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Music im the time of COVID-19....
As we settle into this new normal, it seems as if nearly every aspect of our daily lives is disrupted. The virus and the efforts to contain it are having major effects on many peoples livelihoods and lives. E2TG is a music blog, so my focus, but I want to make it clear that I am not dismissing what many, many people outside of music are going through.
We are all faced with difficult decisions. I mentioned last week that my favorite regular hang out made the decision on Thursday to close for at least a month. This was not an easy decision, and it would have been understandable if they had chosen not to do so. On Sunday, the Metro Nashville Health Department and Mayor - declared a health emergency and asked music venues to close and restaurants to reduces capacity. A group of downtown honky-tonks decided to file suit to remain open.
Now, I have friends who make a living playing music on Broadway, however, I do find it interesting that one small venue made the decision to shut down voluntarily - while other (larger) venues are fighting in court to stay open. To me, it is further evidence that the tourist parts of Nashville are not really a part of our community. Maybe that is harsh, and I do acknowledge that many Nashvillians work and perform at these venues.
I don't know - I think trying to reduce the number of deaths, trying to protect vulnerable parts of our community is important and I applaud those who are doing their part, and to the best of my ability I want to support those folks. I will share again the
GoFundMe for The 5 Spot.
Many artists are starting to do virtual shows on-line with venmo, paypal etc for tip jars. Check those out. If you hear your favorite artist doing a show - consider a tip - even if you aren't able to tune in. As I mentioned before, buy merc, buy physical copies of music (even if you plan to keep listening on a streaming service). Find a way to support these independent artists and venues at least to the extent you would if the venues were open. And for goodness sake, stay in if you are able, practice all of the guidelines if you do have to go out.
Music is my primary community, and I hope my community sticks together and supports each other through this time. Meanwhile, E2TG will keep doing what we do. Enjoy.
Featured Friday Playlist
