Music in the time of coronavirus
June 8, 2020 2:22 PM Subscribe
What bands are doing interesting things during the shutdown?
The example I have in mind is Radiohead. Each week (Thursday afternoons) they are releasing full concert videos on their YouTube channel, for as long as the shutdown continues. It's been a nice thing to look forward to each week, and I'm seeking out more examples. It doesn't have to be the exact same thing, obviously -- I'm just looking for more examples of bands/musicians doing something cool for their fans during this time.
The example I have in mind is Radiohead. Each week (Thursday afternoons) they are releasing full concert videos on their YouTube channel, for as long as the shutdown continues. It's been a nice thing to look forward to each week, and I'm seeking out more examples. It doesn't have to be the exact same thing, obviously -- I'm just looking for more examples of bands/musicians doing something cool for their fans during this time.
I use an app called Songkick to (in non-shutdown times) get information about upcoming concerts. During the shutdown they've added a continuously-updated list of upcoming music live streams. Not a direct answer to your question, but I've watched a number of cool live streams that I wouldn't have otherwise known about so I thought you might find it useful.
posted by wuzandfuzz at 2:51 PM on June 8, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by wuzandfuzz at 2:51 PM on June 8, 2020 [3 favorites]
Oh hey, I just heard a piece on All Things Considered last week about this very subject!
Full disclosure: I was only half-listening until I heard my friend's band mentioned at the very beginning of the segment.
posted by cooker girl at 2:57 PM on June 8, 2020
Full disclosure: I was only half-listening until I heard my friend's band mentioned at the very beginning of the segment.
posted by cooker girl at 2:57 PM on June 8, 2020
I'm a big fan of the Old 97's. Murry Hammond, the bass player, has been doing shows from his kitchen on FB; frontman Rhett Miller has been doing solo shows on Stageit. The platform charges, but tix to shows are as little as .50$, and then you can tip the performer during the show with tokens that you buy in advance. He's been doing 3 or 4 shows per week, and I believe it was so successful that he started giving some proceeds to charities. He was profiled in Bloomberg back in April.
The band was set to release and album in the fall, but i do believe they have moved up the date. Rhett played through the whole thing just the other night.
Phish have been streaming live shows from their archive on FB regularly. I believe they have charities in mind as well.
posted by OHenryPacey at 3:39 PM on June 8, 2020 [1 favorite]
The band was set to release and album in the fall, but i do believe they have moved up the date. Rhett played through the whole thing just the other night.
Phish have been streaming live shows from their archive on FB regularly. I believe they have charities in mind as well.
posted by OHenryPacey at 3:39 PM on June 8, 2020 [1 favorite]
I assume you mean things that are generally available to the public, but in terms of creative ideas, a band I really dig, Spanish Love Songs, started a Patreon, and with it are releasing at least one cover song a month (the first was a hilariously good cover of Nickleback's Photograph), doing a reimagining of a song from the back catalog a month, a podcast, live streams of their recording sessions, livestreams of the lead singer/guitarist performing songs voted on by the Patreon subscribers, regular Zoom happy hours, and some other odds and ends. It's been a delight.
posted by General Malaise at 4:10 PM on June 8, 2020
posted by General Malaise at 4:10 PM on June 8, 2020
Tim Burgess (of the uk band the Charlatans) has been running Tim's Twitter Listening Party., and it's excellent.
What happens is that members of a band replay, and tweet about in real time, a classic album of theirs. Simple, and full of great insight and unknown revelations. Contributors have ranged from Blur to Orbital, from the Flaming Lips to New Order. Loads of great stuff, mainly UK artists from the 80s onwards.
No cost; you can just sit and listen if you like or you can join in the conversation with them, and all the events are available for reply too. Have a dive in!
posted by vincebowdren at 4:36 PM on June 8, 2020
What happens is that members of a band replay, and tweet about in real time, a classic album of theirs. Simple, and full of great insight and unknown revelations. Contributors have ranged from Blur to Orbital, from the Flaming Lips to New Order. Loads of great stuff, mainly UK artists from the 80s onwards.
No cost; you can just sit and listen if you like or you can join in the conversation with them, and all the events are available for reply too. Have a dive in!
posted by vincebowdren at 4:36 PM on June 8, 2020
A pretty large collection of bluegrass and newgrass at bgsignal.com
Molly Tuttle, IBMA guitarist of whatever year last held the event. Her facebook page has details on streams
Billy Strings, another great acoustic guitarist. Online with Billy Strings.
AJ Lee and Blue Summit
posted by blob at 4:43 PM on June 8, 2020 [1 favorite]
Molly Tuttle, IBMA guitarist of whatever year last held the event. Her facebook page has details on streams
Billy Strings, another great acoustic guitarist. Online with Billy Strings.
AJ Lee and Blue Summit
posted by blob at 4:43 PM on June 8, 2020 [1 favorite]
Norah Jones is publishing a series of solo performances from her home.
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 6:23 PM on June 8, 2020
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 6:23 PM on June 8, 2020
The contemporary classical ensemble Third Coast Percussion has been doing a series of impressive livestreams, including a new piece by Danny Elfman.
posted by matildaben at 6:54 PM on June 8, 2020
posted by matildaben at 6:54 PM on June 8, 2020
The Ukelele orchestra of Great Britain (good musicians with a dose of comedy) have been putting up videos on YouTube, and making the most of their home backdrops.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 8:05 PM on June 8, 2020
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 8:05 PM on June 8, 2020
I'm a big fan of Róisín Murphy, including her celebrated live shows which are bombasts of frantic dancing, bananas costuming, and good ol' disco sensibility. She's been doing a lot of things musicians do, like helming radio broadcast sets for various stations, but since she's doing them from home she's filming them and turning them into spectacular video performances. Her YouTube account has some of these, noted with "Live @ Home" in their titles, but Instagram (live) seems to be where she covers all the bases. Róisín and I have had, uh, many kinda drunk nights dancing my blues away in our respective living rooms during lockdown.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 9:13 PM on June 8, 2020
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 9:13 PM on June 8, 2020
The Stay Homas (as discussed in the Blue) are three musician housemates who have used the lockdown to launch their career: writing 29 "confinement" songs, performing them on their Barcelona rooftop and using the exposure to sell out a concert venue in 10 minutes, get covered by Michel Bublé land a recording deal with Sony. Translated Wikipedia page.
posted by rongorongo at 3:50 AM on June 9, 2020
posted by rongorongo at 3:50 AM on June 9, 2020
I am admittedly a big fan, but I have been enjoying Machine Gun Kelly's random releases (often with Travis Barker) on his YouTube channel. The most recent upload is a cover of Killing In The Name by RATM, but there's an interesting variety of recent stuff there.
posted by VioletU at 11:22 AM on June 9, 2020
posted by VioletU at 11:22 AM on June 9, 2020
English folk singer, Kate Rusby has been releasing a series of songs performed from her home. This is a little easier to do when your whole family is involved in making the music. It is true spirit of lock-down madness, I think, to come up with the idea of covering The Bangles Manic Monday while dressed in leg warmers and co-opting your daughters to do sing backing vocals into a hairbrush.
posted by rongorongo at 11:08 PM on June 13, 2020
posted by rongorongo at 11:08 PM on June 13, 2020
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posted by praemunire at 2:38 PM on June 8, 2020 [2 favorites]