Coronavirus has not only been infecting people for months now, it has also been infecting industry and culture. Quarantines, cautionary measures and panic have not only slowed the economy, they've also caused the cancellation of concerts, tours and now even popular festival events like SXSW 2020.
But even in a time when musicians are starting to feel real financial impacts from the fallout of COVID19, there appears to be a silver lining. Less time touring means more time to fiddle around in the studio.
The Internet is now bursting with funny songs about hand-washing and amusing commentaries and song parodies about the virus – even as parody master Weird Al Yankovic declared on Twitter that he would not be updating his parody of "My Bologna" to "My Corona."
We need to give serious thought to both public and our own personal health, be considerate of those who have lost loved ones, and sympathetic to the plight of working musicians and everyone else losing work due to the situation. But a little levity never hurt. As a wise man once said "laughter is the best medicine".
Now go wash your hands, stop hoarding masks and toilet paper, and listen to some great versions of My Corona... er, I mean My Sharona.
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Various "viral" tributes:
My Corona by Stephanie Forryan: a sneezingly funny tribute to hand hygiene (generally a good idea all the time, but especially now)
My Corona by ZDoggMD: a viral anthem about the social impacts and symptoms of the virus
My Corona by Papa Bakes: a fervid parody about the virus's symptoms
Just to name a few. Do you have a favorite? Have you made your own? What do you think about parodies on this topic - appropriate/inappropriate?
On my way to play my first tour of the year I stopped by a colleague's place to find out what mysterious musical projects he's up to. And then we had a jam session, singing C.B. Green's song, "Somebody's Hero". If you live in Germany, you've probably heard it because it's apparently on TV all the time as the soundtrack to the mydays commercials.
It was a wild ride to the venue in Haar - but it was worth it! The audience was amazing and the show was so much fun!
I headed out to the village of Blaubeuren to play a show and had sooooo much fun!
I got fancy in this vlog - I didn't get stuck in just any traffic jam. It was a FRENCH traffic jam!
And then I got to meet two of the coolest people ever: Mary Bee and David Air. They have a web series called Finding Harmony. So we met up in France to record an episode together! They are both amazingly talented and it was inspiring to get to spend a few days with them.
Back from the tour, it was time to get my guitar tuned up. Thank goodness for guitar doctors!
If ever there was a whirlwind tour, this was it (literally). I had a GREAT time touring Germany's North Sea region! The audiences were great, there were sold-out shows, and there was beauty everywhere I looked. I'm glad I videoed the whole thing, because it went by in the blink of an eye!
One of my favorite jobs as a singer-songwriter and performer is playing with equipment. I love watching people use equipment in innovative ways. And it's fun to experiment with it in my own music. In today's video, I'm playing with one of my favorite pieces of gear: a vocal FX pedal!
Enjoy: Me and the "Machine"
I went back to my roots to perform this song - all the way to Cape Cod, Massachusetts!
Enjoy this seaside song: "Wish You"
I had the chance to test out some new equipment and - as always - I used a song to do it. This time it was my original song: Fool vs. Wiseman.
Here is my test of the Antelope Audio Discrete 4 Audio Interface and Edge emulation microphone. They are definitely keepers!
A couple of friends came down from Berlin to save me from myself - they abducted me from my studio and whisked me away to a remote location in the Bavarian countryside...