Throughout the next few weeks, we will be sharing personal perspectives on the past year and a half throughout the COVID-19 pandemic from artists and those who work in the music industry.
There’s no getting around it, this past year and a half has been brutal. Even if you’ve been lucky enough to keep your health through all of this, as we have, the collective trauma that we hold as a society will have long lasting consequences. In many ways though, it’s opened people’s eyes to what really matters. The music community is strong and we’ve seen more and more fundraising concerts, musicians and bands speaking out, taking action and creating community, inclusivity and care. We’re going through some of the most volatile times in history and it can definitely feel a little confusing to be playing music as the world burns around you. Whether it’s wildfires, Covid, our broken political system, the murder of black people at the hands of the police or the rise of fascism, seeing our community stand up and support the bands and people in and around it has been heartening. With the new variants making their way through the country, we’re yet again in limbo. Although it may sound cliche, we came out of the last year and a half beat up and bruised, but stronger and prepared in so many ways. We don’t know what normal life will look like, let alone the future of live music, but we’ve got to be optimistic. There’s no other choice.
