July Calendar:
Some Re-openings
We finally have some listings of artists who will perform live this month, but a number of artists and venues still stick to streaming performances. The live performances are often outdoors (Bert’s in Detroit, The Rec Bowl in Mt Clemens and a few clubs in Toledo) and a few inside (where masks are required). The Blue LLama in Ann Arbor opened up inside a week ago and when Covid-19 showed its ugly face it was closed down for a few days. They are now back open and playing it as safe as possible. The club has been very public (see its website) about the issues it has faced and should be commended for this stance. It is advisable to keep your eyes peeled online to follow the latest developments in this rapidly changing scene.
Some venues have started broadcasting concerts live (streaming) online and are sometimes asking for contributions for musicians. Examples are the Blue LLama Jazz Club, the Dirty Dog, the Kerrytown Concert House, and River Raisin Ragtime Revue. To support some venues and their workers you can order food for take-out.
Musicians are suffering due to lost income, and relief is not in sight any time soon. If you want to help musicians, you can buy their music online. Some of the websites that might come in handy are: detroitmusicfactory.com (part of Mack Avenue Records), pkorecords.com, musicwikidetroit.com, cdbaby.com, bandcamp.com, and a number of websites or Facebook pages have been put up by individual musicians. Jennifer Pollard’s excellent Facebook page LiftingUpA2Jazz has a number of these sites. Any suggestions for other sites are welcome.