Mosh pits in the era of Seattle social distancing: How Seattle musicians are finding ways to make money amid coronavirus (Garrett: wedding)

[homesinseattle]

Story link here: https://crosscut.com/2020/03/mosh-pi...+Arts+20200320

“Spring usually marks the beginning of a boom time for Seattle’s music industry. Not only do the bulk of the year’s music festivals and the launch of tour season happen during the warmer months, but the end of winter’s isolating doldrums means more high-paying wedding and party gigs and a greater chance that people will come out — and stay out late — for live music in the area.
“March through May are our best months typically,” says Sammy Larson, who works in marketing and ticketing for Capitol Hill music venue Neumos. But this March, things have been anything but booming for local venues like Neumos — which had to cancel or postpone seven of its 11 remaining shows this month — and the rest of Seattle’s music scene.

With the official recommendation to “socially distance” and refrain from large gatherings in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak, the cascade of event cancellations and postponements has already begun. Massive national festivals like SXSW and Coachella: canceled. Seattle-based festivals like Balkan Fest Northwest: canceled. International and domestic tour dates for Seattle artists: canceled. Long-booked Seattle shows, recording sessions and appointments for private music students have evaporated in a mere matter of days, and there are likely many more cancellations to come.

The sudden — and potentially indefinite — loss of work has been financially and psychologically devastating for many in Seattle’s music industry, especially for those musicians whose main source of income is live music performance. Plus, because most musicians are employed as gig employees, they are not eligible for many state-provided safety net programs. “I lost all of my band’s March dates, reduced [our] studio time on our EP, and [we’re] in a holding pattern for April dates,” says Garret Hendricks of the band Garrett and the Sheriffs. “Combine that with reduced hours for our day jobs and it’s starting to be scary.”