Recently, I won tickets from a Hudson Valley radio station to see Margo Price perform live at Brooklyn Bowl via a streaming platform called Fans. It was great to see a concert again and the band was excellent, but the experience was odd as there was no audience, aside from a few flashes of fellow spectators “Zooming” in.
While I fully acknowledge the quality of the production, the streaming technology seemed to squeeze the excitement out of the show. Missing was an energy that can only be felt in person. And I was left with several big questions: How will smaller venues and less established acts navigate the pandemic? And is this the future of live music?
Covid-19 has been tough on New York, drastically altering the character of the city, which by nature relies on the free flow of people moving between indoor and outdoor spaces. It’s been especially brutal for music venues and musicians whose very livelihood depends on that freedom of mobility, not to mention the risk involved in performance basics like singing.
Sadly, Brooklyn has lost musicians like Homeboy Steve, and hip venues like Prospect Park’s The Way Station shut down forever. Others survive, for now.
Nick Green, proprietor of The Flying Lobster on the corner of Union and Hicks street, has done his best to make the most of the situation but says, “Cuomo and the State Liquor authority aren’t helping us at all. They’re threatening to heavily fine or close bars down if people so much as hold their drinks while standing up. They’ve required that all venues that sell liquor now serve food, which is an additional expense for bars.”
“Cuomo also banned the sales of tickets at bars and restaurants specifically, which makes zero sense because if you sell all your tickets that creates a maximum capacity which makes bars safer, and if people pay with credit cards that helps create contact tracing. It was really a poor move that’s been crippling. It was reported in the NY Post that 90% of bars in New York City have shut down due to these kinds of regulations.”
“I understand the need for safety, but it’s been proven that when music happens outside, it’s safe. Outdoor seating and music has been a real positive thing for us and the musical community.”
“One of the greatest things this country has to offer is the arts. I feel lucky to provide a place for musicians to play. I’m proud of that because this is a family business. It’s been really difficult, but there’ll always be music and the show must go on.”
Donald O’Finn is the owner of Freddy’s Bar and Backroom in Park Slope. For decades he’s faced huge challenges including losing the original, iconic bar to the development of the Barclay’s Center. But the Covid crisis has been his toughest trial yet. O’Finn says, “The terribly prophetic and ironic nature of the closing of NYC bars on Saint Paddy’s day (our most lucrative day) was not lost on any of us. It was the punch in the face as the door opened to our hell. It has been impossible.
“We are facing the same challenges that all businesses and individuals are facing with Covid-19. In addition to those hardships, we suffer atop the most endangered businesses list. Covid-19 completely shut us down. It stopped all our music, our art shows and reduced sales to a trickle. It has taken us deep into debt. Parts of our staff have chosen not to return. The bar is near broke.”
“But we are now serving food and drink in our new store front space and our new backyard, and that is helping. Soon, the opportunity for some inside dining will help us as well. Recently, we started some live acoustic music again (by law referred to as ‘incidental’) with Freddy DeBoe. These will be mellow shindigs until things change.”
“It is only the heroic nature of this long-lived bar, the stubborn and loyal staff, and partners that has managed to propel us forward and keep us afloat. Freddy’s has survived Hurricane Sandy with our doors open, survived millionaires criminally misusing eminent domain against the bar and an entire neighborhood, survived blackouts with candles in hand and drinks in the street, and served the shocked and ash-covered on 911 to the wee morning hours — nothing has closed us ever! We have always had a ‘we NEVER close’ response against any tragedy. But now to support the public we must forego this credo, antithetical to all we know, but nonetheless necessary.”
“Staff is making little money now, and owners have not yet taken a cent. We can only await a vaccine, and do our best in the meantime. We stay alert and positive about the future. NYC is the toughest place in America, and it will survive. Thank God for the forces of good.”
Deeper into Brooklyn, Bar Chord lies on Cortelyou Road in Ditmas Park. Owners Christy and Jonny Sheehan received great support from their community, and pivoted in a similar way to O’Finn by increasing the use of their outdoor space.
Christy Sheehan says, “The first challenge that we faced was being closed from March-June. We were able to have a successful Zoom fundraiser where many of our regular musicians donated their songs to a beautiful live online music event. That fundraiser along with an auction of memorabilia from the NYC music scene of the 80’s 90’s and 00’s was able to bridge the gap so we could reopen in June. However, we still haven’t been able to bring live music back inside.”
“As far as adapting we were very lucky to have big outdoor space to use and a lot of regulars who hang at Bar Chord with or without live music. We have also partnered with luncheonette the burger grill across the street, and we serve their menu. Our business is still down by a significant percentage, but we are lucky enough to have a landlord who is working with us so hopefully we can survive to the other side.”
Sheehan hopes for a better future while being realistic in her expectations. “I can’t wait for the day when Bar Chord is filled with folks dancing late into the night to the sounds of live music, but I do think it’s going to be a while. As the weather gets cooler we will try to have some weekend happy hour performances. Although I don’t believe music is ever ‘incidental’, these will not be ticketed events. We hope to make it through the winter of 2020/2021, but who knows?”
“I believe live music will survive because people who love it and perform it can’t live without it, and I think there will be a huge nightlife renaissance when we are past the pandemic. There are venues that sadly will close, but as soon as it’s safe, I think new ones will open. I am optimistic that NYC will return to being a thriving more affordable city for artists. I hate that this is the way it had to happen, but we all need a little optimism these days.”
Adapting to a changing beat
As so many venues have shut or become severely restricted, performing musicians are struggling to find gigs and are also figuring how to adapt to the moment.
Stanley Mitchell is a drummer, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and music teacher also based in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn. Originally from New Zealand, he came to NYC in the late 1970’s with his band The Drongos (Kiwi slang for ‘idiot’) at a time when the city was rough and edgy. He’s seen the scene go through many iterations and has a nuanced perspective. Regarding how the pandemic has affected musicians, Mitchell says:
“Well the obvious problem is that the few venues that do have live music have very tight restrictions placed on them to the point of being impractical.”
“The whole situation is a tragedy for musicians. Consider this: all through the 70s and 80s the evolution of synthesizers took a lot of work away from musicians. Then came the Internet and the downloading of music for free, which eradicated another revenue stream. Now with Covid the live venues have gone. Aside from home recording and recording studios there’s very little else to do.”
“But, I am adapting by channeling my creative energies into my recording studio and streaming original music on digital platforms, and I am blessed that there is enough space in front of my house to set up a band. I gathered with some musician neighbors, and we ended up playing every night April thru June. It became a much beloved community event. The heat stopped us in the end, but it was great while it lasted. We recently reformed to play a set in Prospect Park. We called ourselves the BQE band – The Brooklyn Quarantine Ensemble.”
Recording studios are maneuvering in creative ways as well. Eric Ambel is a producer and proprietor of Cowboy Technical Services in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. His business relies on musicians coming into his recording studio, which is by nature an enclosed space. He’s adjusted by staggering who’s in the room as well as by using technology that includes proper air filtration and UV lighting.
“A recording studio is a soundproof space, and that means it should be close to ‘airtight’ limiting the exchange of air. In addition to applying a Covid19 cleaning routine, we upgraded the filters on our air conditioning system, reconfigured it to ‘exhaust’ and purchased a special UV light machine that we run after every session.”
“We are currently limiting the amount of people who can come to a session. We are also using an innovative software called Audiomovers that lets us send hi resolution audio to other people who are working with us in real time so they can listen and participate remotely,” says Ambel.
Back in Red Hook, Tone Johanson, proprietor of the iconic Sunny’s Bar has faced tough times before. She literally helped bail out Sunny’s from the inundation brought on by Hurricane Sandy.
About the challenges presented by Covid Johanson says, “My income is dependent on the weather. None of my expenses have gone down (the electric bill, the gas bill, insurances, are the same), but income has. It is simple math. We have to bring in enough revenue to pay for the expenses going out. The revenue is connected to the amount of people that we serve. It is also a challenge that people that make the rules rarely have experience on the ground floor – real practical knowledge of what consequences their rules have for real live small businesses. We have the added fear of punishment from rules that are not always clear and practical.”
But like many others, she’s adapted by reconfiguring her business. “I tore down an old shed in the backyard, and made more space. I’m also selling more merchandise. I have some incidental music, solo or duos.”
As to the future and the role of music and culture, Johansen says, “Bars, and especially Sunny’s Bar, and live music, have had a symbiotic relationship for a long time. I hope that this crisis has led to a widespread soul-searching. Music, and culture, have always been important to the health of a society. Sadly, we have come to value commerce more than the ‘Human Arts.’ But if we want to heal and grow as communities, and as a city, it cannot be done without culture. It is the foundation of any society. Through music and art, we express consciousness of who we are as human spirits.”
The world has watched how Covid-19 has devastated lives and businesses. If musicians and venues are to survive in New York and elsewhere, they will need the help of city and state officials as well as adjusting their way of working in order to adapt. Continuing safe practices like social distancing, hand sanitizing, and wearing masks has proven effective in halting the spread of Covid. Literally thinking “outside the box” by moving events to street spaces, as long as weather permits, is key for survival. Collectively, we must remain vigilant, stay smart, and learn to dance around the virus.
· Mike Cobb http://mc-obb.com/
