Day Three Hundred and Fifty-One: Mass Street Music

You won't hear any Taylor Swift being played here.

The musicians that passers-by will hear (whether they ackowledge them or not) on Mass St. in downtown Lawrence will play two types of songs: old or original.

And whether they are old country ballads (and we're not talking "Brad Paisley from 2004" old, here), or self-penned blues, if you stop to listen for a little while you are bound to hear honest stories told in ways that only people who earn their livelihood in tips and spare change can tell.

From a musician's aspect, I'd like to give everybody with an open guitar case and a story to tell a few extra dollars...but from a musician's aspect, I don't have enough money to spare - not with the amount of performers lined up and down the pedestrain-friendly strip on a given night.

So, in some cases I choose to keep walking by, like the couple in today's picture. But if I find somebody whose story speaks to me, I'll stop and have a listen, my offering in hand.

Tonight's mandolineer caught my attention by growling through some old blues. As I paused to listen, he attempted a more recognizable and complex piece (perhaps for my benefit), but he needn't bother:

Sometimes all you need are three chords and a story to tell.