Buskers: The On-the-Streets, In-the-Trains, Off-the-Grid Memoir of Two New York City Street Musicians

by Heth Weinstein, Jed Weinstein

Frustrated by the indifference of the music industry and the stacks of homemade CDs gathering dust in their closets, brothers Heth and Jed Weinstein made the radical decision to bring their music directly to the masses. They began playing on street corners, in subway stations, and wherever else they could connect with a live audience. To their surprise, far from this being the terminal stop of a dead-end career, busking turned out to be just the beginning as crowds of stressed-out commuters gathered around, cheering them on, subscribing to their mailing lists, and actually buying some of those stockpiled CDs—40,000 and counting.

In Buskers , Heth and Jed recount their turbulent, drug- and crime-filled adolescence in the nowhere-land of Livingston, New Jersey, their valiant attempts to achieve rock ’n’ roll success through traditional channels, and their unexpected path to circumventing the outmoded music industry. They divulge fascinating details about the technical and legal aspects of street performance, New York busking culture, and the lives of their fellow troubadours.

A world of possibilities opens up when the brothers take it to the streets, proving the value of their music to themselves and anyone who’ll listen. Read their story, and your commute will never be the same.

192 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2011

Reviews

[Ron Tintner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nearly a straight-through read

Being a life-long musician and songwriter - though not my real job - I loved the honest stories and insights of this book. I couldn’t put it down! Also, knowing so many musician/songwriters that are looking for some “magic pill” to make it big, this story of a really had work “business plan” was a breath of fresh air.

[Itch Iseatingnandos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took half the book to get to the busking

[Land of Books and Honey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Find a book review for Buskers by Heth and Jed Weinstein at http://www.landofbooksandhoney.com/20.... #memoir, #buskers, #busking, #music, #street, #streetperformers, #musicians, #indie, #family, #abuse, #politics, #geography, #publicspace, #book, #nonfiction, #bookreview.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm probably biased since I know them and dated one of them, but I loved it! They are talented guys and their story is a good one.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book, I grew up with Heth and Jed and many that are in the book. i am still friends with these crazy cool guys.