ONLINE SHOWS // CARE & FEEDING OF MUSICIANS

Well friends, it’s a pretty weird time, and I confess it’s been hard to get myself to sit down and write this, what with various streaming technologies to speed-learn, significant levels of stress baking, the ever-present background noise of ambient confusion and dread, plus an undersocialized 11-year-old in the mix. Still and all there are things that need mentioning, so I’m here to mention them as best I can.

First let me say that over the last month I’ve noticed a strong uptick in merch sales, record downloads, and contributions to the online tip jar, and I want to express my gratitude to all of you out there who are responsible. I’m not managing to reply to everything - despite my best intentions - but please know that I am seeing it all, reading each kind note, and it’s making a big difference here both in terms of finances and of morale. Thankyou, thoughtful people, you make the wheels keep turning. Now to our orders of business.

ONLINE SHOWS & APPEARANCES
I’m playing a solo livestreamed show TONIGHT, Tuesday the 14th for the Parlor Room Home Sessions at 8pm EST. I only got about halfway through my bowl of requests when I played my 3/12 Club Passim show online, so I’ll pull it back out for this show and see if we can get to a few more. This show should be available for at least a few days after it happens, for those of you in inconvenient timezones. There will be more online events, including a KD/JF duo show upcoming in the next few weeks, so stay tuned here and on the socials to be in the know for those developments.

I’ve also recently contributed homespun performance videos to two benefit playlists: Club Passim’s Keep Your Distance Fest to benefit their PEAR Artist Relief Fund, and Alastair Moock’s Quarantunes Playlist to benefit the MA United Way Family Support Fund. Many great artists on both so check those out and donate if you’re able.

CARE & FEEDING OF MUSICIANS
I’ve received quite a few friendly notes from people asking how best to help independent musicians get through this time, so I thought I’d share a few thoughts on that. As a member of a 100% songwriter-supported household, I can definitely attest that this is a challenging moment. At the same time, we’re aware of all the ways we musicians are really lucky; among other things, we can go online and do some version of our work in exchange for voluntary donations, which most hourly, part-time, or gig workers can’t. So, we’re doing what we can to keep our own little boat afloat, while also trying to extend as much help as possible to our musical and local communities. I’ll offer some ideas here of how you can reach out to the musicians you love if you’re looking to. My relevant links are included, but I mean these as general ideas to be used on behalf of any artist whose work matters to you.

Plain old TIPPING: many artists have an online tip jar (KD’s is here) or have been sharing their PayPal and Venmo links for tipping purposes (here’s KD Paypal). If you listen to/stream/love an artist and just want to send them a little support during this time, that’s a very straightforward way to do it.
“Attend” an ONLINE SHOW (for example, KD plays the Parlor Room Home Sessions tonight 4/14 8pm EST!)
Buy RECORDS AND/OR MERCH, preferably via the artist’s own website. Here’s the KD webstore.
Subscribe to EMAIL LISTS (KD signup is here) and making sure the emails don’t end up in your spam/promotions folder. And of course, like-and-follow your favorite artists on SOCIAL MEDIA (here’s KD Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter).
Consider supporting an artist on their Patreon or CROWDFUNDING site. I’ll be launching a Kickstarter for the new record sometime in the next few months, and you can expect me to hassle you lavishly at that point.
If you STREAM music, you can help your favorite artists out by adding their songs to your playlists and sharing those lists widely. Here’s KD on Spotify, as well as the complete KD catalog in one Spotify playlist, if you ever want to listen to my songs for up to 7 hours at a stretch (let’s hope things never get that weird).
There’s an ever-growing list of ARTIST/FREELANCER RELIEF FUNDS you can pitch into to help people who work in music on a more general basis…for starters I’ll mention the national MusiCares, and Club Passim’s PEAR Artist Relief Fund, but here’s probably a local one set up in your town or city too.

FRIENDS & EXTENDED-FAMILY
Many people in my world have put out great work recently to help you pass your time, and I’ll point you towards a few here:

My dearest friend Lisa Olstein is known as an acclaimed poet, but she recently branched out and wrote a work of lyrical non-fiction called Pain Studies, exploring the nature of chronic pain: "Instead of settling for the idea that her pain is indescribable, she lays down shimmering prose that subtly unhinges the reader, conveying what it’s like to see the world from a migraine’s point-of-view. Pain Studies is, as a result—and this is just for starters—a fascinating look at what can happen when you attempt to pour pain into language." There’s a non-Amazon way to get your hands on one right here.

Dietrich Strause plays keyboards, guitars, and horns on my upcoming record, but in the meantime he has a new record of mostly-solo recordings of his beautifully crafted songs out called Last Man Standing on the Sun - a lovely quarantine companion.

It’s been actual decades now that I’ve been collaborating with Ry Cavanaugh and he’s truly one of my favorite songwriters. Ry has a new record out of him performing late dad’s songs (accompanied by Duke Levine and Jennifer Kimball) which is really special. Find yourself Time for This to stream or buy or both.

A last thought: I’ve been listening to more music than usual lately (currently hooked on the new Waxahatchee record Saint Cloud among other things), and I’ve been reminded for the millionth time that music is magic. It’s one of the best ways there is to connect to our own feelings, and to each other, even at a distance. It rearranges the molecules in the room, in your mind and in your heart. It doesn’t take problems away, but it can refresh our spirits and leave us better able to face them. As an artist it’s easy to feel like my own work is irrelevant during a time of crisis, but as a music lover I know how much of a difference other people’s work makes to me. So here’s a pledge to keep making it and offering it up as best as I can for whoever needs it. We’re all compatriots in a strange new world - let’s each of us share what we can to help carry us through.

See you online somewhere, and in the world when we have the run of it again. Thanks everybody. *kd

UPCOMING SHOWS:
APRIL 14 - KD solo livestream show via The Parlor Room, NORTHAMPTON, MA - 8:00pm EST Tix

tix/info for all shows http://krisdelmhorst.com/tour

Photo: Micah Albert