Up On The Roof
To commemorate the 6-month anniversary of our nation’s life-altering pandemic 😳I accepted an invitation to play on the rooftop of a local establishment. Up until Covid 19, Jones Cafe on Santa Monica Blvd. was a local favorite for food and late-night cocktails not a performance venue for artists. But it is now. Because it has a roof.
I’ve been posting and boasting about this event all week. It’s the most fun I’ve had making music since March 13th, 2020. While I’m hungry for connection and have welcomed any opportunity to play, I really do not particularly enjoy Live-streaming or… singing at my computer…even though I know you’re on the other side. When I listen back in the morning I’m always mortified at the sound no matter what my friends say. Face it — Zoom and Live-to-Facebook sonics suck. Adam set me up with a mixer and an extra monitor. It sounded worse. Maybe I’m trying too hard.
“Zoom was designed for speaking voices not music,” said my new friend (microbiologist turned songwriter 😊) Stephen Wilson. “Even co-writing through a screen zaps energy.” I wanted to hug him. I thought it was just me. I don’t understand how nobody’s come up with software that can translate the soul of a guitar, the warmth of a baby-grand, the timbre of a human singing voice. Hellooooo?
Sorry for the rant.
I didn’t care how large or small the crowd was last Friday. At least we were face to faces (not a typo) — nothing between us but air. Hundreds of miles south of a major inferno, the smoke that’s blanketed LA recently seemed to rise for the duration of my set.
Many faces were familiar. Some were strangers. But all were hungry for virgin music. My eyes were drawn to Jessica in a yellow dress and matching face-mask (see image above). You can’t miss her. She was looking like the Statue of Liberty. And I thought, 'how hopeful: a woman and artist-of-color standing strong in this pivotal moment in the history of our country.’ There’s so much more going on than Covid 19. But there she was. Shining. Supporting. Cheering. Believing.
A few dudes who were sponsoring the event circled ‘round me with their iPhones. I was oblivious to what they were actually doing until a few days later when I received some footage of the evening (see below) illustrating the challenges our community is facing during this very strange summer.
Nothing takes the place of Live Music. I don’t even play that well. But nobody cared. (Lucky, I convinced my hubby Adam to back me up on for this one. Now I’m spoiled and I don’t see how I’ll ever go solo again.) The important thing is we were out. With other breathing humans. Congregating (safely) after months of being holed up in our respective bubbles. And there’s no way of knowing when and if our Hotel Cafes are going to open their doors again. So….
We simply have to preserve the independent live music venues that have been a refuge for singer-songwriters and artists for decades. Perhaps we’ll get proficient at streaming from inside venues. Although we’d still be playing to an empty house at least we’d know that when our music is heard, it will sound right. It will have integrity. But until this nightmare is over I hope, weather permitting, that more watering holes with roofs, clubs with sidewalks, hotels with atriums, cul-de-sac dwellers, mall proprietors with parking lots will look into opening up these spaces to host musicians. That way when this old world is getting us down, there’s a place to go.
Visit to Save Our Stages
Jones Cafe in West Hollywood is continuing their Rooftop Series on Friday Nights at 7PT. Maybe I’ll see you there.
Thanks for having me.
L’Shanah Tovah to all my friends celebrating Rosh Hashanah. May it get sweeter.
Here’s the clip…
