what a week this has been. while our nation and the world grapple with this novel coronavirus, it has become abundantly clear that our daily lives have been uprooted for the time being. to be sure, not all of the upheaval will be felt equally by everyone. the redeyegin household has so far been minimally affected by it (although my neighbor just got quarantined). but many individuals and businesses will be taking the full blunt of it. how does this relate to the usual topics of this blog? well, the live music industry is being decimated right now. major music festivals are being cancelled and/or rescheduled left and right. i myself have tickets for all four days of the new orleans jazz fest in early may, and by all accounts it will be cancelled some time this next week. touring musicians are suspending their events – either because the artists are looking out for the safety of their fans and themselves, or because the venues are shutting down for various reasons. here in ohio, the governor has put restrictions on public gatherings of over 100 people, which makes running a small music venue nearly impossible. i have tickets to two upcoming shows at my favorite local club. the first has already been rescheduled to the fall, but the other has not. unless things change for me this week (and lord knows they might), i intend to go and tip the bartenders well.

what to do in the meantime? get yourself outside and go for a long walk, and then when you come inside, go to your favorite music website and buy a new release from an up and coming artist. they need you now more than ever.

after that, consider expanding your musical horizons and knowledge base by hunkering down with a nice beverage and explore some of the great music documentaries out there. i have mentioned a few over the last couple of months (‘bluebird’ , ‘echo in the canyon’), but i will provide a few more below that i have been watching over the winter.

here they are, in no particular order:

‘twenty feet from stardom’ – a great view into the world of female background singers.

‘rolling thunder revue’ – explores the legendary tour promoting the ‘desire’ album.

‘classic albums- the band’ – one of the best of the old vh1 series. by the way, you can really go down a rabbit hole with these. i have watched at least a dozen of them. just a teaser here until robbie’s movie ‘once were brothers’ is available to stream.

david crosby ‘remember my name’ – a look at his turbulent life.

linda ronstandt ‘the sound of my voice’ – the life and times of her career.

drive by truckers ‘the secret to a happy ending’  – chronicles the genesis of the band, including the early career of jason isbell.

‘the wrecking crew’ – the story behind one of the great group of studio musicians from the sixties and seventies. see also ‘muscle shoals’ and ‘the funk brothers’.

‘gimme shelter’ – an accounting of the disastrous altamont concert.

‘fyre’ – how not to plan a music festival.

zz top ‘that little ol’ band from texas’ -the history of one of classic rock’s greatest bands.

 

that’s enough for now. if you have suggestions for others to watch, leave them in the comments section. take care out there.