Isolation during this time doesn't have to mean we're lonely. We just have to find creative ways to connect. Even with the stay-at-home extension due to the coronavirus pandemic, Colorado musicians have not slowed their creative output. We have seen a rise in online music, ranging from live stream performances, benefit singles, and even virtual music lessons from local musicians.
Local 303 musician Alyssa Stoner, who records as Ella Luna, wrote a song about social distancing:
Sean Frederick of Good Elastics designed and released a new band t-shirt and said he can't wait to see how our music scene comes out of the stay-at-home order.
"I think the music community will absolutely explode after this is over! Think about the number of great musicians who will have written whole albums and great songs because of the time they have," he said.
New music videos have been released like Neoma's animated new single, "Himno."
The band has also participated in live streams, set up a little studio and will continue to work on demos during this time.
During the first week of quarantine, Dressy Bessy's Tammy Ealom directed and starred in their latest music video, "Mon Cheri," off of their 2019 album "Fast Faster Disaster."
Pueblo's Inaiah Lujan recorded and released a YouTube concert ahead of his new album out this month "Do What You Want." About 23 minutes into his performance he plays his new single "Ruby" which is a partial reference to his favorite film "The Wizard of Oz."
We are also inspired by cover songs from local musicians. Greg Laut from Whiskey Autumn did a cover of Bob Dylan's "Girl From the North Country." And to honor the musical legacy of soul singer Bill Withers' recent passing, Wildermiss teamed up with members of Overslept and Meliora for a Bill Withers tribute. Additionally Fort Collins band DEBR4H covers Blondie and Denver's Andrew Van Orsdale does The Supremes.
So what are you doing to stay busy? I hope during this time of physical distancing that you are finding comfort in music. We will continue to check in with our Local 303 musicians during this health crisis to offer hope and ideas of how we can help. Head to Instagram where we have interviews, sessions and takeovers with musicians regularly. And if you need more music, find our coronavirus-inspired playlists on Spotify.
