Places are slowly opening up -- including, possibly, Deschutes County as early as Friday -- as pandemic lockdowns ease across the country. But while you may be able to go to a restaurant or a public park again very soon (while social distancing and wearing your mask, of course), concerts are still in limbo with Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announcing a moratorium on large gatherings until September at least.
All that to say, live streams aren't going away anytime soon. And musicians are looking at other ways to support themselves, stay creative and stay sane in these frightening times. So without further ado, welcome to this week's primal stream therapy.
Studio streaming
Usually I start these columns off with real-world concert cancellations, but that's depressing.
Instead, let's kick off with some good news. When all this started, Grange Recorders studio in Sisters and Bend pop-up show organizer The Whippoorwill hosted a live stream from the studio March 14 featuring Erin Cole-Baker and Micah Peterson. The next weekend, Alicia Viani and Mark Karwan streamed a show from the studio, with donations supporting the artists and Thrive Central Oregon. Then Brown issued Oregon's stay-at-home order, putting the kibosh on future studio streams.
That is, until Saturday. The Parnells -- Casey, Whitney and Corey -- will test the waters with Grange Recorders' first live stream show since March 20. The Americana group and offshoot of Precious Byrd will take the virtual stage at 6:30 p.m.
Grange owner and founder Keith Banning found a way to socially distance at his studio while hosting these shows. Namely, they won't be in the studio -- a space about the size of a large garage -- but rather in the airplane hangar on Banning's property, he said. The hangar, which in less pandemic-fueled times served as a Crossfit and weightlifting gym, offers 2,000 square feet of space -- plenty of room for four to five musicians and engineers to maintain safe distances.
Banning said he is talking with Whippoorwill founder Erik Fossmo to team up once again for benefit streams. If this weekend's stream goes off without a hitch, Banning anticipates hosting at least one live stream a week.
"If the artist demand is enough, I'll run three or four streams a week," Banning said.
Stream the show Saturday from The Parnells' Facebook page.
Answer the call
In other musical news, Bend Roots Revival and Bend Music Collective will team to put out a compilation of local musicians to be titled "High Desert Calling." The Bend Music Collective is a group dedicated to promoting "creative personal and professional growth and leadership of all artists," per the Facebook post announcing the compilation, which you can read here.
Project manager Jeshua Marshall, of Guardian of the Underdog, Larry and His Flask and many more groups, is asking for submissions of original songs (they can be previously released or new) to bendmusiccollective@gmail.com by June 11 for a projected July 11 release date. Include the name of the artist and links to a website or social media pages. The compilation will release online for free, with streaming revenue going to the artists, per the post.
We're still Worthy
This weeks' Worthy Roots Relief Fund live streams include Travis Ehrenstrom at 6 tonight (link) and country group Appaloosa at 6 p.m. Saturday (link). As always, $5 for every Worthy six pack sold on concert day goes to the relief fund, which benefits the artists performing as well as behind-the-scenes folks in the music and arts industries.
Also, be sure to check out the ongoing Honey Brunches live streams from roots/country duo Honey Don't. Find the stream every Saturday at 11 a.m. on the Honey Don't Facebook page. The duo has been donating a portion of their tips to Eric Leadbetter's St. Charles Meal Mission, and have also been giving away prizes to listeners (streamers?).
Meanwhile, in the "real" world ...
... there's concert cancellations. A lot of them. Les Schwab Amphitheater, Clear Summer Nights at the Athletic Club of Bend and Bend Radio Group's concert series at Oregon Spirit Distillers have all been scuttled this summer.
Clear Summer Nights plans to reschedule this year's acts for next year, according to a post on the website. That includes Ben Harper's now-postponed June 20 date. Online tickets will be automatically refunded, per the website, while those who purchased tickets at Newport Avenue Market will need to return them to the market for refunds.
Over at Oregon Spirit Distillers, country singer Colter Wall has canceled his July 15 show. Online tickets will automatically be refunded; physical tickets can be returned to the distillery for a refund. Visit bendticket.com or oregonspiritdistillers.com for more information.
Les Schwab cancellations and postponements are slowly trickling in. The season is a no-go, but the venue must wait for individual artists to either cancel or postpone before refunds can be issued. So far, the following shows have canceled:
- Bob Dylan and His Band, June 4
- Michael Franti & Spearhead, July 17
- Vampire Weekend, Aug. 9
- Bend Brewfest, Aug. 13-15
These shows have postponed, although new dates have yet to be announced (the original show date is listed):
- Brandi Carlile, May 23
- Primus, Wolfmother, Battles, July 29
- Slightly Stoopid, Aug. 8
So far, only Dave Matthews Band has announced a rescheduled date: Sept. 8, 2021. Visit bendconcerts.com for more information.
No comments:
Post a Comment