A couple of traveling musicians on a cross-country trip from Oregon have been playing on Cross Bay Boulevard for tips. Forum Newsgroup photo by Jeremiah Dobruck.
Traffic Jam is on a homemade nationwide tour.
The trumpet and guitar duo has played L.A., Phoenix, Tucson, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, Miami, Key West, New Orleans, Jacksonville and D.C.
Their latest gig is on the corner of Cross Bay Boulevard and Shore Parkway.
Almost every day, the two blonde musicians in their 20s jam to some extended jazz standards while drivers sit in traffic nearby—it’s how the band got its name.
“When you’re in traffic and you’re frustrated, it’s like why not have something entertaining you on the side of the road, honestly,” said 25-year-old Kevin Maloney while holding a well worn guitar.
Maloney and 26-year-old Patrick Norris are two amateur musicians from Portland who have taken a break
from life. They have spent the last eight months traveling the country, hitchhiking and hopping trains to any major city they feel like stopping by.
“We just wanted to go out and do it while we still didn’t have any obligations,” Norris said. “We quit our jobs to do it.”
For about two weeks, Queens has been their home.
They sleep in the Rockaways and sing for their supper almost every day in Howard Beach.
“We absolutely love it,” Norris said.
The duo is an odd sight in Howard Beach, which isn’t packed with subway or street performers like Manhattan can be.
In about 10 minutes on Monday, three people took the time to walk up to the two or get out of the car and toss some cash into a bag sitting at their feet.
“We get some good, positive feedback,” Norris said. “People say they like it.”
Norris, who worked doing maintenance in Portland, and Maloney, who quit his job as a cashier, have been playing together for about six months.
Norris is on trumpet, while Maloney handles the guitar while they squeeze out their version of jazz standards.
“We’ll take a song and maybe just play one song for about 20 minutes just using the cord progression and
just take it anywhere you want to go,” Norris said. “It’s just perfect because it’s a way to build your chops. You don’t need as high quality as the professional realm because it’s on the street, yet we’re putting in all these hours, paid hours, to develop the chops.”
The two plan on being in New York for the rest of the summer, exploring the rest of Queens and the other boroughs.
“New York was just one stop along the way. We were just going to try to see all the major cities,” Norris said.
“The ones that interested us anyway.” After the summer, it’s back on a random train or car heading in the direction they’re hoping the next stop is.
“You just kind of try to pick the general direction you’re trying to head, and if the trains headed that way you just hope it doesn’t take a 90
degree turn,” Norris said.
By Jeremiah Dobruck
j.dobruck@theforumnewsgroup.com
