As I write this, the world is still reeling from the Coronavirus outbreak. All three of us are adhering to our federal and state guidelines and staying home as much as possible. Of course, this means no shows for a while. Although we are missing out on a ton of great shows we had booked in Spring and Summer, we are thankful that this isn’t hitting us as hard as others. Many artists I know depend on touring as their sole source of income. Therefore, they have to get creative with livestream shows, merch sales, and other side hustles.
Screencap from our livestream duo set for Cosmic Charlies
Livestream show experiments
Before health guidelines became as strict as they are now, music venues started shutting down. Suggested gathering sizes dwindled from 50 to 30 to 10, and social distancing became the norm. We were scheduled to open for touring Columbus, OH rockers Courtney from Work in March at Cosmic Charlie’s. Courtney canceled their tour, and, due to the other local band’s family situation, they dropped off as well. Due to a potential health risk to Chase, Justin and I decided to convert the show to an acoustic duo set, live streaming from the Practice Lair (my basement). Cosmic was gracious enough to simulcast the event, and we played to some backing tracks I programmed with drum and keys. We even busted out a new song. It turned out pretty well, considering some technical challenges.
Now, in mid-April, I’m going positively stir crazy without weekly band rehearsal and playing shows. With Justin and Chase’s blessings, I’ve decided to start a weekly livestream series. I’m going to play solo acoustic, going back to my roots, but with some beefed up backing tracks (adding in bass synths). I will also be adding in some new-to-me punk and country covers to spice things up. It won’t be the same without the guys, but I have to stay sharp and keep our name out there. Playing live is a huge part of who I am, so I hope you’ll join me. Sign up for a reminder about my weekly lunchtime livestream series on Facebook Live.
Parting motivation
As our illustrious Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear keeps saying, we are going to make it through this together. We hope we can play some of the Summer gigs we have booked, but it’s much more important that we all stay home and stay healthy. Be safe.
PS – We also made some coloring pages to keep your kiddos busy while in quarantine. Download them here!