It is the end of another fall day and the start of a new month, a new level of national lockdown and for some reason I could feel a slight vibration in the city. Sapphire blue skies and Cirrus clouds warning of colder weather in the not so distant future.
As I'm writing this my ears are filled with the beautiful new album by John Statz, my heart with longing and regret and my head with gratitude. I am aware of the hardship out there, the distress, frustration and doubt this pandemic brought with it. I am aware that things can get much worse, I stay away from the news and social media trash. I fill my social media pages with quotes and pictures of my heroes, I sit on my porch with a cup.of coffee every morning and look at the perfect sky. I pull my old Martin Guitar close to my chest and listen to the wood as the vibration mingles with my shaky voice. I try to write new songs, new stories. I talk to my folks on the phone and I'm careful with my last bottle of Wild Turkey.
The whole world is filled with people in need. More than ever. The reality is that one person can not save the world but each person can help someone. That in turn will reduce the pressure on everything. The people, the situation and the world. We can not leave the help of people on the ground to government and other establishments. We have to do our part and remember that we are all just pawns in the games of the rich and powerful. We all were born with the ability to think for ourselves. We should be aware of becoming sheep. Aware of the herd mentality. Government does not have our best interest in mind. Not now and not before this. It is all a game of re- election strategies and abuse of power. It's up to us to dictate the narrative. To be good to one another. To be tolerant and respectful. The only freedom we all have is the handle on our minds and actions. That transcends all political, religious and financial agendas and divides.
Many of my fellow musicians are falling on hard times at the moment. They are doing their best with Livestream shows and podcasts but unfortunately the market for especially singer/songwriters in South Africa is really tiny. It is a legitimate struggle and they need us more than ever. We all have a song, an artist or a band that we associate with phases in our lives. Even during lockdown we can access our favourite artists via various streaming services. They are there for us but they don't get nearly enough money from streaming and downloads. That is why they were relying on touring and gigs in the first place. Seriously, I recently looked at my download statement and I got 0.14 cents per download. It's rediculous. Therefore, please watch the shows online and follow the links to the "tipjars" or donation button. Kick in a few bucks. It could mean the difference between your favourite artists going hungry or not.
In that spirit Im working with a few fellow artists to do some online shows this month and all donations will go directly to my musician friends in need. Please support the initiative if you are able to.
Thank you for reading this and for listening to my music. Keep an eye out for the online shows coming real soon.
JB