Join us at Desert General for a special evening with Cary Baker, author of Down on the Corner: Adventures in Busking and Street Music (Jawbone Press). Baker will be interviewed by music journalist Steve Hochman in a lively conversation about the culture and history of street performance. A live busker will welcome guests as they arrive.

Down on the Corner is the first book to tell the full story of busking, tracing its evolution from the 1920s to today. Through interviews with Lucinda Williams, Billy Bragg, Violent Femmes, Madeleine Peyroux, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Old Crow Medicine Show, and many more, Baker explores how music performed in public spaces shaped genres from blues and folk to jazz, indie rock, and beyond.

About the Speakers

Cary Baker – Writer, music publicist, and lifelong champion of street music. His writing career began with a profile of Chicago blues busker Blind Arvella Gray at just 16 years old. He has directed publicity for six record labels (including Capitol and IRS) and two of his own companies, working with acclaimed artists such as R.E.M., Bonnie Raitt and more. Prior to his PR years, Baker wrote for the Chicago Reader, Creem, Trouser Press After 42 years in the music industry, Baker returns with his first book.

Steve Hochman – Steve Hochman has covered music for 40 years, most prominently with the Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, KPCC and KQED. Currently he’s a featured writer in SPIN, New Orleans’ OffBeat and the Bluegrass Situation, and frequently serves as moderator of events at the Grammy Museum. In recent years, with the loving encouragement of his wife, Susan Hayden, he has also embraced a more personal voice, writing pieces for her monthly live literary series, Library Girl.

Books will be available for purchase and signing.

Admission is free with RSVP (click HERE to reserve your spot).