Traffic Jam

Squealing tires and honking horns won't distract Hal Walker at his Street Beats performance during rush hour today. The one-man band plans to simply play along with the automotive racket. "I'm hoping to set an atmosphere of music that goes along with traffic," he says. "I won't invite the noise, but I'll try to accompany it."

The Kent musician's cache of instruments ranges from a harmonica to a whistle. When he's not playing in traffic, Walker shows off his instruments as a traveling educator for the Ohio Arts Council. "I'm giving children the foundation for a lifetime of music that they can carry with them," he says. "There are many different folk instruments [that are] an alternative to GameBoy." Though he prefers to perform in school gymnasiums, Walker says he's ready to take on Cleveland's bustling downtown this afternoon. "This performance will be anything but quiet," he says. "I'll just put on my outgoing side and let 'em have it."
Thu., June 1, 5:30-7:30 p.m.