The Steel Guitar Forum

...Because it is indoors, and I don't feel safe yet playing indoors. So the band decided to do it as a 3-piece, but after I put the bug in their head, now they are considering cancelling. If they don't they will mask onstage.
I am booked till the end of the year, and all the gigs are outdoors at the same 3 places n the beach. That's OK with me.

It's hard to know where to draw the line. I've announced to the band that I will not play a couple of the local waterholes that are indoors on small stages, with lots of dancers just a few feet from the stage. Maybe it will cost me my place in the band, but the band isn't worth my life.

Also, the local sheriff has gone on record that he will not enforce any state mandates regarding covid-19. These are bars that should not have live entertainment during a pandemic, by any reasonable standards.

I've got to say that none of the places I've ever played, indoors or out, would be a place I'd play now. I'm in multiple at risk categories, and I've never played a gig that would feel even remotely comfortable to me nowadays. Even though here in Avery County, we have very few cases, in North Carolina as a whole, things are getting much worse. It's just not worth the risk right now, at least for me. And being in a popular location for second homes, we have a lot of cases coming in from various hot spots in the south. Pretty bummed out year.

Dave

I've been turning down gig offers all month. I don't want anything to do with encouraging people to come together simply for entertainment purposes right now.

There are plenty of people being stupid and irresponsible at the moment, I'm going to keep doing my best to not be one of them.

Both bands I work in have lost all their gigs so far. I do have one coming up on July 2nd, which, is outside in a park, but, it's being sent via computer to all who wish to see.
All inside gigs have been cancelled so far. Hopefully, in the future we can all get back on track.

all of my gigs are cancelled until further notice, Indoors and Outdoors. This is not good, not just for musicians but venues and establishments. They can and will go under.

How long will we continue this, at what point do so called Health Experts say, ok all is good ? 1 month, 3 months , 6 months, next year, never ? What is the reference ?

Today, based on National activities, there is no reference.

If my regular gig opens up Indoors I am playing, I can and will take precautions . The closest bandmate is 4 or 5 feet away and the audience is 20 feet away .

We now keep hearing there is an uptick, by percentages, not by numbers. Percentages are not numbers they are calculations. Up 75%, what does that even mean ? 1 to 2, is a 100% increase. 2 to 4 is a 50 % increase but sounds awful. There is zero consistency for procedures and State Guidelines. Mayors and State Govs , seems like they all do their own thing. Here in NC its mayhem as the Gov actually reversed his decision from 2 or 3 weeks ago citing "immediate emergency response" as his reason. Theres more to his decision but this is not the place to discuss it. So, many venues , businesses and outlets in NC remain closed or severely limited by Gov orders.

If my bi-monthly indoor gig opens up , I'm playing ,but I fear it won't ever return.

“ How long will we continue this, at what point do so called Health Experts say, ok all is good ? 1 month, 3 months , 6 months, next year, never ? What is the reference ? ”

At the point when a vaccine is available . It can take years to develop a vaccine and months after that to produce enough vaccine to inoculate the country. So i wouldn’t count on things to change for at least the end of 2021, and probably much longer.

The sad truth is that even with a vaccine, our destruction of the natural habitats of wild animals means the chances of future animal to human transmission is high, and a new pandemic around the corner. I firmly believe that social distancing is our new normal. Those that accept that as a working hypothesis and act accordingly will survive, those that stubbornly refuse to change won’t.

So called herd immunity is something we can’t even imagine. Less than 1% have been infected. For herd immunity to be effective, that number will need to be 60, 70% or higher. Millions of deaths and more millions facing long term health issues. Of the folks I know who have gotten it and survived are all facing major health problems including near blindness, reduced immune systems, and lung problems.

People are going to do what people are going to do and the personal loss people and businesses will face will be both tragic and inevitable. I don’t have any answers. But I am not going to ignore the science because reality is difficult.

I think Florida, and Alabama are making a big mistake by going wide open.
A friend just got back from Destin FL, and Orange Beach AL, and said the clubs, and restaurants are going like nothing happened, with just a few people wearing mask.

Bill McCloskey wrote:
At the point when a vaccine is available . It can take years to develop a vaccine and months after that to produce enough vaccine to inoculate the country. So i wouldn’t count on things to change for at least the end of 2021, and probably much longer.

Bill, you may very well be right, which means the landscape is changed forever, with no way back. But as a reminder, we have yearly FLU vaccines but we still lose tens of thousands each year to the FLU.

I just did a gig last weekend, full house no mask's, lots of dancing and boogie woogie...I'm with Tony, how long are they going to play this out? 1 year? 2 years? Starvation is a slower way to die...

“But as a reminder, we have yearly FLU vaccines but we still lose tens of thousands each year to the FLU.”

That is true, but I am guessing those deaths are the result of not getting the vaccine, not those who did. I have never gotten a flue vaccine until this year. Which brings up another point : if they rush the covid vaccine, without adequate testing, do you trust it? Everyone has to do what is best for them. I am extremely fortunate having retired and living in an isolated beautiful home with a wife for companionship. These days I rarely leave home except to pick up necessary supplies always with a mask. I am thriving staying at home. My personal choice is to remain isolated until after the vaccine, if and when it comes, has been on the market for at least a year. Others don’t have that option.

It seems to be on the upswing down here in S.W Fl.Still staying low for me.....

Bill McCloskey wrote: These days I rarely leave home except to pick up necessary supplies always with a mask. I am thriving staying at home. My personal choice is to remain isolated until after the vaccine, if and when it comes, has been on the market for at least a year. Others don’t have that option.

Bill that is an accurate response for many. I am pretty much in the same boat, retired 5 years, mostly stay at home, even before Covid my wife and I would "shoot fingers" to see who has to go out to the store. Loser goes to the store.

BUT a minimal amount of people have this option and if things stay stagnant for a year they will never have the ability to maintain an income let alone retire. Nobody retires from unemployment.

At some point we take our own precautions. I personally have always taken precautions in large groups or on gigs, Minimal HUGS, I hate those kisses, and I wash hands very often especially after people want to shake hands.

Regarding Masks, if people are wearing them and not washing them daily or replacing them , thats another problem. They can become a personal cesspool of germs .


Like I stated, if the gigs open up, with safety precautions which I will observe, I'm gonna go play. But I fear in a few cases its already too late. Restaurants and venues cannot stay in business with a max capacity allowed at 50%. The LIVE Performing Arts Theater shows in Downtown Charlotte have basically cancelled all LIVE events this year, thats 5 Theaters with multiple shows each week. These are not cheap ticket shows and they are all USA National Touring acts. Refunds have already taken place. Its a massively large equation.

In my mind, unrecoverable. The entire Charlotte Downtown was rebuilt literally around the Performing Arts Centers. Today the area is dead, a ghost town , well shy a few hundred walking around with signs.

Its just after 4 pm here, at 5Pm I am headed out to a JAM Rehearsal, yes we will observe all necessary precautions. We are setting up at one of the venues that has weekly dances, but no dancers allowed, actually nobody allowed but the musicians.

Hope I don't break a 3rd string !

Bill McCloskey wrote:“But as a reminder, we have yearly FLU vaccines but we still lose tens of thousands each year to the FLU.”

That is true, but I am guessing those deaths are the result of not getting the vaccine, not those who did. I have never gotten a flue vaccine until this year. Which brings up another point : if they rush the covid vaccine, without adequate testing, do you trust it? Everyone has to do what is best for them. I am extremely fortunate having retired and living in an isolated beautiful home with a wife for companionship. These days I rarely leave home except to pick up necessary supplies always with a mask. I am thriving staying at home. My personal choice is to remain isolated until after the vaccine, if and when it comes, has been on the market for at least a year. Others don’t have that option.

I'm in the same boat. After I had turned 60, I asked my doctor about the shingles vaccine. He was very agitated. He said that the vaccine had been so ineffective that he thought it was basically a big pharma scheme to scare old people into expensive but ineffective shots. On the new vaccine, he recommended waiting until we see how it does in the real world outside of clinical trials. He said, if you catch it early, shingles is very treatable and much more effectively so than the vaccine. And he's a pretty conservative doc (medically, not necessarily politically).

I think it will be the same way with any Coronavirus vaccine. The clinical trials are being pushed really quickly, which is probably good, but I'm staying in until they're proved in the real world.

I'm glad that I'm old, on Social Security, and in a relatively safe part of the country. I'd no doubt have a completely different outlook on things if the current situation was directly impacting my ability to make ends meet. I'm thankful to not be younger.

Very glad I'm up in the mountains with my wife where we can wander about freely, save the bear situation, and have plenty of projects at the house to keep us busy and happy.

Dave

I have an outdoor gig next Saturday. We will wear mask at least until we are onstage, maybe even then. In any case, we will practice social distancing, hand sanitizer, etc... It's not all about taking your own risk, it's the people around you that you should respect also. Remember, most of the people that have it got it from someone who didn't know they had it. To be irresponsible and ignore the recommendations of the CDC/health experts is a selfish act as I see it. What if you become infected and transmit it to a family member and they die... I'd hate to have that to live with.

We may find out in months or years to come that I've overreacted. If so, that's okay, I can live with that. If we find that the ones who ignore the precautions are wrong... it will likely result in a disastrous outcome. I'm all for opening up, but we have to do it the right way.

I'm willing to be patient, if it keeps me from becoming a patient.


RC

I MAY be doing a very few gigs in July, August and September, all outside. The Fall jobs are dependent on the course the virus takes. I'm fully prepared to, even expect to, cancel those because of a second wave. The road out of this swamp will be a long one.

Tony's outlook is pretty bleak,but well stated.I hope he's wrong but I fear he's right....

I believe we musicians, for a change, are going to have to stop simply taking what it is offered to us, and accepting whatever situation they want to put us in.

While I make my living playing music, I also have an auto-immune condition which puts me in the high-risk group.

I've been offered 2 gigs so far. I laid down preconditions for me and my band that would have to be met before I could accept. One promoter was glad to, the other......not so much. I took the responsible one.

As things move on, I'm fully prepared, if I show up at a gig and it's not safe, to walk. We all need to be.

We're ALL dying to play. We're ALL bored and desperate to do something fun. Almost ALL of us need $$$, to some extent or another.

Guess what? The virus doesn't care.

Be safe.

K Maul wrote:I MAY be doing a very few gigs in July, August and September, all outside. The Fall jobs are dependent on the course the virus takes. I'm fully prepared to, even expect to, cancel those because of a second wave. The road out of this swamp will be a long one.

what Kevin says I am in the same boat.

P.w

I'm torn with a decision right now about an upcoming party for musicians and their families next weekend. It's at a vineyard on top of a hill near Cloverdale, outdoors and in an open barn. They promise masks, hand sanitizers and social distancing. But there will be people I don't know from out of town, including the big city of Santa Rosa.

On one hand, it seems fairly safe. On the other, I know that I catch viruses easily and the wife (who will not attend) is very much in the high risk group. The band could play without me. After all, I'm a retired musician. What to do?
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P.S. I probably shouldn't have posted the address of this private party, but you can't find it without detailed directions anyway. GPS gets totally lost up there.

We can’t afford to lose you b0b. Stay home.

"Court n' Disaster"

How......apropos?

Today’s NYT, btw:

I think that the little poster right above is missing something, the elephant in the room. No states had any bars or restaurants open in early May. And if they did it was under extreme limited conditions. But something else did occur which may very well be the reason for a spike 3 weeks later across the nation.

Bob, stay home until YOU feel safe. While I say I will go out and play, I do have to be able to control my personal 6 foot environment. I'm good with that .

I played a jam a few days ago. Everyone was cautious. It was fun.

To me, the alternative benefit for staying home the last 60 to 90 days was not getting a Cold or the Flu ! No hugs, kisses and handshakes from the minions at our shows . I vote to end all that even in GOOD times !

I applaud Bill McCloskey's posts on this thread. I concur with everything he has written.

I'm going to miss playing 'out', but my usual source of work (live theatre shows) will not be returning in the near future and, when it does, it'll be barely viable, economically, for all concerned.

I won't be getting on a train or a bus again. Although I feel perfectly well, my health is fragile (diabetes, end-stage renal failure) and this makes me the Poster 'Child' for the at-risk category.

There's is still much ahead of me in terms of what I want to do. I'm not saying that '77 is the new 47', but I'm going to do whatever I can to preserve the time that's left for me.

After all, it's not as though I'm depriving the world of a 'great player'!

Thanks Roger.

I am a firm believer that one's reactions to times of great change are dependent on an individual's resilience. Back in the late 80's, after the 87 stock market crash, the industry I was in dried up for good. I was laid off 2 weeks before christmas with my first child on the way. I went back to school, switched careers, and thrived as a result. This has happened to me many times in my life.

I read an article on resilience recently and it said: during a pandemic, those who are resilient decide it is a good time to learn to meditate, or learn to play the guitar. I laughed out loud, because in a way I did both.

Over the last few months, I've been calling people I haven't spoken to in over 20 years. As an entrepreneur for the last 20 years, I called my entrepreneur friends and we agreed that this is the best time to be an entrepreneur: literally every aspect of our lives needs to be re-imagined. I even bought the domain RemakingTheFuture.com and thought about starting a new company, but eventually realized I don't want to work that hard any more. But I do believe with all my heart there is a world of opportunity out there right now for those with creativity and optimism and vision.

What I've done instead:

1. I deleted all my social media accounts. I deleted Facebook, Twitter, and as a businessman for the last 30 some years, the big one: my Linkedin account. I have way over 5,000 connections on Linkedin and I knew by deleting it I was giving up my past life for good. The Steel Guitar Forum is the only social media platform I'm still participating in.

2. I've always been a meditator, since my teen years, but I decided to rededicate myself to my meditation practice. I'm in the process of converting a storage room into a meditation room and I start each morning meditating for an hour, and then an hour later in the day.

3. I rekindled my interest in the Eddie Alkire Eharp tuning and his work and have started a project to record all of Eddie's published work and eharp lessons.

4. I picked up my support and letter writing of a few friends of mine who are doing long prison sentences, sending them money and books and long letters and receiving such overwhelming heartfelt gratitude back.

5. As someone long interested in Buddhism, I took the 5 precepts which meant I stopped drinking alcohol and smoking herb. I have been completely sober for months. And my reliance on an asthma inhaler has dropped to almost zero.

6. I started writing letters to Buddhist monks that I follow and receiving their encouragement back. I found a relatively close monastery and have been purchasing and shipping them necessary things they need to survive.

As a result, I am the happiest I've ever been in my life. I've cut down on TV, movies, spent more time reading and sitting outside in my back porches. My wife and I are even caring for a feral cat that shows up each day for his morning and evening meal.

I've had to shed my skin and get a new one so many times in my life, and each time, it has led to something better than before. I wish all of you great good will and happiness. And hope each of you use this occasion to make your lives better than they ever were before.