Sheldon Harris plays the Jackson Red Line stop. (Photo by Forrest Davis)
Audio Slideshow: ChicagoStorytelling’s Forrest Davis and Kevin Dempsey interview street musicians Sheldon Harris and Kevin A. Martin about their experiences playing in the subway.
Story by Jake Scott
Many people walk by a street musician with a preconceived notion that the performers are homeless or drug addicts with no talent.
But that’s not true, says Chicago street performer Sheldon Harris.
Harris performs in the Jackson Red Line subway stop, often playing nineties acoustic rock. He doesn’t make much money, but he said it is better when he travels to Europe to play.
Harris said he does not play for the money. For him, misconceptions are placed aside and people go to play their music just to present it to an audience of commuters, tourists and passersby.
Research shows that the United States spends $1 billion a year disposing of food waste.
Just walk down any alley behind Chicago restaurants, bars, grocery stores and bakeries, and you can see for yourself.
ChicagoStorytelling’s Nico Hagopian, Sachi Yoshitsugu and Alexis Pelayo did just that in reporting on food waste and “dumpster diving” — also known as freegans — who dine on what others toss into a dumpster.
Rodney Carter tells his story of life on the streets. (Photo: Caitlin Hacker)
In any given year, between 2.5 million and 3.5 million people in the United States live on the streets, not knowing where their next meal will come from or bed will be.
Willy Wilkn sells StreetWise on Michigan Avenue. (Photo by Caitlin Hacker)
People just like Chicago’s Rodney Carter and Willy Wilkn.
ChicagoStorytelling’s Caitlin Hacker, Manuel Argueta and Jessica Ernst interviewed Jenkins, Wilkn and other Chicagoans who recounted how they became homeless, how they survive the brutal winters and how others treat them.
They also interviewed workers from Cafe Too, a restaurant that hires homeless people to help them earn a living and get off of the streets.
Audio Slideshow:Chicago’s homeless tell their stories, and an employee at Cafe Too talks about the journey out of homelessness. Music provided rights-free by PodSafeAudio.com.
Five-year-old Thomas stood with his mother waiting in front of the glass and mirror mosaic at the CTA Brown Line Sedgwick stop.
“I like the different colors,” Thomas said. “It’s like a rainbow.”
Thomas is just one of many El patrons who appreciate “The Countdown to a New Brown” program’s Arts In Transit initiative.
Arts In Transit is a combined project of the CTA and the City of Chicago’s Public Art Program, administered by the Department of Cultural Affairs. The Public Art Program hosted a competition to see which artists or artist teams would be featured in one of the 18 newly redesigned Brown Line stops.
(Slideshow Photos and Audio by Sam Kraft and Emily Torem)
The Abbey Pub is a full-service restaurant, bar and music venue that is open seven nights a week. The establishment, located at 3420 W. Grace St. in Chicago, plays host to many different types of music and attracts a diverse audience.
On Nov. 6, ChicagoStorytelling’s Emily Torem and Sam Kraft took a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into producing a show at The Abbey.
They interviewed Chicago funk/soul band The O My’s and discussed how their type of music fit into the Chicago music scene. Also performing that night were singer-songwriter Rebecca Hill and electronic duo Warren Buckley.
