Jasper, vocals: Rough times, but still inspirational - a clear message that we are walking the wrong road trying to do everything alone. No shows, no unity, social distance and a lot of ways to keep us apart. As a band, being apart means we also know what makes us whole; we feed on working together, playing together and making music together. We feed on the energy of the crowd, the words of the ones that listen to and love our music. But even though our lives changed, we keep on making music and we keep on spreading our message: together we are one. We need people and love around us to flourish.
So what do our lives look like right now? We try to keep our heads leveled, our bodies in shape and our minds clear. We keep writing music, recording songs and giving it our all. We aim to break free from the social distance hold, to reach out to the ones we love. We know we will be able to do it if we keep working hard.
So we keep working hard, which means we will release more and more songs. We just released our latest, “Cut It Off”: A story about how society and love shapes us, making it difficult to show vulnerable sides, because people construe them as weakness. But keep in mind, being honest and open isn’t a weakness. It’s a strength. Not only is it a story about the world we live in, it’s also a story about how the wrong kind of love can capture you, keep you in their vines, pulling you in and in, while slowly sucking out your essence; what makes you, you.
Even though it wasn’t long ago that we released this song, we are ready for the next, and we’ll uncover the veil. The next song is called “My Mind”. You are the first to read about it. We hope you will also be the first to listen to it.
And that’s where I’ll leave you. Keep safe, be strong, and most of all, keep looking forward. So do we, ready for the next step; ready for the world to live again.
While practicing social distancing, listen to our song, "Cut It Off":
Well, where to start!? Listen, I’m a hot mess so here we go!
6:00 a.m.: Alarm goes off. I lean over, grab my phone and snooze it. 15 minutes later I do it again. It takes me about five alarms to actually get up in the morning.
I wish I could tell you a sweet story about how I go to the gym and pump that sweet, sweet iron to look cute and sexy... but I don’t. I roll out of bed, grab my phone and check my stocks to only realize I don’t invest enough money for it to actually matter. But I check it anyway, so I feel like an adult that is doing something to earn extra income.
At this point, I take a shower and start looking through my clothes only to realize that I need to do laundry because my favorite shirts are dirty most of the time (I travel a lot... try not to judge, but it’s ok if you do).
Now that I’m fully awake, I start my meditation to get centered. I put both hands over my chest and say out loud all of the things I am thankful for in that moment. “I’m thankful for fresh air. I’m thankful for my job. I’m thankful for my family.” Things like that. Honestly, if you haven’t tried it, you should! I feel so good and thankful to be alive when I’m done.
The next part changes day to day. While I would love music to be my full-time gig, I still work in film. Depending on if I have a project underway or not, I might be on a plane to a location shoot, on the computer hunting down resources for production or coordinating any myriad of details. But let’s say I don’t have a project going on. I will typically spend a few hours dreaming about what I want to accomplish. I’ll kind of make some notes on how I can help those dreams become a reality today. Let’s be real here, I am an enthusiast for life.
Speaking of being an enthusiast for life... if someone calls me with a fun time, chances are I’m there. I will never miss out on a party or a hang. It fuels me creatively. I write about experiences that I’ve lived, so the more the better. And I have lived through some experiences. Some good, and some where I’m left questioning, “Why did I just do that?”
I’m extremely ‘go with the flow’. I don’t plan out a lot of things, I just let them happen. My songs tend to come to life in the same fashion, usually pretty quickly. When a melody or lyrics come to me, I’ll whip out my phone and record a snippet, or even a video if there’s a piano or guitar nearby. My phone is a petri dish of songs that haven’t yet come to life.
But like a lot of artists, I think, I get a feeling when I strike gold. And that centers me because I will work at a good one until it’s done. Over the last year, I blew up my life - questioned my faith, ended my marriage, moved from the city I’ve lived in nearly all my life, walked away from my band to start a solo music career. It’s been a lot. And I’ve found a sort of peace with it all through my songwriting. Creating these songs has been cathartic. They’re very real, very raw and very honest, which can be a hard thing to come face-to-face with. But it’s been good for me. Challenging, yet at the same time it feels right. Like this is what I’m meant to be doing.
So for now, I’m focused on getting these songs out there into the world. I want to connect with people on that same level, let everyone know it’s okay to be who you are supposed to be. I just dropped my first single, “The Weight”, and a whole EP is coming a few months behind it.
As the world starts to settle into whatever this next phase is going to look like, I’m looking forward to finally getting back out there and playing some shows, getting that face time with people, having new experiences and discovering even more about myself.
While practicing social distancing, watch my music video for "The Weight":
Picture the scene: You’ve decided to start a new musical project in secret. You pick a good name, you write and produce an EP, you develop an image, EP artwork, logo designs for future merch and you are in the final stages of live show prep, including costumes, projections, click tracks, etc. World domination right?
WRONG!
COVID has caused a national lockdown and you’re stuck at home. This is the situation I found myself in by the end of March; Vulgarithm was born, planning on gig hunting to suit the live set up, and out of nowhere I am at home on Zoom calls, with my wife furloughed and also helping out family members who are either key workers or vulnerable.
From a professional view it was a tricky but manageable situation. Being a peripatetic guitar and ukulele teacher, you never know who will enjoy Zoom lessons or not, and being self-employed, the uncertainty can be stressful. Add on top of that many group or after-school lessons stopping, you have to be creative in bringing more income. Thankfully we’re coming out on the other side for now and life can resume.
What this added time did give me was an opportunity to promote my band online and add a fresh new take on marketing. During this period I have released three EPs with videos, released several dance covers and performed a couple of online live sets on Facebook. With many people not discovering local bands in person, I needed to find new outlets, including local music groups and forums, local radio and PR.
An average weekday consists of the following (discounting seasons): Wake up. Less visual maintenance (due to online camera). Make sure everything the camera is facing is tidy. Begin lessons. Small lunch break or supermarket shop for beer. More lessons. Afternoon: Small tidying, followed by food and drinking copious amount of beer in front a whole series of generic Netflix/Amazon/Sky TV show. Unless it’s the weekend, in that case it’s upstairs “to the pub” where mates would Zoom call and create quizzes, then drink till 3 a.m. and pass out on the laptop.
Whilst I’ve enjoyed not travelling, drinking and online quizzes, nothing will ever beat performing or watching a gig to forget about the world's troubles, and I look forward to that happening soon!
While practicing social distancing, watch my music video for "Gammon Anthem":
I first heard of Rihanna the summer I turned 17, when I was working as a ranger in an all-girls forestry program in Northern Ontario. On one of the last days of the program, the coolest girl at the camp told me that she liked Rihanna, and that was it; my life was changed.
Six years later, in 2012, I was in my third year of university for music. Studying pop production and singing, I had no shame in the Rihanna posters taped up on my wall. Not only had I devoured all of her music, but I was a true fan of her brand. Her seemingly badass confidence inspired me to no end. I channeled Rihanna in every song I produced, every show I performed and in every spit-spackled scolding I gave to the boys vying for my affections. Rihanna was the spirit I called on to propel me through the tumultuous first few years away from home.
So, when Rihanna announced Toronto tour dates for March 2013, I was ready. I scraped together every dollar (and I mean scraped) in order to pay for the most expensive concert tickets I had ever bought - only my idol could conjure such lavish expenditure from me, which I planned and bought months in advance.
And then, out of nowhere, I won a pair of tickets for Rihanna's surprise 777 Tour that November.
A Facebook contest I entered had paid off...
So I cried!
I cried from shock. I cried because I was so broke that I couldn't imagine being able to afford seeing Rihanna twice in the span of a year. I cried because the show was the next day. I cried because I could invite a +1. And I cried because I was finally going to see my idol, who in large part had influenced my entire career path, and I was seeing her in person tomorrow.
That night was a whirlwind. I called my biggest Rihanna-loving friend and we made a plan to ditch our music improvisation lecture to go stand in line early the next day at the Danforth Music Hall. I barely slept, and the next day we dressed our best and made our way down to the venue two hours early so we could be first in line.
Pushed up against the stage, I remember seeing Rihanna walk out like a god. She was like the living manifestation of all of my hopes and dreams. And when she sang her hits, notably "Cockiness", “Birthday Cake", "Diamonds" and "We Found Love", we sang along every word. I touched her hand as she waved it through the crowd, and I beamed with happiness.
Months later, when we saw her at the ACC, thousands and thousands of fans surrounding us this time, we laughed and cried again.
It's surreal to think of it now, so many years later. It feels like I'm explaining the moment that I met a Messiah. But for me, it was truly a life-changing concert, and I'm in awe looking back on that once-in-a-lifetime moment.
The time that I won tickets to see my biggest musical inspiration, Rihanna.
COVID and the pandemic has caused everyone to reexamine how we do the things we do daily, and learn to either adapt, pivot or reinvent the processes and strategies we used pre-pandemic. If anything, this past year has taught us all a lot more compassion and mindfulness about others and health - nothing to take lightly.
One of the hardest things about being an artist during COVID for me is the lack of in-person, face-to-face collaboration with other creatives due to isolation. Everything from producing, recording, performing and shooting music videos has changed. I love writing with other people, and bouncing ideas back and forth is one of my favorite things about being a songwriter. The other hardest part of the pandemic as a performer is the inability to perform live concerts.
Traveling and the live music business completely shut down, and it’s still not back 100%. As an artist, not only is traveling and performing an important part of expressing yourself, but it is another way of marketing yourself besides social media. When I launched my first single in early February 2020, I expected to hit the road with my music, but was quickly let down when the pandemic started.
I as well as my entire family have been fully vaccinated and we continue to follow all current CDC protocols to keep our friends, associates and collaborators safe. There’s no telling when or if things will ever return to the way we once knew…but you can bet, nothing is stopping me from continuing to write, record and produce great songs. And I cannot wait for you all to hear what’s coming up next! Stay safe and stay strong friends.
While practicing social distancing, watch my music video for "Break Mine":
I tried my best to live my young-adult novel dreams this past year. My quarantine highlights include: solo picnics at the park, getting a new bed frame (with the help of my girlfriends), rearranging my entire room, Animal Crossing mornings, Zoom birthday parties featuring a trivia game I made of things I love (i.e. Barbie movies), FaceTime dates (that if you could imagine, went nowhere) and the most songwriting/producing I’ve done in my life.
I’m usually exaggerating when I say stuff like this, but I don’t think my life will ever be the same. Not having anywhere to go meant I got to choose exactly how I wanted to structure my day. Not having to commute to work meant those hours could be spent relaxing, working or reflecting. Even “wasting my time”…did not feel like a waste of time. Here are a few things I am most proud of during quarantine:
I made new friends and strengthened my internet friendships. I tried new ways to connect with people who listened to my music. I made an internet scavenger hunt where I had people guess the title of my next single. I did a little song-making competition with my friend Charlie over Twitch and Instagram Live. Basically, we had 20 minutes to each make a song and then we swapped and tried to finish the other person’s idea. It was crazy, but we ended up finishing one of them and one of those songs is going to be on my album.
I did two photoshoots over Zoom and I loved how they turned out. With the power of EOS utility and mouse control on Zoom, my friend Alisha and I planned out a whole look on Pinterest and shot the cover of my latest single, “Bet You Left it Out”, while I was in NYC and she was in Miami. It was one of the craziest and wildest creative processes I’ve ever done.
I tried skateboarding! Since the early Avril Lavigne days, I’ve had dreams of becoming a sk8er girl. With roads being closed for pedestrians near my neighborhood, I saw it as an opportunity to finally buy a skateboard and give it a try. August was the month of listening to “folklore” and skateboarding at an empty basketball court while my roommate played wall ball next to me.
I dressed up for myself every day. I love a big shirt, but making an effort to wear an outfit to buy groceries was the move for me. My roommates were my hype crew. Things felt important even though we were just doing every-day activities.
There were definitely tough days, but I am eternally grateful for the support and the love I had access to. All my friends and family stayed healthy and safe. They might’ve gotten bored and maybe they went a little crazy sometimes…but they were healthy and safe. As the world starts opening up again, I’m happy to say that I spent the best year I could with really great people.
While practicing social distancing, listen to my latest single, "Bet You Left it Out":
It feels like a fever dream when I think back to the couple shows I had at the beginning of 2020. From graduating college, to moving to Ireland (just because), to releasing my debut EP, I had a lot of hope and excitement for the year ahead. I had plans set for 2022 to release a full length album and it felt like things were really beginning to fall into place as to where I was musically.
I was in the middle of some recording sessions when COVID started lurking into Tennessee. When the pandemic hit full force in March, all of my plans came to a crashing halt. My studio sessions were cancelled, my final year of college was completely uprooted and moving to Ireland was now a big fat question mark (and currently still is).
I retaliated against quarantine by throwing myself full force into work and I found myself in this draining routine of depleted creative outlets and very little drive from the lack of variation in my routine. It wasn’t until I decided to release my debut EP, I Doubt He’ll Ever Hear This, that I really started to feel like myself again.
While 2020 was a rollercoaster, when I look back at it, it really helped me find who I am and what my purpose is with music. I could talk about the ups and downs that this year has had for hours, but the thing that really matters is where it got me. For so long, I was trying to be something I’m not and it wasn’t until the world shut down for me to sit with the ringing in my ears and really hone in on it. I feel more excited about the world and feel astronomically more creative, testing new routes that I’m not sure I would have as uncalculated as I do now if it weren’t for this year.
2021 still has a lot of up in the air, but I released my first single of the year, “FMO”, and I’m starting to get back into playing smaller, socially distanced shows. I’m a lot more daring in my music and I’m pushing myself as an artist into new avenues. I don’t know where I’ll be in the next six months, if that be Ireland or elsewhere, but I sure am excited to find out.
While practicing social distancing, listen to my latest single, "FMO":
COVID definitely made 2020 an interesting year. Having no choice but to be inside every day really changed my mindset and daily routine. I spent a lot of time writing songs and learning more about the technical side of music production. A lot of great material came from me just sitting down for hours and hours every single day, studying my favorite producers and trying to figure stuff out on my own.
I made a lot of original music during that time but I think the most eventful thing I started doing was TikTok. I started uploading videos of me playing covers of popular songs on the violin and people really enjoyed them. In a couple months I had over 100K followers and many of those people have become fans of my original music.
It was the perfect way to find out exactly who my fans were and what type of music they wanted to hear. I think one of the biggest hurdles of being an artist is searching for your fans, and I didn’t expect to find them accidentally through TikTok. If the pandemic never happened I don’t think I’d be where I am today. Even though times were tough, it opened the door to a lot of unique opportunities.
It was also a good time to take some time for myself. I read a lot of books and watched a couple TV shows I’d normally never have the time for. My favorite book from that time was Life 3.0 by Max Tegmark and my favorite TV show was Stranger Things.
I also took advantage of all the time at home to take care of my health. I went for a run every morning and walks in the evening and even with things slowly going back to normal I still do it every day. Looking back, it’s all kind of a blur but I know I made good use of the time and didn’t let the circumstances stall my progress.
While practicing social distancing, watch my latest music video for "Friend":
Saying goodbye to the longest-running American live-action fantasy TV series, Supernatural, doesn’t mean saying goodbye forever. One of the greatest parts of being in the Supernatural Family is that family doesn’t end with blood, and fans are part of a life-long journey that stems from watching this show.After 15 incredible seasons, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment marks the end of an era with the release of Supernatural: The Fifteenth and Final Season and Supernatural: The Complete Series. Both sets will be available on Blu-ray and DVD on May 25.
In addition to lasting memories and friendships, this fandom has been inspired by the show in many ways. With their creativity, dedication and strong support system, they have been able to share their art with Supernatural Family members around the world. They have also been incredibly supportive of the projects that the cast and crew have become involved in over the years.
In honor of the Blu-ray and DVD release, here are 15 ways to support the Supernatural Family:
Stands' Always Keep Fighting Blanket
Stands: Stands was founded in 2015 by a handful of like-minded individuals who believed that by harnessing the voices of actors and the power of fandom, they could change the world. They are an online merchandising portal with a charitable twist, teaming up with Supernatural actors such as Jared Padalecki, Kim Rhodes, Rob Benedict, Shoshannah Stern and Sam Smith. Sales of these items supports charities close to their hearts, including the American Stroke Association and Equal Hope.
Con*Quest Journals: After years of vending at fan and comic conventions and gathering photo-ops, autographs, ticket stubs and all of the bits left in the bottom of backpacks, the Con*Quest Journals™ team came up with the idea for a journal designed especially for fan conventions. Their Supernatural collection includes: planners, journals, notepads, decals and more.
GISH: The Greatest International Scavenger Hunt is a Guinness Record-setting experience designed to bring out the weird, creative and adventurous sides of people while doing some good. Their scavenger hunts, spearheaded by Misha Collins, are the most popular in the world and played by tens of thousands of people in over 100 countries.
Not Topic's flannel shirts
Not Topic: This fashion and collectibles brand can be found at a variety of comic conventions throughout the United States, selling apparel and replica items. They also create merchandise that supports several charities related to the Supernatural fandom, including Jared Padalecki’s Always Keep Fighting.
Family Business Beer Co.: Proudly brewed in Dripping Springs, Texas, this brewery is co-owned by Jensen and Danneel Ackles and gets its name from a quote in season one, episode two - “You know, saving people, hunting things. The family business.”
Wayward Stitches: Your menagerie for eclectic, nerdy and fandom goods, Wayward Stitches carries hand-crafted designs inspired by the show. Their current product, a Perdition Overshirt, is an ode to the show’s introduction to Castiel and other moments along the way. It was selected based on Dean's Season 15 overshirt and embroidered in-house with Castiel's handprint.
Samuel’s Sweet Shop: The boutique candy shop in Rhinebeck, New York almost shut its doors for good when three local families stepped forward to save it - including actors Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Hilarie Burton. The shop offers candy, chocolates, baked goods and beverages.
Witchy Wicks Sam, Dean and Castiel Combo Pack
Witchy Wicks Candle Co.: With bewitchingly strong scents, these 100% soy wax candles come in a variety of fandom-related options including Sam, Dean and Castiel. These candles are handmade in Texas with eco-friendly products.
Fangasm: Fangasm is the brainchild of two university professors and unrepentant fangirls. They have published several books related to the fandom including Fangasm: Supernatural Fangirls, Family Don’t End with Blood and They’ll Be Peace When You Are Done.
Wanderlust Heart Shop: According to owner Kristina Webb, Wanderlust Hearts is handcrafted Boho jewelry inspired by the way our feelings affect our daily style choices. Her Supernatural collection includes necklaces, bracelets, charms, earrings and keychains.
Supernatural Tarot Deck and Guidebook: Featuring original artwork inspired by classic tarot iconography, the 78-card deck includes all your favorite characters and also comes with a helpful guidebook explaining the meaning of each card as well as a few simple spreads for easy readings.
Published Works: Many cast members have had the opportunity to publish their own books, including Felicia Day, Jim Beaver and Misha Collins.
Cards Against Supernatural: This limited edition series has 500 cards just as brilliant as the original. Unlike most party games you've played, Cards Against Supernatural™ is as despicable and as awkward as you and your friends.
Supernatural: The Official Cookbook: Filled with delicious recipes inspired by the hit television series, this cookbook allows fans to experience the world of Supernatural like never before. Complete with illustrations, recipe modifications and mouthwatering full-color photos, this cookbook will inspire you to not wait for your next road trip and prepare your own delicious feast.
Supernatural Day Shirt: This Hot Topic exclusive t-shirt was created to celebrate the day the first episode aired in 2005 and originally donated its proceeds to Random Acts, an organization started by Misha Collins.
James - vocals: Social distancing has been pretty easy here in North Queensland, Australia. The pandemic hit, we had five weeks of quarantine and then we were pretty much let back onto the streets. The warm heat and the city Townsville is pretty spread apart, which are bad conditions for any virus to stick around for long.
While we were in lockdown in 2020 (April - May), we spent a lot of time writing; most of our latest EP was written during the lockdown. It gave us the time to get our repertoire together without the pressure of live shows. I would wake up, work on a song, get an idea down, maybe a guitar track and some vocals, send it off to the band, they would add their part, etc. and I would work on it some more.
I also had a lot of time to listen to more music and started listening to another Aussie band called The Vanns. I would look into their song structures and different concepts and ideas they were using as they had a good mix of traditional rock and modern indie.
I also started to play Age of Empires II. I hadn’t really played computer games since I was a teenager and I kind of forgot how good it was. I usually kept myself so busy with sports, music and work. I forget that having some down time is quite beneficial and sometimes can make you put things into perspective.
All in all, we’ve been lucky with the pandemic with where we live. Our main focus is writing and recording music and if anything, COVID has provided us with extra time to focus on writing and putting our songs together. I know a lot of people out there are struggling in the music business, especially with the fact that they can’t play gigs. However, everyone in Poison Oak works full-time with the government and we didn’t lose any work when the pandemic hit.
Now, here in Aus, up in North Queensland, we’re pretty much back to normal. We’ve started to play some shows. The streets are bustling and people are sweating in beer gardens from North Queensland humidity.
So, a day in the life of Poison Oak hasn’t really changed. We rehearse on the weekends, we share ideas during the week... I guess it could be considered a luxury in comparison with what is happening with the rest of the world.
While practicing social distancing, listen to our EP, "1996":
I found myself perpetually pushed forward from the in-flowing crowd behind me, like garbage in the trash compactor of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. I ended up being stationed about six feet from the long, narrow stage, with my ex being about one foot from it, sandwiching a bunch more stinky strangers between us.
Even the tweens beside me looked at me with contempt, as my arms slowly descended and I realized with horror that I was without a doubt the most despicably desperate of all the brainless sheep there that night. As I felt my JUNO pass that hung from my neck between my sweaty fingers, this realization combined with all of the previous pent-up emotions from my ex and I fighting, and a single tear rolled down my baby-faced, razor burned cheek, as I silently mourned the loss of my self-respect.
Ryan - vocals: On a personal level, this pandemic has definitely changed my daily life, especially in my day job as a teacher. Trying to keep students six feet apart has been a challenge in itself, but thankfully our district found a way around that by providing face shields for students to wear while wearing a mask as well when working together closer than six feet. Students have had to become accustomed to silent snacks, mask breaks and making sure to use hand sanitizer when both entering and exiting a room. As a teacher, I have had to wear many hats, including having to become an IT technician. We have some students who have been remote all year and other students who are working remotely when quarantining. Considering all students are learning at the same time and not in cohorts, what this means is teachers are not only teaching to the students physically in front of them, but we have computer screens in front of us to teach to students remotely as well.
We have had to become jugglers to make sure remote students and students in person can access the material equally, fix IT issues that arise and be there to support students’ emotional well-being during this unique time all while teaching.
Aside from teaching, trying to keep our band afloat in the midst of a pandemic has certainly been challenging, but we chose not to give up. It hasn’t been easy, but regardless of the obstacles thrown at us, we found a way to overcome them. Performing shows is one of the most important aspects of being in a band and we found ourselves struggling to find ways to work around the lack of physical shows. Once restaurants started to open up more, the owners requested that all music be instrumental only (meaning no vocals). This was a unique challenge for us and we felt it best to wait until there were outdoor shows again. In order to solve this problem, we decided to tap into livestreams and pre-recorded shows, including a music festival that was purely online this year.
Another challenge we had was filming our music video for “What Are You Waiting For.” It took us three months to complete it due to the pandemic and trying to figure out how and where we would record it. We were also only able to film one person’s part of the video a day due to filming in different parts of Connecticut. In addition, we also had to wait until places started to open up more before we could film all of us together at the end of the video at practice. Overall, we were excited and proud to complete the video, which in itself exemplifies that with perseverance anything can be possible. We had a lot of fun filming it and hope you enjoy it too!
While practicing social distancing, watch our music video for "What Are You Waiting For":
Tim - vocals: Man, this whole year has just been eerie and weird. We had a full summer of touring booked along with some stuff in the fall and a few singles to drop, then the world ended. At the beginning of lockdown, we all kind of just took some time off for ourselves and looked at it like we were getting a two-week vacation. When everything we had planned got cancelled, we knew the whole situation was going to be longer than two weeks.
I’d say for the months of March and April, I just lived the best life I could by going fishing and social distanced golfing and kind of utilized my hobbies the best I could while I had the time. The best weekend was virtually playing beer pong over facetime or zoom with other band members around the state - it was perfect for not drinking “emotionally” alone even though we weren’t all in the same room. The band and I talked here and there but for those couple months it was really difficult to have any desire to do anything music related.
It was a feeling of defeat knowing this momentum we had came to a halt with no end in sight and it was hard to think about “What can we do for ourselves?” so we looked at it in a way of “What can we do to help those around us?”. We all had jobs still paying us, so we looked out to our community struggling and especially our good friends at our favorite restaurant in Denver, The Brutal Poodle. We ran a shirt fundraiser for the staff and business with a new design and saw so much love from the community with those and raised some good money for them. That little spark of hope and good in the world kicked our ass into gear.
We had a virtual call and just gave ourselves actual goals to accomplish, and seeing how we had endless time, asked ourselves what we can do to be ahead when the world opens back up. We started working on ways to become fully self-sufficient; I started getting back into video editing and shooting along with setting up a merch system that was way better than what we had. DJ [Sundine, guitarist] started diving way more into graphic design and now does all of our content in house. We were all forced to learn and get better at recording, and we worked our tails off on the release plan for our latest single, “Rue”.
When it clicked, we really dove into our debut album we had been working on pre-lockdown and had this time to dissect, scrap and expand on what we are as a band to create what I believe is a solid freaking debut album. We have so much stuff now ready to go whenever we get the green light, and it is a truly amazing feeling knowing we won’t be scrambling.
We have decided we won’t do shows until it is 100% capacity and people can actually move around and not social distance due to the nature of our music and live show - but for now - learn the words to our latest single, “Rue”, and be ready to sing it back to me when we can finally get back out on the road!
Bridget: My work life completely changed after the pandemic hit - I work on a music management team, so my hours fell pretty hard due to all the events being cancelled. I ended up contacting some folks at a staffing agency, who were able to help me land a temporary WFH position to support myself while we wait for the music industry to come back. It’s been very tough not being able to play shows or tour, but I’m really grateful that I was able to stay safe through all of this. My cat has also really appreciated my open availability to give her more attention:
And of course, this band was created mid-pandemic, so I’m happy I was still able to create something of meaning while everything has been so bleak. It’s been really beneficial to be able to work on my songwriting skills.
Having the extra time at home has enabled me to listen to more music. The way I write is sort of a grab bag of the things I want to emulate from the bands I dig at the moment. I’ve been really into Soccer Mommy, Great Grandpa and Snail Mail. Every time I discover a group I really vibe with, I tend to dive into their discography, interviews and the gear they use. This kind of “absorption” process helps me think about song ideas, structure and lyric writing.
Haley: I’ve been through ups and downs throughout this pandemic. I’m grateful for the time it’s given me to reevaluate what I want to be doing, but it’s very depressing to have shows taken away from us. I think the pandemic shattered my idea of security; the security that I would be able to live my life without wild and sudden changes for the worse. I work at a studio called Foxhole Creative, where I do audio for voiceover and video. Our hours have been reduced, but a lot of people have tried things like voiceover in this time to give themselves a hobby, so work has continued. Bridget and I have started binging WandaVision, which is pretty good. We watched She’s the Man the other day because Bridget has never seen it. And we started a record label in the pandemic! It sort of started as a joke but then we thought, “why not?”. Having the album and label to focus on has definitely kept my mental health afloat while we wait to gig again one day. Also, my dog is my homie and we’ve got some really quality bonding hours in. (She even got a cameo on the album).
While practicing social distancing, listen to our EP, Surrealist:
Jonathan - vocals/guitar: Lombardy was formed during the quarantine. The boys and I all have our own solo projects and main ventures, but after a night of pizza and listening to Rage Against The Machine, we thought it would be awesome to start a collective rock band.
I believe Rock ‘n Roll is about to make a huge comeback. I think post-COVID, people are going to crave in-your-face, high-energy music. People are going to want to release all their pent-up energy from the past year and hear the most fun, upbeat music they possibly can. I think people are so sick of the uber-curated, polished world of certain music, social media, etc. and are craving a raw, natural sound of music. We wanted to be a part of that. Even though we’re best friends, we’ve all only known each other for collectively about six months. Everything sort of led to this moment for us. We absolutely wouldn’t be a band if it wasn’t for this quarantine time. I think having certain elements of the music industry on pause has helped us, because it’s given us time to write the best songs, have the most chemistry and get super tight musically so that when things reopen and get back to normal, we are hungrier than ever and ready to roll!
Lessons learned during quarantine. Hmmm. A few random ones. I would say realizing how important it is to rest and take time for yourself. I think COVID has also forced artists to be inside and has created a mirror of self-reflection. I think every artist and band during this time has re-evaluated themselves, their art, their strategy, etc. It’s just a great time to reflect, reset, recharge and refocus. Every band and artist should come out of this time better; more creative and more refined than ever. Another lesson learned during COVID that applies to everyone is just to have fun with your life. I think everyone’s learned how fragile life and even how fragile our way of living is, and how easily it can be altered. I personally have learned to not take everything so seriously, to be thankful for a new day, and man, just have fun with it all.
We’ve only played one show together as a band, in February. We already have three shows lined up around Nashville in April. It’s obviously hard to book shows right now, but we’ll take anything. We are planning a little summer tour in some states that will most likely be opened come summer. That’s all you can really do right now. We can see the light is at the end of the tunnel, though!
So far, we’ve only released two songs since the start of 2021: “Don’t Wanna See You Round Here”, our debut, and “Sally”, which we just released on March 5. We have a ton of music already recorded and are about to record what will be our second record. The songs just keep flowing out. Since we are a new band, we simply want to make noise and get our name out there. Our plan is to release monthly singles, an EP, more singles and a full record all this year. Essentially a new release every month with a music video accompanying it as well. The boys and I want to be content machines. Nick, our bassist is an amazing videographer, and Ryan, our drummer is also our producer/mix engineer. We really are a full team and a machine. We don’t have to rely on anyone for anything or outsource anything. It’s a fantastic thing to be a part of. We’re having the time of our lives and people seem to really be enjoying it and having fun with us. To the moon!
While practicing social distancing, watch our music video for "Sally":
Coralie - drummer/backing vocals: We were supposed to go on tour last March but this pandemic happened. So we had to think of what we could do to keep going because we didn’t, and still don’t, know how long that was gonna last.
We have actually been really productive; we recorded a new album and made videos for the new singles.
The process, of course, was different than usual. We didn’t practice the songs together with Tarah prior to the studio; we were sending each other tracks and videos of ideas for each song.
Our new album will be released in April and since January we are releasing a new single each month with a video for it.
I’ve been practicing a lot, giving my drum lessons online which is really different than in-person so I had to get used to it. I’ve been listening to a lot of music from awesome new bands like Ad Infinitum, watching movies and TV shows (especially comedies like Superstore or The Last Man On Earth).
I can’t wait to be able to play live again, I really miss it.
Tarah - lead vocalist: A year ago, I was behind my desk trying to make the decision of canceling the tour or not. We did not know how serious the pandemic was and every state had different orders. We don't cancel shows; we take our tours very seriously, so it was a really hard decision to make. Staying safe, for us and for the people who wanted to watch us play.
Some promoters were really understanding, others less but once the lockdown was national, everyone started coming up with Instagram Live shows and other ways to make those shows happen.
We quickly realized that the whole Instagram Live thing was not really working because of a latency issue. We decided to focus on something else. I wrote a bunch of new songs and once the demos were done, I shared them with Coralie and Jason Orme, our producer. We were having Zoom meetings and we were sending each other tracks and ideas. We finally met one weekend to record and that was the first time we were playing the songs live! Which, if you don't know me, is a big deal! I hate to be unprepared. Before a recording session, I always want to make sure that everyone knows their part, and that we are all set for any situation so that we don't waste any time, etc. So I was a little apprehensive, but everything turned out great! Actually even more than great! It was a really weird situation because there were no hugs, and every time someone was next to someone else, the other would move away. We performed with our masks on, and when I sang I was facing the wall! We all stayed safe and that is all that really matters in the end! ;)
We also decided to shoot music videos that same week, so that we would have material to promote and release the singles.
We decided to focus on our online presence until we are able to play live shows again. So far, it has been really exciting to see the reaction of a lot of new people, and we are happy that the new songs have such a huge impact. “Pantomath” was our first single as a duo and now we are releasing our first album as a two piece. We hope that you enjoy listening to our new album :)
While practicing social distancing, watch our docuseries, "How It All Began":
It’s been a year since the first shelter-in-place orders were put into effect here in Northern California. I remember the week before it happened vividly.
I work as an aide at a local elementary school, and I’d spent the entire week making copies of homework packets to send home to keep the students busy for the next two weeks - we were told the shutdown would be just two weeks. All the while I had a bad headache, so bad it would wake me up at night. These weren’t symptoms of COVID, so I didn’t worry too much.
Meanwhile, at home, my 15-year-old cat, Furokey, was dying. She’d been diagnosed with cancer the previous summer and had overshot the prognosis of 6 to 8 weeks to live. Sadly, I could see the cancer was finally winning.
Music-wise, I was in pre-production with a producer who was going to help me record a full-length album. We’d been putting together demos since October. I had a friend in Oregon who was slated to play drums on the album, and just the month before, I had recorded some of her ideas with my piano parts. The producer and I had been sifting through these session recordings, deciding what worked and what didn’t.
And then everything stopped.
The first weekend of the shutdown, all I could think about was my non-stop headache and my dying cat. I knew it was time to let Furokey go and I had made a veterinarian appointment for the upcoming week, but now the veterinarian was closed indefinitely. I also came across an article that said sometimes a headache could be a symptom of COVID-19, so I decided I needed to know for certain. Getting tested was still rare at this point, but after I explained how many students I interact with in a day at work, my health care provider set me up with an appointment at a drive-thru testing site.
After that it was just a waiting game. My family and I quarantined for the week it took for my results to come in. I kept hoping my cat would pass peacefully on her own. I‘d find her laying in odd places and she acted anxious and confused at night. By the time I received my negative test results, my headache was gone, and soon after I found a veterinary service that makes house calls and we said goodbye to Furokey during the second week of the shutdown.
A couple of weeks later I reached out to the producer to see if we could start working remotely. He told me he had made a decision to focus on his own music and drop my project. I was devastated. I tried to continue without him, still working with the drummer, but we just didn’t have the resources to get her parts properly recorded from her home studio.
The year kept going. I doom scrolled through Twitter day after day, keeping up with news about the pandemic. Eventually the pandemic news took a backseat to the stories of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and the Black Lives Matter movement. Sequestered from most of the local protests, my town was put on curfew for two nights. Not long after there was a local BLM march, and my kids and I participated.
Around this time I decided it didn’t matter what I did musically - there was so much more going on in the world. I could write whatever I wanted, I could record whatever I wanted and I could even release it if I wanted. Who cared? Only me, and that’s freedom! So that’s where my head was at when I wrote about the weird noises I heard in the distance after a lightning storm, and also when I wrote about watching videos of protestors setting fires in downtown Portland.
Things are different now.
I’ve received the first dose of the vaccine and I’m back to work at school. I’m running the Learning Hub, a place where small groups of students can come for a few hours a day to get reliable Internet service and extra homework help if they need it. I have two new kittens, Leroy and Jenkins, and they are beyond adorable and nothing but trouble in a good way. And I’ve released my EP, Out at Night; four songs written, recorded and mixed by me. The EP is mostly instrumental, and the songs range from upbeat and danceable to textural and ambient. I still wonder what I could have accomplished with the full-length, professionally produced album, but for now, I’m happy to share my solo work as a snapshot of my life in 2020.
While practicing social distancing, watch my music video for "Mechanical Dogs":
No doubt 2020 was a series of ups and downs. My fellow Radical, John Griffin, and I formed the band in 2019 and released our album New Revolution which has the Vernon Reid from the band Living Colour playing lead on the track "Medicate".
On the “up” side, we were immediately invited to play a music fest outside of Chicago and had the privilege of playing the iconic Cutting Room in New York City. We had a kick-ass 2020 scheduled including playing SXSW, playing fests with Jefferson Starship, Puddle of Mudd, Molly Hatchet and Blackfoot, and starting a tour.
Then the apocalypse hit and canceled everything.
But like life, the music industry is volatile and unpredictable. So we dug in and got busy.
We released a song and video called “Rich Man Wanna Be King” which provides a scathing lampoon of former President Trump. It’s already racked up 190,000 YouTube views and climbing. We collaborated with an incredible husband/wife team called Che-Val on a wicked cover version of Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit”. And we released a podcast called “Music & A Brew” where we crack open a cold one with musical artists. Our first one was with world-class drummer Kenny Aronoff (Mellencamp, Fogerty, McCartney, Smashing Pumpkins) and our next one is with Todd Sucherman (Styx).
And we spent a lot of time engaging with our fans and building our fan base on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
I guess you can say we did what we set out to do when we formed the band. Create. Be industrious. Write. Engage. Stay connected. Instead of doing it on the road we had more time in our homes and studios.
And there is so much to write about. When you distill it down to the basics and just take a look around, you’ll see that it’s so dynamic and malleable. Things develop and change right in front of your eyes every second. The challenge and opportunity is to capture that energy and decide what you want to do with it. It’s literally an open book with so much to write about. The challenging part is how to capture it all and put it into lyrics and music. But that’s also the most rewarding part.
Like we tell our fans. Stay safe. Stay healthy. And stay Radical.
While practicing social distancing, listen to our latest song, "White Rabbit":
One day in my life! Well now the days that have been for the last year have not been like any other days in my life. But if you think about it, every day and every situation is unique. These hard times have been tough for a musician, but you must try to use the hard times as well as you can. At the end of your day you have to decide your own fate. Many people can try to help you and some people may lay down hurdles before you, but in the end you have to be strong in yourself.
I am a story metal songwriter. I collect stories from my own life and from others around me. There have been a lot of stories to collect, both full of happiness and hard times during the pandemic. I have listened to a lot of people talking about how they struggle with their work, with their friends and relatives and just how important that being close to your loved ones really is. I say that it’s important to dare to live life if you want to write about life. All my songs that I write are based upon true stories, experiences and emotions. This has taken me to many different places and situations. I want to tell you about one in particular.
Once I was out walking; it was quite late at night. I usually go for a walk during the evening or by night just to clear my head before practicing my guitar or writing songs. This night I walked and watched how the moonlight and the street lights reflected on my shadow. The shadow was like a person walking with me; sometimes behind me, and sometimes in front of me. Always keeping me safe... and that’s when it hit me. My shadow is my representation of my guardian angel. The Shadow is always around, always with you and doesn’t care who you are or what you did. Your shadow is your comfort and your protection for the world. As I thought of this I started noticing my steps and both melody and beat came to me. This was the birth of the song “The Shadow”.
When I came back home, I had to write it down and I made the whole song in no time at all. I recorded a draft of it, with all instruments and all vocals in under three hours. After I did this, I was so exhausted that I just kind of fell back into my couch and had to rest for a while. But after this day, I have always felt safe and supported. I have my Shadow, and the Shadow is always around.
While practicing social distancing, listen to our latest song, "The Shadow":
I’ve lost track of the number of shows that have been missed out on due to these (sigh) unprecedented times we’re all living through. I can’t remember which have been rescheduled, and re-rescheduled and canceled altogether. I remember the first one. It would’ve been Oso Oso on March 15 (2020), right around the time everyone collectively realized that this was getting serious. A handful of days before, right as I texted the friend I was supposed to go with to see if he still wanted to, New York announced a ban on events of over 500 people. So that one was the first to bite the dust. And many, many, many more followed.
Not to sound like a melodramatic 20-something, but I’m pretty positive that live music is the best thing that exists in this world, and if you asked me a year ago, I would have told you there was no way I could live without it. From basement shows to stadiums, I spent many years being at probably at least one show a week. I’ve traveled all over the country for live music and I do believe it is one of the most pure, wholesome and good things this world has to offer.
About five months into the live music dry spell that became life-during-COVID, after live streams had long become old news, The Front Bottoms announced a drive-in show at Monmouth Park Racetrack. Within minutes I had a car of friends set on going, and though I was positive it was going to be a strange show, it was still a show. A real show. And I was thrilled.
On a warm night at the end of August, in the home stretch of a summer that didn’t really feel like summer at all, we sat in the parking lot of a racetrack, surrounded by cars staggered out like we were pieces on a checkers board, ready to see a show. My three friends and I parked ourselves atop my friends’ SUV, two of us on the hood, two of us on the roof - masks on, pool floats as pillows, clutching boxes of Girl Scout cookies and Diet Cokes, waiting to sing our hearts out.
It was golden hour when the show began. By the end, the moon was shining perfectly above the stage. The sea of cars honked their horns after each song. People were dancing on top of their cars and screaming the lyrics at the top of their lungs. It was wholesome. It was perfect.
There were a ton of lines in their songs that hit in a new way hearing them from the roof of a car in the midst of a pandemic. Like “Whatever I did for you last year I cannot do again” and the entirety of their song titled “Cough It Out” and (of course) “I miss the way things used to be”. Perhaps my favorite, though, was when they were playing “Far Drive” and sang the lyric “Being in a car with people you love is always a good time” and then paused, laughed, and said “A car! With people you love! Look, it all makes sense now!” as the sea of cars full of people who loved each other cheered back at them.
During the end of the show, it started raining pretty hard. Most people ran into their cars, but I stayed sitting on the roof of my friends’ trusty Lexus and thought about all the times getting caught in the rain at a show just made it all the better. At one point I turned around and saw a friend who I pretty consistently would bump into at shows in the city sitting on a car a few rows back. We waved to each other, and I got a text from her saying she was glad we were somehow able to “bump into” each other that night, too.
You can lose yourself at a show in a way you can’t many other places. There is nothing quite like the cathartic yelling of lyrics, the feeling of comradery with the people you’re surrounded by, the ringing in your ears, all of it. It’s so special; it’s something I love so dearly, and it’s something I miss so much. I don’t remember a specific moment of crying at that show, but I definitely did, as I have at plenty of shows in the past, and as I will again, one of these days.
