Natalie Gelman inspiring LIRR

It's always great to chat with another Music Under New York musician. I passed by Natalie playing in Penn Station (LIRR) singing her song Sweet July and she took a minute to chat with me about what inspires her. She's now living in California. We certainly miss her voice in the NYC transit stations.

Check her out

edited by Dan Kleederman

Calvin The 3rd

I met Calvin at the Grand Central Shuttle my first day back after the Hurricane. He had come from Atlanta and was one of the 1000's of disappointed runners who learned that the marathon was cancelled. He was dedicating the run to his grandparents. His attitude was wonderfully accepting of not being able to accomplish his plan, but I think his grandparents will be proud of him no matter what.

Nousha Salimi Inspired photo journalist

I met Nousha at Columbus Circle, she found my website and came to take pictures for her
project about Subway musicians. We've connected quite a bit since then and she has
shared the pictures she took of me,

and here's her photographic expose of the 1st day she spent with me at Columbus Circle from her website.

I invited Nousha to be a part of Eve Ensler's One Billion Rising project to end
violence against women. Nousha is from Iran and her video is especially moving.
 
What inspires Nousha?  Music and Photography.
Here are some of the images Nousha took last Thursday and Friday as she walked around NYC after the Hurricane. 
Battery Park
cell phone charging station

closed subway station

I Love NY, Inspired post Sandy

As Hurricane Sandy was barreling towards the NYC region. last Thursday I was performing in Grand Central Shuttle and Friday at Union Square in relative bliss unaware of the pending devastation. Those days couldn't have been more inspiring. In Union Square, it was an unusually full day of many people stopping to chat. I was interviewed by a film crew who found me for their webseries "Back of The Busk" we had a fun time.

Since we're all hurting from the devastating storm, I hope these Inspirations make you smile. We are resilient, we are strong and no matter what we are inspired.

Mithun Bhat inspiration Back of The Busk producer

Nick Capezzera Inspired Back Of The Busk cameraman and editor

Michael Inspiration Back of The Busk producer

Hardy Inspiration Back Of The Busk interviewer

Delpin Tardio Inspired Union Square Music Under New York guitarist

Ikeem + Shawn Unique Force dancers (now PoetrynMotionNYC)

Candy The Clown NYC

Joe from Brooklyn

for all the latest news 

Joe Hanneman Inspiration

 

 

I met Joe in Grand Central and we had a wonderful and engaging chat.  He has led such an interesting life. Many years ago he was asked to help coordinate the German Day parade, which led to a pretty busy career coordinating parades in New York City and throughout the country. One of the curious insights he told me was how to deal with crowd control. He realized if people looked up they would naturally want to lean backward and in so doing, create more space and less pushing forward. So the ticker tape and the float were really put into use. Who knew?


What Inspires Joe? 7 trombones and 4 tubas in an army band.

 

Margie Ruddick Landscape Architect

I met Margie Ruddick Landscape Architect at the Central Park Woodlands Stewardship conference on October 5th. There I was the subway musician, amidst architect students, landscape architects and firms representing top minds in the field for a day long conversation about stewardship of Central Park. After the conference Margie and I chatted about what inspires her.

Margie designed the evocative and re-imagined Queens Plaza. She expressed, "Art helps people connect with a place and helps proprietary commitment."  As a subway musician performing in public spaces I see that first hand every time I perform.

What Inspires Margie? "Lake Minnewaska in the Catskills……..When there's unbelievable energy and you pick up on that, that's very inspiring"

I love NY and I love the Park so I was excited to attend the event. One of the presenters (Cultural Landscape Foundation) found my sustainability blog (I love search engines), I blogged about the conference. They invited me to come along and see for myself. It was held at the fantastic Museum Of The City Of New York. 

It was an truly informative and wonderful day spent with thinkers in the world of landscape architecture. I left feeling empowered and optimistic about the people out in the field working passionately every day to find solutions to better serve communities and humankind while not forgetting nature's involvement.

read more about my day at the conference on my Sustainability Blog 

 

Ecotone NYCSubwayGirl

Bridging The Nature-Cultural Divide Central Park Woodlands Conference

It might appear illogical that NYC SubwayGirl a subway performer was at the Central Park Woodlands Stewardship conference on October 5th amidst architect students, landscape architects and firms representing top minds in the field for a conversation about stewardship.  It actually was as logical as a woodlands thriving deep in the center of an urban environment.

I love NY and I love the Park so I was excited to participate. One of the presenters of the event (Cultural Landscape Foundation) found my sustainability blog (I love search engines), I blogged about the conference. They invited me to come along and see for myself.  It was held at the fantastic Museum of The City of New York.

During breaks and a beautiful walk through the Park, I asked my favorite question to a few participants, What's Your Inspiration? 

As I explained why I was there, I found my description of myself in the context of the conversation about urban parks, not only interesting, but it actually helped me to define myself a bit more completely than just "I sing in the subway."

I love analogies, so I was trying out the thought of the subway musician as an ecotone (definition: the defining geographic transitional line where valley meets mountain, prairie meets forest,  where land meets water), where a stationary musician meets commuters rush, where music meets subway sounds, where my asking "What's your inspiration?" to a stranger meets community.

I learned landscape architecture and stewardship of a public park has to include emotional feeling and experience, something not necessarily associated with riding or commuting in a subway system.  NYC Subway Girl attempts to bring these into the conversation.  Meeting a commuter who pauses to chat and then asking the question about inspiration, brings out an emotional feeling that is deeply poignant and inspirational itself.

Here I thought I was going to the conference to learn about Central Park (and I did), but I left learning more about myself.

Read More on my Sustainability Blog

The clip features inspirations from Charles Birnbaum, founder president Cultural Landscape Foundation and Eric Sanderson, Wildlife Conservation Society, Michael Boland, The Presidio Trust, Alanna Rios, student City College of New York, Christopher Valencia, student City College of New York, Mauro Crestani, EXP US Servces Inc., Joanna Pertz, Landscape Architect, Eddie Krakhmalnikov, University of Minnesota, Margie Ruddick, Landscape Architect, Elizabeth Meyer, Professor Landscape Architecture, University of Virginia.

Alanna Rios inspired

I met Alanna Rios, a student of landscape architecture at the City College of New York Spitzer school, during a Central Park Woodlands Stewardship conference I attended. There I was the subway musician, amidst architect students, landscape architects and firms representing top minds in the field for a day long conversation about stewardship of Central Park. During the lunch break Alanna and I chatted about what inspires her.

"Non-conformity."

It was an truly informative and wonderful day spent with thinkers in the world of landscape architecture. I left feeling empowered and optimistic about the people out in the field working passionately every day to find solutions to better serve communities and humankind while not forgetting nature's involvement.

I love NY and I love the Park so I was excited to attend the event. One of the presenters (Cultural Landscape Foundation) found my sustainability blog (I love search engines), I blogged about the conference. They invited me to come along and see for myself. It was held at the fantastic Museum Of The City Of New York. 

read more about my day at the conference on my Sustainability Blog 

Shine The Light Times SQ

It might have rained October 2nd in Times Square, but the evening was charged with amazing energy.  New Yorkers rising up to acknowledge Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Manhattan Borough Pres. Scott Stringer was on hand to officiate with speakers Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance, Eve Ensler, NYC NOW Pres Sonia Ossorio, and NY Assembly member Linda Rosenthal including Yolanda Jiminez commissioner of the Mayor's office to combat domestic violence.

I went to witness Times Square being illuminated in purple and thrilled to hear from Eve Ensler writer of Vagina Monologues and creator of VDay, who fired up the crowd despite the rain and a sudden blown PA, thankfully a megaphone was on hand. Beforehand I got a chance to speak with the fearless Sister Mary Nerney, founder and former director of STEPS to End Family Violence and Greenhope: Services for Women, Sabrina Mosquera, and Connie Marquez deputy director of STEPS, Helen of Korean Family Services, Steven Walerstein and Jack Raplee of Powers inc.  All of whom shared their inspirations with me and their commitment to ending violence.  These people are on the front lines of domestic violence and I want to honor them.

"We are blessed to be living in the safest city in America, but what good does it do if in fact we're not safe in our homes." Cyrus Vance Manhattan DA

STEPS director Connie Marquez stated with passion "we will be a violent free society."  

I love that. What can you do to help end Domestic Violence? Stand Up, reach out and refuse to accept a violent society. 

Rise Up Against Violence words and music Cathy Grier 

What's MY Inspiration? by NYCsubwayGirl

 

What Inspires Rachel Chanoff?

I was a special guest artist at Celebrate Brooklyn! for the Helga Davis Love Show before the film Romero and Juliet. I caught up with Rachel Chanoff (artistic director Celebrate Brooklyn!) on stage during soundcheck. 

Rachel's inspiration is Celebrate Brooklyn! Because it's free, the audiences are diverse, they hear great things, unexpected for them and for the artist. Sounds a lot like why I've been singing in public spaces with MUNY since 1999.
  • A little backstory: It was Rachel who was a judge for my Music Under NY audition in 1999 that got me into the program. From that audition she programed me as the opening act for Joan Armatrading at MASS MoCA, fast forward 11 years, Helga Davis WNYC and WOR radio host judged my Battle Of The Boroughs Manhattan performance at WNYC's Greene Space. Helga recently passed by my Music Under NY performance at LIRR, she stopped listened and invited me to be her guest artist. There I reconnected with Rachel. It's a full circle of connections made from performing in public spaces. I love this story.
Comin' Back To Me performed by Cathy Grier NYCSubwayGirl and the Helga Davis Love Show with Sean Dixon - Drums, Fred Cash Jr.- Bass and Ted Cruz- Keyboards
words and music Cathy Grier singerfish publishing SESAC

 

Laura Hankin from Galo Magazine

Laura came to hear me perform for an article she was writing about female subway musicians for Galo (Global Art Laid Out) Magazine. She listened for a while and then we chatted.  

What inspires Laura?  "Friends and family….the love that we give to each other.."

Here's a link to the article she wrote: Female Subway Musicians A Rarity - Galo Magazine

Comin' Back To Me words and music Cathy Grier singerfish publishing SESAC