We are past our 14 days at home now. All is well. Everything is strange.
The funny thing about stories is that the ones most worth telling are usually shit to live through. Good stories thrive on uncertainty. Finding myself in a spot where I genuinely have no idea what's going on or what will happen has become my biggest tell that I am living one. But what's even more wild is that everyone is living this one, at the exact same time. It's a far darker story for those that are sick, or those that are helping them. I am just at home, a little lost and vaguely anxious. I consider myself lucky.
I've been avoiding most communication since I got home. I've noticed that when things get serious, I am not a person that reaches out very much. I do a quick check to see if anyone directly needs me, then I like to keep to myself and quietly watch. So I have been strictly limiting the news I take in and the amount I interact with anything outside my home. And as always, once I get a better picture of things, I start to thaw and my mindset opens outward again. I'm not sure why I do this. Probably a better question for my therapist.
As I felt settled late last week, I spent a lot of the weekend wondering what to do with myself. A common question for damn near everyone, I know. Work worldwide is changing drastically or drying up completely. Leadership is hard to find in a lot of places. Even basic direction is a tall order, much less solutions. But I am not nearly as affected as most. I have worked for myself for over ten years. Everything I make, I make myself, in my own house. Sure, I don't know what I will do with these things I make, but that's not a new question either. I never really know, even when the world is operating normally. But I found myself poring over a different question this weekend …
Since I have more stability in all of this than lots of people, what can I do to help?
At first, that question really just drew blanks and a feeling of impotence. But as I talked it over more with my partner and manager, ideas started showing up. While I am still not sure how to help people on the front lines of all this (I am getting some ideas for that, too, though), I do have the ability to make things. And the bulk of us are stuck at home and trying to find ways to cope with anxiety. But instead of solely returning to making an album, I want to get back to some things that can give people something to do. Not always so passive as just listening.
So first on that list is filming tutorials. I have done these before, but I want to take the concept a step further. In the past I would just teach the chords and patterns and leave it at that. But now I'd like to assist in the application by making a new mix of the song, muting the part that I'm teaching in the video, so you can play along with the actual recording. So if I show you the guitar part (which will be the most common), I will upload a version of the song that has the guitar muted. Then you can fill it in yourself after you learn how to play it. I could also upload version that remove the vocals, so you could record your own vocal takes, or even improvise new melodies, if that's of any interest.
The second idea is to get back to filming little live, bedroom versions of songs. Kind of like this one:
So if there are any songs you would like to hear a small acoustic version of, or a song you would like a tutorial on how to play, please leave a comment down below. You could also email me, but I am really behind on emails. I honestly stopped looking at them when I got home. I am only just digging into my inbox as of yesterday. Comments will be easier at the moment.
Lastly, if you have any questions about record or mixing, feel free to ask me. I would like to continue that series on how to record at home and go into more detail. The first I made was here:
This will be an ongoing thing. I'll keep trying to think of ways to help, but I am also open to suggestions. I can only work on an album so many hours a day, and I already had a solid week of Animal Crossing and Celeste to get some couch time out of my system. I am all ears here.
I hope everyone is home, healthy and sane. And for those of you working essential jobs during all of this, thank you.