Items

• 
  2021-10-21

  Phoebe Bridgers at the Greek Theatre

  I was able to get tickets to see Phoebe Bridgers in LA October of 2021. My best friend and I drove out there from Arizona. It was an amazing show at the Greek Theatre, which is a beautiful venue located in Griffith Park. This was the first time I travelled to see a concert, and since it has become something that I do often. I've even been back to the Greek Theatre three times since and already have tickets to a show there later this year. During this time, there was still a lot of Covid-19 restrictions in place. Even though it was an outdoor concert venue everyone still wore their masks the whole show and we had to show our vaccination cards upon entry.
• 
  2020-06-06

  Currents

  During the COVID-19 lockdown, I was bored. I started to listen to an unprecedented amount of music. Including music from the artist Tame Impala. This photo shows me listening to his “Currents” album via Spotify. Currents is now one of my favorite albums of all time. Everytime I listen to a song from it, I think back to 2020 and as a result, that time holds a sentimental value to me.
• 
  2020-03-31

  HIST30060 Lockdown #1: Activities and Alcohol

  On 31 March 2022, the first lockdown was initiated in both Melbourne and Sydney. I was in Sydney at the time, having arrived a few days prior from Melbourne as border restrictions were starting to be introduced. I am slightly ashamed to say, now, that I really enjoyed this first lockdown. I hadn't lived at home since 2018, and it was a unique experience to enjoy time together that wouldn't have normally happened. We've always been pretty close, but the lockdown forced an intimacy that we'd never had before (it helped that my teenage brother was required to be at home and boredom had driven him to start having conversations with us again). I think mum and dad were consciously trying to keep lockdown interesting, and soon a weekly cocktail night (with a required lounge formal dress code), bi-weekly painting lessons via zoom and daily yoga with mum, nightly music sessions with dad, lego competitions with the old dusty lego sets, and weekend family walks were introduced. I had never done so much exercise in my life, and yet I had never consumed as much alcohol, either. Even when I lived in a flatshare as an eighteen-year-old. Alcohol quickly became a problem for me, one that I have yet to fully address although I have started to cut down. The taste of wine became associated with fun times with the people I loved, so of course, I loved it. And when the lockdown eventually lifted, I returned to Melbourne nearly friendless (having left before I got the chance to settle in and with little opportunity to meet new people), a cheap bottle of pinot grigio and I became good - if slightly toxic - friends.
• 
  2020-04-10

  Bring The Noise

  Bringing music into the home to ease the pandemic woes.
• 
  2021-02

  Hoping for Good Days

  It was several months since my last day in a classroom. March 13, 2020 to be exact. Friday the 13th. The previous school year we were told it was to be a possible 2 week break that ended up going until the end of the year. What was to become of the next school year of 2020-21? I tried to stay optimistic over the summer and enjoy the time spent with family. We were lucky to have each other and have a yard and house where we felt safe to be quarantined. I knew a lot of my students were not so lucky in that they lived in apartments with several family members. Still I wanted to be optimistic about the upcoming year. As the start of school year date got closer, it was apparent we were to continue online teaching via zoom. I felt I was pretty tech savvy and could integrate technology enough to keep my students engaged, but it was still challenging. I taught incoming freshman 9th grade students. They did not get the “new students” experience of coming to my school and meeting and greeting all the faculty and each other. Initially the expectation was to have all students have cameras on, and for the most part in that Fall semester, my students did. But then towards the break students started getting sick, parents were losing their jobs, some even lost family members. People were sad. We barely made it into the winter break with students attending “online”. I was fortunate to have most of my students log in but in other classes students stopped showing up. And if they did log in, cameras were off and it felt like talking to a void. Were they still paying attention? Were some of them just logging in and doing other things like playing video games or sleeping? I was frustrated, but also empathetic knowing for a lot of these students survival, not academics, was their priority during the time. After the winter break and a return to zoom teaching, it was a palpable sadness. There were people who had lost loved ones, and my students were depressed. I could feel the grief and sorrow through the screen and sometimes I would weep after my classes ended for the day. I had to maintain a persona of optimism for my students online and also keep encouraging their academic pursuits. I have never had such a challenging teaching year like the 2020-21 year. The sensory experience I am recalling is sometime in February of 2021. It was the second semester of school, back from the break and many people had a rough time of the holiday season with loneliness, fear, and loss. I don't know how I came up with the idea but I thought about students sharing playlists with the class. I would review them, and if we had a test together on zoom I would play songs on the background. One particular song I found was “Good Days” by SZA. It was not my style of music, but I knew it was what my students listened to. The day I played that song I started to get a lot of feedback from the zoom chat from all my classes about that song. By this time a majority of students had stopped showing themselves on camera and/or stopped talking, however Good Days sparked something in my students. The intro of the song is very melodic and serene. It is one of those songs that sounds very sweet, but is very sad at the same time. I could tell by the response of my students that it hit a nerve. A few of them began to speak up again in class, a few would turn their camera on again. And of course, I had several sending messages after class thanking me for the song. This happy/sad song connected me again to my students that I thought I had lost over winter break. It gave me a little hope again, and I think it gave some of them hope too. Now, whenever I hear Good Days by Sza it reminds me of those lonely online zoom classes in February and how we were all feeling a bit sad, but a simple song gave us all a bit of hope that the future was to have some Good Days ahead. Lyrics to Good Days All the while, I'll await my armored fate with a smile Still wanna try, still believe in (good days) Good days, always (good days) Always inside (always in my mind, always in my mind, mind) Good day living in my mind
• 
  2022-05-13

  Non-profits celebrate return of LoveLoud music festival

  This is a news story from KUTV by Hayley Crombleholme. After a two year break, LoveLoud will return, and will feature acts like Neon Tress and Imagine Dragons. This event is to help raise funds for LGBTQ charities. COVID has been hard on non-profit organizations. While this festival is meant to raise money for LGBTQ youth, some are excited to be back for in-person events.
• 
  2022-04-19

  As Mask and Vaccine Mandates Fall, COVID Rates Soar Among Touring Musicians

  This is a news story from Variety by Jem Aswad. The author here is talking about rising COVID cases among touring musicians. She says that while no official data exists, social media posts from band members and musicians postponing or canceling concerts due to someone testing positive has been the way to find this data. Some musicians are demanding their audience members wear a mask, as if one member of the group tests positive, it could mean more financial trouble in the future. “I am not a big band,” indie musician Sasami tweeted earlier this year. “If we get COVID and have to cancel shows I’m fully FUCKED. If you love me at all, please wear a mask and buy merch so we can keep touring.” The indie and mid-level touring acts are hit the hardest by COVID, as canceling a show could mean more financial hardship. Those artists will typically play smaller venues too, and for smaller audiences, meaning that every show does count when it comes to money earned. The costs associated with postponed shows are daunting. “If a person on the tour tests positive, you still have to pay for lodging and food, and for a bus or other vehicles if you’ve rented them — and there’s zero money coming in for those shows,” Long says. “And,” he adds, “if the show being canceled is a festival date” — which, like other “tentpole” dates on a tour, are often much more lucrative than club shows — “it can mean a tour that was profitable is suddenly unprofitable.” The impact that COVID has had on performers themselves sometimes goes unnoticed, especially for smaller acts. This article helps show the ways performing arts has changed due to COVID.
• 
  2022-01-14

  My First Pandemic Concert

  Since the pandemic has commence, I haven't done many public outings or attended big events. This January, I had finally got enough of the courage to go to a concert for the first time in three years. Overall, I would argue that the outing was fun and safe, but I could not help but still feel anxious and scared of what was yet to come despite it being a good time. Part of this was because the concert did not require anyone to wear a mask, nor did that enforce social distancing with the seats like I thought they would. Most of this was because COVID-19 cases had started to climb down despite the onset of the new variant OMICRON at the time. I wore my mask regardless since we were sitting so close to people and still enjoyed myself despite these bypasses. I feel that this concert represents how I and other people felt confident enough to do big social outings again despite the pandemic still going on. I also feel like this concert illuminates how people still seek entertainment and enjoyment in their lives and how the pandemic impacted the way people use to be able to go out and enjoy themselves. Now that things are starting to slow down with the pandemic, people like myself are starting to use this opportunity to go enjoy ourselves, which honestly brings me much hope and optimism about the future now.
• 
  2021-03-01

  Club Red Concert Venue Closes Due to COVID-19

  This article details the closing of the popular Mesa concert venue Club Red during March of 2021. Unfortunately, due to an inability to host concerts as a result of COVID-19, Club Red ran out of business and had to close its doors after 15 years of music. Club Red was the first notable local music venue to close in the wake of the pandemic, and it made me sad personally because my own band used to play shows there. I have had the privilege to interact with Kimberly LaRowe of 13th Floor Entertainment, who is featured in the article, on several occasions to book shows for my band, and I never had a bad experience. While it is not explicitly stated that Club Red closed as a result of COVID-19, it his highly likely, as suggested by Kimberly LaRowe in the article. This article does an excellent job of diving deep into how drastically the local Arizona music scene has been affected by COVID-19, especially venue owners and promoters. Also, this article provides a very interesting story of the history of Club Red over the years, and details the subsequent reactions that many local and prominent musicians had to the venues closing, which certainly adds to the archives performing arts collection
• 
  2020-02-05

  Supalonely- A Lonely Hit

  Supalonley by BENEE is a song that rose to prominence on social media platform Tik Tok. In 2020 when millions of people were in lockdown with little to do, sites like Tok Tok saw their userbases skyrocket. This had a colossal effect on the music industry, as songs that became trends on Tik Tok could easily transfer that success to the charts. This was the experience of Supalonley. The song's snarky self-depreciation appealed to the young generation on Tik Tok who used it as a catharsis for the youth they were losing, and this popularity propelled it to mainstream success. The music video, set mostly in a suburban house, was also a familiar setting for people in lockdown. HIST30060
• 
  2020-09-03

  Performing in a Pandemic- the 2020 VMAs

  In a year that saw tens of thousands of live performances cancelled across the world, the music industry grappled with how to adapt to the covid cimate. The 2020 MTV VMAs (Video Music Awards) showcased the innovations undertaken by performers in order to continue their work. Masks were a particularly big theme, used not only for protection but also as part of costuming in Lady Gaga and Doja Cat's performances. The lack of a designated stage also allowed for creative set pieces, such as The Weeknd performing on a rooftop filmed by helicopter, the ultimate social distance filming. Watching the VMAs and these live performances was incredibly uplifting for music fans who had missed out on concerts, and although the pandemic was far from over when this was recorded, it was a needed semblance of hope for the arts community. HIST30060
• 
  2020-01-22

  Blinding Lights, The Song of 2020

  If there is one song that defined the 2020 experience, it was Blinding Lights by the Weeknd. It was the most-streamed song of the year and achieved widespread commercial and critical success. Despite being released at the end of January before Covid had shut down North America, the imagery of empty Las Vegas streets and abandoned roads in the music video became an iconic part of lockdown life- the feeling of being alone and disoriented in a place that feels almost familiar. The frantic pace general insanity of the video was also a key part of this song's success as the world spiralled into the pandemic at a breakneck speed.
• 
  2020-06-30

  Glass Animals, Heat Waves- A Lockdown Music Video

  As the number one song in Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2020, Heat Waves is a song that is irrevocably linked to the Covid 19 pandemic. While its lyrics about loss and longing and the inability to fix anything aren't specifically about the pandemic, its themes resonated with audiences as they mourned the loss of their old lives and lamented over their helplessness. Although it was released in 2020, its popularity continues to grow in 2021, proving the song's staying power. The music video is incredibly unique and truly representative of the time, capturing how neighbours and strangers struggled to connect despite lockdowns and physical barriers. In a comment under the YouTube music video, Glass Animals wrote: "this video is a love letter to live music and the culture and togetherness surrounding it. It was filmed at the peak of the lockdown in my neighbourhood in East London by the lovely people who live around me, just using their phones. These are people who are usually out at shows, in galleries, going to cinemas etc. These venues are left empty now, and many of them will not survive. The song is about loss and longing, and ultimately realizing you are unable to save something...and this video is about that but for art, being together, and human contact. Huge love and thank you’s to everyone who got involved and helped out. When everyone was leaning out of their windows filming, I felt that same sense of togetherness and spine-tingling energy that happened at live shows. It made the coldness of performing to an empty room with the band stuck on screens feel even more heart-breaking." HIST30060
• 
  2020-11-25

  Taylor Swift's Pandemic Ballad

  Taylor Swift was a defining artist in the 2010s. As her following grew, she ventured further into pop and spectacle, but with the sudden onset of Covid and its subsequent lockdowns, Swift changed her music style to a minimalist folk aesthetic. The song "exile" featuring Bon Iver captured the melancholic and rundown emotions of the general public by the end of 2020 and was a cathartic experience. "Exile" and its accompanying album "Folklore" were widely praised and "Folklore" went on to become the best-selling album of 2020. The music video for "exile" shows how music production changed during the pandemic. In the video, Swift and Bon Iver's Justin Vernon are seen sitting in separate home studios, as they never met in person to record the song due to travel restrictions. All the musicians featured are socially distanced and Vernon is wearing a face covering. There are also no special effects, a small budget, and a simple editing style, which stands in contrast to Swift's pre-pandemic music videos. HIST30060
• 
  2020-04-08

  Keeping Concerts Alive

  The pandemic forfeited any chance of attending that concert or planned music festival. Although online meetings weren't anyone's favorite, the switch from in-person concerts to Instagram and Facebook live concerts was a success. These quarantine concerts were able to keep the public entertained in their homes while keeping the spirit of live music alive.
• 
  2021-03-29

  Lars Wolfshield Oral History, 2021/03/21

  Self-Description: “I am a pansexual and gender fluid artist and artist manager and I work primarily with Black and queer musicians and bands.” Record label: https://www.instagram.com/wolfshieldrecords/
• 
  2021-03-14

  Alex Smith Oral History, 2021/03/14

  Self-description: “I’m an artist, writer, musician, and an off-and-on again activist, lecturer, worshopshop leader. I’m coming out of Philadelphia. My work revolves around concepts relating to Afrofuturism; for lack of a better term: superheroes and the conceptual nature of superheroes and the idea of the vigilante and the people’s champions and heroes can walk among us. I use [aesthetics and the immersive ideas of] from science fiction, cyberpunk, solarpunk, biopunk, and Afrofurturism to empower people of color, queer people and to project us into the future and our ideas and culture into the future as well. I use different mediums to do that, my bands Solarized (a sort of noisy punk rock band) and Rainbow Crimes (indie rock, but a little crazier and noisier than many excursions into that). I have written a short story collection called ARKDUST. And I do collage work and soundscapes and curate events like Laser Life, which was a queer sci-fi reading that me and my friends in a collective that I’m in called Metropolarity put together. That’s my praxis right now: a little bit of everything. I view my work as if I’m creating for 18 or 19 or 20 year old Alex, who probably needed some queer Black sci-fi in his life. So, I’m projecting these aspects of myself back to the past to not just nourish my community, but to nourish myself.” Personal website: alexoteric.com Other biographical details: Vegetarian, experiences depression, Pew Center for the Arts Fellow, during COVID is the first time in his life he’s had Health Insurance. Some of our discussion touched on: Using art to project hope and remaining hopeful during the pandemic. Afrofuturism as a part of the fabric of activism, how it is imbedded in culture and impacts queer and POC culture. How Afrofuturism exceeds an “aesthetic revival” of representation of Black people in the future and the kind of work that needs to be done to ensure those futures. Deciding to cancel a show he was organizing in the early days of the pandemic to protect the presenters and audience members. The everydayness of people dying because they don’t have healthcare access or can’t afford medicine* outside of the times of COVID-19; racism, sexism, and transphobia in the healthcare system.Corporate interests and their influence on policy. The unreasonable imperative that artists take the pandemic as an opportunity for productivity when many are out of work. It is hard to make art without fuel and without food. Witnesses barriers in the healthcare while caring for his partner after a stroke 5 years ago, the importance of medical bureaucratic literacy in a “Kafka-esque system”. Excitement about getting the vaccine. The pandemic in geopolitical context. Isolation in practice: Safety precautions and research prior to traveling for a funeral. Hope for “science married with activism”. Scholars in the humanities and social sciences need to be more visible, speak in lay person’s terms, do advocacy, and get in the streets. “Nothing is safe unless it empowers.” Other cultural references: Netflix, Zombie Movies, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Oprah’s interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, Black Panther, Teenage Bounty Hunter, Elon Musk, GoFundMe. A specific reference is made to the need for his sister’s sickle cell anemia medicine in this interview. She dies a few months later. The GoFundMe to cover funeral expenses can be found here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/memorial-fund-for-elizabeth-graham?utm_campaign=p_cp_url&utm_medium=os&utm_source=customer
• 2020-02-05

  Dancing through the Pandemic

  I have never experienced a pandemic like COVID-19, most of us have not. When we were told to stay home, quarantine and social distance life just became static. I moved into somewhat of a virtual reality, taking online classes and working from home. However, being home everyday without any socializing or going to the gym became really depressing and I had a hard time focusing on my work. One day my sister and I were sitting on the couch, over with pandemic life and she says "let's have a dance party". We blasted music throughout our apartment for hours and just danced all the pressure and stress out. We did this at least 3 times a week for months during the most difficult times of the pandemic. It became something we looked forward to. It was the best decision we have ever made. Not only could we destress but we had the time of our lives and it brought us closer as a family.
• 
  2021-02-21

  Laura Larson Oral History, 2021/02/21

  Self description: “My name is Laura, and I am in two bands right now. I am in a band called Scrunchies and a band called Kitten Forever. I play guitar, base, drums, and I sing in those two bands. I live in Minneapolis, Minnesota. For work, I work at a community cooperative grocery store, in an administrative position, but one that is community outreach based and have a lot to do with meeting and coordinating with our community partners, a lot of the work that I do is about mutual aid, and helping out the community with the resources that we have available to us. Besides that I am a visual artist, I like to paint, I like to draw, I like to read books, and I live in a little duplex with my partner and our cat Sissy.” Some of the things we spoke about included: - In addition to performing in the bands Scrunchies and Kitten Forever, working for a community grocer and its ties to health activism. - Income and racial disparities in Minnesota. - The fear that comes with being uninsured in the United States. - The national confusion around the values of masking and other safety precautions and the burden placed on individuals to make these decisions in the absence of clear and consistent messaging. - The significance of shutting down music events while keeping sporting events going. - Media representation of event cancelations, freezers of bodies, and overwhelmed hospitals. - Living less than a mile from where George Floyd was murdered and movements to defund the police. - How the ongoing destruction of the earth conditioned the pandemic and the enduring importance of climate change. - Grocery store workers being essential workers who still did not receive vaccination prioritization. - Collective trauma and that fear begets fear. - Making and consuming art as a form of self-care. - How new the internet still is as a technology. Cultural references: Save Our Stages, The Atlantic article “Cancel Everything”. See also: https://scrunchies.bandcamp.com/ https://kittenforever.bandcamp.com
• 
  2021-03-31

  Gyre Oral History, 2021/03/31

  Self-Description: “My name is Gyre. I am a multidisciplinary artist based in South Africa with global ambitions. I specialize in music, but I also work as a freelance writer as well as in dance. I’m a dancer learning to choreograph. Political commentator, particularity with regard to the LBGTQA+ community. I identify as queer. I am homoromatic and homosexual at this point in my life. You never know honey, it’s a spectrum. I had my first venture into artistic expression that is rooted in queer rights and queer understanding and queer theory, was my debut album, titled Queernomics, which was a documented audio-visual book about the contemporary experiences of a Black queer South African male, and that has gotten me into the positions that I express myself in, both out of passion and out of profession. Inkosi Yenkonkoni, which means “The Gay King”, in my native language which is Zulu.” Other details available here: Works produced during the pandemic: Kithi, International LGBTQ+ Rights Festival, writing on football. Some of the things we spoke about included: “What happens at the top is just politics, what happens at the bottom is real life.” Thinking about the term “pandemic” Listening to the body The pandemic exposing state corruption Having written a song called “Quarantine” in 2018 The inadequacies and privileges of Medical Aid in South Africa, having aged out of Medical Aid before COVID, the personal impact of worse-health insurance during pandemic, the importance of demonetizing health care Pre-COVID keeping busy: organizing, walking, collaborating Transit during COVID, sub/urban and outskirt disparities Canceling shows and taking dance classes and rethinking what it means to be productive Global Americanization and the impact of Trump’s pandemic denialism on South African health Moving out of disbelief about the severity of COVID after losing a loved one in the first wave Gratitude for the global influence of the Black Lives Matter movement, and sadness that tragedy in the diaspora brings neocolonialism to the fore The importance of social media for queer counter-violence and activist fractures among LGBTQA+ Feeling allyship with the #metoo movement How homophobia intersects with everyday altercations about social distancing The anxieties of hooking up during the pandemic The importance that scientists learn to speak in lay terms about climate change and vaccines Existence as resistance and creating art “Spread love not tolerance” Other cultural references include: Trans Day of Visibility, astrology, and the TV series Pose.
• 
  2021-03-08T12:38

  Danny Denial Oral History, 2021/03/08

  Self-description: “Audio visual artist that lives in Seattle, Washington, specifically in the realm of music and film, and also the intersection of the two. A lot of my work involves amplifying experiences and voices that are often underrepresented, primarily in the Black and LBGTQ+ community. And that’s something that overtime my work has been diving deeper and deeper into over the years, which is something that I think as an artist, I’ve only really come to terms with in the last few years. But it’s been definitely both empowering for me and illuminating to see it reflected back in the ways that people have responded to the work.” Other biographical details: late 20s, from Los Angeles. Some of the things we discussed include: The dysphoric experience of Black artists filtered through white talking points. Unstable work and income as an artist--audio and visual--pre- and mid-pandemic. 2019 was the first year that work as an artist and in performance communities was stable. Releasing the album Fuck Danny Denial in 2020 (https://dannydenial.bandcamp.com/album/fuck-danny-denial). Pandemic specific economic penalties of musicians in the case of live streams for Seattle Pride and Folsom Street Fair. The burden on artists to make ethical calls about canceling performances in the early stages of the pandemic, and needing to wear “new hats”, like health safety inspector. The pandemic as a shared experience of stoppage, and the need for adaptation. Aging and changing awareness about one’s needs for health care. Working to build equitable opportunities for artists. Since 2015-2019 doing gigs and video projects on contracts. Media outlets’ poor representations of the summer protests, acts of civil disobedience, and the autonomous zone in Seattle. Funding the serial project Bazooka (http://web.archive.org/web/20210622155802/https://ca.gofundme.com/f/dannydenialbazzooka) The ethical decisions associated with wanting to participate in amplifying and uplifting the BLM movement without exploitation for personal gain, engaging as a citizen. Witnessing a friend’s experience of hospitalization due to COVID-19. The value in studying patterns of human friendships and how the pandemic disrupted the conditioning of existence and the importance of local histories of resistance in Seattle. Cultural references: Pan’s Labyrinth, Smash Mouth’s super spreader event, Portland International Film Festival, The Tape Deck Podcast, Punk Black, Darksmith, Taco Cat, Alice and Chains, Duff McKagan, Pearl Jam, MoPOP, Shaina Shepherd, and TheBlackTones.
• 
  2021-03-18

  Brianna Tong Oral History, 2021/03/18

  Self description: “I am sitting in my bed right now as I’ve done for a lot of this quarantine. In regular times and I guess still now, I’m in three bands and I also work at the library, the public library. So I’ve been working there in person since we came back to work in May. I was contacted for this interview through Bussy Kween Power Trip, which is a Black queer punk band with three people, no guitars, so my close friends. I’m in two other bands. One band is called Je’raf and one is called Cordoba. And one person each from Bussy Kween is in each of those bands. Haven’t played a show in forever. I can give a little about what I look like or am like. I’m a woman. I’m 26, almost 27 I guess. I’m Black and Asian. I’m kinda short. And during this pandemic I’ve been in general super lucky to have a job still and a great living situation. And I met my partner right before the pandemic, so we’ve been chilling a lot and that’s been amazing. She is so great. Yeah, just going to work and working on all kinds of things in my home. And sometimes having the energy to do a bunch of music and crafts and other art things, and sometimes laying in bed for a full day.”
• 
  2020-08-26

  The ED Musos

  The ED Musos are a group of health care workers from Emergency Departments in Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand, the UK and the USA. We came together for connection and wellbeing during the pandemic. We made this and other videos in our own time. We send love and support to everyone impacted by COVID-19.
• 
  2021-07-24

  Janine Brown. Oral History, July 24, 2021

  In this two-part interview, Ashley Tibollo interviews Janine Brown on how her life was impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. In the first part of the interview, Brown discusses how her last year of college was impacted and about her transition to remote teaching. She discusses her fears of the Delta variant, what sources she uses to get her information and what her feelings are regarding government action. She also discusses family life and how she was affected by the quarantine. She ends this part with her hopes for the future. In the second part of this interview, Brown discusses her decision to move in with her boyfriend right before quarantine and what it was life navigating a new relationship amidst a pandemic. She also discusses her pets and how their moods changed as her life changed. She discusses the difficulties of house hunting and the ways that the pandemic has affected the market.
• 
  2021-06-18

  A Linguistic Tour through Arthur Avenue

  I traveled to New York this summer, and one of the places I visited was Arthur Avenue, located in the Belmont neighborhood of the Bronx and the main artery of the Bronx's Little Italy. Arthur Avenue provided a unique insight into the function of immigrant languages during the pandemic. Most of the people I heard talking as I walked down Arthur Avenue and went into the stores were speaking English, as would be expected in most of the United States. Some had an accent similar to a "standard" American accent/my Californian accent, while others spoke in New Yorker accents. I heard some people speaking Italian, mostly if not entirely elderly people, in several stores, including Cerini Coffee and Gifts. I also heard expression of language through music, in the form of a speaker in front of Mario's Restaurant playing "Tu vuò fà l'Americano" ("You Want to Be an American") and "O Sarracino" ("The Saracen"), two famous Neapolitan language songs. I didn't expect to hear music in Italian "dialect" (called so even though Neapolitan is a proper stand-alone language). However, Belmont is no longer just Little Italy. It also has a large Albanian presence. I saw a flyer on a street pole in Albanian which I presume to either be a missing sign or a flyer for a funeral. I have no idea what the flyer said because I don't know Albanian, but among the text were two pictures of an elderly man. In front of Randazzo's Seafood, I also saw a sign advertising some type of shellfish (I can't remember which) in Albanian and English, though not in Italian, which I thought was interesting since the store is owned by the grandchildren of immigrants from Sicily. There was also an Albanian television provider called TV ALB, which indicated to me that there are enough Albanian speakers in the area to sustain an Albanian-language cable or broadcast provider, even during the pandemic. I didn't hear any spoken Albanian. This could be a purely anecdotal observation, but I saw Italian primarily as a spoken language and Albanian primarily in writing. There was some writing in Italian, but most of it was either names of food items that couldn't be translated into English or sayings like "mangia bene vivi bene" ("eat well, live well", as a command; the picture of which is attached to this story) for promotional purposes. There was no actual communication occurring in written Italian. On a non-linguistic note, most of the restaurants also had outdoor seating under canopies, a consequence of COVID.
• 
  2021-02-14

  When Will The DJ Of Luv Grant Me My 1 Request

  In February 2021, Victoria based musician Future Star released their debut album called "When Will The DJ Of Luv Grant Me My 1 Request". The song "Duck Song" explores intimacy during a pandemic with lines like "i wanna be comforted, you can't hold my hand", "throw a blanket over me from across the room", and "we stay six feet away".
• 
  2021-02-07

  Jazmine Sullivan & Eric Church Sing the National Anthem at Super Bowl LV, Interpreted by "Wawa" in ASL

  Jazmine Sullivan and Eric Church sing the National Anthem for the Super Bowl LV Pregame Show. Warren “Wawa” Snipe performed the song in ASL. The Kansas City Chiefs take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during Super Bowl LV in Tampa Bay.
• 
  2021-02-07

  ASL performer steals the show during Super Bowl national anthem

  Warren “Wawa” Snipe, who is deaf, performed the song in American Sign Language, and won over fans in the process. He also performed during H.E.R.'s rendition of "America the Beautiful."
• 
  2020-03-14

  Last show before Quarantine

  This photo was taken at the last show I went to before the my university, school, and the world all shut down seemingly within around a week. It was in the middle of ASU spring break. It had around 100 people there, all outside. At that point, people were aware of Covid-19 and I expressed concerns going with my friends but we still went. The only protocols that people there were taking was hand sanitizer but at that point there were no established protocols with Covid-19 beyond hand hygiene (at least to the general public). I at that point had wore disposable face masks to my classes as the ASU health services were giving them out for free in the lobby and ASU seemed to be downplaying the threat.
• 2021-02-18

  When Covid is Over

  When Covid is over I am going to see my grandkids in Washington State and paint my son’s house and then take my whole family out to dinner in a restaurant. 
 When Covid is over I am going to dress like a rock star and play music in bars. 
 When Covid is over I am going to keep the thrifty habits and good hygiene and good recipes that I learned during Covid.  
 When Covid is over I am going to take my time browsing the hardware store and the supermarket. 
 When Covid is over I am going to visit friends and have parties. 
 When  Covid is over I will be thankful that Covid is over.
• 
  2021-02-09

  Artists Reimagine How Covid-19 Will Shape the Art World

  In a time when people can't go to museums or concert halls, arts and musicians are improvising. Many are taking part in digital exhibitions and performances. Others are embracing the practice of street art, it always artists to continue creating art and have more exposure to the general population.
• 
  2021-02-12

  Mr. Carl is Always Watching

  An unexpected benefit of quarantining for the past eleven months is my son has become quite the pianist. Since we’re always home, he wanders to the piano often to play his pieces - during recess, lunch, waiting for his sister to be done with whatever she is working on. Honestly, because he has endless practice time he has advanced much quicker than he would have if life were normal. His teacher and he share a dry and quirky sense of humor. My son’s favorite part of the week is when "Mr. Carl" calls for their virtual lesson. Carl noticed early into quarantine that the way the phone sits on the piano makes his picture reflect in painting on the wall. He told my son he is always watching him, and it has become their inside joke. When we put up Christmas decorations, the painting was temporarily replaced. Being a creative and funny guy, Carl photoshopped himself into the decoration and texted it to me to share with my son. Now after every single lesson, Carl texts me a picture of where he is that week. Carl’s positivity, consistency, and continued high expectations have helped my son thrive and I am so thankful for him.
• 
  2020-06-26

  My new hobby

  During the summer of 2020, not a lot was going on in my life. I had just recently finished my undergraduate degree and had little to do on a daily basis, there were no jobs, no friends, not even family. Gradually, I got sick of just playing video games day in and out; however I wasn’t getting sick of the music of these games, many of which used the banjo. Some of these songs seemed pretty simple, and with my previous experience rudimentary experience with the guitar I figured I’d be able to some of these tunes. I started picking up my dad’s banjo, which is in the photo I provided on a daily basis; using YouTube tutorials I started to pick up the basics. In all honesty it was pretty easy to pick up, and just a relaxing experience, I even grew to like the feeling of developing callouses on my fingers? That’s a little weird but it felt like they were physical reminders of how much work I was putting into learning this new instrument. Recently I’ve kind of stopped playing, but I still love just plucking at it every now and then. My friends online similarly liked hearing me play every now and then, so in a sense it was a great coping mechanism to boredom and loneliness. However, I’ve really stopped even plucking at it, I don’t feel a drive to do much anymore; so I just kind of stare at it now every now and again, which is incredibly weird. This item maters to me as it helped me through the initial stages of the pandemic, and helped me stay mentally active during quarantine. However, as the pandemic has dragged on I kind of have lost the desire to play it, or do much of anything else really. I’d like to add this item to the collection of performing arts as it is a musical instrument, and I would perform for my friends on Discord every now and then (but then again I’m not a professional artist or performer so I don’t think it’d be appropriate for me to be in that collection) Mental health on the other hand is a way more accurate collection for this item, as it really helped me stay mentally active during the pandemic.
• 
  2021-01-22

  My Quarantine Experience

  During the pandemic, I got really into music and started practicing daily for many hours since it was so enjoyable. It was also convenient since the pandemic has been here for a while, so it passed a lot of time. This experience is important to me because I've become extremely passionate about music, and I really want to dive deep into vocals and be able to sing well. I believe that music is a way to really express myself especially at a time of a pandemic.
• 
  2021-01-16

  Falling Back On My Escapism

  As the title suggests, this is a description of my favorite things that helped me through the pandemic. I think it's important to capture the pleasures we've fallen back on despite all the negatives.
• 
  2021-01-12

  My favorite things

  This document contains several of my favorite things that have helped me get through the pandemic, such as video games, music, my banjo, cooking and my dog Dobbs! I submitted this from the ASU HST 580 internship course.
• 
  2021-01-11

  The Changing Sounds of Public Education During the Covid-19 Pandemic

  My wife and I are both public educators at Hamburg Area High School, a rural school district in Berks County, Pennsylvania. The Covid-19 pandemic has caused our district to fluctuate between in-person and virtual instruction. During virtual days teachers have been encouraged to teach from home to mitigate the risk of exposure to the virus. I conduct my American History classes from the office in our home, while my wife, a music teacher, performs virtual music lessons with her students in our dining room. This shift to virtual teaching from home has caused my classroom, which is usually quite traditional, to sound much different. While I attempt to educate my students on the finer points of American History, the sounds of young (and often struggling) musicians fill the air. Meanwhile, my two dogs also interject into class as they battle over toys and pillows. The Covid-19 pandemic has not only moved the location of public education, but also changed the way that education sounds. I recorded the following audio clip while my 3rd period AP US History class was studying primary source documents on the post-Civil War Reconstruction time-period (1865-1876) on Monday, January 11th.
• 
  2020-09-22

  September 22 2020 Music

  These past few months have just felt like the same thing on loop constantly with nothing new besides music. I have the same album on repeat for months now. The album is called “No Pressure” By Logic. I have really been enjoying it but sadly it is his last album as of now. I ordered his vinyl too. This year so far i can say its been very hard but this years music feels like a flashback to all the 2016 music. A Lot of good music has been made and im grateful for that because it's what I need to stay mentally stable during these times.
• 
  2020-12-15

  Jackson Brockenbrough

  Jackson Brockenbrough, Jdagiver Production, explained in a verbal interview that as a direct result of COVID his inspirational has been effected. Lack of city life has made it more difficult for him to tap into his creativity. The dullness within the current state of the world translates into his work as many artist are effected by the their life and surroundings as a source of inspiration. Jackson continued explaining that even though this time is more difficult to produce music, he has a responsibility as a producer during COVID. For example the world utilizes music as an outlet to express and feel emotions of such as emotions of fear and frustration that COVID induces.Jacksons has also been faced with the difficulty of individuals being unable to contribute to sessions like they did prior to job restrictions because of COVID. Jackson’s story explains how an entrepreneur faces not only individuals struggling, and competition but also effected by the economic state of his consumers too.
• 
  2020-10-20

  Photo of women playing music at Mi'kmaq protest

  This photo shows women, some wearing masks, holding up signs and protesting.
• 
  2020-04-09

  Twenty One Pilots one of the first to release a song during lockdown, “Level of Concern”, to help relieve anxiety

  I think this item is really interesting, and it does fill an archival silence, about musicians and what they did in lockdown- if they stopped producing music, if they were even more eager to, etc. I first heard this song in the lockdown, and it made me feel like I was connected to the band- he was singing about the same things I was experiencing, I realized everyone was going through similar things in quarantine. I had never thought about what musicians and singers were doing, for some reason I thought their lives didn’t change much, but they did. I thought it was really cool Twenty One Pilots saw that people were down, stressed, etc. and wanted to relieve some stress with a song about the pandemic.
• 
  2020-09-24

  Christopher: Find the things that gives you peace

  Christopher is the administrative aid at the African American Museum of Nassau County. He works with museum director, Joysetta Pearse, to promote understanding and appreciation of African American culture, art and tradition through education, interpretation, exhibitions, collections and programs for the enrichment of the public. Chris discusses his work, as well as how we hopes to come out stronger, on the other side of COVID. He also discusses the loss of his uncle and getting a diagnosis of his own during COVID.
• 
  2020-10-15

  Galvin Bisserup, Photographer, and the Father's Day Men's Chorus Project

  "Galvin P. Bisserup, Jr. is the owner and principal portrait photographer of Glickman Studio Photographers which has been in Freeport, NY for 98 years. Over the years he has captured the many eventful moments of individual lives, from infancy through seasoned adulthood. For over three decades this professional photographer has been behind the camera capturing the smiles from the heart and soul. In this interview, Galvin recounts his career and how his work as a community photographer has been impacted by COVID. He also describes a project from this past spring which resulted in the creation of a music CD in celebration of Father’s Day with his men’s chorus. This interview was recorded by Juilee Decker and Joysetta Pearse with Galvin Bisserup on October 15, 2020 at 6 pm ET and lasted approximately 40 minutes. It was conducted over Zoom. A transcript is attached, along with multiple images associated with the interview, provided by Bisserup. It is part of the LongIslandCommunity series, an initiative of COVID-19 archive (Juilee Decker) and the African American Museum of Nassau County (Joysetta Pearse)."
• 
  2020-11-17

  Bandcamp Offers Artists A New Paid Livestream Platform

  Bandcamp, the popular indie music streaming platform, has offered musicians a new revenue stream to replace in-person live shows. Fans can buy a ticket to access the show and purchase merchandise at the "virtual merch table". As the music industry has been turned upside down due to the end of touring and live shows, this offers another way to supplement the income of artists.
• 
  2020-11-15

  The Healing Power of Music

  My friend Sarah who currently lives as St. Mary's University sent me pictures of the way she gets through her anxiety which is with music. The pictures that she provided show that the Healing Power of Music is a way to escape all the chaos that is happening in our lives around us. This shows when there is no where else to turn music always seem to have your back by providing comfort.
• 
  2020-11-15

  Faces of the arts shutdown: Nathan Hubbard: ‘As far as I know, everything is off the table’

  The San Diego Union-Tribune has published a short series chronicling local musician's experiences and struggles during COVID-19. This story is about drummer Nathan Hubbard and how he has gone from performing almost every day to having very little work.
• 
  2020-11-17

  Jewish Melbourne

  We had a beautiful celebration for my daughter's Batmitzvah that was not how we imagined or planned it to be. Despite the restrictions, we were blessed with a simcha that was overflowing with yiddishkeit, connection, Jewish history, music, family, love and tradition.
• 
  2020-09-15

  Jewish Melbourne: Chabad on Carlisle Q & A with the Rabbis about Rosh Hashanah

  On Tuesday 15 September Chabad on Carlisle held an online Q&A with their Rabbis, along with musical entertainment, for Rosh Hashanah
• 
  2020-03-20

  Artis-Naples Social Media Post

  Instagram post by the Artis-Naples. The photograph is their sign that reads “May memories of this season’s iconic moments help you through this difficult time. Be well!” The Artis-Naples is home to the Naples Philharmonic and The Baker Museum. The post itself announces that they will be taking time on their Instagram account to go through the memories of the season’s moments. There is a link to their website regarding COVID-19.
• 
  2020

  Jewish Melbourne: FOJAM's best of 5780

  Festival of Jewish Art and Music (FOJAM) produced a 'Best of 5780' list: "Without getting too heavy and nostalgic for the year that has passed, 5780 has been uh pretty challenging. But hey, Jews never expect anything to be easy. We want meaning and enrichment more than anything else right? That's why we love our arts! This last six months has really felt like we have a community of people surrounding us and we are feeling good going into 5781. We have created a Best of 5780 (Hebrew calendar year) for you to consume over the high holidays and hopefully you come back rejuvenated and inspired."