Music
TTC Busker Profile: Mike Green
Self-taught guitarist Mike Green loved Led Zeppelin as a kid growing up in Saint John, New Brunswick, and he'll still occasionally break out one of their songs as a TTC busker. I watched Mike perform at Union station as a stream of commuters poured and separated around us, like a river passing around rocks. Everyone was headed somewhere.The constant flow of people was in stark contrast to the story he would tell me about his most amazing experience as a busker. Sometimes, according to Mike, it only takes one girl and a bit of music to bring a whole station to a standstill.
City
Ryerson Students' Union president-elect accused of ripping down U of T posters
In a video uploaded yesterday to YouTube (embedded below), Toby Whitfield, the VP of finance and president-elect of the Ryerson Students' Union (RSU) was spotted on U of T campus, allegedly ripping down University of Toronto French Club posters.Whitfield has recently been at U of T postering for the Stronger Together student advocacy group, one of the two student groups running in the U of T Students' Union (UTSU) elections, the other being Change U of T.
Music
TTC Busker Profile: Kim Cole
If you've been following this TTC busker profile series for a while, you might have noticed that Toronto's world of subway musicians is very interconnected. Sure enough, guitarist and singer-songwriter Kim Cole is a good friend of Sue Peters of Sue and Dwight.Kim's bubbly disposition and instant likability are only matched by her beautiful voice, which filled the air and made heads turn at Runnymede station. I spent some time getting to know her and unearthed a personality as bright and welcoming as her smile.
Music
TTC busker profile: Lane Argue
I was underground at Dundas station when I met TTC busker and guitarist Lane Argue. It was one of those rare, gloriously sunny days Toronto experiences in the late winter, but I was content to stick around in the tunnels, watching and listening as Lane's song rolled and ran, reckless and barefoot.It grew faster and more complex, and soon Lane's fingers were flying over his fretboard. It came in pieces, each with a new spurt of energy. When it was over, I had to hear it again, so I asked Lane to replay it for this week's video.
A short chat with Lane revealed a little more about the Saskatchewan-based guitarist and his inspiration for the song.
Music
TTC Busker Profile: Yarko Antonevych
Out in the west end at Royal York station, you'll often find TTC busker Yarko Antonevych calmly plucking away at a strange lute-like instrument. The scene is so charming and anachronistic that it's no wonder commuters are instantly drawn to him. "What is that you're playing?" they'll ask, and it has become such a common question that Yarko has the bandura's history hard-wired into his brain for anyone who cares to know.Humble Yarko says he is but a bandurist and not a kobzar, or a traveling Ukrainian minstrel who would historically entertain and teach those around him. But if you ask me, with his natural storytelling capability and eagerness to share what he knows, there is no description that better fits him than that of a modern-day kobzar.
Music
TTC Busker Profile: Andrei Denga (featuring Sacha Popov)
Both commuters and cold winds swept through Queen's Park station on the afternoon that I met TTC buskers Andrei Denga and Sacha Popov. I watched the duo cue each other seamlessly into different songs, often with only a sidelong glance or the slightest of nods. They hardly needed words to speak to each other.Unfortunately, mild-mannered accordionist Sacha and I could not communicate because he knew only Russian, which I didn't understand. Even the more outspoken violinist, Andrei, who knew more English, warned me before I interviewed him that his was not very good.
Slowly, as Andrei unraveled the story behind his violin and his case filled with curious currencies, I discovered that language barriers can be overcome with a careful ear. And as was evident from their lively performance, these two were old hands at their musical craft. Music was something we could all understand, and it was something in which they were fluent. After all, according to Andrei, music is but a beautiful message.
