The first time I heard Jesse Reed (Mr. Reed), 25, at the Bedford L stop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, I was enamored with his voice but also plagued with questions. It was 85 degrees, worse underground, and there was a musician down there with a proper vest, pinstripe pants and a fedora, singing with a confidence that blew the doors off of his childhood church in North Carolina long before he arrived at this station.
With NBC’s hit show “The Voice” still fresh in my head, I was trying to decide which coach would suit Mr. Reed best. Cee Lo Green would go crazy with this guy’s infectious energy and endless talent. He plays the drums, harmonica, and guitar and tap dances like he’s floating on air. What about Adam Levine? Adam’s coaching helped Javier Colon win the whole thing. Surely Mr. Reed knows shows like this exist — or does he?
A few days later, I was back at the Bedford stop and so too was Mr. Reed and his SoundHouse bandmate, Tom Larsen, 24, a blues influenced guitar player with vocal chops of his own.
I heard two songs before finding my seat on the Manhattan-bound L train and realized it had happened again. The music made me forget about the trapped heat on the platform.
I also got my first glimpse into the subway strategy. After their first song, a lady from SoHo House asked if she could contact them about performing at their private members’ club and hotel in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District. “It’s not the most lucrative spot,” Mr. Reed says. ”it just has the best connections.”
Oh, and one more thing, why does Mr. Reed sit on that red suitcase? Just ask him, and he’ll tell you with a smile, ”A stool adds 10 pounds. It carries my drums and it’s gorgeous — a 1964 Samsonite.”
Filed under: Entertainment, blues, gospel, L Train, Mr. Reed, NYC, williamsburg
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