10 seconds of aural entertainment

One of the benefits of working downtown and getting out at the Montgomery Muni/Bart station is that on most days I am treated to a free concert by a street musician. Even though I wisk by and only hear them for 10 seconds, they have become an integral part of my day and I miss them when they are not there. I don't know too much about them; I suspect that some of them earn their money this way, some of them are students practicing, and others just stop and play a bit before work to make some extra latte cash.

At my particular station, I'm often entertained by:

• The Steel Guitar Guy - Singing songs like "Why Do Birds Suddenly Appear"... this guy has one of the purest-toned voices I've heard, which sounds pretty cool in the reverberant station hallways.
  
• The Large Johnny Cash Guy - You wouldn't know it from his image, but man, he does a mean Johhny Cash impression. Those low notes are great.
  
• The Weird Asian Instrument Guy - I have no idea what that instrument is that he plays, but its a nice break from the usual street performer routine.
  
• The De Colores Guy - It seems that everytime I pass him by, he's playing De Colores. The mariachi outfit makes up for it though. (By the way...maybe look into tuning your guitar more often?)
  
• The Crazy Flamenco Guy - I can never decide if this guy is so passionate about playing that it comes off a little too frantic, or if he's just lost some of his skills over the years, but it's still a great flamenco guitar performance.
  
• The String Quartet - This is my favorite. I think it's a group of students. They don't play very often, but when they do, and I hear that classical music as I ride up the escalator, it's hard to not forget about all the stressful things I've thought about on my commute and just relax and enjoy life, even if it is only for 10 seconds.