Medium: Folk Rock/Indie
Location: The Mall, Central Park
Email: info@thedirtyurchins.com
Website: www.thedirtyurchins.com

If there is such a thing as the Undercover New York “bump”, I’ve reserved it until now. The Dirty Urchins, the the form I found them, were just fantastic. They were missing one of their number (I think the guy’s name is David Luther), and had switched in another, Julia Haltigan. So, I don’t want to do David a bad turn, but like the guy who’s subbed in at the 89th minute of a match and scores the winning goal, she’s a lucky choice.

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Actually, not having seen David live, it’s a little unfair to sing her praises. But regardless, the three of them played a great set. The bassist, Bennett Miller, is super-cool, moving and playing just right, and Freddie Stevenson on guitar Got me quite excited, really. I even bought a cd, which I’ll be stealing a couple of songs from (with their permission!) for the website. Enjoy!

I have to admit that not all street performers are great musicians. Neither are they all exceptional performers.

But, if you’re going to measure a player’s worth by the effect that they have, Anthony Southgate is just perfect. Sitting in an unobtrusive spot on the side of 5th Avenue, his amplifier set at just loud enough to be heard if you’re in close proximity, and in the shade of an overhanging tree, I found Anthony just strumming along. At first I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to put him on the website, but after a couple of minutes of standing next to him I began to feel so relaxed…

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Really, really smooth. He says he’d been doing this for 18 years. And despite the lack of flair, his mellow tone has probably made thousands of people, just like me, stand still for a while in the Big Apple, smiling. If you get him into a conversation you’ll be chatting to him for a long time – he’s got a lot to say, and isn’t afraid of meeting people. Enjoy!

Medium: Funkaliscious
Location: Washington Square Park
Email: o-stargod@yahoo.com
Phone: (314) 484-3257

90º and awesome. That was Washington Square Park when I turned up. It wasn’t my end destination, so I was just passing through, but I’m glad I did; this band is funky (in the good way).

I don’t know much about the New York Blue Funk Orchestra, but I like the name, and they’re headed by this guy called “Stargod”. When I turned up and introduced myself they were a little wary of me – unsure of where the content I would film would turn up. I was beginning to feel like Paparazzi, and kept telling myself that I don’t make any money off this, but thankfully Stargod saw this, and began being really welcoming (“hey, you can come closer, we’re just black”).

And they warmed to the camera as they played, showing the style that I’d seen before I’d started filming. They had a large number of dollar bills in the bucket, and there must have been fifty people watching, so I assume it was a good day for them, even if it was scorchingly hot.

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I didn’t get footage of their best songs, but what I did get isn’t bad. After I’d put the cameras away, I jumped into the fountain. If you’ve not done that before, it’s amazingly fun. Really, if you don’t mind being the only adult in a fountain full of six year olds, it’s the way to go. Perhaps you’ll feel less awkward (or more awkward?) if you bring your parents.

His music is mostly influenced by American folk and punk, but his tastes, writing, and performing style have also been influenced by his experience as a music student at UCF, where he was exposed to classical, jazz, avant garde, and early forms of electronic music. For more info, pics, or mp3s, please visit myspace.com/giosafari.

Cost/prices: Free!
Review and more info: Needs money.
Photos or Videos:

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Medium: Rock
Location: MUNY
Email: thenicepeople@dagmartheband.com
Website: www.dagmartheband.com
Bio: DAGMAR free-folk duo Jim Bauer and Meghan McGeary have been singing and playing together since 2001, when McGeary joined the cast of Bauer’s then nascent, today fully developed and still active theatrical song cycle “THE BLUE FLOWER”.

Bauer writes the music and lyrics, sings, and plays guitar, keyboards and computers. McGeary sings and plays assorted percussion, ukelele, melodica, flute and accordion.

Bauer lives in Boston, McGeary in New York City.

They started DAGMAR in 2005, and presented DAGMAR in its first public performance as a 6-piece band at Joe’s Pub in New York City on June 25.

They’ve played the rock/folk small club scene in New York (Joe’s Pub, The Knitting Factory, CBGB’s, Arlene’s Grocery, The Cutting Room, Galapagos Art Space, The Living Room) and in Boston.

Since 2007 they have been playing almost exclusively as a duo in the subways of New York under the MTA’s “Music Under New York” (MUNY) banner. As they’ve carefully calculated, they play to over 6,000 different people every hour.

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“Door No. 1″, their first CD introducing the song cycle about a guy who can’t get out of bed in the morning and an insect goddess who plunges through the ether to rescue him, was self-released in September 2006. Joining Bauer and McGeary on the recording are David Rozenblatt (drums), Pablo Rieppi (percussion), Mat Fieldes (bass), and Vessko Gellev (violin).

“Door No. 2″, the second CD, a duo album with Bauer and McGeary covering all the bases, was self-released in April 2009. It takes the transmogrifying song cycle from the surreal to the real, tracking Dagmar on its misadventures from “here to where”, as their homespun video documentary series on YouTube is called.

“Door No. 3″ is under way, and is rumored to be a dance party record.