The Day the Music and High Fives Died 

(Or Paused by the Coronavirus)

By Shelah Moody 

       Grammy-winning vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant was scheduled to perform her new piece, “Ogress” at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland on March 11. But due to the panic caused by the coronavirus pandemic,  the concert was canceled by SFJAZZ.

     “In keeping with the mandate from the governor of California and the City and County of San Francisco to not hold public events or large gatherings, SFJAZZ is, effectively immediately, postponing all shows and education events through April 5 including the NEA Jazz Master events,” the nonprofit posted on SFJAZZ.org.

         That night, McLorin wound up performing “Ogress” at a private concert in the home of renowned author and activist Angela Davis. She was fortunate.

    The music industry is definitely taking a hit, with concerts and festivals around the world being canceled or postponed due to health concerns and widespread fear over COVID-19.

        Goldenvoice announced that the wildly popular Coachella festival, at the direction of the County of Riverside, announced on their website that their event has been postponed to October 9, 10, 11, 16, 17 and 18 2020. 

     Also, at the direction of City of Redondo Beach officials, the Beachlife festival, starring acts such as Ziggy Marley and Stephen Marley, has been postponed from its original May 1-May 3 dates. 

    In San Francisco, Broadway SF was forced to shut down productions of “Hamilton” at the Orpheum Theatre and also, “The Last Ship,” musical, featuring British pop icon Sting, at the Golden Gate Theatre.   

      In Berkeley,  Ashkenaz music and dance center, known for presenting reggae, folk, world, and indie music, decided to close its doors until April of 2020. 

      Though his shows have been canceled, Grammy-winning roots music artist Fantastic Negrito, based in Oakland, took the opportunity to write a song about the coronavirus and share it on Instagram.

       Stephen Marley announced via Instagram that he postponed his Washington D.C. show, which was scheduled for March 12, to October 1 of 2020.

   For Dan and Amy Sheehan and Jeff Monser, producers of the annual California Roots Festival, the coronavirus cannot stop the music. Last week on Instagram, they declared that Caliroots will move forward from May 22-May 24 2020 as planned at Monterey Country Fairgrounds. However, this week, Caliroots, too, decided to postpone until October of 2020.

     “We have been closely monitoring COVID-19 and how it may affect our event, our artists and our fans for weeks now. We feel like we’re on a really shitty roller coaster and it’s taking us into uncharted territory. Between the media, several other major events canceling and ensuing panic over purchasing toilet paper and soap has left us all a bit weary.”  

       For many, live music is a source of healing and uplift and it provides a sense of camaraderie. The cancellation of concerts and music festivals may be a crimp in recreation plans for some, but for touring and working musicians, it is a loss of livelihood and revenue.

       In New Orleans, one of the country’s music Meccas, the coronavirus fear has led to the postponement of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and the French Quarter Festival until October 2020  and cancellation of other events.

           “Lots of gigs were canceled,” said trombonist and educator Terrance Taplin, a member of the Uptown Jazz Orchestra, who perform Wednesday nights at Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro on Frenchman Street.

         “I have a little in the bank plus my wife has a nine to five, so we aren’t worried yet, but I am concerned. I give pounds to people I don’t know but I still hug my family.” 

    The pandemic has also caused a phenomenon called social distancing, limited physical communications such as handshakes, hugs kissing and touching to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

         “It’s all discouraged, but hell, u got to go some time, some kind of way,” joked NEA Jazz Master Delfeayo Marsalis, founder of the Uptown Jazz Orchestra.

           Harpist and music teacher  Jesse Autumn, a California transplant living in New Orleans, said that her Thursday night gig at Silk Road restaurant is still on.

         “I was in CA last week playing, but that was right before things got really crazy... Now I am hunkering down and teaching online. and my students that come over haven't canceled yet, but we shall see. I am cleaning and disinfecting everything constantly!”

      Guitarist Robert “Dubwise” Browne is a composer and producer who makes a bulk of his income touring with internationally known musicians such as Shaggy. Currently, he is riding out the coronavirus panic at home in Kingston, Jamaica.

   “When I saw how widespread the virus is, 

I started having concerns about travel and the realized if I can’t travel, that part of my earnings would be on pause,” said Browne.

      “Public gatherings have been put off or postponed until further notice in a lot of cities, which means no shows, tours or performances. So earning as a live act presently seems very uncertain. I’m grateful to have other streams of income as a musician - studio sessions, royalties, etc which hopefully can maintain my day to day until this situation is all figured out. In the meantime, I can focus on finally completing my next album and figure out how to market and promote it better than my other projects.” 

Check this article from CNET on E cancelations.

       

DARRELL KELLEY

Darrell Kelly“The Coronavirus”

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With the release of his powerful, no holds barred song “The Coronavirus,” Darrell Kelley perfectly meets our unique, challenging moment in history by addressing our strange new day to day reality and its attendant fears and social protocols.

Teaming with his producer/collaborator with his independent label Viral Records, LLC, the singer, songwriter and socially conscious musical Renaissance man creates an infectiously lilting yet emotionally impactful ballad that speaks harsh truths and important urgency directly to our hearts and minds. Over a deep bass driven, atmosphere laden backing track, Darrell uses his warm, reassuring and soul-penetrating vocals to address everything we are experiencing, feeling and freaking out about while hunkered down and listening to the news each day.

As the easy groove begins, his spoken word intro gets right to the point: “You know the coronavirus is spreading everywhere and we have to slow down the spread/So stay inside and don’t go out unless you have to – but let’s keep our senior citizens safe.” In just a few lines, he covers a world of concerns: “I’m scared right now because doctors don’t have the proper protection/If we don’t stop it, we are heading straight for another bad recession/How we gonna stop the spread if we can’t follow simple directions? As the song continues, Darrell addresses the reality of people dying, the importance of staying safe and of course the facts that “You have to wash your hands and you better not touch your face” and “You need to listen and avoid large crowds.”

“I wake up every day to the latest news about the virus,” Darrell says, “and I realize that many people are not listening to the authorities and doing what we’re supposed to do to stop the spread of the coronavirus. I wrote the song as a response to that, hoping people will listen to its message and the reality will sink in that this is life and death serious. It’s my way of sharing the reality that this is not something you can play around with, and that we all have to stick together and wait it out until we flatten the curve and find an ultimate solution. We all have to pay attention and focus on human lives so that we can beat this. It is my belief that we should help people not just in the U.S. but around the world. World leaders need to work together to stop the terrible spread.”

Since getting back to his first love of music and dropping his debut album Unity in 2018, Darrell has been an unstoppable creative and grooving force of nature. Fusing his passions for gospel, pop, dance and R&B with a deep-seated voice for social justice, the ultimate multi-tasker - singer, songwriter, spiritual leader, author, entrepreneur and activist – has created a powerful platform for a unique array of messages, ranging from drawing attention to key political issues and thoughtful spirituality to simply making the most of our lives and having a good time.

Prior to this new global era and the release of his song “The Corona Virus,” the Atlanta based artist had been promoting three new visually and musically compelling new videos showcasing the colorful, provocative and deeply soulful range of his artistry. Directed pointedly at the NRA’s ongoing attempts to block common sense gun laws and background checks, the searing R&B ballad “Because Of You” is a call to arms addressing the tragedy of gun violence in our schools. The track reached #13 on the Indie Worldwide chart.

“Get Wild Remix,” the title track from his 2019 album Get Wild which reached #4 on the Mediabase Activator Chart, is a spirited, synth driven club tune about getting out, hanging with friends and other cool folks and having a good time. Likewise, his sensual, easy grooving club tune “Turn It Up” features Darrell in another upscale lounge setting, hanging at the bar and partying with upscale female buds.  In addition to Unity and Get Wild, Darrell released numerous popular singles and another full length album, Here Comes the Lesson.

In addition to his musical success, the Boston native is a successful entrepreneur, including opening the popular soul food restaurant Soul Delicious Grill and Buffet in Morrow, GA. Every year, he’s hosted an employee appreciation dinner concert that showcases local artists, and at each event, he took the stage to perform a new song he wrote.  After several years of sharing his talents this way, culminating in his powerhouse gospel tune “A Storm Is Coming,” he realized he had enough material to create and market an electronic press kit (EPK).

Darrell’s gospel music is an outgrowth of his service as bishop of spiritual leader of The Pathway Gospel Ministry Church, which is founded on his growing, grass roots UWGEAM ministry. “The Book of UWGEAM,” which he published in 2016, explains the group’s focus on love, unity and respecting one another regardless of religion. UWGEAM stands for God of the Universe, God of the World, God of all gods, God of everything, and God of anything including me.

“I am praying during this time for the protection of everyone, those who believe in God and those who do not,” he says. “People may question their faith during times like these, but I say it’s a time to strengthen our collective faith and pray harder.”


Check out the website at https://darrellkelleyofficial.com/

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