Frankie J.: Bob Marley Incarnate

With his son Sammy by his side, Frankie J., 43, singer and entertainer, belts out reggae for passerby in front of Au Bon Pan. When he isn’t chasing his two-year-old son around, he’s performing a mix of Bob Marley covers and his own songs.

Originally from Dominica in the Caribbean, he now lives in the South Shore and performs here in Harvard Square when the weather is nice. It’s a welcome break from the fencing job he’s not too fond of and a chance to earn extra cash. If you don't catch him on the streets, you might just find him playing in a restaurant or at a party.

Music is what he loves and he’s inspired by the Beatles and Bob Marley, which he clearly expresses through his sets.

“I just want to have fun and still make some money,” he says as he tunes his guitar.

Inkas Wasi Bring A Little Bit of Peru to Cambridge

Hailing from the Andes mountains of Peru, Inkas Wasi is a dynamic and talented musical act. They play a variety of traditional instruments and can usually be found in Harvard Square on the weekends or Fanueil Hall.

They have finished 11 albums so far
and tour colleges, high schools, middle schools, and nursing homes, bringing their unique performance to people everywhere. To learn more about Inkas Wasi, check out their website: http://inkaswasi.com/ . And to see me trying it at the drums, check out the Flickr slideshow below!

Christian Lily and Stephen Bonner Change it Up in Harvard Square

It’s Christian Lily, 24, and Stephen Bonner’s, 39, first time playing together in the street, but they definitely have already established a unique style that sets them apart from all other outdoor musical acts. Playing an instrument he calls the Bonnertron, Bonner easily compliments Lily’s steady rhythm on the drums.

The Bonnertron is based on a design from the website Music from OuterSpace consisting of mini module synthesizers and a retrofitted monophonic keyboard. It took about a week to make.

Lily, who is from Somerville, has played the drums for ten years, but has been playing on the streets for the past six months.

“It’s just nice and warm, and you can meet people, and make some money," Lily says. "You can make anything from a couple bucks to $30. When you play more popular stuff or Reggae, you definitely make more.”

If you’d like to hear more from the two, you can visit their MySpace pages: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=461390685 or at http://www.myspace.com/duodiode

Former Berklee Student and Classical Guitarist finds Life Profession

Coming to Boston from his native New York for college, Daniel Lawrence, age 45, was unsure what he wanted to do with his life. He majored in studio engineering at Berklee College of Music, but now wishes he had studied something different.

"I realized that it didn't do much
for me," he says with a tinge of regret in his words.

He's been playing classical guitar in the T stations of Boston and outside in Boston Common and Faneuil Hall when the weather is nice for ten years and finds that it's just enough to live off of. But when times get tough, his mother is there to help him get on his feet.

"My family has always been very supportive of me,” he says, wearing a black vest over a brown sweater.

Lawrence finds that people really like Spanish guitar, but he also likes to mix in Bach, Brazilian, and a little bit of everything on his brown, Fender guitar.

His open guitar case is full of dollar bills and coins and people continuously stop to listen or contribute to the case.

Lawrence usually plays in the stations for eight hours at a time, but is done by 3:00pm. You can find him on most weekdays during the morning rushes and on the weekends. When things are going well, he can afford to play just four days a week. Because it is his primary income, when things aren’t going so well financially, he can be found playing every day. But he usually tries to not play in the same spot more than twice a week.

“People get sick of me,” he says with a laugh.

From his playing in the T stations, he can accrue anything from $20 a day to his record high of $200 in one day. He usually likes to stay close to the Blue line bound for Wonderland in the Government Station T stop because it tends to be warmer in the winter months.

He has a stack of cds featuring his personal recordings, Daniel Lawrence Solo Guitar Volume I and II, which he sells for $10 a piece. People interested in his music, which is mostly his own, can order his cds from his MySpace page. He is trying to get more income off the net and is working on a couple of projects with a band.

A Sammy Davis Jr. Impersonator Sings Along

Dressed in a black hat and suit, Eric McIntyre, 66, turns on his cd player and sings along to the old classics of Sammy Davis Jr. A blanket is spread out in front of him, displaying posters of the historic singer and news clippings featuring Eric performing at the Beacon House.

"People call me Candy Man or the Showman!" He says, holding up the article.

Commuters can mostly find him in the Park Station T stop on Thursdays and on the weekends when he finds there to be the most traffic passing through. Because he is on disability due to a "bad heart", this is his sole means of income. An overturned hat is filled with a few one dollar bills and a large collection of coins.

Holding his microphone close to his lips, he belts out the lyrics over the stereo to attract an audience. A young girl and her mom stop and throw in a few quarters and a middle aged man pauses to clap along. Each person walks away with a smile on their face.

"I'm the only Sammy Davis, Jr. impersonator in Boston!" he claims with pride. And that accomplishment has kept him in demand with performances at the Beacon House, which offers subsidized housing for people over age 55, and frequent appearances in local newspapers and on news channels.

"But I don't dance because I'd fall off the stage!" He says and laughs.