When does it all end?

My previously very full calendar for 2020 is now empty. 2021 has some tentative dates including a six week run on the other side of the globe which has been pushed out from later this year.

Locally, the music scene was going great until Covid completely shut it all down. I have a feeling it’s going to come back slowly after there’s a vaccine and there’s basically going to be a full reset of the scene. The economics are going to be brutal. A number of bands won’t come back, a couple of the more popular bands will probably be even more popular because people will be so happy to see them, some bands will fold quickly because the magic (and money) are gone, and a few new acts will rise quickly but make crap money. It’ll be interesting.

A regional corporate/wedding band I worked a lot with will hopefully resume at close to it’s previous pace, but who knows how long it will be before people are comfortable laying out money for those kinds of events again.

I’ll play with the best musicians who’ll let me hang around with them and scrounge for the best gigs I can get. If that means international travel for good money, sweet. If it means shlepping my own PA to the local watering hole, so be it.

 

I did two shows last weekend and most of the bands in this area seem to be booking a few gigs. The music scene here seems to be sputtering along at about 20%, more or less, but there seem to be some interesting trends developing, or at least some questions.
First- it seems like every venue has at least one "pickers circle" or "open mic/jam" now. My experience suggests that this is just a cost saving way to appear to have live music...again. I understand the economics, just wonder how it will play out, dollar wise, in the long run. Seems like it might be a dying gasp for some.
Second- Streaming- Facebook Live and YouTube, seemed to be all the rage through April and March, though for the majority not at all like the streams I see on Twitch from EDM producers, DJ's and gamers. But live streams nonetheless. A few of the locals tried it for a bit but now...nothing. Seems like there's a way to do this and monetize it, but we haven't yet quite hit on it. Multi-camera, switched video, good lighting and pro audio anyone?
Third- are we going to return to the same "us vs. them" of mediocre cover shows filling the middle ground between mediocre original music, (FOS's), and touring acts/venues? I understand the appeal of cover bands, especially given the demographic of this area and the tradition of C & W dancehalls but question the return of that audience. We had already been having extensive conversations here about it for months before the pandemic.
This is not posted as a rant at all, just some things that I've been thinking about and discussing with bandmates and friends. Obviously with a group this big YMMV.
Thanks

 

Hard to put a calendar date on it. Could be in two weeks, two months or two years for me. Dependent on external factors.

 

We played one gig on Memorial Day weekend and have one coming up on 6/21.

We've lost 3 over the summer, one festival rebooked for next year, have one on the books for Aug and two for Labor Day weekend. All outside and we have no issues playing those.

To each their own, we're ready to get back to it and outside gigs seem a good way to ease back into it.

 

I started rehearsal 3 weeks ago and have my first gig tonight.

 

I doubt we'll be playing anywhere until after a vaccine is developed and distributed. My best guess, not this year.

 

We use a commercial practice facility. They haven't reopened. We lost two gigs this spring, and nothing on the calendar. Just waiting till things settle down.

 

@filmtex I wonder about the weird economics and oversupply of mediocre cover bands too. I have worked hard to be in a better band. We've got two outdoor gigs this weekend. I'll be wearing a mask. Maybe it's irresponsible.

In mid-March, a relative, who has never been interested in seeing a band of mine and they've had decades in town, emailed to ask, "is your band in abeyance?" a word I had to look up. I sort of resented that. Maybe this person will choose to avoid me for a few months.

 

i'm curious why you'd be maybe okay with july (or august) but not june.

 

Abeyance. Unless there is more to it, I read it as he is asking if your band activities have been suspended. What am I missing?

 

Did my first driveway rehearsal yesterday afternoon for a June 20 outdoor gig. Rusty and new material combined to mixed results musically.

The neighbors came by, some walking and many more moms in SUV’s scouting the source of the music I suspect. Only one gentle complaint from a woman two blocks away. The vocals penetrated her home office & that was fodder for the rest of the rehearsal.

It was good overall. We didn’t mask up, and we were all 6 feet or more apart. The vocalist was perhaps ten feet away.

In using the bubble metaphor I feel confident in merging my bubble with these guys. The drummer has a 6 month old baby, works from home. Our keyboard host has two grade-middle school kids that haven’t left the driveway in a month. The guitarist and I have seen each other once or so for the duration & I know his germ free regimes. The vocalist is a germaphobe and I feel pretty confident about him.

My other bands, well one is filled with high risk older guys playing horns and three singers out front....no gigs for them in foreseeable so no further action required

 

If you’re lucky

 

Yeah, I don't get the offense. It's like asking if your band is on hiatus. Mine are.

As for when to feel safe, I think it's a question without an answer. We'll feel safe when the science and the data tell us it's safe. I don't see that happening for a while yet.

 

We are doing our first rehearsal tomorrow. Outdoors, distanced. I think it’s more of a social visit/boredom buster. The whole team has been fairly strict about quarantine, and our region has been pretty mild (comparatively) so I have little worry about this get together.

My bigger curiosity/concern is actually moving towards playing out. I wonder about a flare up, and going back to square one. As it stands now, our entire June/July calendar has been wiped clean. Our next official gigs are Aug 5 & 7, but we shall see if they stand. A colleague in the area is (tentatively) playing June 12 at an outdoor beer garden. (As NY state enters phase 3 of 4.) “Arts and Entertainment” is supposed to be in Phase 4, but apparently outdoor music can happen in Phase 3. so we could get the call, I suppose....

Strange times indeed!

 

My concern is also about playing out, but it's more about everyone's comfort level for that. One of my bands is doing outdoor rehearsals. I'm okay with participating in that as long as we're reasonably distanced, but I won't be ok with gigs for a while, even if clubs are opening up. As long as the cases are trending upward, I feel at risk. But I think that the bandleader in this case is going to want to play out as soon as it's legally viable. So that may cause a conflict.

 

This person thinks I'm oversensitive too!

 

Outdoor gigs are one thing, but I really can’t picture playing indoors without a treatment/vaccine. Our Aug 5 gig is an outdoor summer concert, so we’ll see. We rescheduled one of our cancelled March gigs for November, again- we’ll see.

My BL is in his 60s, with existing conditions, and his wife won’t let him do anything stupid. But still, I’ve already thought ahead to having to pull myself from the running if everyone else wants to go ahead.

it will be interesting to watch Texas, as they have opened live music already. Just because the state has approved, doesn’t mean it’s a good idea...

 

Boy, this is the big question, isn't it?

I rehearsed with my funk/soul/disco band last Sunday for the first time in three months. They were all masked indoors, and I actually masked and set up outside near an open window. All went well, and jeez, it felt good to play music with others again!

Another rehearsal on Sunday will run the same way. We have an outdoors gig the following weekend that I plan to mask for, and another outdoors gig over the Fourth of July weekend.

Then in late July we have an indoors gig scheduled. It's a big venue, with a very large and elevated stage that keeps folks away. I'm not sure how I feel about that at this moment, being an old guy and all. My state is pretty low incidence, and the stage set up gives me room to distance. I'm leaning towards doing the gig with a mask.

 

I suspect that my main band and one side project (that share a guitarist) will not be taking bookings until there is a vaccine because he is high risk and has been told that if he contracts COVID-19 it will most probably be the end for him. He has not left the house since lockdown started.

My other side project, a duo that does (did) weekly live Facebook streams and the occasional festival, will no doubt resume streaming as soon as we are allowed in the same room together. The festivals are probably some way off yet.