Wow, it’s 11 a.m. already? That really snuck up on me. Time to go park myself on my couch, where I’ll be staying for the next ... for a long time.
I’m going to be watching Musikfest all day today. Yes, all day. From the first streamed content at 11 a.m. -- a replay of local country artist Kendal Conrad on Service Electric TV2 -- all the way until whenever Scythian wraps up their 8:35 p.m.-ish set this evening.
Why? Well, why not. During any other year, we’d all be down there anyway — drinking, eating, Musik-ing. Having a good time. And not just today either; tomorrow, yesterday, last weekend. Every day.
Or at least as many as you could physically, mentally and emotionally handle (and I imagine that varies from person to person).
But this year, obviously, the 10-day festival went virtual because it would be impossible to have it at the same scale with the coronavirus pandemic still a very real danger (wear your masks!). The festival will be streaming sets recorded at home from local and national musicians. Some are broadcast on Musikfest’s website and social channels, some are broadcast on the festival’s partner, Service Electric TV2. I’ve already spent a day at one of the few outdoor concerts the festival is having, and a day at Service Electric’s home base watching their broadcast come together. Really, sitting in front of my laptop is the only thing left for me to do, so, again, why the hell not?
So before we get going here, here’s the plan. The first few sets I’ll watch are actually replays of Service Electric TV2 performances over the past week. Obviously, part of Musikfest’s deal with TV2 means that only the latter’s customers can have a first crack at the 40 artists on that slate, but of course, audiences were still going to get a chance to see them. They’ve been replayed on Musikfest’s own streams for the last few days and will be available to watch at your leisure until Aug. 11. Anyway, I’ve got three replay sets that should carry me into the new stuff, which includes a short “Jam In Place” set that Martin Guitar has been doing since the state shutdown went into effect, and then four official Musikfest sets. Maybe I’ll have some food or water in between, I don’t know.
With that, time to tune in.
It was at this moment that Connor sat back on his couch and watched hours of music being performed both here in the Lehigh Valley and all across the country, eating nothing a peanut butter sandwich, two clementines and some Oreos, cracking his back multiple times, staying plenty hydrated, and only pausing once to give his eyes a break.
Honestly, that flew by. It was something, that’s for sure, but was it Musikfest? As much as I wish it was, not exactly.
It became pretty clear from the beginning of Conrad’s set how most of today was going to go. The music is great, but obviously Musikfest isn’t 100% about the music. Equally as important are the merriment and camaraderie found in being there with friends, family and total strangers. And obviously, we can’t do that right now. So the in-between moments stuck out. No running to get some more tickets for food and drink. No conversations with the friendly stranger behind you. If anything, just a short walk over to the fridge or a trip to the bathroom.
Maybe you’ve gotten some friends together (safely) to watch some of the performances. Maybe you have a projector set up in your backyard to give you space to grill up some food and bust a few moves. And if you do, I envy you. But sitting on my couch from 11 a.m. to late in the evening and listening to great music reeeeeeaaallllllly made me miss being able to do it with other people. And while much of the broadcasts served as a reminder that we can’t be at Musikfest together, there was still plenty to enjoy.
If I learned anything from my day at Service Electric, it’s that there’s a pretty sweet set-up over there. Kendal Conrad performed inside of the studio, while both The Amish Outlaws and James Supra/Sarah Ayers Band performed in what’s affectionately known as GaragePlatz. It’s literally a garage, so it’s an apt moniker.
The Amish Outlaws in particular rocked GaragePlatz. There’s a reason those guys are Musikfest favorites. Playing on TV2′s compact stage, their energy was exploding off of the screen. I will admit, I was movin’ around as much as my living room allowed. With a setlist of classics like “Come Sail Away,” “Country Roads,” “Backstreet’s Back” and more, it was hard not to get into it. All props to them for getting that into it without a large audience in front of them (there is some seating at GaragePlatz, but very distanced and not very much). Their return trip to the festival when we can all rock with them will be a glorious day.
The Amish Outlaws and James Supra/Sarah Ayers Band both played two healthy sets which took me right up to the early evening. Musically, the highlight was a lovely cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide” from Ayers and Supra. That one had me less emotional about not having an in-person festival and more emotional about the inescapable passage of time.
Anyway.
Eventually, it was time for the live part of the day, though it’s impossible to tell the difference. The first couple performances, Jim Roberti for Martin Guitar’s Jam in Place and then Sunny War, were, technically speaking just two individuals in their respective homes playing guitar directly to a camera. There’s just something fundamentally awkward about it. And as the person on the other end, I, too, felt a little awkward. They’re both wildly talented and had some really pretty lyrics to go along with their impressive guitar work. But it all had a feeling that’s indistinguishable from pulling up YouTube and digging into the wide world of random singer-songwriters.
Hector Rosado Y Su Orq Hache, the group that followed, was actually, if I’m not mistaken, performing in the Musikfest Café, which was otherwise empty. The camera’s view caught enough of the non-stage part of the venue that it made it feel vast and empty. Hopefully, soon we’ll be able to fill that space. It also brought up another obstacle for pulling something like this off, that was driven home by the next performer, Lil’ Ed of Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials playing a solo set: It’s also hard for bands to be able to all be together, which saps a lot of energy and chemistry they get from being able to play off of each other and the crowd.
Though, I say that, but the next band made do pretty well. Scythian, another group of Musikfest veterans were all together in guitarist Dan’s living room. And they were clearly making the best of it, dancing around their limited space, hooting and hollering during their largely Irish-based set of tunes. Their sound is born to be played to a crowd, so while it was unfortunate that they couldn’t be playing in one, they made sure everyone was topping off their drink to top off the night.
And the men of Scythian, too, were drinking their fair share, and what was most important was that they were drinking it out of Musikfest mugs (which year, I couldn’t be sure). And I think that summed up the day pretty well. These musicians miss performing live, and specifically at Musikfest, just as much as we miss seeing them. Multiple performers praised the festival for making something out of nothing as well as expressing their hope that they could be back next year. The Amish Outlaws claimed that the festival was their favorite to play. Sarah Ayers praised Musikfest parent ArtsQuest for never being knocked down. Scythian, mugs and all, called their DIY-stage their own little VolksPlatz.
Scythian also plugged their own Venmo for virtual tips, which serves as a reminder that while we’re missing out on being able to hang out at Musikfest and have a few drinks, some poutine and corn, and listen to some good tunes, these bands and ArtsQuest are losing out some mightily important income and opportunity. So while we’re all raising our mugs in solidarity together in our homes, far away from each other, hopefully, at this time next year, we’ll be clinking them together as hard as we ever have.
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Connor Lagore may be reached at clagore@njadvancemedia.com.
"all day" - Google News
August 08, 2020 at 06:30PM
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I spent a day watching virtual Musikfest. Next year can’t come soon enough. - lehighvalleylive.com
"all day" - Google News
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