Pandemic ‘21

The violin guy

April 27, 2021

Pulling into the shopping center around the corner from our house, I couldn’t believe my ears. I heard music playing in the springtime air. Beautiful music.

Was that “Amazing Grace” coming from inside Great Clips? Or a Romanian folk song booming from The UPS Store?

Couldn’t be. This was a strip mall in suburbia USA, for goodness’ sake.

It was 2:30 in the afternoon, and my eyes were still dilated and somewhat blurry after seeing my retinal specialist that morning. (I’m fine.) I couldn’t see a darn thing, but I trusted my ears. At least my good one.

There he was standing in the parking lot next to a curb by the first handicapped spot outside Happy Nails.

Just a handsome, bearded 30-something guy in a dark baseball cap playing an electric violin. As he played, he closed his eyes, transforming everything – and everyone – around him.

Without any sheet music, he guided his bow along the strings in harmony with songs playing on a portable Samson speaker. Classics like Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World.” And “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen.

The sky turned bluer, birds chirped louder and time slowed, stopping some people in their tracks. Like me.

I pulled out my phone and took a few photos, then started recording a video of this mystery music man.

He wasn’t disruptive. He was pleasant, soothing and so good.

His beat-up black violin case was perched on a bed of faded mulch under a tree brimming with green buds. Next to his amplifier was a round basket balanced on the curb with the lid and edges wrapped in royal blue duct tape with a hole cut out in the center, just big enough to fit folded dollar bills.

The words “GOD BLESS” printed in black marker labeled the basket. It was brimming with cash. People were giving him tips.

I asked him his name. The muffled response I thought I heard through traffic noise was “Leo.” Reb thought she heard “Nico.”

Doesn’t matter. Here was this guy in a Kroger parking lot on a Monday afternoon playing an electric violin to make a few bucks for his family.

At least that’s what his sign said.

Propped up against the amp, it read:

"I LOST MY JOB
I HAVE 3 KID'S
I NEED HELP FOR
FOOD AND RENT
VENMO FLORIN1
CASHAPP ELEN11
GOD BLESS YOU"

After silently editing his incorrect possessive use for the plural of kids, I snapped back to reality. Venmo? Cash App? A street performer using mobile payment services? Hmmm.

Of course, my first thought was that he was a phony, not really playing the violin and scamming people out of their hard-earned money. Was that his Cadillac SUV parked in the first spot? No, I saw them pull in. Or did I?

My Florida friend Elyse, who knows all things music, sent more proof of my fears with several YouTube videos of guys doing just that in Texas. Watching those videos, my gullible heart sank, and I was royally pissed off that I’d fallen for it.

Then, hoping to restore my faith in humanity, I did some digging of my own.

Google provided plenty of examples supporting the scammer theory. There was even a professional violinist who confronted a fake “violinist” outside a store in Texas. “Let’s play together,” the pro said walking up to him with her bow in hand. He was busted.

I was crushed, yet still hoping my generous gratuity wasn’t wasted on some schmuck.

So, I dug deeper and found a May 2020 article from the Gainesville (Ga.) Times. There it was in 36-point bold headline type: “The story of the violinist in the Publix parking lot on Thompson Bridge Road.”

It was him. And he had a name: Nicolae Giani. Nic!

Rebecca was right. Again.

The violin guy in the Kroger parking lot.

In March 2020, before COVID-19, Nic was living in California performing at a restaurant for income. Once the pandemic hit, he said the business closed and he lost his job – like millions of other Americans.

Since then, Nic played in different parking lots across the country to support his wife and three children. His travels brought him to Gainesville (yes, Georgia), about 55 miles northeast of Atlanta, and he had planned to stay there with his family for a couple of weeks. 

According to the article, Nic said he had more than 15 years of experience with the violin and came from a long line of musicians.

Before moving to California, he lived in Milan, Italy. A paison, no less!

“My grandfather, father, sister, uncle — everyone in my family plays,” said Nic, who had hoped to find a job performing at restaurants, parties or an established venue. “I play to make people happy and to support my family.”

Last year was such an awful one for so many of us. Now we’ve got access to COVID-19 vaccines, but 2021 began with increased cases and new strains of the virus. COVID-19 is still with us and may be for a while.

No matter what kind of year you’ve had – or whether you’re fortunate enough to have never been out of work and needing help to pay the bills – it is hard for most of us to find dignity in taking, especially money.

There’s pride, often difficult to swallow, even when it could mean the difference between having enough money to pay the rent or feed your family.

We’re living in a time when people are asked to be more understanding, compassionate and empathetic. A time when friends and neighbors are asked to be more supportive and come together.

We still have each other.

And beautiful music playing in parking lots.

What a wonderful world. Hallelujah.

(Editor’s note: Maybe not so wonderful after all. After hearing from more than one of our readers, I’m more convinced than ever that this guy was a fake. Sorry for being so gullible. I’ll blame COVID-19. And promise to be more careful next time. JJ)

NAME THAT TUNE UPDATE: Here’s a clip of the violin guy ‘playing’ Andrea Boccelli’s beautiful ballad, “Vivo per Lei” (I Live for Her). A big thanks to my friend Barbara, who identified the tune. Your free blog subscription is on its way! (Video 0:47)

Retired print journalist and blogger.❤️🐾

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25 Comments

  • Julie M Sayers

    April 27, 2021 at 9:03 pm

    Excellent! My husband’s brother, a priest, feels we should give from our hearts and not think about what a person will do with it. That is their issue. I am sure your violinist is totally up front!

  • gramcracker8191

    April 28, 2021 at 10:05 am

    You’ve not only brought us another wonderful story, but also an important message that we should never assume anything without doing a little research. I wish I had been there to experience the magic of his performance and the reaction he received from everyone fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time. And his choice of “What a Wonderful World” would have brought me to tears. Thank you, sister!

  • Tony

    May 1, 2021 at 11:49 am

    It’s not the same person. The face is different, the body build is different. In Gainesville, electric violin is blue; in Michigan, electric violin is brown. In Gainesville, 2 kids; in Michigan, 3 kids. In Gainesville, not Samson amplifier; in Michigan, Samson amplifier. In Gainesville, just has basket for money; in Michigan, he has Venmo and Cashapp as well.

    • Jennifer John

      May 1, 2021 at 2:08 pm

      Hmmm. Not sure who this is, but I appreciate your attention to detail and your use of the dreaded semicolon. I’m hoping my violin guy maybe has more than one violin, got a new speaker and cash basket, lost some weight and had another kid. And that’s why we call it creative nonfiction! Thanks for writing.👍🏼

  • Anna

    May 3, 2021 at 5:08 pm

    Sorry, but he’s not really playing. I’ve played the violin/viola for 25-plus years, and his bow movements along with his fingerings were not the same notes that were coming out in the video. There was definitely a track playing where I could hear a piano and two violins or maybe a viola and violin. I wanted to believe that he was playing along to it, but after watching the video a couple of times, I just don’t believe it. If you see him again, ask him to play something not on the track. If I see him, I definitely want to get a closer look and listen.

    • Jennifer John

      May 3, 2021 at 5:16 pm

      Boy, do I feel stupid, Anna. Between your comments and Tony’s (above), I’m more convinced that I, along with many others, was duped! If I ever see him again, I’m gonna ask for a refund. Right after I call the cops! Thanks to you both for setting the record straight.

      • Anna

        May 3, 2021 at 5:27 pm

        Yeah, sucks that he’s taking advantage of people. I do know musicians who will play along to tracks or loop their music. I came across a friend that posted this video recently. This guy is definitely playing the electric violin. 🙂 Pretty neat, too. https://fb.watch/5g8UvvMpQX/
        If I ever see the other guy at Kroger or wherever, maybe I’ll offer to bring up my viola and duet with him. If he’s legit, he would be OK with that. Unfortunately, I think he’s a scammer. 🙁