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Issues re: post-quarantine music venues


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I'm suddenly aware of how much time we (and me, especially) have wasted on this forum talking about the Coronavirus, ignoring the real threat to live music . . . DJs. DJs, not the virus, are the reason why there hasn't been a live music set played between Tijuana and Bellingham since 2013.

 

Let's not waste any more time or good will bickering about who's suffering more from the virus. Let's focus on retaking music venues back from DJs. Everyone needs to just stay home until they die out. Live music will be reintroduced in phases, starting with hand drums played 6 feet apart in parks and at beaches.

 

OK, I apologize to any DJs we have on here, but I figure you're used to taking some ribbing and besides, you get the last laugh since, like, I mean, you have all the gigs.

Gigging: Crumar Mojo 61, Hammond SKPro

Home: Vintage Vibe 64

 

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OK, I apologize to any DJs we have on here, but I figure you're used to taking some ribbing and besides, you get the last laugh since, like, I mean, you have all the gigs.

 

No offense taken :laugh: My DJ phase is more of a footnote to a lifetime of playing keys than anything else. I kind of fell into it by accident, and immediately became addicted to it's energy and vibe - something I hadn't felt since I was a much younger man.

 

And we don't have all the gigs anyway. Around here live music has been gradually regaining popularity over the last decade - to the point where live music rooms greatly outnumber DJ rooms. Its the type of rooms that has changed since the old days. Many are kind of like updated supper clubs, where table dining is integrated into drinking and dancing. Quality vocals and musicianship are even more of a must than before - combined with a conversational approach to stage presence rather than the "How's everybody doin' tonight!" bar band stuff.

 

And we do have a bar band room locally! I was amazed... a brewpub got a liquor license and converted itself into a bar band room a couple of years ago - complete with large stage, decent sound system with 18" subs, and lights. And it was working. I was in there for a thrash concert last winter, and the place was packed. But that's the thing... the owner has been trying to figure out how to update the old bar band formula into something that works today, and most of the bands have something unique or distinctive going on.

 

Sorry for going a little off topic. It's Sunday, and rather than trying to wake up from a long Saturday night I'm wide awake and bored.

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I think things will differ regionally. Seems like from what I hear on here anyway, that live music was practically a thing of the past on the coasts anyway

From what I've heard online, everyone between the coasts is either in jail or a redneck product of incestuous immigrants from Viking territory.

Jesus Christ, I've never heard of a more misinformed statement than live music being a thing of the past on the coasts :) Clearly hasn't been out of the St. Louis area in quite a while.

 

Just going by what has regularly been reported on here that gigs dried up in favor of DJ's and nobody wants to see bands. When I said the scene was good around here, the response was that it's because we're behind the times and it will catch up with us. So if I'm misinformed, this was the source.

 

Sorry for flying off the handle JDan. I apologize.

 

I just know that there were tons of venues offering live music on the coasts before the virus hit.

 

At the risk of generalization, I just think that the use of anecdotal info from KC members of trends on the death of live music on the coasts probably isn't a reliable indicator of the ground truth.

I'm open to being wrong too. In the end it will be fascinating to compare predictions versus reality, although the historians will spin it to any way that justifies their world view.

J a z z  P i a n o 8 8

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Yamaha C7D

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About New York and subways. They were probably a factor but not the main factor from what I've heard on the news and just now read. I heard on a news show the other day and I don't remember which one, Brooklyn and Queens are now Chinese with large majorities. I'm going, what?? I've never been to NY but I've always thought those areas were mostly Italian but then what do I know except what I see in movies and Law and Order? I did some checking and yes, it seems that is true. From Wikipedia:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinatowns_in_Brooklyn

 

And then this is from a year about all the great Chinese restaurants in NY's NINE Chinatowns:

 

https://ny.eater.com/2019/2/25/18236523/chinatowns-restaurants-elmhurst-homecrest-bensonhurst-east-village-little-neck-forest-hills-nyc

 

To me this explains why NY got hit so hard and it ties into what I wrote here 6 weeks ago about hundreds of thousands of Chinese visitors coming to NY from Europe before Trump banned travel from there. I just never heard anything about these NY Boroughs being so heavily. Comparing this to LA is no comparison. There is no huge Chinese areas in LA. We went to the LA Chinatown to eat last year and it's the same triangular roughly 8 to 10 block area that's been there for 40 years with a population of about 36,000. It's fun to visit and eat there every once in a while.

 

Bob

Hammond SK1, Mojo 61, Kurzweil PC3, Korg Pa3x, Roland FA06, Band in a Box, Real Band, Studio One, too much stuff...
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Seeing in person (driving by) and hearing about all the restaurants opening back up (and being packed) around the country...well, it makes me pretty angry. I don't care if people want to risk themselves...but we are all in this together. Regardless, all I can do is shelter in place. I keep reading in interviews: "I don't want to give in to fear'. So that's why you go into a packed store or restaurant without a mask. I wonder if these same people wade into the surf with a cut on their leg, or raise high their golf club in a thunderstorm a la Caddyshack....can't give in to fear, after all. And of course you have to point out that anyone staying at home listening to the science is a ****ing coward. I feel like hitting these people with a socially-distant-length stick until all the freedom runs out of them.

 

I really hope those people are right and their gamble pays off, because it means this (for whatever reason) is turning out different than the experts and scientists are mostly saying. I'll put up with the smarmy I'll told you sos afterward. Even though it would be like someone bragging that see, they didn't need any car insurance after all...no tickets and no accidents, don't you feel stupid for paying all that money.

 

In the meantime, these next three weeks are a REALLY GOOD TIME to tighten up sheltering at home while we see what the numbers look like. One way or another with all the freedom-loving risk takers out there I guess we'll know just how dangerous this is (just in case we didn't already know). I don't trust the Florida government to give truthful numbers AT ALL, but I do have several people I know that work in hospitals, so at least for the local area I'll get a pretty good idea.

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Seeing in person (driving by) and hearing about all the restaurants opening back up (and being packed) around the country...well, it makes me pretty angry. I don't care if people want to risk themselves...but we are all in this together. Regardless, all I can do is shelter in place. I keep reading in interviews: "I don't want to give in to fear'. So that's why you go into a packed store or restaurant without a mask. I wonder if these same people wade into the surf with a cut on their leg, or raise high their golf club in a thunderstorm a la Caddyshack....can't give in to fear, after all. And of course you have to point out that anyone staying at home listening to the science is a ****ing coward. I feel like hitting these people with a socially-distant-length stick until all the freedom runs out of them.

 

I really hope those people are right and their gamble pays off, because it means this (for whatever reason) is turning out different than the experts and scientists are mostly saying. I'll put up with the smarmy I'll told you sos afterward. Even though it would be like someone bragging that see, they didn't need any car insurance after all...no tickets and no accidents, don't you feel stupid for paying all that money.

 

In the meantime, these next three weeks are a REALLY GOOD TIME to tighten up sheltering at home while we see what the numbers look like. One way or another with all the freedom-loving risk takers out there I guess we'll know just how dangerous this is (just in case we didn't already know). I don't trust the Florida government to give truthful numbers AT ALL, but I do have several people I know that work in hospitals, so at least for the local area I'll get a pretty good idea.

 

These data from New York Times seem to be reliable numbers that are consistent with the CDC website. I've been tracking them (my state and county) and the numbers between this, CDC and Newspapers are very consistent.

They are cumulative statistics by date, so if you have Excel and can filter the State or County you can easily plot the cumulative cases, death count, and cases per day.

 

NYT Case Data

 

So you look at any state or your local area to see if the case count is increasing, decreasing... etc. I find that inserting a column to compute the 5 day moving average of cases per day is pretty helpful as the data are very noisy and subject to incredibly high measurement errors.

 

As a final editorial comment, the baseline "Shelter in Place" advice by the government is questionable, We are accepting unverified data and guidelines with zero scientifically accepted information. The experts are going by the seat of their pants and have killed the economy on a hunch.

Canada now has a study coming that indicates the Virus is transmitted primarily by droplets from surfaces and not airborne. The fact that no one knows anything about this virus and yet we've completely destroyed the world economy without any solid science is going to be the take away when history is written.

J a z z  P i a n o 8 8

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Yamaha C7D

Montage8 | CP300 | CP4 | SK1-73 | OB6 | Seven

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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8304781/Coronavirus-enter-body-eyes.html

 

This tells a different tale. There are many different tales and it is probable that some truth exists in all of them.

 

If and when more scientists agree on particular aspects, those aspects will become more believable. As it stands now, we do not know enough to confirm anything.

One can choose to believe one thing over another but that is all it amounts to until we have solid proof, a belief.

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8304781/Coronavirus-enter-body-eyes.html

 

This tells a different tale. There are many different tales and it is probable that some truth exists in all of them.

 

If and when more scientists agree on particular aspects, those aspects will become more believable. As it stands now, we do not know enough to confirm anything.

One can choose to believe one thing over another but that is all it amounts to until we have solid proof, a belief.

 

Well stated. All the more argument that it has made zero sense to completely Nuke the economy and send everyone into the next depression based on zero scientific facts or agreement. Ebola and bleeding out with 50% death I could understand, but this has too many unknowns.

J a z z  P i a n o 8 8

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Yamaha C7D

Montage8 | CP300 | CP4 | SK1-73 | OB6 | Seven

K8.2 | 3300 | CPSv.3

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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8304781/Coronavirus-enter-body-eyes.html

 

This tells a different tale. There are many different tales and it is probable that some truth exists in all of them.

 

If and when more scientists agree on particular aspects, those aspects will become more believable. As it stands now, we do not know enough to confirm anything.

One can choose to believe one thing over another but that is all it amounts to until we have solid proof, a belief.

 

Well stated. All the more argument that it has made zero sense to completely Nuke the economy and send everyone into the next depression based on zero scientific facts or agreement. Ebola and bleeding out with 50% death I could understand, but this has too many unknowns.

 

Nearly 80,000 dead is not an unknown.

 

You seem determined to proselytize a political agenda. I believe that is discouraged on these forums, there are plenty of other places to discuss such things.

It could also be taken as religious if somebody wants to discuss the value of human life vs money.

A discussion as to whether a nation has wealth when it cannot pay it's debts could rear it's head as well and then we are into full on politcal/religious discourse.

 

At which point beliefs kick in and facts become inconveniences. There are better places for these topics.

 

I will admit that these sorts of threads are fraught with peril in that regard.

I will continue to avoid infection. We will know more in a few months. I fully expect the death toll to be much higher than it is now, much higher.

I am hoping it does not include myself or my loved ones. Too many are gone already.

 

Having a job when you are dead seems a bit futile, no?

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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Either folks steer the discussion back to the original topic or this thread is toast. The original topic was actually useful to many of us. More agitating about decisions made at the political level is not.

 

Think micro, not macro.

Gigging: Crumar Mojo 61, Hammond SKPro

Home: Vintage Vibe 64

 

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Either folks steer the discussion back to the original topic or this thread is toast. The original topic was actually useful to many of us. More agitating about decisions made at the political level is not.

 

Think micro, not macro.

+1

 

Thanks, Adan.

 

Just this weekend my band was discussing the possibility of doing a live/streaming show with full production at a decent-sized venue where we have played a few times. Incorporate a virtual tip jar to hopefully at least break even, and keep both of our entities relevant until things open up. I know this has been discussed in other threads, just trying to get things semi-back on track...

"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing."

- George Bernard Shaw

 

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The economic damage isn't all about emergency orders. There's plenty of evidence that places were starting to lose business even before they went into affect:

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/07/upshot/pandemic-economy-government-orders.html

 

My extremely modest place in the foodchain is a couple bands that can pack a bar with our (no longer young) friends as long as we're only playing once or twice a year. Some of those bars have schedules full of similar bands. I don't see many of our friends being willing to do that now, and even if our governor allowed it, I don't see how such a venue could get back to business as normal absent some dramatic improvement in the public health outlook.

 

I hear all the anecdotes about people ignoring social distancing. So depending on the location, maybe there's a demographic out there that can support a few venues. I'm skeptical whether that business would be sustainable if their area sees a serious new wave of infections.

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At the least, that question will be at least somewhat answered over the next few weeks in my area--my band is doing at least two shows (without me) and I'm sure I'll hear all about it and see pics and videos from it. We'll be able to see if the sudden "re-opening" causes an uptick in numbers, or not. Part of me wants these bars and clubs to do as well as possible, I know some of the ownership and staff and this really sucks for them. At the same time, it feels wrong of me to pack people in, not sure how many precautions will be taken there. As much as I want to play, it's a win because a couple of the other members can use my share a lot more than I can.

 

There are now no cases at all at my brother's hospital and I think that's pretty much the norm in the central florida area.

 

If we do get a big uptick, that will be a wake-up call. And if there isn't, that will tell us a lot as well hopefully. It means something is affecting this virus in some areas despite people quarantining. I've seen some interesting vitamin D studies for example. Of course it's all matters of degree, as others have noted, packed trains in NYC might have just been so much more exposure that it accounts for the explosion there. Florida may just get a steady stream of this for months and years.

 

I don't agree that the epidemiologists are all over the map, or that they are just guessing based on hunches. We can agree to disagree on that. I'm a person who plans for the worst and hopes for the best, I'm not waiting around for 100% confirmation that something is dangerous. I don't buy car insurance because I know I'll get in an accident.

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The economic damage isn't all about emergency orders. There's plenty of evidence that places were starting to lose business even before they went into affect:

 

 

Good point. It's fantasy to think all we need is for government to get out of the way.

 

Where I live and where some of my gigs are, in Marin County, rationality and caution prevail. That has a lot to do with why I live here but I have to acknowledge it's going to mean a slower return for the music scene.

 

What we do have here is wineries, lots of them within an hour's drive. Perfect venues for music and social distancing. I'll be trying to work that angle but it might be very competitive.

Gigging: Crumar Mojo 61, Hammond SKPro

Home: Vintage Vibe 64

 

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I"m wondering how music venues will operate, say within the 6-12 months immediately after stay-at-home restrictions are lifted? Will there be an occupancy limit? Will there be a higher cover charge to offset lower customer numbers (and to pay the band)? More solo/duo acts and fewer bands? Will they take your temperature at the door? Will tables/occupants have to remain six feet apart? Will folks be allowed to dance? What about the lavatories (thinking of the typical nightclub john...yuck)? Will bouncers now be the social distance police? Just some random thoughts...

Bringing things back to the topic:

 

In Ohio, restaurants and bars are open for outdoor seating this week (5/15) and indoor seating next week (5/21). I thought there was hope to resume gigging as early as next weekend, since the upcoming venues we have booked have raised stages and can separate the band from the audience, but the policy doesn't allow it:

 

'The open congregate areas in restaurants and bars that are not necessary for the preparation and service of food or beverages (billiards, card playing, pinball games, video games, arcade games, dancing, entertainment) shall remain closed.'

 

I think the following policy page addresses Ohio's take on some of the questions @Moonglow posed:

Responsible Restart Ohio - Restaurants & Bars

 

Even if bands were allowed, I'm not sure how running at 25%-50% of capacity will allow restaurants and bars to stay open, let alone pay a band when there is not enough space available to accommodate the larger crowd the band would be expected to draw. I'm speaking from the perspective of a 6-piece cover band, but I'd expect the view/opportunity to be different for solo/duo acts.

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Just read today that Nord Lead sales have dropped - first time in 80 years apparently.

:D

 

Actually, that's probably not true. MI sales and activities are up, which is a cool thing.

 

Sales of Instruments and Music Gear Are Soaring. Will Quarantine Spark a Renaissance?

Defying the economic downturn, online business is booming for Apple"s GarageBand music software, as well as Sweetwater, Guitar Center, Reverb, and other retailers

 

In the weeks since the concert industry was stopped in its tracks, there"s been a 55% increase in Google searches for Apple"s Garageband music creation software. Apple confirms the company is seeing record levels of interest in Garageband, with nearly 13 million downloads from its add-on 'Sound Library' since early February â and hundreds of thousands of free trial downloads of Garageband"s pricier siblings Logic Pro X and Final Cut Pro X.

 

Apogee, which makes music-creation accessories including popular iOS and Mac products like HypeMic, just experienced its most active month ever. Roland, a popular manufacturer of electronic and digital musical instruments, equipment, and software, has seen a spike as well. Splice, which sells royalty-free samples, loops, and preset for producers, has seen more than one million sound downloads a day, the company tells Rolling Stone.

 

Instrument/gear seller Reverb is seeing success during this period with both new and used musical instruments â with buyers and sellers that range from large brands and local music shops to individual players and famous artists.

'We are seeing extraordinarily high order volumes, outpacing even the amount of orders we see during the busy holiday season,' says Jim Tuerk, the company"s director of business development. 'Several of the music shops that sell gear on Reverb have even told us that March was one of their best months ever⦠Compared to this time last year, searches for music gear are up nearly 50%, with several categories â like ukuleles, MIDI [Musical Instrument Digital Interface] keyboards, and drum machines â seeing search spikes of 100% or more when compared to this time last year.'

 

Music retailer Sweetwater has also seen a significant uptick in content and product sales from its website. Sweetwater CEO Chuck Surack tells Rolling Stone that the previous seven days were bigger than the week they had after Thanksgiving last year. Sweetwater is getting 500,000 visitors a day â around double what they"d normally see â and they"re shipping about 15-20,000 orders every day, he says.

 

As far as gigs, that's going to be tough. This article breaks down some risks and you'll see it is worse for indoor spaces and longer exposures as well as the activity of the infected person. Someone yelling or singing is worse than someone just breathing. Being in a room with poorly circulated air for longer periods of time is bad. Fortunately, I don't know any clubs nor rehearsal spaces like that, so us musicians should be in the clear. :/

"I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck

 

"The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI

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There is no huge Chinese areas in LA.

You apparently have never been to the San Gabriel Valley. LA Chinatown is for tourists. SGV is where it's at for real Chinese food.

 

Back to the topic at hand: I gave up my 4-6 times per month gig at the end of September. Just got tired of it for various reasons and wanted a break, which actually has been nice and recently I've been super busy with WFH software development contracting gigs. So that's been keeping me busy and semi-sane during the lockdown. It will definitely be interesting to see what live music looks like when we come out the other side of this. As others have noted, a lot of venues were operating on fairly slim margins and may not survive. One of my biggest worries is that the larger independent venues will all get assimilated into the LiveNation / Ticketmaster Borg collective.

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Evidence is mounting, not proof but mounting that warm weather helps with the virus:

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/health-news/does-warmer-weather-slow-coronavirus/ar-BB13Udko?li=BBnb7Kz

 

Obvious good news, we may catch a break in the next few months buying time for possible therapies, more testing and more PPE.

 

Obvious bad news, there will be a spike in the fall, next winter could be bad and we could shut down again. We need some good meds.

 

Bob

Hammond SK1, Mojo 61, Kurzweil PC3, Korg Pa3x, Roland FA06, Band in a Box, Real Band, Studio One, too much stuff...
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Certainly that would help explain Florida. Florida does have hotspots (Miami area) but not the perfect storm of NYC. We have had hot (mostly 80 degrees F. and above) since February...and lots and lots of sun (drought conditions actually).

 

Seeing some studies about Vitamin D, again nothing for certain. D has been recommended for a while for many people; we as a society rightly want to avoid skin cancer (I know a few people have dealt with melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer)--but one fallout from that has been Vitamin D deficiency. Even eating healthy food doesn't compare to sunlight.

 

There have always been worries about overdosing on D, but iirc this is not as easy as feared. Definitely check into that before taking it though.

 

Time can only help though. Meds and new techniques for dealing with this, and of course vaccine efforts are underway (well over 100 of them).

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Evidence is mounting, not proof but mounting that warm weather helps with the virus:

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/health-news/does-warmer-weather-slow-coronavirus/ar-BB13Udko?li=BBnb7Kz

 

Obvious good news, we may catch a break in the next few months buying time for possible therapies, more testing and more PPE.

 

Obvious bad news, there will be a spike in the fall, next winter could be bad and we could shut down again. We need some good meds.

 

Bob

 

 

Yes, I worked for a ten-eleven piece Asian dance band doing sound for awhile in L.A. after working for them I knew my way around the downtown real good. Also Asian dances at the Alpine Village which could get scary because some the Asian gangs would show up. Then discovered one my favorite last night places to eat was the Alps Coffee Shop that was Japanese owned and stayed open late on weekends. We'd go after gigs and be funny all these drunk Japanese business guys nodding off and doing a face plant into giant bowls of Donburi. We bring our own things to drink and smoke while eating and the young waitresses would come by and smell the air and just look at us and smile. We played lots of big wedding they were great because they would feed us same as the guests. There are lot of Asian gigs in L.A. especially the fraternities would have big dances. Only thing odd was getting used to how they would dance like crazy but not clap after a tune but wait until the end of the set.

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I used to go to Alpine a lot 20 years ago. My long time girlfriend did competition swing dancing including aerials and they had a big band every Monday night. It was open to the public so all the competition couples would wait for the last set when the public left to rehearse their routines for the big annual competitions like the International Swing Competition held at the Disneyland Grand Hotel. She and her partner, no not me haha, competed in the Cabaret division which was the full blown 1940's era stuff where the guys threw the girls all over the place. The girls get all the attention but it's the guys who have to really have it together. She said she had to have absolute trust in her partner or serious injuries could result, no different that high wire work in a circus which she did for two years. I used to be their spotter at rehearsals. Anyway, Alpine was fun I liked going there. I even did one big band gig there but that was a private party. Big stage and huge dance floor.

 

Yet another area of live entertainment that's shut down for who knows how long, the dance contests. Couples would come to the Disneyland Grand from all over the world.

 

Bob

Hammond SK1, Mojo 61, Kurzweil PC3, Korg Pa3x, Roland FA06, Band in a Box, Real Band, Studio One, too much stuff...
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Alot of young bands that couldnt break into some bigger clubs before, will now get a chance to fill a void or two. And 20 yrs old already dont care about health as evidenced by the risky behavior they can be known for so a virus will be of no concern for them. If you wait too long you could find your scene is gone and you've been forcibly retired. Besides, the Gov of New York said yesterday in a televised news conference that 66% of the cases that the hospital reported were infected while quarantined at home. Being in is worse than being out.
Yes but it's regional. Phase one is starting this Friday of reopening the state. There is no way I will let any 20 year old kids get any of my shows, I work too hard at it and our scenes competitive.

"Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello"

 

 

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Well, no one is more pessimistic than I about the fate of live performance--part of it is that I play mostly different forms of jazz, which require (at least for me) the energy created by physical proximity with both the players and the audience in order to really take off. But...

 

I figure I might as well dip my toe into the live broadcast arena and this friday May 15th I'll be reuniting my excellent latin jazz quartet for a one hour hit. it will be broadcast on FB and on instagram. The sound should be good, as this basement studio has done some good shows. The players are all raring to go--we haven't even been in the same room since our October gig! We'll have about 6 feet between us.

 

I will put the details in Shameless Plugs--would love to have some Keyboard Corner Dwellers in our corner!

 

FYI the instrument lineup will be Casio PX5s, Hammond SK1 (both through my Space Station), timbales, congas and bongos and electric bass.

Doug Robinson

www.dougrobinson.com

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I mean, debates on when to get back to rehearse is the first hurdle. Do I trust random musicians or even a few in my main band? Nope. Might not even rehearse until July at this rate, and I"m not even close to the most skittish in my group.

 

Three weeks ago I was invited to audition for a random group. The guy assured me they all took social distancing very seriously, and yet, they were inviting a stranger (me) to a rehearsal.

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Three weeks ago I was invited to audition for a random group. The guy assured me they all took social distancing very seriously, and yet, they were inviting a stranger (me) to a rehearsal.

I'm always skeptical about bands that would offer me an audition. If I'm good enough for them then they're no way good enough for me. As for social distancing, as per animated simulations of a sneeze ive seen, a cloud of droplets travels easily 15 or 20 feet in a second. You'd need a warehouse to jam in. And most stages in bars aren't bigger than 20 ft. Musicians on stage will have to forgo soc dist. All that hard breathing of a singer? Droplet factory.

FunMachine.

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I envision this not being an easy decision for some of us. Right now it's pretty easy, I can work from home, my kids don't see their friends or go to school or their sports leagues, my wife is working from home and not taking risks. Playing out would stand out like a red flag as being WAY more risky than anything else we are doing right now.

 

However, once my kids go back to school (if they do), the jig may be up...not sure how we could keep it out of the household. Likewise, my employer is likely to send us back to the office first chance they have cover (ie, the governor says it's "ok"...they waited until he said "work from home if you can" a couple months ago, which was later than I would have wanted.) I have a private space to work in and will wear a mask but not sure if others will, and of course restrooms.

 

I guess even if you have of getting it, it's still better than , so I will likely not gig just to lesson my chances. The rest of the band is already out playing so that's probably it for me with them after 7 years...

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My band has opened up the conversation on returning to weekly rehearsals, though it's not an easy conversation as folks have different risk appetites. We are all missing our time performing together and don't see a light at the end of the tunnel for live gigs aside from possibly a few outdoor gigs that may happen in Q3 or Q4, if possible.

 

Everyone has been mostly quarantined with limited exposure outside of immediate family members and whatever comes from weekly grocery visits. We are feeling like after two months+ of isolation that bringing together 6-7 of us to play some tunes together in a space that allows enough "social distancing" room that the risk is fairly low. We had talked about starting back up next week, though not everyone is 100% comfortable, so we are going to wait a bit more.

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