For the first time in nearly two years, live music returns to TTC subway stations.
This week, musicians and buskers return to the official TTC schedule for the first time since the pandemic canceled their performances.
In March 2020, buskers were removed from the TTC as a way to control the spread of a new virus now marking its third calendar year. During that time, with the halls of the TTC quiet, the agency also saw ridership levels drop as more and more commuters quit their jobs, were laid off or started working from home.
But what happened to the artists? Many were highly successful, as singing or playing music at the stations had been an integral part of their livelihood. So, they had to pivot.
The Star tracked down TTC musicians to ask what they’ve been up to off the underground stage.
mrs ree
Favorite Station: Bloor-Yonge Station
Like half of the ukulele-wielding duo K Funk and Lady Ree, shere spencer took the time to play TTC stations to look further afield, going beyond the music industry and the borders of Canada.
“For the past few years, I have worked on an independent film as an actor. The film is called “Anna” and it is an independent film by a local filmmaker named Raey Ang,” he said.
Now stationed in Barbados, Spencer works as an associate producer for the Luminato Festival, working remotely. In his new environment, he has also become a world-class athlete.
“I’m actually playing for the Barbados national soccer team, the women’s soccer team. And we’re gearing up for this month’s World Cup qualifiers. So that’s part of why I’m working from this community,” she explained.
Regardless of her success abroad, Spencer says she will return to the city. As a TTC musician’s license holder for over five years, he finds power in street music.
“I think in Toronto’s initiative to be a world-class international art city, the TTC has done a great thing in evaluating art and trying to find more ways to foster art within that cosmopolitan space,” he said. “Connecting the underground art scene with your day-to-day or in concert halls, I think making it more accessible is one of the really valuable things about that show.”
Toz Antonio Piretti
Favorite Station: Spadina Station
Singer-songwriter Toz Antonio Piretti thought he would play TTC stations again after his tour of Europe in 2020, but the pandemic caused a change in plans.
“I started working on this tour (and) I only left Toronto at the end of 2019 so I could train in the gym and everything. But then the virus came and basically all my concerts in Europe were cancelled,” Piretti said.
His tour, not just a coin, features Piretti cycling through 16 different countries in Europe playing shows. It was supposed to start in April 2020 but was pushed back to July due to the spread of COVID-19. With a pregnant wife at home, he decided to postpone his trip to Europe.
Europe’s borders then reopened in June 2020; he had to make a difficult decision: complete the tour or just cancel it altogether.
“My only solution was to go alone because my wife was pregnant. We were expecting our second child and the three-month postponement of the tour basically created a situation where she couldn’t come with me,” Piretti explained.
When Omicron went on a rampage near the end of their tour in late 2021, borders were once again a complication. Currently, he is in Hamburg, Germany, the hometown of his wife. With nothing to do in a new country, he found himself looking for new challenges.
“I said OK, since I have time, I can still try this Ironman (triathlon),” he said.
With a new achievement under his belt and the relaxation of borders, Piretti is now excited to return to the city to do his part.
“Music is needed everywhere, not just at the TTC, as it has the power to connect people in unexpected ways,” he said. “You can probably imagine how many people came up to me at the TTC and said, ‘Hey, you made my day. Hey, that same song reminds me of my father or my uncle.’”
adam soloman
Favorite Station: Bloor-Yonge Station
For Juno Award-winning composer Adam Soloman, the suspension of the TTC program has allowed him to spend more time recording music at home.
“I did a lot of recordings and I did a lot of releases. I mean, it’s not like playing live, you know what I mean? Like being out there,” Soloman said.
Being a full-time musician, the black vinyl TTC stage is one of Soloman’s biggest gigs. It’s a place where you can constantly meet new people and find new opportunities, he says, but it’s not just about the money.
“I was playing Finch subway, this has happened to me twice, a woman came in and she was crying. And she said that she was almost going to kill herself but because she had my music. She stopped there,” she shared. “So she stayed with me for maybe half an hour listening to me play music as she left. I hugged her and told her you didn’t have to do that.”
Soloman said that music on the subway is an integral part of the subway itself. The constant coming and going of people without music leaves an eerie feeling in the tunnels that he actively tries to combat with his craft.
“I know that people love music, they love to listen to music in the morning, in the evening, when they come home. And that’s what this city needs. Without entertainment, it’s like we’re living in a tomb.”
leo zhang
Favorite Station: Bloor-Yonge Station
Cellist Leo Zhang has been playing on different TTC stations since 1999, winning the Underground Sounds TTC Subway Musicians Program competition in 2018, which landed him a one-song recording contract with Universal Music Canada.
Struggling to sort out his finances after he was kicked out of commission, he found a way to survive by teaching music.
“I started doing some online teaching, you know, like Zoom teachings.” Zhang said. Despite the interruption of his TTC street performance, he has not taken a break.
“As classical musicians, we have to practice every day, no matter what.” Zhang explained. “Even when the TTC program was open, I still had to practice before going up. Correct? It’s like exercising, you know.”
Zhang’s tireless work ethic is part of the reason he believes he made it through this pandemic, while waiting for things to finally turn around. “I just keep practicing. Because I know that the pandemic, eventually, is going to end,” she added.
For Zhang, music is extremely important at TTC stations, as commutes can already be long and depressing, especially in a pandemic.
“People are again, in the dark of this pandemic and its limitations. I think bringing this back will be like a happy day. You know, people will say, ‘Oh! Live music is back,’” she said.
“Classical music gives them some relaxation, even if they just walk by and listen to it for about 30 seconds. Sometimes they sit for two hours, you know, and that makes the day better. That to me is more than the tip itself, basically.”
funk k
Favorite station: Finch Station
Kristin Fung, the other half of K Funk and Lady Ree, moved to Vancouver just before the pandemic hit for personal reasons, but hoped to continue playing live music. But like the TTC musicians, busking, which is allowed in the coastal city, has been stopped to control the spread of COVID-19.
“I basically moved to Vancouver and as a musician, not being able to play music indoors anywhere and everything was cancelled, I decided to pursue a second career as a music school teacher,” she said.
Turning to teaching, Fung continued to pursue music and came up with the idea of hosting music programming events in his community. In the summer of 2021, he started his project with the support of a local company.
“I actually started my own series of outdoor performances called ‘Funk and Mink.’ It was original funky music from me and my band and we partnered with this chocolate shop called Mink chocolates,” he said.
“We played in his yard. And he had these chocolate giveaway giveaways that were just ways to bring the community together in a safe way that was like being outdoors so people could come and enjoy the music.”
Fung adds that he tried live streaming his concerts, but it wasn’t the same, as it takes a different set of skills to translate the same charisma and commitment to a screen.
“It’s like expecting to become a TV star instantly and not everyone has visual video and broadcast skills,” he said.
Despite moving across the country, Fung is considering returning home to Toronto.
“It’s not like I’m gone forever. When I moved to Vancouver, all my friends were like, ‘Why? You’re Toronto like you loved this city, the city loves you, like why are you going? she said.
“There are plans to come back, my heart will always be in Toronto.”
Michelle Rodriguez
Favorite station: Bay station
Playing music on TTC stations gave singer Michelle Rumball her first start as a musician in Toronto, a leap that allowed her to perform at larger venues and teach music to others.
But with the sudden shutdown of places around the city due to the pandemic, he decided to take a turn.
“I started doing Facebook shows during most of the pandemic. I called it ‘Every Friday’. So every Friday at five o’clock I did a live stream and it was great. People really responded,” Rumball said.
As she moves online, singing on TTC for over 15 years has given her a special connection with people. Something in person that cannot be replicated over the Internet.
“To me, just to have people this exchange with people who brighten someone’s day by changing someone’s spirit, we don’t understand that, we don’t understand any of that,” he said. “Staring at a phone and doing a live stream hasn’t made up for how good it has been. That’s not why any of us are and stay in the music business.”
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