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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (April 16, 2020)
The members of Holiday Friends have weekly Skype rehearsals. Clockwise from top left, Scott Fagerland, Joey Ficken, Zack O’Connor and Jon Fagerland. Continued from Page 8 don’t know when we’re going to tour again. It’s kind of a chicken or the egg situation. Everything’s been put on pause,” Ringle said. Venue closures have also impacted local musicians. Gearhart-based musician Bruce Thomas Smith regularly plays acoustic sets at local venues, including Capricorn Pub & Fine Foods in Seaside. He also owns a sound sys- tem company, North Coast Records, which was scheduled to manage sound for the Astoria Warrenton Crab, Seafood & Wine Festival. Smith has lost 14 gigs between mid- March and the end of April. “100% of my income is gone. I’m a full- time touring musician,” Smith said. Guitarist David Drury has been a regular performer at Bridgewater Bistro for 12 years. He typically played at least two shows a week, either alone or accompanied with fel- low musicians. “It’s unnerving to not be doing what we normally do,” Drury said. “This thing snuck up on us.” Music moves online Both Holiday Friends and Horse Feath- ers have responded to their show closures by sharing music online. In late March, Ringle and Anderson hosted a livestream performance on their social media accounts. “It was an opportunity to check in with everybody and a really good way to say hello to our families,” Ringle said. “We don’t get to do that much because we have different musical enterprises. In addition to Holiday Friends’ weekly online rehearsals, the band has been releas- ing demos and other content that normally wouldn’t be released. “Bands like to keep cards close to their chest,” Fagerland said. “One positive thing about this whole event is that people are more willing to put their heart on their sleeves. It’s an opportunity to see how imper- fect we are and how much work goes into the process of making music.” The band is considering independently releasing its next album through Bandcamp, since they don’t know when they’ll be able to master the album’s songs. Drury and Smith have also gotten creative with their new free time. Smith has kept busy by spending time recording, writing and releasing songs online. “I have lots of time so I’m trying to use it wisely,” Smith said. “I hope in the next 30 to 60 days I’ll have finished up another double-album.” Drury has also joined the trend of posting music online, which he’s started doing on his Facebook page. “I have been getting caught up in writing songs and playing,” Drury said. “It’s some- thing I do every day … It’s something I need to do to get my mind off of this.” Drury is in the process of setting up vir- hailey hoffman/The astorian Fort George Brewery + Public House regularly features Sunday night shows but had to close in March after Gov. Kate Brown ordered no in-person dining to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Guitarist David Drury recently started posting videos of him playing guitar on Facebook. A still from one of Bruce Thomas Smith’s recent online videos. tual rehearsals with the members of his jazz trio, Equinox. cians, Ringle, Fagerland and Drury suggested donating when musicians host livestreams and buying music from the band’s websites. “That puts money directly into their hands,” Ringle said. If purchasing music isn’t possible, another suggestion Fagerland has is to stream and share music online. “If everybody helps each other, we’re stronger together,” Fagerland said. “Any help makes a big difference.” Ways to support In early April, Congress passed the Coro- navirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, expanding the types of workers who are eligible to apply for unemployment assis- tance. Under the act, musicians can apply for compensation at oregon.gov. For those interested in supporting musi- Thursday, april 16, 2020 // 9
