I’ve always admired talented buskers. I can’t imagine a harder audience than a bunch of people who just view you as an obstacle to getting where they’re going. And yet, there is almost always a music fan or two who delay their plans to just stop and enjoy the song. Sometimes you see a few twenties in the guitar case and imagine it was worth the artist’s time. Then again, sometimes the tip jar has little besides some coins. Some musicians are drawn to those highs and lows–the Bad Livers were famous for busking in every town where they performed a paying gig. Others, like NYC artist Jake Trevor, feel like it’s a step in the process. As Trevor says, “New York’s subway is the greatest stage on earth.”
Trevor is about to release a new, self-titled album. Highlighting his first love, the piano, are a couple of ballads, like the opening Should I that’s just Jake’s voice and the keyboard. Also in that style are Father Don’t Forgive Me, a wrenching tale about family estrangement, and Paradise Lost. In contrast, he lays down some party beats with Bounce Bounce, and the NSFW Boyfriend where “he likes my booty in my tight jeans”.
Trevor also captures the NYC folk scene with my favorite tune on the record, Coffee and Wine. In the best folk vein it’s a protest song inspired by an all-to-common event. He was in a coffee shop for breakfast, but the cook had just quit, so they could serve him nothing but coffee and wine. Jake broadens this tale to reflect not only his experiences as a bartender, but just about everyone who’s had a dead-end job that doesn’t even cover the bills, with added benefits of a bad boss and disrespectful customers. Sadly, the original setting for this little masterpiece is gone. But with just a touch of imagination, you can put yourself right in that cafe as Trevor plays the soundtrack. Here’s the premiere of Coffee and Wine.
About the author: I've actually driven from Tehatchapee to Tonopah. And I've seen Dallas from a DC-9 at night.