We all knew it was coming, but it’s another thing to hear the words. Another month of staying at home. Another month without Chicago as we knew it. And even though there’s a whole world out there with us, I’ll halt on pouring out my existential world coronegativity because today, we’re focusing on one segment that we all miss the living heck out of: our beloved Chicago music scene!

Our makeshift house shows that make us feel at home. Those addresses kept secret until the night of. Waking up the next morning to spurts of 16 second video snippets of you blaring on stage or dancing in a crowd. The looooooong bathroom line where everlasting friendships are made. The one drummer who plays in 3 out of the 4 bands on the lineup, who’s shirt ends up unbuttoned or completely off, hydrated off nothing but beer. A random 60 year old man who somehow snuck in, flails his body and dances in the front, and after won’t leave the lead guitarist alone, ends up pissed and walking out with two PBRs in his back pockets. Our shows are our haven, created among pillars of art, collaboration, and performance.

Artists are emotional and intuitive in nature and though taking away our stage and community has been an unexpected, anxious nightmare, the ability to still create music is a blessing, and a couple Chicago artists have used their solitude to bless us with new music. Scroll to meet some of Chicago’s finest musicians who have dropped music during the Quarantine and check in with them on how they’ve been adapting, what they’re grateful for, and what they miss about the good old days. In light of Bandcamp graciously waiving their revenue shares today, each artist’s Bandcamp page is linked heavily, so support these talented people as you explore, and share/follow them as well. Keep our community flowing and growing, digitally, so we’re stronger than ever when we can all hug and dance again <3

LATE NIGHT LAUNDRY- The Michigan Tapes – MAY 1ST, 2020

This project is a culmination of newer tunes along with some organic jams that were created during nights at our weekend together in Michigan. Our trip to Michigan was a last minute venture to say the least. We were planned to set out for SWSW on the morning of  March 14 when the day before the national emergency was announced.  We had 11 shows booked along with a local show on the 13th. Like dominoes our shows started to get canceled starting with our local show at Coles. After this we decided it was best to cancel our tour understanding the severity of the situation. We decided that afternoon to still do something special since we had this planned for so long. So we packed all our of gear up in a van to self isolate and for a weekend. Each night there, we set up our live recording sessions and spent hours developing jams and breathing live into some of our newer and frequently played songs.  Brenden, our dirty keys player, spent time after each session lining up the tracks since we recorded on 3 separate interfaces. We are super grateful for him for putting the endless hours into the mixing process that followed.  We selected our best tracks from those two nights at the cabin.

Our process of live recorded drew a different tone then we usually give off. Still holding the attitude with each song but with a much more intimate and gentler touch.

What was it like creating under these circumstances?

Definitely strange because of this colossal level of uncertainty that is shrouding everything. In a way it’s more pure because we are playing without the expectation of playing any shows in the near future. We are now playing for the sake of playing. I miss shows more than anyone but it’s nice to have time to workshop songs organically and practice my instrument.  At the same time, it’s important to acknowledge there are many  musicians who make their living off shows that are hurting badly right now. It’s interesting to see the rise of live-streaming events/concerts taking place and how helpful they can be for musicians stuck at home. Especially for those still trying to get exposure and asking for financial support.

What do you miss most about the Chicago music scene pre-quarantine?

Being able to see all our friends in one place. And of course being able to see our band mates and play together.

What are you grateful for right now?

We are grateful to have the opportunity to create even if it is separate along with the continued support of our friends and family.

Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram

JORDANNA – Same Old Thing – April 27th, 2020

My new single, “Same Old Thing,” is my most personal, reflective song to date. Not only is it the first song I’ve produced (AKA made the beats), it feels like the first time I’m sharing deeper feelings of sadness with my audience. The lyrics narrate a repetitive relationship that I relentlessly tried to salvage, despite knowing my efforts were futile. In addition to my production, Yasmine Mifdal features on saxophone throughout the second half of the song, tying it together with a really beautiful, melancholy arrangement. She perfectly captured the gloomy vibe of the beat and the lyrics.

What was it like creating under these circumstances?

Creating new work during the stay-at-home order (I’m trying to avoid the Q word these days…) has proven to be difficult. It’s hard to pull inspiration out of thin air, especially when most of my work is inspired by interaction with other people. More than anything I have been working on sharpening skills I already have, and listening to new music or watching movies that might spark some inspiration or creative thought.

What do you miss most about the Chicago music scene pre-quarantine?

What I miss most about the Chicago music scene is the open jams hosted by Left Jones/Shawnee Dez at FDC Studios every third Thursday of the month, and going to my friends’ shows in general. I miss pulling up to the gig and serendipitously running into a friend I haven’t seen in a while, or show-hopping with a few close friends while we try to support as many people as possible…Chicago is a really magical place to live with a passion. I feel lucky to know people who are just bursting with creativity, and it is such a joy to be around them. I can’t wait to do it all again soon.

What are you grateful for right now?

Right now I’m grateful for my health, my home, and my imagination. I’ve always appreciated the way my brain can occupy itself for hours with very little outside stimulation…who knew that would be such a valuable skill in 2020! I’ve been thinking, journaling, and theorizing quite a bit, and I am extremely grateful to have a home where I feel comfortable and safe doing so.

Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram

 

TOMMY CARROLL –Letting Go to Grow – April 24th, 2020

Letting Go to Grow is part of this larger project I’m working on called Dances for Different Bodies. It’s a sonic celebration of disability culture. I’m totally blind and for a lot of my life I spent time doing everything I could do to fit in and not totally embrace the entirety of my identity. Over the past couple years I’ve started connecting with the Chicago disability community and other disabled artists, so Dances for Different Bodies is me trying to make some celebratory yet defiant music derived from the emotions I’ve gotten from these interactions. There’s a lot of heavy disability art out there, including stuff I’ve done in the past like my album Not Amazing from 2017, so I wanted to do something that shows that we also have a good time and get down just like anyone else. Letting Go to Grow itself is kind of about letting go of trying to act the way you thought you were supposed to act and growing by starting to do the things that feel more natural right to you. There’s actually a slower more ambient version on my 2018 album Calculated Discomfort, so you can really hear how the song has evolved through being played live so many times. I’d also recommend checking out Dingus, the first dispatch from Dances for Different Bodies that I put out at the end of March.

What was it like creating under these circumstances?

This music was actually created under extremely non-quarantine conditions. I got a grant from the city last year to get started on recording Dances for Different Bodies. I brought an 8-piece band into the studio last summer and we recorded a bunch of stuff, much of which is still forthcoming.

What do you miss about the Chicago music scene pre-quarantine?

I definitely miss that ability to be creating on-the-spot with a bunch of people. You can send tracks back-and-forth and record remotely, but nothing compares to being in the same room and existing in the vibrations people send out from their instruments and responding so viscerally to that. I also just miss  playing so much different stuff with so many different people—being at a small bar playing jazz or folk stuff with one group of people one night and then playing a packed house party doing dance music another night with a different group of folks.

What are you grateful for right now?

I am grateful to still be able to be creating though. I’m doing a Facebook live every Tuesday at 8pm on my personal page (which is public), mostly for friends and family, but it’s nice seeing who else pops in. I’m also working on some remote recording projects including a tape of virtual duets I hope to put out sometime in the next month or so. I’m also incredibly grateful to be able to be quarantined with people I love.

Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram

JOSHUA VIRTUE – Jackie’s House – April 16th, 2020

“Jackie’s House” is the second album by Joshua Virtue. It was crafted almost entirely within the first two weeks of Illinois’ state mandated stay-at-home order during the corona virus pandemic. “Jackie’s House” is meant to act as a means of sustenance for Joshua’s mother Jacqueline (Jackie,) sister, and grandmother, supporting them as they quarantine at their home in Florida during the crisis. “Jackie’s House” is an emergency album. As such, if you listen, we ask that you pay, even if it’s just a little bit. This album acts as a circuit of community care, providing Joshua’s family with food and security at a time where such necessities remain uncertain. All profit made from this album will go to Jacqueline Virtue. Cashapp: $JacquelineVirtue. Venmo: @Jacqueline-Virtue.

What was it like creating under these circumstances?

Pretty weird??? It was easy to stay focused cause you don’t get as distracted in social isolation. But at the same time there was no external stimuli to challenge my perspective, so I felt like I was wandering alone in the woods. I made this album to make money for my ma too so it was a really stressful experience. Not rushed, but fast paced.

What do you miss most about the Chicago music scene pre-quarantine?

Sense of community and interconnectedness. It’s a special thing to perform a call and response ritual. Sweating and breathing with like 50 to a hundred different people. There’s something holy about that and it can’t really be duplicated. So we’re left to find other ways to feel a sense of interconnectedness and it’s a bell curve. It’s hard to re-adapt like this.

What are you grateful for right now?

That people consider what I do to be a service, I think? The pandemic really has people willing to invest money into the art community again. Like, we’re all banding together and supporting each other. That’s fucking incredible. I’m buying hella albums. People are buying my album. People are throwing together fundraisers for one another every week. People are striking cause we are building mutual aid funds and growing food again. Fuck ya local representative, he never loved you and we have eachother. That’s something to be grateful for.

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CORDOBA- Diluvian – March 27th, 2020

“Diluvian” is the first single off of our debut LP, Specter. Like much of the record, it’s apocalyptic. The dueling lead vocals of Cordoba lead singers Brianna Tong and Eric Novak lament the inability of our structures and movements to deal with the impending catastrophes of the 21st century. The lyrics paint pictures of floods and confrontation. The band rides the wave of the song as the primary groove develops, disappears, and reemerges.

What was it like creating under these circumstances?

Creating was okay for the first few weeks. I actually had a really great period where I was coming up with a lot of new material when lockdown first hit – it felt almost like a writing retreat for me. But by mid-April, I was starting to feel burned out.  I had to take a week off from writing and practicing, but I have been able to jump right back in now. Cordoba as a band has used this time to work on some demos. We are lucky that everyone has a home recording setup. We have been able to sketch out 4 tunes for an upcoming record. I’m in a couple of other bands that have had to put everything on hold, which has been really frustrating for all of us. These demos have allowed me to feel really excited and energized even though I can’t be in the same room as my bandmates.

What do you miss most about the music scene pre-quarantine?

I think I can speak for everyone in Cordoba when I saw that I miss my friends and I miss going to shows! I really miss looking at show posters and events on Thursday or Friday and picking which shows I’m going to try and see. Not playing has definitely been a bummer as well, but for me I really miss the Chicago music scene as a whole and being part of a physical creative community. That being said, it has been great to see what people have been up to online and listening to some great releases by our pals including Joshua Virtue, Jordanna, and The Curls.

What are you grateful for right now?

I am so grateful I didn’t lose my job, and I do not have to try and get unemployment. I teach music and have managed to keep most of my students. I have moved everything online to Zoom, and it’s worked out okay for me. I’ve seen friends in the arts lose most or all of their income. A lot of artists are living on a tight budget as it is. It’s really impossible to prepare for a disruption like we’ve experienced, and a lot of people are really hurting right now. To make matters worse, I’ve seen so many stories of musicians who are often employed as independent contractors struggle or flat out fail to get any sort of unemployment. A $1,200 check is not enough. It’s great to see so many people contribute to private initiatives to help tide artists over during the stay-at-home order, but we need a real safety net in this country that people can count on. I’m also very grateful that I have been able to see family. Normally I only get to spend a few weeks a year in the same city as my parents and my brother, but I have been able to move back to Cincinnati for a couple weeks and quarantine with them.

-Cam of Cordoba

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