Here is a video of that day in Philadelphia when Brando first ended up on top of the piano.
It starts off during the day and then goes into playing in Old City that night…
Note…. HUGE improvement in my playing since then. Its crazy to look at my playing a year and half ago and see where I am now.
Brando is clearly the star of the show…
Its like the tale of 2 cities. When you’re uptown everything seems normal. But then you head below 34th street and everything changes.
No traffic lights, police in yellow reflective jackets waving you by with flashlights. Red flares on the ground.
Some parts are in complete darkness.
I’m staying at my friends apartment (on the couch) near Union square. He hasn’t had power for 4 days but it doesn’t compare to the people who lost entire homes and even their lives.
From The Archive. One of the best photo’s i have ever taken. It was only for a split second where Brando was positioned like that. This occurred in South Carolina in April 2011 (when I first left on my trip).
Angel Oak tree on Johns island near Charleston, SC. I found out that this tree is actually estimated at 600 years old! The limbs of the tree are so heavy that parts of the thick branches go under the soil and come right back up. It was like a huge tree octopus with many more limbs.
April 18, 2011 10:35 AM
I can’t believe how much this pup Brando looks like our Rye! And so well-traveled and so accomplished!
(Source: pianoxamerica)
From the Archives: Its funny to look back at old videos and audio to see where I once was with my piano playing and where I am now. I believe its so important for people to look back and see where they have left footprints.
This is a video of me playing in my second day on this insane journey. Check it out by clicking the link below: Piano Across America.
April 5, 8:45 PM
I just arrived in Philadelphia today and I met up with my friend Matteo Jones-Scammel who goes to the University of the Arts. We were able to get a practice room in one of the buildings and we had a little jam session.
Unfortunately, the camera moved while we were playing, so the shot is imbalanced. But its about the sound, not the visuals…
(Source: pianoxamerica)
One of my favorite moments from the last 2 weeks.
I rolled out the piano and suddenly the clouds came in and it poured. It rained for 20 minutes so I pushed my piano underneath the scaffolding at Barnes & Nobles and just played this one improvisation.
Enjoy!
Its always about Brando! haha
This video was taken 2 days ago in Union Square. Notice how he focuses on Brando who likes to walk around and bark at people.
This is really helpful for me to see what my street performance actually looks like. Because I’m always performing, I never get a chance to see how other perceive me. Watching this video allows me to look at myself objectively and change some things. Thanks to John Chen!
One of the Craziest Days I’ve ever had Playing in NYC
September 27, 2012
I started off the day meeting up with some Film academy students at 11:30 AM. The three students were from Japan, Korea, and New Zealand, a great group of guys. One of them, named Sam, decided to use my story for their final project and he wanted to interview me on camera. He asked me questions like: What do you want for the future?, Where will you go next?, and What would you say to someone who is just getting out of high school?
These questions really made me think about my goals and was a great reminder that I need to really think out my thoughts. What is difficult for me right now is that I am so flexible with where i can go next. There are infinite paths I could take and there is no “Right” path. I’m sort of taking it as it comes, living in the moment, and seeing what sticks first. Afterwards, they filmed me removing the piano from my van, pushing the piano with Brando on top, and setting up in Union square.
Taken last week while playing in SoHo, NYC.
This is a little video for all the new people who have started following Piano Across America.
THANK YOU ALL!
Made by Matteo Minasi in NYC.
