program, which registers groups to play scheduled slots at 25 music hubs. Others slip in under the radar, in true busker style. Either way, the police can hassle or bust you for soliciting (selling CDs) or being too loud—a definite downside, along with toilets (there are none). But there are more benefits than you might expect: good money (as high as $300 an hour), exposure, and a captive audience. “If you want to do music full time, you can. If you get arrested or get a ticket, you start again the next day. Bail is just a business expense,” jokes Heth Weinstein of the duo Heth and Jed. Hear their music, or check them out live. Admission: a single-ride MetroCard.

SAMANTHA MARGULIES: Classically trained in opera (at the Manhattan School of Music).
SOUND: Delicate yet powerful, whether she’s singing classical or Leonard Cohen. “I sometimes get laughed at when I sing opera, but when I make the transition from Puccini to Fleetwood Mac, people are impressed,”she says. “In a way, opera is easier because there are established patterns, there’s structure. Developing your own pop style is harder, because you need to innovate.”
BEST OF THE SUBWAY: “It’s paradise. I can try whatever I want and I’m not asking anything of anyone and vice versa. I’m just free.”
WORST: “A couple of summers ago, when I started, I made more than I do now, which can go as low as $15 an hour and as high as $50 an hour. I’m what you call an economic indicator.”
FIND HER AT: samanthamargulies.com.

Listen: “Think of Me”

Photo: Danny Kim

UNDERGROUND HORNS: A group of skilled musicians, led by German-born saxophonist Welf Dorr.
SOUND: Intricate funk-tinged jazz.
BEST OF THESUBWAY: “Direct feedback,” says Dorr. “If the music is happening, you get a crowd. Last Saturday, a woman came up and said that we touched her soul.”Another woman hooked them up with her sister, who was getting married in Egypt. “We got a wedding gig in Cairo from playing in the subway. It was very lavish and decadent.”
WORST: “Cops can shut you down if they feel like it, even if you have a permit. And then, of course, the subway is dirty, loud, and crazy hot in summer―not the nicest place to hang out.”
FIND THEM AT: myspace.com/undergroundhorns.

Listen: “Big Beat”
Underground Horns, “Big Beat” AudioPlayer.embed(“audioplayer_1”, { soundFile: “http://images.nymag.com/mp3s/2011/sgfkjsgkjgsabcakjhua-undrgrndhrns.mp3 “, titles: “Big Beat”, artists: “Underground Horns”, autostart: “no” });

Photo: Danny Kim

FERAL FOSTER: Founder of Roots n Ruckus, a folk and blues event held every Wednesday night at Red Hook’s Jalopy Theatre.
SOUND: Expertly rendered traditional blues presented in such a frenzied and impassioned way. it’s practically athletic.
BEST OF THE SUBWAY: “I’m hearing a big resurgence of American folk music. For a long time, it was considered kind of lame–New York was a punky, insane place. But ‘old-timey music,’ as some call it―the hobo aesthetic―feels subversive now. It’s a punk, DIY sensibility with acoustic instruments, which works perfectly for transient music.”
WORST: “In New York City, number one, people are already kind of hostile, and, number two, you’re holding them hostage on a subway platform. Some people will look at you, so annoyed―‘I just got off work, I don’t want to hear this crap.”
FIND HIM AT: folkmusicinnewyork.com

Listen: “Golden Gates of Heaven” Feral Foster, “Golden Gates of Heaven” AudioPlayer.embed(“audioplayer_1”, { soundFile: “http://images.nymag.com/mp3s/2011/tuykoahnlxsghjsabcd-frlfstr.mp3”, titles: “Golden Gates of Heaven”, artists: “Feral Foster”, autostart: “no” });

Photo: Danny Kim

WILLAM B. JOHNSON: Johnson plays alone or with his band Drumadics, a madcap group of drummers and horn players.
SOUNDS: Funky, sweaty free jazz. “I’m a painter. I just don’t use red, blues, and greens―I use bucket drums and horns.”
BEST OF THE SUBWAY: It’s in New York. “We set the bar. I challenge any band in the world on any street in the world. I set up, you’re in trouble.”
WORST: “I’ve been arrested close to a hundred times. You’re down at the Tombs and it’s two in the morning and you might not see a judge for two days. One dude is there for attempted murder, another beat up his girlfriend. And what are you here for? Man, playing music in the subway.”
FIND HIM AT: Drumadics.com.

Listen: Times Square Performance

Photo: Danny Kim

MOON HOOCH: The New School for Jazz students Mike Wilber and Wenzl McGowen (both tenor saxophone) and James Muschler (drums), playing since September 2010.
SOUND: Jay Gatsby on Ecstasy. Hooch create such a party, they were banned from Bedford Avenue station. “We see homeless people dancing with people in business suits, grandparents dancing with really young kids,” says McGowen” “It’s cool.”
BEST OF THE SUBWAY: “We play, and the next day we get 400 hits on our site, a hundred downloads of our songs,” says McGowan.“We’re getting booked all the time. It’s better than having a manager!”
FIND THEM AT: moonhooch.bandcamp.com.

Listen: “#9” Moon Hooch, “#9” AudioPlayer.embed("audioplayer_1”, { soundFile: “http://images.nymag.com/mp3s/2011/ksjhgkjsghksgjhxkjh-number9.mp3”, titles: "#9”, artists: “Moon Hooch”, autostart: “no” });

Photo: Danny Kim

A CAPELLA SOUL: Darryl Offley, Robert Lucas, Lamont Baker, Gerard Giddiens, and Tom Grunder (bass). “I haven’t punched a clock in twelve years,” says Offley―though they are out six days a week, “for three or four hours, depending on our voices and the people. We need good vibes.”
SOUND: A heavenly blend of soul, Motown, doo-wop.
BEST OF THE SUBWAY: “We were singing on the train and a gentleman offered us 100 bucks each to serenade her. On the way to her office, he picked up some champagne. He called her from the lobby, and when the elevator doors opened on her floor, we started singing,” says Offley. “The first song…was it “Stand by Me?’” asks Baker.“Yeah. And the second was ‘Blame It on the Alcohol,’ says Offley. “Itworked!”
FIND THEM AT: acapellasoul.com.

Listen: “I Wish It Would Rain” Acapella Soul, “I Wish It Would Rain” AudioPlayer.embed(“audioplayer_1”, { soundFile: “http://images.nymag.com/mp3s/2011/oiuhbmkhgbnjhguio-acpellasoul.mp3”, titles: “I Wish It Would Rain”, artists: “Acapella Soul”, autostart: “no” });

Photo: Danny Kim

MUSH HOSOTANI: To accompany himself, the Tokyo-born guitarist invented a pair of “boogie boots” with spoons attached. (He gets an occasional assist from his 5-year-old daughter on tambourine.)
SOUND: Traditional blues.
BEST OF THE SUBWAY: He met his wife, an artist and teacher from Osaka, while playing underground. “She has tattoos all over her body. She’s hard-core.”
WORST: The police captain at 59th Street/Columbus Circle. “He doesn’t like my music.”
FIND HIM AT: pinkypilots.com.

Listen: Times Square Subway Performance

Photo: Danny Kim

AMOUR OBSCUR: Dee Dee Vega (singer), her husand Matt “The Knife” Goldpaugh (upright bass), Matt Dallow (accordion), playing since 2009.
SOUND: Weimar punk.
BEST OF THE SUBWAY: “If you get a good reception from cranky people coming home from work, you know that song’s going to be good onstage,” says Vega, who like many of the musicians here, also performs in more traditional venues.
WORST: Tailoring songs to fit the short attention spans of cranky people coming home from work (thus, “Rad Bromance,” Darrow’s abbreviated version of Lady Gaga’s hit.)
FIND THEM AT: amourobscur.com.

Listen: “Kiss of Fire” Amour Obscur, “Kiss of Fire” AudioPlayer.embed(“audioplayer_1”, { soundFile: “http://images.nymag.com/mp3s/2011/agfjsgaoieerlabhxhs-amrobscr.mp3 “, titles: “Kiss of Fire”, artists: “Amour Obscur”, autostart: “no” });

Photo: Danny Kim

YOU BRED RAPTORS?: Egghead rockers Eplileptic Peat (real name Peter Rains/eight-string bass) and Zach Schmidlein (drums), who named themselves after a line in Jurassic Park.
SOUND:Brainy, mellifluous, and a little twisted instrumentals “Our name is a question―the band is an inquiry, not a declarative statement,” says Peat. “I want people to like us but not know why.”
BEST OF THE SUBWAY: Freak shows are welcome. Peat was sure they’d be laughed out of their MUNY audition. “I know we’re one of the weirder bands. We wear masks and play toy pianos! But we didn’t hold back and we nailed it.”
FIND THEMAT: epilepticpeat.com/ybr.

Listen: “Big Boss Croc”
You Bred Raptors?, “Big Boss Croc” AudioPlayer.embed(“audioplayer_1”, { soundFile: “http://images.nymag.com/mp3s/2011/buyhgasdfwerchjukla-ubredraptrs.mp3”, titles: “Big Boss Croc”, artists: “You Bred Raptors?”, autostart: “no” });

Photo: Danny Kim

JESSY CAROLINA AND THE HOT MESS: Jazz collective fronted by Jessy Carolina, playing since 2009.
SOUND: Turn-of-the-twentieth-century American roots music; Carolina plays washboard, kazoo, spoons, and sings in the band. “We do covers of hundred-year-old songs, which is like doing new material, since most of our audience haven’t heard half this stuff.”
BEST OF THE SUBWAY: “Having people be like, ‘I had a shitty day at work, and you made me happy.Thank you.’ It makes you feel great.”
WORST: Stricter transit rules and police crackdowns. “It’s gotten harder and nasty,” says Carolina. “Even with a MUNY permit, you have to call two or three weeks before you want to play, and that’s not the point of busking. It’s not a gig. You should be able to go into the subway and play whenever and wherever. It used to be more fun.”
FIND THEM AT: facebook.com/jessycarolinahotmess.

Photo: Danny Kim

HETH AND JED: Brothers from New Jersey, playing since 2003.
SOUND: Classic rock, from aggro to sweet ballads. “We used to be little skate rats,” says Jed (bass). “Busking is like the musical version of graffiti or turningpublic spaces into a skate park. It’s sonic tagging.”
WORST (AND BEST) OFTHE SUBWAY: “Break-dancers who dance in front of us, basically [stealing] the audience we’ve built,” says Heth (guitar). “Or some dude might throw at bottle at my head or punch Heth in the face,” says Jed, “which happens all the time but …” “We like it,” Heth adds with a laugh. “We get into fights sometimes. It’s punk to be a busker―DIY all the way.”
FIND THEM AT:hethandjed.com.

Listen: “Future Memory” Heth and Jed, “Future Memory” AudioPlayer.embed(“audioplayer_1”, { soundFile: “http://images.nymag.com/mp3s/2011/ljkhsglkjsglioiykhjkh-hthjd.mp3”, titles: “Future Memory”, artists: “Heth and Jed”, autostart: “no” });

Photo: Danny Kim

PETAL SHOP: Detroit-based folk trio Daniel Gellash (banjo), Ashley Lake (fiddle), Andrew Maslowsky (guitar).
SOUND: Traditional bluegrass. “For a folk band, we’re pretty booming,” says Gellash.
BEST OF THE SUBWAY: The band tours the country but likes New York best. “The city is pretty tolerant of any kind of public art, especially if it involves making noise. And the subways have great acoustics.” Not to mention those nifty digital clocks alerting passengers to the next train. “We pick the good songs for when it says we have seven minutes.”.”
FIND THEM AT: petalshopmusic.com

Listen: “What We Do” Petal Shop, “What We Do” AudioPlayer.embed(“audioplayer_1”, { soundFile: “http://images.nymag.com/mp3s/2011/gjkuymliouyhgcvnsk-whtwedo.mp3”, titles: “What We Do”, artists: “Petal Shop”, autostart: “no” });

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Underground Gourmet