Music in the Age of Coronavirus
Photo by Bill Devlin
Out of respect for the life-interrupting Coronavirus I’ve been considering putting my music on hold. I'm sure any artist releasing music right now has had the same thought. There are way more important things to be thinking about…like “where can we get tested,” “should I reschedule my wedding,” “what about this baby in my womb?”
Every Facebook post is (understandably) about how it’s wreaking havoc on our lives. Travel bans, school shut-downs, markets (grocery and financial) running amok, social distancing (at a time when we could all use some more spiritual connecting), not to mention the possibility of contracting the bug. I keep telling myself I’m too young for the more vulnerable category. BUT actually, I’M NOT!
Whether we believe it’s the end of the world as we know it or take a more ‘this too will pass’ attitude, it’s b-a-d.
Every time I post something about a new song, a video, a Pre-Save link everybody must be asking Is she oblivious? How can she still be talking about her fucking new single? Doesn’t it seem kinda tone deaf?
And then there’s that other more personal concern about timing:
I’ve waited so long to share these songs. I’d be heartbroken if they went unnoticed. Suspending my campaign wouldn’t be a tragedy. I’d simply continue when the chaos turned a corner.
Doesn’t that seem more practical? Sensitive? I’m not sure. I’ve been wavering.
I feel for anyone whose health and livelihood have been compromised. In the music space where I reside my comrades have taken a huge hit too. Tours have been canceled, concerts and festivals postponed. Plus, we’re LONELY! Songwriters like to co-write!
But the thing is Online Music is one business that’s still open for business. Should we suspend that too in solidarity? I mean, music is something we depend on for escape, for comfort, to save our sanity — something we can enjoy in the privacy of our AirPods when we’re strongly advised not to go out in public. Maybe we could all use more music. I’m not looking for an excuse to continue my campaign but rather for some clarity. Because just maybe there’s no better time to be sharing art.
Yesterday, I Purell’ed up and went to yoga. Ironically it was when the instructor suggested we clear our minds of “monkey” that it hit me: music is yoga for the soul. What on earth would we do without it? If we extract it from the ethos, we’re f*cked.
Last night before I started writing this piece I texted Kristin who’s been partnering with me in my endeavors and suggested we notify Spotify and Apple that we’ll be delaying future releases. Curiously, she didn’t text me back. Maybe she hasn’t seen it yet. 😳But maybe she knew that in the morning I’d wake up with the clarity I’ve been waiting for. I did. (Things are always better in the morning, did you ever notice that?)
So until further notice and unless this Armageddon magnifies to the extent we are completely paralyzed I’m planning on staying the course. If you’re a musician and have music ready to launch, I encourage you to do the same.
Yes, we need to be mindful of the world around us. We need to be vigilant and responsible. Better safe now than sorry later. We should beef up our immune systems (Vit C, Zinc, D, B6, selenium, sleep), be clever about what to substitute for toilet paper when/if we run out. But we also (imo) need to take regular breaks from hysteria.
So turn off the news and pick up your guitar. Promote that song. Listen to someone else’s. Livestream! What I’m saying is, embrace music. In fact….let’s turn it up.
With that…Please have a taste of and PreSave “George & John” — a sonic love letter to the Beatles
Full song written and realized by Shelly Peiken, Phil Thornalley and David Munday
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