The coronavirus/COVID-19 response is causing a lot of financial fallout for many Berks Countians, from closing businesses to rising unemployment. One population feeling this impact is local musicians.
For local musicians, most income is gig-based, such as hosting open mics, performing at festivals, etc. However, events with large-gatherings are being postponed or cancelled, leaving most local artists with a major income gap to fill.
Matt Bailey, long-time staple in Berks County’s music scene, manages to make a living out of his passion as a full-time performer. Locals may normally catch him playing in bars, restaurants, birthday parties, retirement homes, open mics and more. However, his latest gigs were cancelled due to concerns over the coronavirus.
“The first gigs to go were the retirement homes,” Bailey said. “At that point, I did not really think much of [the coronavirus]. Once some of my bigger venues started shutting down and stopping live music, that is when I knew it was going to be a problem.”
To make up for the loss of income, Bailey is turning to livestreaming, where he still performs for a live audience while making a bit of money, this time through donations from viewers. “Lots of people have been tuning in, and donating and contributing. That has been helping me stay afloat.”
Musicians and music enthusiasts alike are turning to livestreaming, whether to promote staying at home, a fundraiser for charities and organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic or simply to fill boredom. In Berks County, music lovers are coming together to support local artists in the form of a Facebook group: Berks County Quarantine Open Mic.
The group was started by Zack DeSantis, local musician and producer, who discovered a similar Facebook group based in Delaware County. “I thought it was really cool that it was local, so you have a way to stay connected with people that you would normally see at local open mics,” DeSantis said. “So, I started one for Berks County.”
Like Bailey, DeSantis’s live gigs were cancelled. He also cancelled sessions at his home studio and at Pagoda City Studio in the GoggleWorks, as well as guitar tutoring sessions. Needing an outlet, he started the Berks County Quarantine Open Mic group on Facebook.
Each day, DeSantis and his fellow page administrators (including Mandy Lynn, bassist for local band Drew & the Blue) post a sign-up sheet, and artists comment when they want to perform. When they are ready to perform at their time, they hit “Live” in the group page and perform for 30 minutes. While they are playing, viewers can donate to their PayPal, which is typically linked in the video description. This way, the community can still support local artists who may be financially struggling during this time.
DeSantis said he never expected the Facebook group to become so popular, with over 10,000 members to date. “I invited 30 musician friends [to the group]. I figured it would stop there; we would just be playing music for each other and be able to stay connected through music that way.”
“People have really been supportive of all these musicians, everybody is super helpful and it has become this beautiful thing that is way bigger than I thought it would be. It is so nice to see your friends you would see at open mics and gigs… still have that bit of normalcy.”
With the Quarantine Open Mic’s success, DeSantis is looking for ways to include as much variety as possible, for both viewers and performers. The group now has a regular Children’s Hour, an hour of music for families with small children, featuring Matt Bailey. Activities also expanded to include late night DJ sessions and a poetry hour with Anthony Orozco (Pen Street City of Poems, Barrio Alegria). Once the stay-at-home order is lifted and social distancing is no longer an issue, DeSantis hopes to hold an all-day concert/festival to showcase local artists while continuing to bring the community together.
In the meantime, artists are continuing to adapt to changing circumstances while maintaining some normalcy. Bailey is starting to play in bars and restaurants again while people order take-out, and livestreams the performances on Facebook while accepting viewer contributions. However, the future remains uncertain. “If this was to continue for a month or 2, I don’t know where I would be,” Bailey said.
Despite self-quarantining, local artists are still finding ways to bring the community together. The community is encouraged to support them by checking out the Berks County Quarantine Open Mic and donating to their available PayPal.
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