Anyone who has walked through the streets of New York City or ridden its subways knows that the number of musicians performing publicly in the city on any given day is massive. Busking is a time-honored tradition that brings music to the people and, for many who rely on donations from strangers passing by, a source of income.
In her art book The Noise Beneath the Apple, author Heather Jacks tells the story of 35 of these artists over the course of 200 pages of words and photographs. And now, as a followup and fundraiser, producer/musician Keaton Simons has brought together 30 performers featured in the book to record a special rendition of Billy Joel's "New York State of Mind," with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, which provides financial assistance to struggling music artists. You can hear the track below, and click here to go to the Bandcamp page to make a donation and download the song.
