The sweet sounds of music at BART stations
Photo by Flickr user Steve Rhodes
We got this email today from Alan (bold ours):
Hi there,
My name is Alan and I seriously considering of playing [sic] music at BART STATIONS, is it legal? Can I do it? I play acoustic guitar and sing and since I lost my job as a Web Designer, I can’t find another one. I need to do something before I die. Please let me know, I need to act quickly.
If I can play music there, what’s the best time to arrive?
Now, first of all. It’s hard to say whether or not to take his desperate words seriously. This rough economy is, well, rough, on a lot of people.
That said, we’re assuming that Alan is just failing to channel his energy into a funemployment activity. And his question is an odd one: Is playing music at BART stations legal?
We don’t see how it could be otherwise, so we poked around BART’s website to try to find some sort of policy. Nothing.
Let’s assume, based on its proliferation, that playing music at BART, at least outside of gated, ticketed areas, is legit. Reminds us of how, last month, we posted a story from BART’s Seen and Heard series about one such rocker, the Punk Rock Johnny Cash. It also reminds us of countless musicians we see just about every time we ride BART.
So I got to wondering: What are some of your favorite BART musicians? Let us know in comments, please.
The accordion guy at the west end of the Civic Center hallway is pretty awesome. He usually has a colorful tux/top hat combo and a nice dog.
There’s an accordion guy who’s a weekly regular at the northern end of the 12th St/Oakland City Center stop (just as you get out to the single escalator on the left)…. he’s awesome too. And his sign always says “Before IPOD” or something like that. I dig it.
It’s essentially legal as “expressive activity.” You need a permit though. Here’s a link to the rules and form:
http://www.bart.gov/about/business/permits/eapermits.aspx
I like the father/son duo who play at Montgomery, across from Peet’s. Also the random string quartet are good, too. The Peruvian group reminds me of that South Park episode.