Street Musicians’ Day: Delight Unrestrained

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Street is where culture remains unrestrained. Much before social networking media and file-sharing systems developed, street had beckoned our artistes to gather and perform, when multi-billion studios and production houses closed their doors on people who have skills but hardly any wherewithal to approach production managers. Now we have Google id; log in to YouTube; upload our videos and audios; share them via state-of-the art networking media. It goes viral.

Does it mean that street music is a thing of the past? Nope.

We celebrate every year the Street Musician’s Day. It falls on the third Saturday every May in the city of Lithuania. Street Musicians’ Day unites all amateur musicians the word over in streets, yards, parks and squares. Open spaces are flooded with sonorous delights emanating from rock, classics, jazz, beat and folklore rhythms.

This year Street Musicians’ Day was celebrated in Tallinn, St Petersburg.
It is interesting to read the report of Serge Kharytonau, who reported for Lithuania tribune his experience of the music feat: There is something very special about a day like this. You wake up with the sound of music in the air and feel the summer is on its way. You listen to the Stairway to Heaven performed by people next door and even believe you are too a great performer, while turning on a favourite song in your car’s stereo and singing for the world on the way back home in early evening.

(Read the entire report from the Facebook Page of the group: http://www.facebook.com/StreetMusiciansDay?fref=ts)

Andrius Mamontovas is instrumental in bringing togther in artists across the globe under the banner Street Musicians’ Day. He has formed the band Foje whose discographic oeuvre spans 23 albums in both solo and singles.

The documentary titled the Phenomenon of Street Music (that can be watched via YouTube or on the Facebook page of the group) will give you glimpses into the event and innovative ideas which formed it.

While reading about day from Malabar while having a warm beef biriyani, I Googled Andrius Mamontovas and learnt that he is a vegetarian. Why can’t we Mappilas, who cherish a vibrant musical tradition, conduct a street music day of our own, not putting our non vegetarian delights aside. The restriants of capital make music spiral downwards to reality shows. Street is where we must make a reality check.