1/26/07, 5:55 pm EST

Assignment Three Finalist: Andrew Cleary on subway musicians (New York City)

Think you can do better? Prove it, by entering our contest. Win prizes and get your work published. We’ll announce week four’s assignment Monday, 12:00 p.m. EST.

Note: This is not an official Rolling Stone article. What follows is a submission to the “I’m From Rolling Stone” writing competition.

by Andrew Cleary
Age: 23

Two major musical forces came together that night, January 19th in Union Square Station; Weeping Acoustic guitars and a furious drummer beating on some three gallon plastic tubs. It was the drumming that lured me back in, at first in my hurry to get to the closest bar and drink myself unconscious, I didn’t really take notice of the music and nearly ran through the turnstile but fortunately my compatriot accidentally dropped his wallet. While he scurried back to get it, I noticed the truly savage beating that man was giving those white tubs. A crowd of on-lookers seemed to have long been assembled they stood around wearing looks of complete awe for what was happening. It didn’t seem like the singer/guitarist and his rhythm section knew each other, I would guess that they’d probably never seen each other before in their lives, but they were so in sync, the soft calculated notes accompanied by this maelstrom of sound worked so harmoniously, coupled with the quivering voice of the shaggy looking singer.

The crowd was not traced along scene lines, guys in ultra tight girl’s pants, stood next to the 9-5 button down business men, & some guys in baggy jeans. I left there truly having enjoyed discovering some music that will probably be heard again. It was a jam session (See: Nothing Like Phish Jam Music; it was a conversation through strings and beats, never exceeding 5 minutes per song) between two street performers who may never get together again, I hope lightening strikes twice though if they do. Looking back let me just say; it was real live music that came without frills, it came without jumbo-trons and slick dancing skills, it came without ticket master or overpriced drinks, it came without Pete Wentz and it was good music neither simple nor plain.