August 13, 2008

Mockingbirds from London

This past Sunday afternoon I somehow managed to get on the wrong subway uptown. The F train goes to 57th Street and the others curve around and head to the East Side. Sucks when you realize this after the fact. It means I have to walk home a few extra blocks in the rain.

I have to say my mood improved immensely as I came up the escalator and I hear these two scruffy English guys singing and strumming some really great songs. Highly unusual for a subway stop in midtown underneath the Museum of Modern Art on a weekend. But it's New York so anything is possible and I stuck around to listen to a few songs.

Turns out these two rebellious chaps are an unsigned band -- Mockingbirds from London. Tons of energy, enthusiasm and charisma. They earned around $15 in the ten minutes that I watched them. As one of them told me, apparently they were kicked off their tour in the US and needed to raise money to get back to England. I can only imagine what kind of trouble this adventurous pair did to get kicked off their tour. Drinking and destroying houses across the US or God knows what other shenanigans they managed to get into that left them stranded in New York and forced to sing in the 5th Avenue subway stop.

I especially loved their cover of Jamie T's "If You Got The Money," but they played plenty of other good songs. The random tourists on the subway platform seemed to enjoy them if they cash they pulled in was any indication.

Good luck guys! Hope you got home safely.

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