When did you first realise that COVID-19 was going to have an effect?
The evening that Boris announced the first lockdown, I was inundated with messages and emails from pubs and venues that I was scheduled to play at over the next month cancelling and then the weeks that followed, weddings, parties and festivals that I’d been booked for, postponing, and then postponing again as restrictions continued…but, 2022 is looking pretty healthy!
Initially, what was that whole situation like, and how did you overcome/react to it?
It was just a bit empty; I supposed many people felt the same, used to being constantly on the go and prepping for the next gig and then all of a sudden, it’d gone. I work with a company called Encore Musicians and get a lot of bookings through them, and they pretty quickly came up with a new offering of ‘Personalised Music Messages’ whereby customers book you to record a song of their choice and personalise it for someone, changing the lyrics or dedicating it to someone, something like that…so I did get quite a bit of work through those, and to be honest although there was the obvious benefit of bringing in some cash, the biggest benefit for me with ‘Personalised Music Messages’ was to my mental health, having something that I had to do, a bit of a structure you know.
How has your creative process changed over the last couple of months?
I think I’ve been focusing more on the guitar than the vocals, I’m not an amazing guitarist and this time has given me the (much needed!) opportunity to have a faff around with the guitar a bit more.
What’s been the hardest part about writing/doing music this way?
Stepping outside your comfort zone is always difficult, so focusing more on the guitar has been something to get used to, but lyrically I haven’t had an awful lot to write about, and inspiration hasn’t been so free flowing…”gonna make another brew, one for me, do you want one too” isn’t going to be a hit! I have found that I’ve been singing a lot more ‘off the cuff’ songs about daily activities, turning off the lights before going up to bed, how asparagus makes your pee smell funny, stuff like that…I suppose the creativity has to go somewhere!
What bands/artists have you been listening to over the last couple of months?
I’ve been listening to a lot of back catalogues, to name a few, Bowie, Bob Dylan, Kiss, Fleetwood Mac, The Ramones, first albums that I wouldn’t necessarily have listened to start to end before.
So, what do you think you’ve learnt the most from being an artist through COVID-19?
Two things…How important it is to make time to practise, even when things go back to normal. I fell in love with playing the guitar but I know that I wasn’t doing it enough pre-lockdown, I was too focused on gigging, prepping, writing, but I now think it’s important to set aside some time each day just to have a bit of a noodle on the strings, and I’m determined not to slip back into old habits. And also, having more than one way of earning a living through music, it’s apparent now that just because I have a full diary for the next year, it doesn’t mean I can just kick back, it’s only ever going to be beneficial you can bring in revenue from other things too, like virtual gigs, music lessons, merch or writing for other people. It doesn’t make business sense to put all your eggs in one basket.
What kind of effect do you think that it’s had on the music industry all together, and how excited are you to see it return to normal?
It’s been catastrophic for the whole events industry, I can’t wait to get back out there gigging, I just can’t describe my excitement to get back out there doing what I love doing!
What tips/advice would you like to give to other acts who are also going through this?
It’s not going to be forever, and you might not have another quiet period like this for a while, so make the most of it.