D Smoke

Photo: Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images

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D Smoke's Family Story Of Music Over Panic In A Pandemic

How the COVID-19 crisis and death of George Floyd brought the acclaimed artist and his mother together to deepen their family's generational connection through music

Keith Nelson Jr

MusiCares

Jun 8, 2020 - 4:56 pm

This isn’t scientifically confirmed, but Rhythm + Flow winner D Smoke, 34, probably has a few music notes in his genetic code. His mother Jackie Gouché, affectionately known as Ms. Jackie, was a background singer for greats like Michael Jackson and she sang at her church Bible Enrichment Fellowship in Inglewood, Calif. Her mother before her sang in her church and toured the world as a background vocalist as well. Her mother’s mother was a beautiful soprano singer who spent her whole life singing in church. Even with a pandemic pausing the world, Smoke and his mother’s bond has kept moving as usual, in part, thanks to music.

It’s May 18th and D Smoke, Daniel to his mom Ms. Jackie, is sitting a few feet from his mother at their family home, as they do once a week. Outside their doors, more than 13,000 Americans would die from COVID19-related complications that day, while their home state of California would see its most COVID-19 deaths in a single day. “When we get together, sometimes we talk about how things outside of the family have adjusted. But, to allow it to adjust or change our dynamic as a family is criminal,” Smoke asserted.

The severity of the pandemic isn’t lost on the family. They’ve found their deep connection to music ensures as much. Smoke had a nationwide tour set along with dates in Europe, South America, and Australia before COVID-19 essentially shut down music touring. Ms. Jackie, the minister of music for her longtime church, “had to make a major mental adjustment” after church services stopped after the week of March 15th. For her son, music has helped him reject the current state of affairs as a “new normal.”

“Personally, I don’t use the phrase ‘new normal,’ but I had to slow things down around late March. But, that happened naturally because I have ‘seasons,’ creative seasons. Right now, I’m creating another album, so I think [quarantine] just mirrored that process altogether,” Smoke clarified.

Smoke and his mother don’t fear COVID-19 because they have faith. They don’t let the outside world’s anxiety seep into the fabric of their family because they’re each woven tightly into each other’s lives forming a bond so inextricable that when one member is hurting they all feel it and help. And music is often their love language.

Ms. Jackie’s 57th birthday was March 27, eight days after the California governor ordered all Californians to stay home unless for essential work. For Smoke, family and music are essential. Roughly a week after his mother had to spend her birthday under quarantine, Smoke and his two brothers gifted their mother with a pristine Yamaha C3 Grand Piano. Speaking with her, you could hear the joy emanating from her face through the phone when she describes the piano as the “Rolls Royce of pianos, and it’s a dream I’ve had for the last 40 years.”

The piano has been a haven for the family to sit down and exchange little chords and lessons during the pandemic.

Before Smoke was born, his musical fate was being written by his mother. Ms. Jackie started learning the piano when she was the tender age of 14-years-old. “I felt I was late in the game at 14, so I decided then, when I was a teenager, that when I had kids, I was going to teach them as early as I possibly could.”

D Smoke Family Photos - click above for more

As soon as her three sons were toddlers and could reach the keys, she stood them around the piano and taught them the chords, how to play a C-major scale, finger alignment on the piano, and basics skills people go to school to learn. Over the years, the lessons would become more complex and the memories would be indelibly embedded in both Smoke’s music and mind.

“For so many years, she instilled so much in us musically. We literally sat around a piano of kids and got instructed on music theory, harmonies, chord progression, intervals, and stuff like that right in the house, but it was from whatever piano we had. We had the upright that had been passed down three generations, pawned, picked back up and keys were replaced,” Smoke said.

When Smoke and his brothers were kids, their father spent six-and-a-half years in prison.

Smoke was fighting all the time in school while his father was incarcerated. For many, losing their father to prison would make them detach from the world. Thanks in part to music, Smoke attributes his father’s incarceration for why he’s able to connect with the world now.

“If he never went to prison, I never would’ve been a rapper. I would’ve probably been a classical pianist. That’s the x-factor that allows me to speak to a whole different set of people that may actually need music. I think there are people who enjoy and there are people who live by it.”

“If [my father] never went to prison, I never would’ve been a rapper. I would’ve probably been a classical pianist. That’s the x-factor that allows me to speak to a whole different set of people that may actually need music." -D Smoke

So, it’s no wonder that when he received his $250,000 in prize money for winning Netflix’s Rhythm + Flow competition, he made sure part of the money went to pay his mother and father back for their help. It’s also no wonder his mother is in the process of writing a book entitled Raising Men about how raising three young men as a single mother for years helped shape who she is as a person.

Smoke and his mother hadn't recorded any music when we spoke, but Smoke said it was possible it’d happen that same day. If they do decide to work on some tunes, a global pandemic won’t be an issue. “I have all of the same equipment you would find at a major studio at my house,” Smoke said proudly.

That home studio became a pulpit for Smoke after former Minnesota Police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee on the neck of George Floyd before Floyd died. On that day, Smoke wrote the song, “Let Go,” a somber incendiary diatribe about police brutality and Black oppression. Four days later, he released the song featuring soulful singing from his brother Sir. You may hear “Let Go” as two artists putting out a song about the times. Smoke, his mother, and probably his entire family, know what they’re hearing is more than music.

“Music is as core to us as eating, breathing, moving, water.” Smoke said.

Learn more about how you can donate to or apply for assistance via the Recording Academy's and MusiCares' COVID-19 Relief Fund.

Learn more about the financial, medical and personal emergencies services and resources offered by the Recording Academy and MusiCares

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Liz Brasher

Photo: Jarrod Anthonee

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Liz Brasher Opens Up About Memphis, Mental Health & Her New "Sad Girl Status" Video

The tough and talented emerging artist talks candidly about her career journey, how Memphis' "grit and hustle" inspires her, and what went into her powerful and personal new video

Robert Ham

MusiCares

Jun 23, 2020 - 10:19 am

Singer/songwriter Liz Brasher definitely took the backroads to discover and develop her distinctive style of Southern music. Influenced by everything from the spirituals of Mahalia Jackson to the crafty harmonies of the Beatles, Brasher honed her self-described mix of "garage rock meets the Delta blues meets gospel meets soul," along the winding personal and musical journey from her hometown of Matthews, NC, through Chicago and Atlanta.

The backroads eventually led her to the home of legendary labels Stax and Sun Records, Memphis, Tenn., where she began her career in earnest and found her new creative home.

"It’s a really healthy place to write and to exist as an artist. There’s no feeling of industry or competition here," she says. "I came to Memphis to record an album and hopefully get signed. And literally the first weekend I was here, those things happened for me."

Fast success awaited Brasher in Memphis. She was snapped up by Fat Possum Records and soon found herself on the road, opening for the Zombies and the Psychedelic Furs, and making her highly acclaimed first appearance at SXSW in 2018. She released her debut album Painted Image in early 2019 and even earned a place in the hallowed halls of the Stax Museum, with one of her stage outfits and guitars on display, further celebrating and cementing her connection to the "Home of the Blues."

But soon, Liz started to see her promising young career stall out just as the lights were turning green.

“You’re promised that things are going to go one way,” she remembers, “then you see yourself fall to the wayside because... things aren't the way you were told they would be.”

Instead of succumbing to adversity, Brasher poured her disappointment into her music. She sat down at her piano one day and out came a heartfelt ballad called “Sad Girl Status.” The song is a powerful expression of personal anguish and fiery determination written with ample room for her wall-shaking vocals to boom out. Appropriately, it’s matched up with a video featuring the wildly talented artist walking with purpose through Memphis—both guided tour and a reminder of her place in the musical history of this legendary city.

While she waits for the quarantine to lift and for her touring life to begin again, Brasher spoke with the Recording Academy about the hard times that led to the creation of “Sad Girl Status,” inheriting her work ethic from her immigrant mom, and what her adopted hometown of Memphis means to her.

Let’s start off by talking about your new single “Sad Girl Status.” In the notes for the song, you talk about how it was born from a really low point in your career and your life. What was going on at that time?

We had just released my debut album Painted Image. Everything in my whole life had been leading up to this moment. Like, it’s your first record. You really want it to do well. I had just come off a really good previous year of touring. Then suddenly I watched everything fall into this stalemate. It didn’t matter how many songs I was writing. It didn’t matter what I was doing to get better, I couldn’t propel anything forward. That was just so frustrating because I’m not a person who sits still very well at all. That’s what I was now forced to do for almost a year. I found myself in this cycle of frustration. I knew what my potential was, but I couldn’t get myself to where I wanted to go. So, in that really low state, I sat down at the piano, and in a few minutes, the song completely came out of me. It was really melancholy, but I thought it was beautiful at the same time. I think it was really what I needed to make this mental switch. It was the catalyst for me to be able to make changes that needed to be made in my career.

What changes did you make to help you move forward?

I took my career into my own hands. As an artist it’s easy to feel like a lot is out of your control. You write the music, perform it, record it, but you can feel so disconnected to everything from the business side – like it’s something that’s happening to you. Some artists are okay with being hands off, with just getting informed as things happen, but I realized that’s not what I wanted. That forced me to take a step back and see that, while I have help with my career, I ultimately needed to own the fact that it’s up to me to make sure it’s driving forward in the way I want it to go.

Is it normal for you to start with the piano to write a song? A lot of the material on Painted Image is very guitar-forward.

Aside from singing, piano was my first instrument. My mom started me on piano lessons when I was four. When I began to join bands, I would just sing. Later on, I picked up the guitar and that kind of overtook everything for me. It’s so much easier to lead a band as a guitar player. I’ve got some songs that are more piano-based but not like this. Not stripped down—just vocals and piano.

Your hometown of Memphis is such a huge part of the video for “Sad Girl Status.” What does the city mean to you?

The thing that attracted me most is that Memphis refuses to conform. There’s this very unique grit and hustle to this city. This constant mindset that Memphis is going to do whatever it wants to do. It’s a really healthy place to write and to exist as an artist. There’s no feeling of industry or competition here. I came to Memphis to record an album and hopefully get signed. And literally the first weekend I was here, those things happened for me. I don’t know if I’ll be in Memphis forever, but it’s always going to be the place where my career began.

Liz Brasher's stage outfit and guitar on display at the Stax Museum in Memphis
Photo: Shane Trulin

Was it easy for you to get into the grind and hustle of the city?

That’s something that was ingrained in me from childhood because my mom is an immigrant. She had to work her ass off to support me, including having multiple jobs so that I could take piano lessons. She’s one of nine siblings that came from the Dominican Republic where they all lived in a one room shack with dirt floors. My family came here seeking a better life. I grew up seeing how many things they had to balance and struggle with just to make ends meet. For me, it was like, how could I not work as hard as my mom?

How has your family responded to your music and your career?

They just kind of stay out of it. Some will ask or keep up with how things are going, but most just act like it doesn’t exist. I have a very strict religious family. I grew up singing in the church and I wasn’t allowed to listen to secular music. I had to sneak out to go to concerts and had friends burn me CDs so I could hear what was going on. I had to literally hide in my closet with my radio because I was so addicted to music and wasn’t allowed to hear it. I grew up singing and was always playing some instrument, so it really shouldn’t be a shock that I turned out to be a musician. It can be an issue of contention because a prevalent thought within my family is that any time music is used outside of the church it’s automatically evil or negative. I think it’s a cultural and age difference, more than anything. My mom had me at 40, so that’s a huge age gap. You combine that with a different mentality from a different country and a legalistic view on faith, it just makes for a melting pot of misunderstanding. But I think all artists feel that way to a degree. My family’s response actually drives me. I want to be even more successful because I want them to see that this is a valid career and way of life.

Do you have any ideas about what comes next for you – once you can get back on the road and onstage?

I'm going to take over the world. I’ve written so much, even from the time of my first record. I’ve got multiple albums just waiting to be recorded right now. We’re having the conversations and discussing what the best options are. Is it building our own team independently or is it working with a label that’s going to be fully on board? Right now, we’re sorting through all of our options. I want to ensure we avoid repeating what I just went through. We’re just taking it one song at a time right now.

Learn more about how you can donate to or apply for assistance via the Recording Academy's and MusiCares' COVID-19 Relief Fund.

Learn more about the financial, medical and personal emergencies services and resources offered by the Recording Academy and MusiCares.

Allie X

Photo: Courtesy of Allie X

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Why Music May Be More Important Now Than Ever Before

Music therapist Tim Ringgold and breakout alt-pop artist Allie X unpack why music connects with us so deeply and how to empower that connection during the coronavirus crisis

Ariela Kozin

MusiCares

May 21, 2020 - 10:33 am

There is no denying that music has a power over us. A simple melody can make us laugh or cry. A harmony from a familiar song can trigger memories of good times and bad times. A catchy line can make our feet tap or heads bob without even knowing it.

All we have to do is allow the sound waves to hit the ear for a swift journey to the brain and, just like that, rhythms, tones and lyrics translate into an emotional reaction that can feel as tender as a hug. In an era when suffering and uncertainty is plaguing our community, nurturing that special, easy relationship between artistic sounds, our bodies and our minds may be more important than ever before.

In a new poll conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 45 percent of respondents identified a decline in mental health as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The added stress of social distancing, devastating unemployment rates, telecommuting, childcare, death rates and overall looming uncertainty is leading to what the World Health Organization deems a “health shock” when "unpredictable illnesses” trigger a diminishing of the general population’s health, exacerbating feelings of loneliness and anxiety similar to the way the Vietnam War and the AIDS epidemic did.

45 percent of survey respondents identified a decline in mental health as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

But trauma of the 20th century didn’t have the technology we have today. Even as depression plagues this uncertain time when we’re stuck at home, most of us have the ability to participate in proven restorative activities like telecommunicative behavioral therapy, calming YouTube videos or mental wellness apps. At the same time, a seemingly endless catalogue of music is just a click away, and its therapeutic capabilities may be more important than ever before.

“People have a direct experience with music throughout their lives and humans throughout human history have had a very close personal relationship with music,” explains Tim Ringgold, an Orange County, CA-based board-certified music therapist. “The first sound we hear is our mom’s heartbeat in the womb. Our hearing is the sense that is used first. We hear the world we enter before we see it.” Ringgold hypothesizes that because we’ve been organically trained to trust music, it may be easier to consciously incorporate it into our lives rather than traditional talk therapy, which only works when we have the right words to express our feelings and the right listener to interpret those words.

Even more so, it’s inevitable to face confrontation with another person—to be scolded, or rejected, or betrayed. Music never betrays us. Music doesn’t judge us, which is why someone can feel more connected to a person performing through their headphones rather than the person they share a bed with. During the unprecedented era of COVID-19, when we’re being ordered to self-isolate, our instinctual craving for human connection doesn’t disappear, so we can listen to an artist who “can give language to some of the most intense experiences and thoughts we've ever had without meeting them” then in that moment, Ringgold says, “we know we’re not alone.”

In order to tap into the power of music listening while also adhering to current stay-at-home orders, Ringgold mentions an option that involves gathering music we already know we enjoy, compiling it in a playlist and then physically engaging with the music—clapping, stomping, swaying, and so on—to the beat of the music. While this active music listening is simply fun, if we want to successfully adhere to the time-based beat, it will require our uninterrupted presence in the moment. “People who struggle with anxiety are consumed with the future and they’re focused on the past when they’re depressed, but we don’t have control over the past or future. We only have control over our bodies in the present moment.” If we’re ready to engage with the music, the brain will trigger a dopamine release—the pleasure chemical—that’s linked to reward and motivation.

We already create playlists for a number of reasons: to help get over heartache, to motivate us when we exercise, to relax us during our commute. “We intuitively know that music helps us perform better as humans,” Ringgold notes. What we may not realize, however, is that our connection to music is directly tied to rhythm. “Rhythm is the organizing principle of the body, so we are wired to be musical because we are organized by rhythm,” he continues, pointing to the rhythm that conducts the heartbeat, the respiratory system, the reproductive system, the digestive system and on and on.

“We don't ever talk about what music does to our brain and body, we always think about what it does to our emotions and our spirit,” Ringgold observes, further suggesting that if hours-long playlists feel overwhelming, a compilation of three familiar and empowering songs can also make an impact. Simply have the mini-collection cued and the next time negative thoughts take over, grab your headphones and walk to the beat for a few minutes. By the time the exercise is over, the nervous system will reset, decreasing the key stress hormone known as cortisol.

Of course, RInggold isn’t the first person to endorse music for trying times. The connection between music and the body was first recorded by Plato (428-347 BC) when he said that, ”Music gives wings to the mind,” but the origin of modern music meets medicine dates back to post-world war II, when musicians visited hospitals across the country to play for those suffering from post-war physical and emotional traumas. Since then, medical studies have recorded music’s ability to tap into final fears, reduce seizures, encourage better communication, boost our immune systems, increase intelligence and even help repair brain damage.

Still, no matter how undeniably powerful music is, the industry is not immune to the havoc coronavirus is wreaking on the world. Any and all in-person music events have been affected, forcing talent— including everyone from The 1975 to Snoop Dogg to Rage Against the Machine—to indefinitely postpone or cancel their tours. The seemingly infallible music global festival circuit shattered and without that promised marketing—without the ability to reach out and touch fans—many artists have also postponed their planned album releases and are waiting out the stay-at-home orders like the rest of us.

Allie X, for example—who confirms she hasn’t stopped working her entire adult life—is now on standstill. “It's weird to talk about because I know that there's so much suffering happening in the world right now. As a global community, it's a very difficult time, but for me personally, I’ve really settled in to having time and space,” says the Los Angeles-based performer, born Allie Hughes. “I think I needed the world to stop to have permission to stop this marathon I’ve been in.”

Since 2015, Hughes has released five studio albums, earned a co-sign from Katy Perry, collaborated with Troye Sivan and BTS, and toured with names like Sivan, Charli XCX and Marina. Each of her projects showcase her signature nostalgia-drenched catchy melodies combined with her honey-like expert vocals, matched during live shows by a string of decadent onstage personas. Her latest work, Cape God (2020), is inarguably her most realized. The artist chooses to abandon her dramatic characters in exchange for depictions of inner turmoil tied up in synth-play so heavy it could comfort even the most melancholy of suburban teenagers.

This March, Hughes was set to travel across North America on a headline tour in support of Cape God. And at the time of our interview in May, she is meant to be singing around Europe, but instead she is in Los Angeles at home and just performed on Sessions, an ongoing live series on Twitch meant to benefit MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund. “I hope that they get something similar to what they would get at a live show, which is community and liberation,” she says of the stripped down performance.

Hughes also hopes that her fans are using this time to explore their relationships with music in new ways. “I’ve always done music, from my earliest memories. I make music for a living, but I feel like I haven’t been listening to music the way I’ve been listening to music lately,” the artists muses. “I’m letting myself feel music as opposed to analyze it and think of it in a business sense.”

“I think I needed the world to stop to have permission to stop this marathon I’ve been in.” -Allie X

For the music makers themselves, creating music during this time—without the distraction of competition or a paycheck—have an even stronger ability than listeners to hack the system and change our state because playing requires total focus. “We’ve become sedentary creatures who are not present and we need to have reliable evidence-based tools that can get us reconnected to our bodies and the present moment,” explains Ringgold, who has been performing during this forced down time and later releasing the calming sounds on his weekly podcast, “Reduce Your Stress with Tim Ringgold.”

So the next time the looming panic of uncertainty takes over, revisit an old favorite album, clap to the beat and see what happens. Maybe, even for a moment, we’ll forget we’re in the middle of global pandemic for a turn at self-discovery. One day the fatal feeling in the air will subside, we’ll be able to go outside and, thanks to music, our minds and bodies could be stronger than ever before.

Learn more about how you can donate to or apply for assistance via the Recording Academy's and MusiCares' COVID-19 Relief Fund.

Learn more about the financial, medical and personal emergencies services and resources offered by the Recording Academy and MusiCares.

Photo: Edwin Remsberg/VWPics/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

News

How Musicians Are Staying Positive & Productive Amidst A Pandemic

The inside scoop on how stay-at-home livestreams, being in nature, trying new things and simply surviving are keeping music people going...

Jordan Blum

MusiCares

May 20, 2020 - 10:14 am

Inarguably, COVID-19 has had devastating effects on the music industry. With dozens of album releases and live music gatherings indefinitely postponed, the ultimate ramifications may be as unfavorable as they are unforeseeable. Despite those fears and doubts, however, there are plenty of reasons to feel reassured, too. After all, countless artists are finding optimism not only by enhancing their creative and personal lives, but also by building deeper relationships with fans, promoting awareness of those in need, and much more. As such, they demonstrate endearing levels resilience and resourcefulness that signify how we’re sure to bounce back from this crisis even more in tune with ourselves and each other.

Here are a few inventive ways musicians are staying focused, positive, and productive during these trying times

Promoting Positivity Through Online Presence

One of the most immediate and widespread ways musicians are overcoming the pandemic is through their virtual platforms. Specifically, many of them are becoming more invested in using social media to interact with their followers. Katatonia drummer Daniel Moilanen views such tactics as equally necessary and beneficial, saying, “I see this as something that will be a new standard for ways to reach out to fans... I’ve seen many artists going further with that idea by doing regular podcasts.”

Case in point: six-string virtuoso Steve Hackett, who’s frequently been recording videos in which he plays a bit of music and/or discusses a fan favorite Genesis or solo tune.

Some of these creators are pushing themselves to adapt to previously unfamiliar mediums. “Before the lockdown began, I wasn’t even aware of platforms like Twitch, but over the last couple months I’ve noticed an influx of bands using it as a way of staying engaged with fans,” Haken guitarist Richard Henshall observes. Rock supergroup Flying Colors held a four-day “Backstage Summit” at the start of May via Zoom, wherein they offered Q&A sessions with each member, discussions of songwriting and production techniques, critiques of fan-submitted original music, and more. Clearly, they, like so many others, are keen to reciprocate the love and appreciation that their admirers have always shown them.

Elsewhere, numerous groups have uploaded either music videos, achieved stage shows, or collaborative tributes to those affected by the virus. Naturally, Queen + Adam Lambert recently issued “You Are the Champions,” a touching tribute that sees them reworking the beloved “We Are the Champions” over footage of people all over the world sustaining joy and togetherness amidst the turmoil.

Alternative rock trio The Used just put out a similar video for their track “The Lighthouse (feat. Mark Hoppus),” while OK GO—whose lead guitarist, Damian Kulash, recovered from the illness—produced a video while self-quarantining to raise donations for Partners in Health. Beyond that, greats such as Bruce Springsteen, Wilco, and Radiohead have posted older concerts in their entirety to comfort fans stuck at home. On May 9th, The Prog Report hosted “Prog from Home,” a three-hour YouTube hodgepodge in which over twenty artists came together to raise money for a few charities and bring viewers together.

Obviously, those prerecorded placations and interactive conversations are wonderful. But what about the thing that people seem to miss most: live music? Well, innumerable musicians working tirelessly to replicate the concertgoing experience through the internet. Dozens of bands, brands, organizations, and publications—such as As I Lay Dying, Magic Giant, Alanis Morrissette, Phish, and Katy Perry—are participating in digital festivals and formal performance streams within the next couple of weeks alone. Likewise, there are just as many musicians doing less official stints, like Ben Folds’ “Saturday Apartment Requests” series and Devin Townsend’s multimodal “Quarantine Project” (which has already garnered nearly $200,000 for hospitals). In fact, Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess just finished his 60th consecutive day streaming casual recitals on Facebook, and The Pineapple Thief frontman Bruce Soord “did an acoustic show recently and was amazed how many people tuned in and enjoyed it.” He adds, “When I finished and turned off the stream, it felt very similar to walking off stage after a ‘real’ show. I was buzzing.”

Whether at-home variations like those previous discussed or the fledgling yet promising notion of drive-in gigs, artists are visibly keen to put a positive spin on whatever options are available for concerts. Marjana Semkina—vocalist of Russian art rock duo iamthemorning—sees these alternatives as a permanent part of our lives: "More people will turn to live streaming and platforms like Patreon. . . . I’m sure a lot of [creators] will embrace the powers of community that they can build [that way]. It almost has a family feeling to it.” Correspondingly, Alter Bridge singer/guitarist Myles Kennedy says, “For me, the silver lining has been seeing how this has forced artists to think outside the box in order to perform and engage with their fanbase, as well raise money for those in need.” Atreyu guitarist Dan Jacobs concurs, relishing how such new tactics “will make all bands a little bit smarter and stronger . . . to survive.”

“When I finished and turned off the stream, it felt very similar to walking off stage after a ‘real’ show. I was buzzing.” -Bruce Soord

For Gazpacho keyboardist Thomas Andersen, online shows actually “make more sense that an actual concert in many ways.” He continues, “We get lots of requests from places that we have no chance of touring, and there is always a sense that we’re letting those people down.” Doing sets virtually would be a clear solution in that respect, and “an online ‘tour’ makes more financial sense, too, as you eliminate the cost of travel, so you can sink that money into production on site,” he explains. As already evidenced by the aforementioned examples, online shows can also bring a more personalized flavor to the experience. “Instead of getting a haggard group of guys on your local stage who have been travelling for the last month, you can get into their actual living rooms and get a better sense of who they actually are and what they are like,” Andersen concludes.

Using Downtime for Development

Offline, musicians are staying just as busy and adventurous with their artistic endeavors. In addition to completing already established projects, people are finding time to try new things and work with new people. For instance, singer/songwriter Ben Lee mentions that the present conditions allowed him to “reach out to people [he’s] wanted to work with for a long time to make some magic with no rules or expectations.” So far, those collaborators include Sarah Silverman and Shamir, whereas his Radnor & Lee partner in crime—actor Josh Radnor—has remotely produced material with Molly Tuttle in-between meditating and “doing the daily dance party at @FORWARD_Space on IG Live.” On the technical end, Neverending White Lights mastermind Daniel Victor has been working on his latest sequence, Act IV, by “trying to mix the album entirely alone while testing plug-ins and recording software.”

For Phideaux Xavier, the past few weeks have been all about revising material that he’s either forgotten about or never released. He clarifies: “The process of going into the past has been cathartic and helped me realize how to go forward.” For sure, they’ve found fresh ways to keep active creatively.

“Anything culinary is just as creative as the music process. It allows flexibility and experimenetation.” -Daniel Victor

Outside of that, they’re pressing on by staying in touch with loved ones, relishing nature, instructing others, and discovering new talents. Renaissance singer Annie Haslam reveals that painting and surrounding herself with “Canadian geese, foxes, raccoons, squirrels, and lots of bird varieties” has furthered her well-being, while Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson is enjoying “walking, bike riding, shooting, and photography” as he stays “very busy with desk projects.”

Fascinatingly, Victor has taken up “an online Masterclass in mixology” because “anything culinary is just as creative as the music process. It allows flexibility and experimenetation.” Jacobs has gone a more pedagogical route by “talking with School Of Rock about teaching some lessons, as well as taking lessons [himself] during the quarantine.” He expounds: “It’s important to inspire our next generation of musicians so we have some great music to look forward.”

Security and Solace

As these musicians prove, there’s hope, empathy, perseverance, and courage in simply making time for yourself and others.

Haslam surmises, “The future holds promise, with a new understanding and compassion for people,” which is a sentiment that Andersen echoes: “We should use this situation to right societal wrongs.”

As for Bowling for Soup vocalist Jaret Reddick, he reminds us that “human beings are survivors and music is a staple in all things,” whereas Semkina urges us to “not push ourselves too hard. If you feel uninspired and stressed and sad, let yourself feel those things. All you have to do is keep yourself and your family safe, sane, and happy.”

“It’s about progress, not perfection. When you get irritable and overwhelmed, do something positive ASAP." -Scott Stapp

Lastly, Creed lead singer Scott Stapp—who’s certainly overcome a lot in recent years—has a comparable take: “It’s about progress, not perfection. When you get irritable and overwhelmed, do something positive ASAP. The smallest things can help you overcome any obstacle, so stay focused on growth even when things feel stagnant.” Indeed, if we can just concentrate on the welfare of ourselves and those we love, then—as Porcupine Tree’s Steven Wilson once sang—all of the rest will flow.

Jordan Blum resides in Philadelphia, holds an MFA in Fiction, and teaches at several colleges and universities around the area. He’s also the founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Bookends Review, an independent online creative arts journal. He’s the author of two books—Jethro Tull: Every Album, Every Song and Dream Theater: Every Album, Every Song—that are a part of Sonicbond Publishing’s On Track series. Beyond that, he’s an Associate Editor at PopMatters and a contributor to PROG, Kerrang!, Consequence of Sound, Metal Injection, and more.

Learn more about how you can donate to or apply for assistance via the Recording Academy's and MusiCares' COVID-19 Relief Fund.

Learn more about the financial, medical and personal emergencies services and resources offered by the Recording Academy and MusiCares.

Desert Hearts co-founders (L-R): Lee Reynolds, Porky, Marbs and Mickey Lion
Photo: Connor Lee

News

Desert Hearts TV: How The San Diego DJ Crew Are Tuning In During The COVID-19 Crisis

The dance collective on cultivating community, wellness, weirdness, service worker appreciation and a rump-shaking good time in the age of a global crisis

Jaime Sloane

MusiCares

May 18, 2020 - 12:03 pm

Saturday, April 25 was supposed to be the day when 4,000 house and techno aficionados caroused on a dusty Indian reservation just south of San Diego at Desert Hearts Festival.

Instead, the California dance music collective’s co-founder Mikey Lion is headlining the first ever "Desert Hearts Digital Festival," and broadcasting a 10-hour, rip-roaring set of underground tunes via Twitch from the comfort of his home. Even in the absence of shared wine bags and warm embraces at the off-the-grid bacchanal, the party rages on digitally thanks to the newly-minted Desert Hearts TV.

Watch Desert Hearts Digital Festival: Mikey Lion from desertheartsrecords on www.twitch.tv

Meanwhile in an unaffiliated, fan-founded Zoom room hosted by AllDayIStream.com called ‘QuarantineHearts,’ 500 isolated fans from around the world have congregated to watch the stream together. While Desert Hearts’ Twitch provides an audiovisual portal into Mikey’s set, the online conferencing platform empowers viewers to approximate communal clubbing by streaming their own housebound dance parties.

In the midst of digital toasts and rump-shaking mayhem, respiratory therapist Eric Ogada — otherwise known by his nickname, Easy — appears on-screen donning full protective gear, hospital scrubs, a bouffant cap, a medical face mask and all. He’s tuning in from a New Jersey hospital, where he’s working the night shift and waiting to assess his next patient.

In a few moments, Easy will be taking strangers’ temperatures, checking their lung capacity, and making the decision about what department they’ll be routed to. But for now, during a brief break, he’s with the people of Desert Hearts. It doesn’t take long for his presence to prompt a deluge of supportive messages in the chat room from his fellow Zoom revelers.

“With DHTV, it’s people just relaxing and having fun, and people actually saying thank you for your service,” Ogada says. “That's therapeutic, because these patients can't say thank you, they’re dying so quick. You're just so busy and overwhelmed, it really helps when somebody actually says thank you.”

Lee Reynolds

Ogada has worked at hospitals for 14 years, and has been serving as a respiratory therapist for the last six. His "work hard, play hard" lifestyle has seen him visit 19 countries across the world, including annual pilgrimages to electronic music meccas like Ibiza and Tulum. Like many other music enthusiasts who’ve been left heartbroken by the shutdown of the concert and festival industry in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ogada has turned to DHTV’s weekly programming to fill the void of human connection and camaraderie.

“This community has been here before COVID-19, and I love seeing everyone vibing together,” he says. “It’s a tight-knit community, and as a transplant [from Boston] I already feel welcomed with open arms.”

The Heart In Desert Hearts

Desert Hearts began as a renegade desert party in the Mojave, but it’s since ballooned into a kaleidoscopic world of international initiatives: the annual sold-out festival, a respected record label, and a globe-trotting showcase series that’s touched down at festivals and clubs from Berlin to Sydney.

Built on the mantra “House, Techno, Love – We Are All Desert Hearts,” the festival was founded in 2012 by four San Diego DJs who wanted to create a judgment-free playground for their friends to let loose while coalescing over a shared love of underground sounds.

Marbs

As opposed to typical electronic music festivals, which reliably offer up a medley of stages to careen between and sonic styles to hear, Desert Hearts Festival programs more than 100 uninterrupted hours of house and techno on one sole stage. Attendees bask in a singular, shared communal experience, and effortlessly connect with friends and strangers alike, all united under the “One Stage, One Vibe” ethos.

“We've met so many people that have said, ‘When I got introduced to this community, I really didn't even listen to house music,’” Desert Hearts co-founder Marbs says. “People come to our parties not necessarily for the music, but just because of the environment, how comfortable they feel with the people that are at that event, and then associating the music with that feeling of belonging.”

Beyond the jacking basslines and pulsating decibels wafting from the festival speakers, Desert Hearts is regarded as a bastion of creativity and unabashed self-expression where weirdos of all stripes can let their freak flags fly. Attendees are encouraged to rock avant-garde outfits, paint psychedelic art pieces, or host pop-up wine and cheese parties — whatever tickles their fancy.

For many Desert Hearts devotees, the accepting, open-minded environment is what keeps them coming back year after year; it’s the same quality that made its four founders — Mikey Lion, Marbs, Porky, and Lee Reynolds — hustle to migrate its palpable sense of community online.

“Our focus is on the people, and how to keep the people connected,” Marbs explains. “The people are the most important piece of the puzzle through the whole thing. And it's so cool to see that when we think we're about to go through a time that's going to rock us, the community somehow grows.”

Marbs and his fellow ringleaders were forced to cancel the 12th edition of Desert Hearts Festival on March 16. Just a week later, they launched DHTV. The online extension of Desert Hearts serves up varying content each week, ranging from marathon DJ sets mixed by its architects and cohorts, to the recurring "Wellness Wednesday’s" series which features yoga, meditation, and sound baths. The Desert Hearts Digital Festival was a tour de force of underground soundscapes designed to simulate the nonstop nature of the originally-planned festival; more than 25 international artists performed (nearly) around the clock for four days straight.

“The people are the most important piece of the puzzle through the whole thing. And it's so cool to see that when we think we're about to go through a time that's going to rock us, the community somehow grows.” -Marbs

In addition to DJing, the Desert Hearts founders also personally lead interactive specialty programming, like crate-digging with Lee Reynolds and Dutch pour painting with Marbs. Porky, Mikey Lion’s younger brother, kicked off DHTV by hosting a "Tubby Tuesdays" cooking lesson, where he guided viewers through making their own sushi-burritos. Marbs said the personalized offerings aim to give people a glimpse into their everyday lives and passions outside of music.

“The whole idea is to close the gap of distance between us all,” Marbs says. “And the more intimate and interactive we can make it, the more that it feels like we're actually hanging out, even though we're on screens.”

Welcome To The Lions Den

Every Saturday evening, comedy buff Mikey Lion hosts ‘The Lions Den,’ a 10-hour hybrid DJ-stream-meets-variety-show. When the clock strikes midnight, he blasts Olivia Newton-John’s anthem “Let’s Get Physical” as he and his wife Cookie lift free weights with grins plastered across their faces. Cookie has become a staple in the skits on ‘The Lions Den’. One of the more memorable entries saw her take on the role of Maxine, a sassy publicist who sports oversized sunglasses and struts across the camera’s frame with audacious panache. It’s all a part of the master plan to help fans mentally escape the Coronavirus epoch, if only for the weekend.

“Giving people an outlet to release during such a tough time is super important,” Mikey Lion says. “Our community is rooted in spreading as much love and positive energy as possible, and people are willing to roll with the punches, even in such a horrible time in history for all of us - but we're not going to let that stop us from having a good time, creating love, and pushing positivity to one another.”

Mikey Lion

Fans have turned Desert Hearts’ Twitch channel chat forum into an endless source of cheeky messages, inside jokes, and general musings on isolation insanity. Whether it’s festival veterans bonding over their favorite Desert Hearts memories, or newcomers forging relationships with internet friends miles away, DHTV mirrors the festival’s authentic innervation of belonging and togetherness.

“Just like with any kind of underground music scene, if you're going to shows consistently, you start to recognize the same people,” Garrett James, who handles Desert Hearts marketing, says. “Eventually, you're going to talk to them and become friends with them. And that's how these Twitch chats are; every time, without fail, the same people are there.”

“Giving people an outlet to release during such a tough time is super important.” -Mikey Lion

When COVID-19 struck, James pivoted Desert Hearts’ marketing focus online. Now, he and Brooke Sousa — a longtime friend and resident party conductor among the crew — have been tapped to serve as moderators within DHTV’s chat room. The pair work to foster the good vibes and make all participants feel welcome, while ensuring the chat’s ridiculousness never gets too out of hand. James notes how Desert Hearts Festival’s infectious spirit of friendship permeates the digital realm.

“I feel like that aspect of connecting with people, even in a virtual space, is still happening, just in a very different way,” he says.

On the unofficial Zoom video chat, newfound friends bask in a raucous free-for-all, with nearly 500 fans simultaneously cutting rugs, taking shots, flashing some skin and trying to outweird one another. One couple coordinates dance moves for their ferrets. Another pair, who broadcast under the username ‘Legohearts,’ shows off a full-blown lego replica of the Desert Hearts stage and speakers, with their child play-dancing his Lego characters across the imaginary dance floor.

“Desert Hearts is where I get to be my realest, truest self, and everyone is being weird, and it invites you to not be afraid to be weird too, and I think that's the part that people love the most,” Sousa explains. “You get on screen and get to wave your freak flag just like at the festival, where you get to be whatever crazy version of yourself that you decide you want to be. Not only that, but you have everyone cheering you on and encouraging you; nobody is judging, everyone is just thinking ‘What can I do next that’s even crazier?’”

Desert Hearts’ Digital Future

While DHTV provides fans with a welcomed distraction from the uncertainty of life under quarantine, it’s also a much needed creative outlet for the Desert Hearts impresarios. For artists who are used to breakneck tour schedules with firm performance times, DHTV encourages them to fluidly experiment with extended sets, test out new material, and push themselves technically.

“Streaming has helped me tremendously to get out of my comfort zone,” Porky explains. “I've always personally hated staring directly into the camera — and I cringe when hearing my voice — so it's really rad to use this opportunity to try something new. It's still extremely stressful every single time, especially when you're playing a 12-hour livestream and have to dodge all kinds of obstacles, like internet speed and a place to stream without noise complaints. But, the show must go on and we work as a team to find the solution.”

Porky

DHTV has become a restorative wellspring of communal hope, and will remain a permanent facet of the Desert Hearts network long after quarantine ends. Since launching DHTV mid-March, the Twitch channel has already amassed more than 628,000 live views from more than 18,000 subscribers. DHTV continues to innovate, and will host the inaugural ‘City Hearts Digital Festival’ on May 28 - 31, replicating the brand’s one-day mini-festival series that’s sold out previous installments in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego.

“Waking up to messages everyday saying "DHTV saving my life during this quarantine," will never get old, because everyone needs to tune out of the bullshit and get a boogie in,” Porky says. “We hold a special, comfortable space where people can express themselves without any judgement, and that's where all the magic happens.”

“We hold a special, comfortable space where people can express themselves without any judgement, and that's where all the magic happens.” -Porky

Music lovers around the world have been in isolation for more than two months. That’s hundreds of festivals canceled, thousands of deaths per day, and countless, chaotic nights in the hospital for Easy. But even though the respiratory therapist won't get his summer reprieve of dance floor-fueled travel, he’s still grateful to get lost in the music alongside the new friends he’s made within the Desert Hearts community.

“If you need an escape, go on DHTV and the Zoom just vibe,” Ogada says. “You just imagine you’re somewhere else, and you can relax. Because you just need to get past that day, and everything will be alright.”

Learn more about how you can donate to or apply for assistance via the Recording Academy's and MusiCares' COVID-19 Relief Fund.

Learn more about the financial, medical and personal emergencies services and resources offered by the Recording Academy and MusiCares.

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