The art and entertainment industries were some of the first to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Almost overnight local musicians and venue staff had their streams of revenue temporarily put on hold. Leaving people to wonder what would come next.
Tyler Hardy quit his job a few years ago to pursue music full time a. Managed by his partner Amy Brian, their primary source of income now comes from him performing at local restaurants and bars.
“We bought a week’s supply of groceries, we touched base with our families, and then we decided that we just need to keep trying to be a positive influence each day and play music still, and I think in times like this, only take it a week at a time.”
Jeremy Couture, another local musician, and supplemental cello instructor for LISD, has also been forced to come to terms with an abrupt halt to his source of income.
“It feels very real because I am out of my entire income. So now it’s, okay, I’ve got to make money somehow. So now it’s, okay, I’ve got to make money somehow. So that makes it kind of real, but at the same time it’s small moments like right when you wake up in the morning and you yawn or whatever, stretch your arms out, and you go oh it’s another day and then you remember, ‘oh yeah, all this is happening right now.’”
Couture has been playing music and writing songs to help pass the time while the world waits in anticipation for the virus to be under control. He has also been watching other musicians play on Facebook Live.
“Even though we’re all socially distant, you can definitely feel, I don’t know, I feel like a lot of people are coming together more so than I’ve felt before, really, and it’s kind of great to see.”
Couture says that he has enough saved to pay his bills for a month or so, but after that he’ll need help from family.
“I know that it’s all going to work out, it’s going to pass. It’s just the fact of not knowing how long it’s going to be, well first of all, how long it’s going to be until the whole thing is done, but more so just how long it’s going to be until I can start gigging again.”
Dustin Six, the co-owner and operator of the Blue Light Live, admits that they were not prepared for something like this. For small businesses that rely on group gatherings as their main source of income, the virus is taking a toll.
“We’re a pretty small local business, so we’re not equipped to hold off until May or June, and some people are thinking maybe even July. So this is taking a pretty big hit on the Blue Light on a business level. I think on a personal level, we’re all trying to find other things.”
Six knows that the gigging musicians around town have already been hit hard by this and adds.
“Do your best to support musicians doing their live feeds. That’s something that I think is very important to keep them afloat, keep them creative, and keep their mouths fed.”
Six says it’s too soon to start predicting when this will all be over, so for the time being, all they can do is wait and continue to try to help others as much as they can.
“I’m nervous for the business as a whole, just for the brand. It’s taken 20 years to get Blue Light to the position it’s in right now. Anytime there’s a musician in need, all our musicians always come together real quick, and we put together charity for them, so we’ve always been able to help other people. For us to be in a position right now to where not only can we not help the other people in need but we can’t even help ourselves, I would say I don’t know if it’s 100% set in.”
Times like these can be scary, but Hardy firmly believes that people can make a difference by choosing to be positive instead of panicking.
“We’ll get through this and everybody will have a different mindset but I think that people are understanding that there are people that are exposed to suffering, and that some of them are closer to that line than others, and something like this is an opportunity for people to come together and, I don’t know, help other individuals and grease the wheels of community that helps alleviate that suffering, even if it’s in some sort of small way, in whatever way people contribute.”
For more of Texas Tech Public Media’s COVID-19 coverage visit: https://tv.kttz.org/news/local/covid19/
