Like musicians everywhere, we're watching hard-won gigs disappear, canceled due to concerns about Covid-19. Here in Italy, my first cancellation (which only happened to be my first gig here, too) has long since come and gone. But I'm cautiously happy that starting today, we are free to move about, unrestricted, for the first time since March 9th, when the nation-wide lockdown began. I'm driving over to Quarrata to rehearse with the Caffè Jazz Quartett this week, and am looking forward to seeing those guys. However, as Italian regulations often leave room for interpretation, speculation, and confusion, our drummer checked with his local carabinieri marshal just to be safe, who not only said sì to our gathering to rehearse, but is a total jazz fan, and plans to stop by.
Busker Paul, holed up in New Hampshire, has been keeping busy teaching online lessons and hosting a virtual open mike (info at paulhubertmusic.com), which has had people join in from Massachusetts, New York, Canada, and New Mexico, folks too far away to come to an actual open mic (I'd probably weigh in, too, but it being six hours later here...) Paul also has a new video out.
Kathy's limited internet service in the boonies of Northern New York State can be frustrating, but she too has been teaching online, and she says she's never been happier to live in a rural setting. She lives just a few miles from the magnificent St. Lawrence, the river dividing Canada and the US, known for elegant island summer homes and a castle or two. We love playing shows up her way, and this Summer was no exception. We particularly looked forward to playing for a wedding, now postponed to 2021, which was to take place at Singer Castle on Dark Island, one of the 1000 islands in the St. Lawrence. Singer Castle was built in 1905 for William Bourne, fifth President of the Singer Sewing Machine Company, as one of his summer homes, and has been featured on the reality TV show Survivor.
If you'd like to help The Buskers survive by having us play for a live or virtual event at your castle, estate, or backyard barbecue, let us know. We'll figure out something. You can support us right now by simply following us on Facebook, Spotify, and YouTube and subscribing to our mailing list (links at the bottom of our homepage). Thank you. We hope to see you, from a safe social distance, of course, soon.
Singer Castle on the St. Lawrence River, where we would have played for a wedding this June.
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