LiveJournal discussion (with video) of that guy who plays that weird Chinese stick instrument, badly, usually at Harvard Square, but more recently at Park Street. With examples of how the instrument sounds when played well.

How did they get it there?

Why does Tom Menino hate freedom?

Turns out the barricade his minions put around Faneuil Hall block the Freedom Trail and could violate an agreement by the city - in federal court no less - not to interfere with the First Amendment rights of street performers. Dan Kennedy posts e-mail from local street-performer activist Stephen Baird - along with an embarrassing photo of the Freedom Trail blocked by a barricade:

The fence is a blight not only on the city, but the country. The fence, similar to the old Berlin Wall, is a symbol of Mayor Thomas Menino's and other government officials' failure to develop intelligent and equitable public policies and regulations.

There was no warning or public process before this crackdown. Portrait artists, living statues and street performers were suddenly told they could no longer exercise their First Amendment artistic expression in this public park by the police. There are no written guidelines or laws, just the arbitrary whim of the police officers and government officials of where people can perform and audiences can gather.

More from Baird, including copies of filings from the 2004 lawsuit against the city street-performer regulations.

Earlier:
Staring down from his cave with a sour, Grinchy frown.

Finding Ari is a new blog dedicated to tracking Boston-area street musicians. Author Sonicgrass reports:

... A lot of street performers are no longer playing the streets. The Opera singer that sang in Harvard square was not here this summer. Ari also seems to have quit playing the street, although I hope that she occasionally will grace the street with her guitar. This also means that people are moving on into the clubs, as the subway is a transitory experience it also makes sense that the musicians move on as well. The last time I saw Bob Sundstrom the banjo player, he stated that he would not be playing the subway for awhile due to gigs that he has. ...