Washington, D.C. musician live-streams concerts from living room amid coronavirus

Record ID: 1464207

  • Title: Washington, D.C. musician live-streams concerts from living room amid coronavirus
  • Date: 17th March 2020
  • Summary: ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, UNITED STATES (MARCH 15, 2020) (REUTERS) TIGHT SHOT TRAWICK SINGING TIGHT SHOT TRAWICK SANDS STRUMMING GUITAR TRAWICK AND LEMUNYAN PERFORMING
  • Embargoed: 31st March 2020 13:16
  • Keywords: Justin Trawick Streaming musician virus music
  • Location: ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA + WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES / INTERNET
  • City: ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA + WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES / INTERNET
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment,Health/Medicine,Editors' Choice
  • Reuters ID: LVA008C5FVL8N
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Singer-songwriter Justin Trawick normally plays between 12 to 18 live shows a month, but with concert venues shutting down amid the coronavirus outbreak - and bills piling up - he had to come up with an alternative - fast.
    "As a musician, 100 percent of my income comes from not only being a musician and playing guitar, but playing guitar live in front of people," he said from his apartment in Arlington, Virginia.
    Instead, the lead singer of "Justin Trawick and The Common Good" has taken to live streaming his performances on Facebook - using only his i-phone - and collecting donations via Venmo and Paypal.
    In two sessions, he raked in enough money to cover the losses from five canceled shows.
    But what may have started as an economic necessity has quickly morphed into a source of comfort in unsettling times - for audience and artist alike.
    His concert on Sunday notched more than 3,000 views, with one admirer on his Facebook page writing: "Thank you. We needed this."
    "I think that we're bringing something to people that is creating a little bit of levity in their lives where they might all be a little stressed otherwise," said Trawick.
    The fact that the shows were improvised - and therefore a little rough around the edges - were fitting with the times, he added.
    "We're all doing this by the seat of our pants, right?...None of us had any plan for this."
    The 38-year-old musician describes his music as "Americana" - a mix of bluegrass melodies and sentimental ballads - that draws upon a range of instruments, including acoustic guitar, fiddle and mandolin.
    But for his living room concerts, it is just Trawick and his guitar, accompanied by his girlfriend and back-up singer Lauren LeMunyan.
    Although Trawick is pleased his shows have found a following online, he admits that not having an audience in the same room has taken some getting used to.
    "You have to perform in a different way and you have to assume that people...are enjoying themselves," said Trawick. "The comments scrolling down the screen is like the new applause."
    Justin Trawick and The Common Good's next Facebook Live show is scheduled for Thursday (March 19).
    (Production: Kevin Fogarty, Vanessa Johnston)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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