Troubadour Collective

I met Joanthan on Laguna Beach, like on the beach! It was a beautiful area and he setup in a perfect spot. He was a little shook as he's just been harassed by one of the regulars in the area. He took it in stride and ripped through 4 tunes! 00:00 - Rock and a Hard Place 03:01 - Fast Car 07:17 - Simple Man 12:28 - Savin' Me

Our travels take us West to Laguna Beach, California where I met up with Warren. He was warming up for a performance that night as one half of Keith & Warren. He is a popular fixture with one local stopping to tell me how much she appreciates his playing and how good he is. I couldn't argue, she was right on both accounts. It's one of the shorter episodes but I was more than happy to capture w...

I ran into Louis the day before this taping and asked if he would be willing to record. He felt like his strings were being "lazy" and he wasn't sure when he'd have time to get more. I threw my back pack down and handed him a brand new set of house strings from South Austin Music and asked if we could meet up the next day. It turned out Louis loved the strings and we met up the next day in Union S...

Episode 27 takes us south to Lower Manhattan and Washington Square Park. This is where is met up with Evan, a very well known busker in the area. He, and a few of his friends, put on a lively performance and I felt fortunate to get to be there. I was in the area for work and a couple days later a co worker, who had gone in to the city the night before, walked up to me and said I had to see this vi...

On my way out of the park I came across Ralph hanging out on The Mall. Ralph is Ralph Williams, a long time fixture in Central Park, along with his tenor saxophone. He moved to the city to be part of it's jazz scene, inspired by artists like Joe Henderson, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, and Dexer Gordon. According to numerous articles and interviews available on the web he has become a scene all by...

Between The Mall and Bethesda Terrace/Fountain in Central Park is a walkway that takes you under Terrace Dr. known as Bethesda Arcade. It is a gorgeous space featuring 49 panels of tiles from the Minton Tile Company. It is one of the only places where their tiles can be found on the ceiling rather than the floor. The scenery and acoustics were the perfect host for Carlos König and his classical gu...

If you've never heard the sound of a saw being played it is unmistakable. Think a large wood saw with the teeth filed off and played with a bow like a violin or cello. Imagine my surprise coming across someone playing a saw in the Union Square subway station. I was headed to Union Square Park and I as soon as I hit the platform I heard the hauntingly beautiful sound that a saw makes. I almost coul...

I met Luis in the Times Square subway station in Manhattan where he was entertaining thousands of New Yorkers as they made their way on a Wednesday night. He was belting out some hits and dancing along with the people. New York has an energy that is unique to the city and Luis is definitely one of the people adding to that vibe. 00:00 - My Way 02:09 - Pirates of the Caribbean 04:54 - The Simpson's...

In the shadows of Coors Field in downtown Denver is a "micro-district" known as Dairy Block. There is this really neat alley that runs between the buildings and that is where I found Grant strumming along. He recorded 4 original songs that sounded so familiar. After recording, I didn't ask him what songs he'd performed because I was sure I'd heard them before. It wasn't until I started editing the...

I met MIke ( @painwavesband ) on the 16th Street Mall in Denver. He was busking outside a 7-11 off Champa and sounded great. He recorded two originals and one verse of a third. He's a talented young man and worth a listen if you find yourself hanging out in Denver.

Episode 20! That happened fast! I can't think of a better way to celebrate than a 10 song epic performance from Erin Firman. The John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge connects downtown Nashville with East Nashville where Nissan Stadium (Tennessee Titans) is. The CMA Music Festival was wrapping up, while there were some performances downtown, all the headliners were at Nissan Stadium. Erin setup on t...

If you are ever in Nashville, going to watch the Broadway Rapper is a must. It's one part freestyle hip hop, one part stand up comedy, and one part fashion show. He's got the ladies strutting around and the fellas laughing, everyone has a good time. Watch the full perfromance on YouTube! https://youtu.be/YWWnM7cr-H8?si=LQkzs8o71k3VIqua

I was in Nashville in June and the CMT Music Festival happened to be going on that weekend and there were lots of folks out and about. I ran into Rhino at the corner of 2nd and Commerce just a few blocks from Broadway. I was standing on the corner and could here someone playing a drum but I couldn't find them for the life of me. Well, there is a parking garage above the buildings and that's were I...

I was headed back to my hotel and decided to walk South out of Central Park and catch a ride at the Colubus Circle subway station. As soon as I walked in I could hear someone playing piano! I couldn't believe my ears. I looked around everywhere but couldn't find anyone, or a piano. Right as I was about to give up I glanced across the tracks and spotted a gentleman sitting behind a keyboard ticklin...

I'm sitting at the lake in Central Park, trying to catch my breath. I had just recorded the West Fourth Trio and it was a hot summer day, I needed some shade. As I'm sitting there I keep seeing this thing pop out of the top of a bush and disappear. I didn't pay it any attention at first but soon realized I had no clue what I was looking at. It looked like a very skinny bird playing peek a boo. I f...

The West Fourth Trio are regular buskers in Central Park with Drummer Alex at the core and a revolving cast of musicians. They are regular fixtures at The Mall. The group is Alex, Billy (Bass), Andres (Sax), Michael (Valve Trombone!). Alex's girlfriend, Nina, joins the group on drums for the first song, Their set includes four jazz standards and it's some great listening. Watch their full performa...

Central Park is like a buskers paradise, especially in the warmer months. I ran into Eli and Marc about halfway down The Mall and was fortunate enough to catch their last few songs. There is nothing like some easy listening on a lazy afternoon. This episode not only features the first duo for Troubadour Collective but also the first Sax. Enjoy as these two cover some jazz standards. You can watch...

Damien is an indigenous person from Ecuador who represents his home country and culture while performing. He uses a Quena (bamboo flute), Panpipes and a Pan Flute (several hollow bamboo pipes), plus Chajchas (percussive instrument usually made from shells) during his performance that are all native Ecuadorian instruments. Damien also sold a variety of handmade goods including bracelets and dreamca...

For as long time there was a makeshift pedestrian tunnel constructed along Broadway between 41st and 42nd street on the South side of Times Square. That is where I found Jay The Bucket Drummer. I heard Jay's drums booming out of the tunnel as soon as I got to the hotel. I quickly dropped my bags and rushed out to record him. I was lucky enough he agreed. Scores of people would stop to watch him an...

I met Jose on Cherokee Street in St. Louis. Cherokee Street is a cool area with lots of music, food, and local shopping, kind of an arts district feel but less commercial somehow? It had a very cool neighborhood vibe that you could feel knew how to party. I saw Jose walking down the street with his guitar but by the time I could turn around he was gone. I decided to look around for him and as soon...

Mike Sabath stopped by an empty parking lot in Minneapolis in June as part of his Attention Maximum tour. He performs a one man show on top of the RV he also travels in and it was the most unique concert experience I've ever had! He had run through his set once when the crowd size swelled he decided to run the whole album back and that's what this recording is. Mike would go on to "headline" Bonna...

I met Ryan, and his dog Buster, while I was walking down 6th street. He was setup in front of the historic Driskill hotel and was entertaining the crowds of people as they waited to cross the street. He has a unique voice and slips between a couple different singing styles, as well as, playing both acoustic and electric guitars. Ryan's set includes some less popular but very well written tunes and...

I had been poking around Deep Ellum for a few days looking for someone to record with no luck. The cashier at a pizza place told me about the Bishop Arts District that wasn't too far away, I headed that way. As soon as I turned into the district, I saw Tauvy. He was making a lot of noise for one person, I almost thought it was a full band at first. I had to park far away and was worried he be done...

We return to the corner of 6th and Congress (04 | Craig) for some drumming by Mark. I have seen several of the paint bucket style drummers out and about but mark had a whole kit, and his dog Nana with him! She makes a special guest appearance! By the way, his sign reads: 24 years playing beats on the streets of Austin. I am just an old Army vet who comes down here “almost” every day trying to play...

I was headed to Montreal in early May for a UFC fight and the idea of Troubadour Collective was still a very rough idea. It was cold and raining that weekend so I headed into the Metro stations hoping to find some talent. Montreal actually has an official busking program run by the STM called Musicians in the Metro. There are several designated busking areas in the stations designated by a lyre sy...