There are a surprising number of local musicians who make all or a significant chunk of their income from their music. They cobble together a living with a variety of gigs, school programs, classes and private lessons. And all of that’s gone now.
What’s not gone is the urge to share their music in troubled times. They’re releasing new tunes, posting videos of favorite old performances and newly recorded ones, and hosting live streaming performances and events.
Among the live performances are the Not Just Another Manic Monday open mics hosted by Meg Stepka, who’s brought her Monday open mics at Kelley’s Pub in Lakewood online, a music marathon hosted by Akron’s Angie Haze and featuring her band members, and daily Live From My Bathroom segments by longtime Cleveland favorite, singer/songwriter Anne E. DeChant. Dreadlock Dave’s weekly Tuesday performances offer a dose of his sunny vibe.
Meanwhile, a couple of local bands take us with them on their overseas travels. Welshly Arms shares a performance they did last year in Budapest, offering Clevelanders a taste of the international success these locals have enjoyed, and Kid Tigrrr releases some tracks previously released only in Japan in conjunction with their appearances there a few years ago.
Our many local conservatories and classical music presenters are opening their archives and sharing past performances including Baldwin Wallace, the Cleveland Institute of Music, Piano Cleveland and Apollo’s Fire.
And finally, a couple of local songwriters have actually found inspiration in the pandemic, with bluesy singer-songwriter Bob Frank offering a humorous take in “Unessential Worker” and Carlos Jones sharing some encouraging thoughts in “Hey Corona.”
We’re sure we’ll hear about many more in coming weeks, and we’ll share them with you. And yes, some of these artists are asking those who can to toss a little something in their tip jar to make up for the money that’s not coming in. It’s a worthwhile investment in our local music scene, which is likely to emerge from the pandemic with many challenges.