In Havana, the greatest performances are not found in concert halls, but in the streets, the parks, and along the Malecon seawall. Funded by Kickstarter, my team went to Havana and recorded an album and documentary with local street performers. In 2002, I was wandering along the streets of Havana in the midst of an uninspiring study abroad program when I befriended and received my first real dose of Cuban life from two street musicians named Orleidys and Cristian. For the remainder of my nights in Cuba I followed them and their friends along the Malecon as they played Beatles songs for a dollar, shared their life stories, and introduced me to their perspective on the world. Although many were trained musicians, their music was raw passion: filled with stories of lost love, ill children, and desire for greatness. The Malecon, a 3-ft high seawall avenue that runs along the shores of Havana, serves as the inspiration and backdrop for the album and accompanying documentary. Because of the economic situation in Cuba where monthly salaries average around $20, few can afford to go to clubs and restaurants. Instead, thousands of people come together along this 4-mile stretch to socialize, drink Cuba Libres, sell goods & services (tamales, home-made wine, flowers, renditions of the latest Marc Anthony song) and fight to make ends meet. I wanted to professionally record and capture the spontaneity, emotions and guitar infused songs of The Malecon and share it with the world. Ultimately, we created a CD and an accompanying film documenting the characters, the creative process, and the inspiration behind the album.