Facing a difficult time...

[daddymack]

what do they know that we don't?

[DeepEnd]

23 hours ago, Notes_Norton said:

Our 12 year once a week restaurant is advertising our return in October.

Well, at least they want you back again. <Sigh>

[Notes_Norton]

On 5/10/2020 at 5:12 PM, DeepEnd said:

Well, at least they want you back again. <Sigh>

That's definitely a good sign. Hopefully by October we'll get the 'all clear'.

Normally at this restaurant, which is mostly outdoors, on a dock over a salt water lagoon we quit mid-May and return mid-October. It's the rainy season and the exact dates depend on the rain.

I'm looking forward to gigging again. An outdoor restaurant is ideal, as the germs will not be confined to a building.

Time will tell what the new normal will be, and we'll do our best to adapt no matter what that new normal is.

Notes

[ggm1960]

We went to dinner at a place in a town about 30 miles away and my wife booked us a gig there for July. Ironically it was a place we were booked at last year but had to cancel because I was in the hospital with a urinary tract infection.

So now we have a gig in July, one in June and still have one for May 22nd if places open up. We're both very busy with other things so once a month is typically good for us, don't like more than twice.

[Notes_Norton]

Still nothing until October. But May starts the slow season. Too bad if this COVID thing had to come, it couldn't have waited until our money season was over. Doesn't the virus know my world revolves around me?

[DeepEnd]

11 hours ago, ggm1960 said:

. . . So now we have a gig in July, one in June and still have one for May 22nd if places open up. We're both very busy with other things so once a month is typically good for us, don't like more than twice.

Best of luck but I wouldn't hold my breath for a May gig. June is iffy enough. My regular "gig" is Sunday mornings and I have no clue when worship will resume. I'm on staff for the local (St. Louis) science fiction convention, scheduled for the first weekend in October, and we're not sure there'll be a con at this point. ☹️

[ggm1960]

14 hours ago, DeepEnd said:

Best of luck but I wouldn't hold my breath for a May gig. 

We're supposed to find out today if the governor has any plan to extend restrictions. There was never a "shelter in place" order here. It started as a two week shut down in mid March ostensibly to "flatten the curve" and keep hospitals from being overwhelmed. It then got extended through April. May 1st it was extended to certain counties that were identified as "hot spots", mine being one. Today we should know if that continues.

At the U of I Hospitals and Clinics yesterday they had 24 C-19 inpatients with total to date being 161.  

[Bob Dey]

23 hours ago, ggm1960 said:

We're supposed to find out today if the governor has any plan to extend restrictions. There was never a "shelter in place" order here. It started as a two week shut down in mid March ostensibly to "flatten the curve" and keep hospitals from being overwhelmed. It then got extended through April. May 1st it was extended to certain counties that were identified as "hot spots", mine being one. Today we should know if that continues.

At the U of I Hospitals and Clinics yesterday they had 24 C-19 inpatients with total to date being 161.  

I wish Michigan would go by each county rather than applying the shut down to the entire state.

[ggm1960]

From a commerce perspective the shutdown, as it were, was not extended except for bars and casinos and albeit with some various restrictions (social distancing, half capacity, etc.).

The report I saw yesterday, one that goes out to U of I Hospital & Clinic employees, was that the number of inpatient C-19 cases was down to 22. The peak never reached 50 I'm told and the total number of cases to date still stood at 161. This is the largest employer in the state and a major trauma center for a state of over 3 million people so even if I used the overly conservative estimate of serving an area of 500,000 people the numbers just don't add up to the over reaction I've witnessed. That, of course, is my opinion to which I'm entitled based upon the numbers and perhaps explains why I've never felt any great concern.

Note that I don't set out to serve as a role model and, in fact, have likely often been considered a bad example. Everyone must operate within the confines of their own comfort zone.

[daddymack]

yes, but as you said, "a state of over 3 million people"...NYC and the Los Angeles 'metro' area have a populations six times that of your state.

You are fortunate to be where you are, and maybe yes, they over-reacted on the side of caution at the outset. But who knew? How would you have felt had they not 'erred on the side of caution'...and done nothing, only to have thousands of cases?

Nobody likes this, except the ones who were 'shut-ins' before...but I have to believe that despite the Administration's rush to re-open, the real experts are more in tune to the potential hazards. They may not happen, but the possibility of a second and third wave of the virus is enough to keep me wearing a mask at the store and happily barbecuing four times a week. My zipcode has the highest number of reported cases in our county, which does not make me comfortable AT ALL...I see too many people out and about with no masks...are they right?

I think they are suicidal!

[ggm1960]

4 hours ago, daddymack said:

yes, but as you said, "a state of over 3 million people"...NYC and the Los Angeles 'metro' area have a populations six times that of your state.

You are fortunate to be where you are, and maybe yes, they over-reacted on the side of caution at the outset. But who knew? How would you have felt had they not 'erred on the side of caution'...and done nothing, only to have thousands of cases?

Nobody likes this, except the ones who were 'shut-ins' before...but I have to believe that despite the Administration's rush to re-open, the real experts are more in tune to the potential hazards. They may not happen, but the possibility of a second and third wave of the virus is enough to keep me wearing a mask at the store and happily barbecuing four times a week. My zipcode has the highest number of reported cases in our county, which does not make me comfortable AT ALL...I see too many people out and about with no masks...are they right?

I think they are suicidal!

I did make a point of mentioning that others are not particularly encouraged to follow my example. It's also not possible for others to instill feelings I just don't have into me. I could go on with the reasons but I would mostly be repeating things I've already written. Take the extreme example of a serial killer who stands stolid in the courtroom while the victims family members are allowed to express their anger and hurt towards him. I suspect a lot of the frustration they feel stems from the fact that they'll never be able to reach him on an emotional level.

I feel what might be a similar vibe coming from many people out there these days and the wedge it drives between people makes me sad.

I do live in a less dense population but we do not exist within a bubble here. My wife and I actually believe we may have had what's now known as covid-19 back when we traveled to the east coast for a few days at new years. It's the last time either of us has had any type of illness. In late February we traveled to Cancun Mexico for a week. I'm sure 1000's of others traveled to and from this area before things really began to shut down in mid-March. Back when I was in regular band rotation it was not uncommon for me to get bronchitis at least twice a season.

I'm not a big follower of media outlets and usually read the stories with skepicism and a questioning manner. I'll bet that for every doctor you can find that would tell you to wear a mask, I can find one that would tell you it's not much use or that it might even be unhealthy for you. This may not make sense to some but I often get a better takeaway from the headlines and stories I don't see. Right now Wisconsin is a great example where I'm awaiting to see more about what's happening there.

EDIT: I got carried away a little and, trying to get back on topic, wanted to mention that the May 22nd gig is canceled. We do have the June and July gigs still on though as they were both booked post apocalypse and both are in smaller towns outside our county.

[Notes_Norton]

A short read on herd immunity from a guy at Johns Hopkins who can actually do the math
 

https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/from-our-experts/early-herd-immunity-against-covid-19-a-dangerous-misconception

[ggm1960]

So it looks like the party was on over the weekend all over the place. For my part as an Alpha Tester (beta does not live up to my standards) we rode over to Poopy's in Savanna, Ill. where all the bars were open, bikes lined the streets, booze flowed, bands rocked and there were no sightings of law enforcement.

[leftyjay]

that seems to be the scene at most outdoor venues over the holiday. the inside venues still dont have the ok to let social gatherings happen. i've just got word from all my summer venues that June is a "no go".

in SW Florida, most venues are set to 25% occupancy indoors. the outside tiki bars are busy. no signs of masks anywhere but the waitresses.

after a month of trying, i've finally applied online for unemployment. the online website was not "musician solo act" friendly. i had to ask a gov employee to help me register. now i'm waiting on the next step...dont know how long it will take for them to contact me so we can proceed to getting benefits.

[DeepEnd]

7 hours ago, ggm1960 said:

So it looks like the party was on over the weekend all over the place. For my part as an Alpha Tester (beta does not live up to my standards) we rode over to Poopy's in Savanna, Ill. where all the bars were open, bikes lined the streets, booze flowed, bands rocked and there were no sightings of law enforcement.

Yeah, that made the evening news here in St. Louis. Personally, you wouldn't catch me anywhere near the place.

[ggm1960]

13 hours ago, DeepEnd said:

Yeah, that made the evening news here in St. Louis. Personally, you wouldn't catch me anywhere near the place.

It might be worth pointing out that through circumstance and choice, I've interacted with people and society to the greatest extent possible all this time. Others who've been more isolated are probably best to proceed with a bit more caution.

[daddymack]

27 minutes ago, ggm1960 said:

It might be worth pointing out that through circumstance and choice, I've interacted with people and society to the greatest extent possible all this time. Others who've been more isolated are probably best to proceed with a bit more caution.

and how many Covfefe-19 tests have you had?

Seriously...you could be an asymptomatic carrier, spreading joy and potential death where ever you go...I'm jus' sayin...

my county has seen a 10% increase in cases since the the weekend...did we relax too soon?

I, for one, will keep my mask handy and avoid large groups of people for another month or so...

 

[ggm1960]

3 hours ago, daddymack said:

and how many Covfefe-19 tests have you had?

Seriously...you could be an asymptomatic carrier, spreading joy and potential death where ever you go...I'm jus' sayin...

my county has seen a 10% increase in cases since the the weekend...did we relax too soon?

I, for one, will keep my mask handy and avoid large groups of people for another month or so...

 

I have not been tested to date although it's not because I wouldn't want to be.

"you could be an asymptomatic carrier, spreading joy and potential death where ever you go".

Believe me, I've had that guilt trip/shame attempt/argument hurled at me many times these last few months. 1. I've been considered an "essential" employee since the get go so I do what I need to do. 2. I do not put the people I'm in contact with at any more risk than they do me, if that feeling is not mutual you are not required to get near me. My parents are dead, no need for me to worry about them. At the end of the day who is responsible for your own personal safety if not you?? You wrote about the precautions you intend to continue taking and I'm glad to know you're trying to stay healthy. I, of course, have no idea what your risk level is but wasn't my statement a precautionary one??

I'll expand on it a little. There's little doubt that my immune system is in top form or as close as possible. Doing that was a conscience choice on my part to benefit myself, I would have recommended other healthy people to do the same while society made a more concentrated effort to protect those at greater risk. No one would have listened to me then just as no one will listen to me now. I haven't had anything resembling a cold or flu since the first week of January. At the other extreme, those who've isolated will certainly be at greater risk but not just from C19, perhaps to other more common viruses and bacteria as well. I've mentioned repeatedly that everyone needs to operate within their own comfort level, come to terms with things and re-enter society as best suits you unless you intend to remain hidden away for the remainder of your life. Let's be real here.

[SusieP]

Hello All.

 

Haven't been in here for a while, so thought I'd take a look and see how everyone is doing in the USA. I see the situation for you is the same as here in the UK.

Hope no one has had the virus and hope everyone's mental health is staying positive. Tough, I know. Anxiety levels are off the scale and no wonder.

Our savings can only last for so long and when playing music for money is ones only source of income it is a HUGE worry when all gigs stop.

Everything cancelled for the forseeable for my Duo, too.

Our troubles began before COVID hit.

For several years we had enjoyed a rolling contract of regular weekly gigs at 3 Hotels in a large UK chain. One Hotel brought in a solo act to replace us in January 2019, the second Hotel followed suit in March. The last Hotel of the three alternated us with a solo act and then dropped us from September. Budget cuts being the excuse. We had been doing this chain for 6 years, so maybe they wanted a change. Who knows.

We had a few other gigs at small Bistros etc and did the odd Wedding or private function here and there so we ramped up the cold calling/networking.

So we wre struggling before the virus lockdown.

All gigs cancelled.

We don't know if the small Bistros etc will still be in business when lockdown ends, so it is very likely that it is all over for us.

 

The biggest worry is depression and anxiety and also not wanting to be anything other than a professional musician/singer.

After so many years making a living from music - and now being a certain age - it is hard to adjust to the possibility of doing anything else.

Applications for jobs elsewhere have proven unfruitful - because of lack of experience in jobs applied for. Employers seem to all want people who can hit the ground running.

I haven't worked in a 'real' job since the 90s.

My Duo partner has only ever been a pro musician. He knows nothing else.

So it's quite a situation which  none of us could ever have predicted.

 

All we can do is sit it out and see what happens to the World when lockdown ends.

 

I hope all of you here are doing ok under these unfortunate circumstances.

 

 

 

 

[Notes_Norton]

Good to hear from you SusieP but sad to hear about your condition.

COVID hit Leilani and I too. Our first cancelled gig was March 18, and by the end of the week, 7 months of gigs were completely eliminated. We have a tentative gig at the end of October , but that is only if restaurants are open to full capacity.

We have 4 things going for us.
1) Our house is paid for
2) We have made it a practice to live below our means so we have savings
3) We have social security (minimal government pension in the USA) and we can survive on that if we're very careful
4) I have a part time business I started in 1992 writing aftermarket style and song collections for the auto-accompaniment app, Band-in-a-Box. It is possibly going to turn into a full time biz, but I sell to musicians, who are also out of work.

For most of our lives, gigging has been our primary source of income, and since we are married, but incomes in the same house are gone.

I think it will take a long time for both of our countries to recover. When the disease is tackled, the economy's recovery will lag because so many people have no money.

The silver lining is that we are both healthy. My brother-in-law is a world famous doctor among other doctors. He says "you don't want to get this disease". He is among those who believe it is more of a blood borne disease that gets transmitted through the lungs, but ravages the body and attacks wherever there are weak organs or blood vessels. He said there have been plenty of cases, even with those who have no or mild symptoms and are normally healthy who ended up with permanent brain, lung, kidney, heart, and other major organ damage.

Stay healthy and I do hope we all find some way to survive.

Notes

 

[SusieP]

2 minutes ago, Notes_Norton said:

Good to hear from you SusieP but sad to hear about your condition.

COVID hit Leilani and I too. Our first cancelled gig was March 18, and by the end of the week, 7 months of gigs were completely eliminated. We have a tentative gig at the end of October , but that is only if restaurants are open to full capacity.

We have 4 things going for us.
1) Our house is paid for
2) We have made it a practice to live below our means so we have savings
3) We have social security (minimal government pension in the USA) and we can survive on that if we're very careful
4) I have a part time business I started in 1992 writing aftermarket style and song collections for the auto-accompaniment app, Band-in-a-Box. It is possibly going to turn into a full time biz, but I sell to musicians, who are also out of work.

For most of our lives, gigging has been our primary source of income, and since we are married, but incomes in the same house are gone.

I think it will take a long time for both of our countries to recover. When the disease is tackled, the economy's recovery will lag because so many people have no money.

The silver lining is that we are both healthy. My brother-in-law is a world famous doctor among other doctors. He says "you don't want to get this disease". He is among those who believe it is more of a blood borne disease that gets transmitted through the lungs, but ravages the body and attacks wherever there are weak organs or blood vessels. He said there have been plenty of cases, even with those who have no or mild symptoms and are normally healthy who ended up with permanent brain, lung, kidney, heart, and other major organ damage.

Stay healthy and I do hope we all find some way to survive.

Notes

 

Thanks Notes. These are crazy times for us all and we must scrape by as best we can.  Never known anything like it. Glad you can survive it even if you are having to be frugal.

Those of us with savings or a small income from alternative sources can ride it out easier than some. Sadly some had nothing left.

I don't know if it was just my Duo, but with all the Brexit uncertainty in the UK and the Election of yet another Prime Minister going on, a LOT of venue owners reduced the live music because they didn't want to spend their money on 'extras' in case the impact of Brexit affected their trade. No one knew [still don't] how that is going to pan our when we [finally] leave the EU. So we probaly had the worst year we've ever had in 2019. So we struggled pretty bad all year. 2020 was looking like THE year for Weddings.

Everyone was thinking we were going to have a lucrative year and catch up on losses from 2019.

But......oh boy. Come March 2020....... carpet yanked from under us BIG TIME.

I know its the same for you guys in here.

 

Fortunately I do not know anyone who has caught the virus. It sounds horrific.

Interesting what your Brother-in-law said about it.

I did have a friend pass away in April. Not sure whether to blame COVID or not. She had a brain tumour removed last year.

She had a course of radio therapy and was due to begin chemo therapy before Christmas. Something showed up in her womb and the chemo was halted so she could have a hysterectomy.

That was done.

Then she started chemo this year - it was halted again because of COVID.

She started to get abdominal pain and was taken into Hospital in March. She had a bag fitted to help her urinate.

The abdominal pain kept up. She was given pain relief Meds but chemo did not resume.

She passed away April - they said there were two more tumours around her bladder area. So - if her chemo had continued would she still be here with us or was the cancer too agressive to be stopped?  I don't know.

What I do know is that Funerals during this lockdown thing are just WEIRD.

The number of people who could attend the Funeral was restricted and no wake was permitted.

That has to be the strangest thing I have experienced.

I haven't played a gig since the end of February and only one gig for this year is in the Diary. In November.

No clue what is going to happen.

 

Unbelievable isn't it?

 

[daddymack]

Ms. P! Good to see you are still 'among'...

yes, the Covfefe-19 pandemic has thrown the proverbial monkey wrench into the workings for pretty much everyone. I'm taking it as an opportunity to work up an entirely new solo act, very different from my previous one...so the time 'home' has not had a negative effect on me in that respect, and as I'm retired, I fortunately have income, and since our house is paid for, no mortgage, just the taxes to deal with. We also finally received our 'stimulus checks' from the Feds...we are giving them to relatives who are not working.

I know what you are saying about the funeral/wake thing; MommaMack's cousin passed away, and they couldn't hold a funeral, and obviously no one was up for a wake wearing masks and staying 6 feet [2m] apart...weddings postponed, christening/baptisms on hold, Mother's Day was depressing, Memorial Day was a nothingburger [oh, they flew over our house with some jets...wooohooo!]...I'm holding out some hope for Father's Day...but not much...

[SusieP]

Yep - in the words of the song from 'Follies' -  "I'm still here!"

I'm doing nothing to do with music during lockdown. Nothing. Trying not to think about it in case it isall over for me and my Duo. It may well be. I don't know.

So I am doing stuff to distract myself.

Could call it head in sand, but - no point contacting venue owners to try and get gigs because no one can confirm a date.

So I decided to just detach.

Im slowly getting through the pile of books I have amassed and reading them one by one.

It helps that the UK is enjoying some warm, dry weather for a change so it is pleasant to sit outside.

 

It is good to see that you are all still here and posting from time to time.

It is always nice to 'chat' to others who ar in the same situation as oneself. And even though a vast Ocean divides us, we all still have a lot in common.

And NONE of us saw this coming!!

 

[Notes_Norton]

Being a musician, I know some waiters and waitresses who live from week to week and have rents to pay. I feel for them, and would love to reach out and help, but my first obligation is to my wife. I have to make sure that we don't run out of savings before this is over. Going hungry for me would be hard, seeing her hungry would be worse. So I have to be as thrifty as can be.

Sorry about your friend. I know the funeral must have been weird, and losing a friend is always sad.

Leilani and I keep playing music, it's one of the things that keeps us sane and feels semi-normal.

I have a UK friend who is spending his time in isolation making backing tracks for himself to go out as a single. His band hasn't played since COVID and wonders if it will play again, so he is hedging his bets working up backing tracks with Band-in-a-Box.

Good luck to you Susie, I hope when this ends you are still here and find a music situation that is bountiful for you.

Notes

[Bob Dey]

Susie! Look what the cat dragged in! I'm unhappy that your future looks bleak. Heck, none of us know what the future holds. I had a great 2018-19 because I had a few sources of musical income. DJing weddings, playing retirement homes during the week and started a duo with a chick singer.

February was an excellent month this year and I was looking forward to St Paddy's day because it pays very well! That's when our governor shut down restaurants. The nursing homes shut down a week earlier.

Second week of April my nephew had to move in with me. Yet, I'm kind of in a similar boat to Notes. House is paid for, small SS monthly check, emergency fund saved up etc. Some of the retirement venues may have me play outside but that still won't happen for a couple more months.

Hoping everyone recovers financially and stays well. So good to hear from you Susie. Keep in touch.