20 years ago passing a man on the streets of NYC with a full flowing beard carrying a fiddle, would be treated with sideways eyes, and thoughts of homelessness or a backwards town in New Jersey. In the current age of the hipster however the beard has made a come back, and street performers like Aaron Jonah-Lewis and Sam Guthridge in some ways well-timed relics of cool.
The duo performed in Union Square for one day only in what turned out to be a conveniently timed meeting for both of them. Aaron is a man who quickly stood out in the crowd with a fiddle up to his chin and a scowl on his face. Upon lifting my camera he immediately leered in my direction to say "pictures are $1 dollar". His Partner Sam ever the statuesque example of a proper banjo player continued fretting and plucking his strings without any notice.
The duo performed in Union Square for one day only in what turned out to be a conveniently timed meeting for both of them. Aaron is a man who quickly stood out in the crowd with a fiddle up to his chin and a scowl on his face. Upon lifting my camera he immediately leered in my direction to say "pictures are $1 dollar". His Partner Sam ever the statuesque example of a proper banjo player continued fretting and plucking his strings without any notice.
Aaron and Sam first met in in Virgina when they were introduced through mutual friends. Currently Sam lives in Chestertown Maryland, where he is a member of the bluegrass band Chester River Run off. Aaron moved to Berlin Germany where he performs at various gigs and is part of the group Thomas Bailey and the Aristocrats.
"I come to the states about once a year. I have family in Detroit, New Jersey, and a sister that lives here in Brooklyn" said Aaron "I had some gigs here and was doing some recording too. Sam had some gigs also in the city so we met up."
"We're not really Putting on a show, we're not really trying to capture a audience, we're not trying as hard as we could be" said Aaron pointing out a rival group of performers sporting two guitars. "The guys over there . . . who ever plays over there are putting on a show, doing a really good job, and making a lot more money then us, but were just sitting here basically [with the case open]".
"It might be most accurate to call our music fiddle and banjo music". "Our style fits under one large genre umbrella and every person has a different style. I don't play with Sam often but when I do, playing with him sounds very different to playing with some other banjo player" said Aaron. "We're just here having a good time."
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