BUSK 2015: Man in between

Name
Man in between

Genre
Folk/Rock/Experimental

Hometown
Madrid, Spain

Age
27

Your first contact with music?
If I remember well it was in my parents car going South for holidays. We would listen to a lot of Beatles and Michael Jackson tapes. I picked up my first guitar when I was 15 years old. After that I could not help it.

What do you like about playing music on the street?
The sense of freedom. You can play whatever you want and there are no expectations to live up to. The audience changes along the performance and they decide if they want to stay or not. Also, it’s one of the most real connections you can get with people. You just open up and people react to it in a natural way. So, busking is sort of like a psychologist to me. The more I do it, the better I feel.

Which concert impressed you particularly and why?
Glen Hansard in Vienna about 3 years ago. He’s been a busker for all his life and his story is very inspiring. The concert was held at the Konzert Haus, and the venues in that place (because there are a few inside of the building) are especially designed for music. After that, I thought to myself, ok so you keep making music.The soundtrack of your current life?
Nick Mulvey, City and Colour, Olafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm, John Grant, Chet Faker, Sigur Ros, Wes Montgomery.

What does it mean to be a musician?
Well, first of all, you have to be honest with yourself. If that honesty leads you to make your own music, that´s perfect. I guess that´s the right path to follow. Music is just a form of expression. In my case, it can be pure emotional, confessional, or just relieving. In my opinion, if you do not have anything to say. It just doesn’t happen. I want to inspire people as I´m inspired by others.

What does your family think of your choice to be a musician?
Well they knew it since I started playing in bands back in the day. They support me a lot. I could not be doing this without their emotional support.

Dream concert – impossible concert: who would you like to hear?
I’d like to travel in time and attend the Woodstock Festival in 1969. I´d love to see Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin perform. Besides, in the videos of the festival people seem very “into it”. So I guess I’d do it for the whole experience. It was the culmination of a whole social movement.

Best or worse experience of your musical career?
One of the best ones was playing at the festival called Iceland Airwaves in Iceland in 2014. I felt very supported. Icelanders are simply amazing. Regarding busking, I remember a very special one. I played for a man with down syndrome and his mom. It was at night and it was just me and them in the street. They made me feel down to Earth. The worst experience would be a busking experience as well. I was playing with a friend of mine and a bunch of junkies surrounded us and start dancing together to the music but, after a while they got closer and closer and started to rant at us. I guess that is a good example of how cute things can turn into hell. : )

Contact
soundcloud.com/maninbetween
www.facebook.com/ManInBetween
www.youtube.com/channel