Coronafest: Amor fati
“We’re just taking what was delivered to us and figuring out how to live inside of that to the best of our ability”
BOCA RATON, Fla — Full production, lights, guitars, basses, a drum set, a keyboard, a handful of microphones.
On the evening of Wednesday, April 1st The Flyers were performing at Crazy Uncle Mike’s and having a good time doing it, as they usually do.
“Get back LO-retta.”
Patrick Farinas, mid guitar solo, turned to look straight into the camera, “Stay home.”
The audience, in its thorough absence, was following that command perfectly. Not a single table was occupied, and not for some elaborate April fool’s joke.
On March 17, Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order mandating bars and nightclubs close for 30 days. For the time, bars and restaurants are limited to only takeout business, putting local business owners in a vulnerable position.
“Starting that day our takeout business was approximately .4% of our business.” said Mike Goodwin, 56, founder of Crazy Uncle Mikes, a local brewery. “We needed to turn something which was a very small focus into the only thing that can generate any revenue.”
In response Crazy Uncle Mike’s has set up a curbside pickup system in their parking lot to deliver food directly to customer’s cars, and offering special takeout family-size meal bundles, all primarily promoted through social media.
However Goodwin quickly realized that his livelihood was not the only one at risk. Crazy Uncle Mike’s, like many local bars, has a stage and hosts local bands. With venues being shut down, musicians are out of work too for the foreseeable future.
“The basis of being a musician… our entire livelihood depends on literally gathering people in some sort of masses to all get together which is impossible right now.” said Jordan Richards, 24, Bassist for The Flyers.
“Successful [local] musicians like The Flyers, they play five or six nights a week, they pay their mortgage like that.” said Andrew Alonso, 28, lead vocalist for Sons of a Tradesman another local band.
In order to give these artists an opportunity, the Crazy Uncle Mike’s team began to set up an online platform to host them. A virtual concert series deemed CoronaFest.
Bands that regularly play at Mike’s were invited to perform there with no audience present. The performance is broadcasted live on YouTube and Facebook where viewers can send donations to their favorite artists.
“[The Flyers] used to play music five nights a week and actually got paid to do that.” Goodwin explained as he introduced them on the seventh night of CoronaFest. “Tonight, they’re playing music one time this month and they’re not getting paid unless your generous hearts throw them a penny or two.”
For Richards the performance was just as much a financial boost as it was a mental one. With local venues being shut down working artists have lost both their income and sense of identity.
“As somebody who got to do one of those it felt really, really nice to experience some kind of normalcy.” Richards said, ”like ‘Oh I have a reason to go take a shower and brush my teeth, put nice clothes on and put gear into my car, little things like that.”
Alonso, of Sons of a Tradesman, was one of the first to be called about CoronaFest. The shutdown had been hard on him, his band had been working hard in the studio and had a tour planned, both of which were postponed.
“It’s not that I didn’t think what they were doing was great, I just didn’t want to do it, I was in poor spirits,” Alonso said. “As it got closer to us playing the stream my boys were really excited just to get on stage and play.”
“We got there and of course the place was empty, there were just a couple of staff members and us but once we played the first ten seconds it didn’t matter, it didn’t matter I was happy to be there.”
“Everybody needs music man,” said Alonso. It may not be deemed essential but music and art serve a different necessity, one which we’re all becoming much more familiar with as isolation continues.
“The days of Motley Crew, sex, drugs, rock & roll, that shit’s over man. Today it’s about self-care and loving each other.”
The mental benefit isn’t just for the bands of course, as Goodwin explained in a video update. “I think the longer we have to stay at home, we get bored with Netflix and things are getting dragged out, having a live concert to check out is going to be a nice relief.” Said Goodwin.
In addition to musicians, CoronaFest is also extended to local artists hosting paint-along Livestream classes. James Trend, 23, started Beers and Brushes while he was still a student at FAU. The company promotes both local artists and breweries by exposing a new crowd to those establishments while also creating work for artists.
“Since everyone is home there’s a spike in people who are on the internet,” Trend said. “We’re giving people at home an opportunity to do something, create something, have a little bit of fun, and take their mind off of what’s going on in the world right now.”
The first live-streamed class was just over an hour long and had over 100 viewers. Trend intends to continue utilizing this new opportunity for business through the internet.
“I’m gonna start having [Online] classes on either a weekly basis or biweekly basis and go from there,” Trend said. “Hopefully work up to, depending on how long we’re in this quarantine, doing it on a bi-daily basis so I can have all of my artists that I employ teaching classes, making a little money with donations,”
Crazy Uncle Mike’s plans to continue streaming and expanding their online following, hopefully reaching people who will follow them beyond reopening.
Like Trend, Goodwin is also exploring long-term options online. With the future of the industry uncertain, the team is preparing for what might be a slower return of business.
“I think that when we’re looking at the future, there’s a lot of uncertainty about what will be,” said Goodwin. “I’m ready to look at the possibility that people’s psyche has changed and coming to a place with large crowds may not be as attractive as it used to be.”
In that case, concerts may continue to be live-streamed past the reopening of regular business in order to reach the audience that may continue to stay home. Crazy Uncle Mike’s has now had 20 CoronaFest streams, raising a few thousand dollars for bands and entertainers.
“We’re just taking what was delivered to us and figuring out how to live inside of that to the best of our ability.” Said Goodwin.
