Music in Boston

Volume 5, No.6 – By Ramón Bannister This part of the Street Musicians in Boston series takes us down memory lane. As I explained in the Boston Pride Parade story, where there are a lot of people advocating for their rights, there is music. And Boston was no exception during the revolutionary war when colonialists battled the British Red Coats, so named from the suits the British soldiers wore. In the photograph, you can see [...]

Volume 5, No.5 By Ramón Bannister While doing the music series, I had the chance to participate in an event of MASSive proportions. I was invited by Professor Kristin Sorensen of the Global Studies Department to walk in a parade, but not just any parade. It was called the Boston Pride Parade. Thousands of people participated, and even more watched from the sidelines, cheering us on in support of equal rights for GLBTQ persons. I [...]

Volume 5, No.4 – By Ramón Bannister The next stop along my Boston street music route was Quincy market, a tourist destination that’s always teeming with activity in the summer. Also known as Faneuil Hall Marketplace, it is home to a huge selection of restaurants, gift shops and street performers of all types. On this particular day, I saw a yo-yo man. But I was particularly interested in the music group right at the entrance [...]

Volume 5, No.3 – By Ramón Bannister Sometimes you hear a musician and you wonder why he doesn’t have a recording contract with a big music distribution company. Gary Dowling is no exception. I found him by chance, when transferring from the red line Boston subway to the orange line. I was on my way to the famous Quincy Market, in a hurry to get there before the lunch madness begun so I can set [...]

Volume 5, No.2 – By Ramón Bannister When I began the series about street musicians in Boston, I thought that the musicians weren’t appreciated very much by passersby. I have since discovered that people really do enjoy the live music despite the hustle and bustle of urban life. The appreciation likely results because of the hustle and bustle urbanites experience daily. The first story about Prescott Blackler suggested you buy CDs if the musician has [...]

Volume 5, No.1 – By Ramón Bannister The idea behind this series was inspired by the experiment conducted by Washington Post journalist Gene Weingarten and world famous violinist Joshua Bell. Bell was strategically positioned near a metro station in Washington D.C. He played classic works from composers such as Bach and Schubert using a $3.5 million Stradivari violin. It was fascinating to learn that such a great musician would be ignored by most passersby. When [...]