Have accordion and street corner, will play music: Boise man puts on impromptu concert
What’s a professional musician to do when all his gigs have been canceled? Turns out the answer is: Go to a busy street corner and serenade the passersby.
Or at least that’s Ken Harris’ solution. The keyboard player in the Hootchie Cootchie Men, Carmel n the Closers, Blues Directors and a handful of other bands, Harris needs music like a fish needs ... well, a lot.
“The more I play, the happier I get and the less I play, the less happy I am,” he said.
He lives in Boise’s North End, so several times a week over the lunch hour, he’s been bringing his accordion and Melodica to the corner of Hill and Bogus Basin roads.
“Entertain people and give them a laugh; everybody gets a perk,” says Harris. “Put them in a good mood. ...
“But mainly, it’s an antidote. An antidote for the troubles, tribulations and uncertainty of today.”
He hitches up a red metal stool and revs up his accordion — “I’ve been practicing and playing the accordion more than I ever have in my whole life,” he says — ignores the sounds of traffic and smiles in response to the honks and waves.
“All I really care about is playing music in public and performing for people,” he says. “Going for a hike in nature — it’s alright. Watching Antiques Roadshow — that’s pretty good; hanging out with my wife, yeah, that’s great.
“But playing music ...
“Playing music is my favorite thing in the whole world.”
This story was originally published May 11, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
