I'm having trouble with my Optimist Organs my friends. But I'm telling stories and singing songs and that keeps me sane. And if during that it helps YOU a bit, dear listener, then I guess that's ALMOST all I can ask. This week I'm gonna try to run a pseudo-open-mic, play two shows, webcast part of our most recent full-band show... and of course read children's books!

Mon 3/30 - A Not-Yet-Open Mic (r).
This might be a catastrophe. All of my more-complicated versions have been. However, at 7pm I've got a passel of singing guinea pigs set up to stream in sequence over at https://www.facebook.com/groups/robsopenmics/ - though lineup of said guinea pigs may well yet vary I've got Brian Gundersdorf and Heather Lloyd and Marc Evans and Chuck the Madd Ox and Jimmy Stewart and Danah Koch... Rowan Corbett, Dave Godbey, QueenEarth, Jay Keating, Meg Banter and Ross Martin to hopefully share. Follow along and listen to a couple of pieces from each! And if you're local and REALLY want to recreate the open mic experience - well - Teavolve and El Golfo are still doing take out!

Wed 4/1 - rob and Kristen go Live from the Lair (rK).
This was kind of amazing last week. I didn't realize how much I NEEDED to play and it sure seemed like y'all needed to hear it! Live via Facebook Live - donations cheerfully accepted via paypal.me/ilyaimy and venmo @ilytips - I've taken some requests, but I must admit - we're prolly gonna play what we damned well please! Tune in at www.facebook.com/ilyaimy at 7pm EST.

Fri 4/3 – ilyAIMY not-so-Live from the New Deal Cafe (rHKRSJ).
Facebook Watch Party | 1-2pm – tune in at https://www.facebook.com/ilyAIMY/
SO, my birthday show was magnificent, and we got some great video to boot. How about we relive it? (or experience it for the first time if you weren’t there!) – Tune in for a watch party and catch the first set for a great lunch-hour performance of something we’re not going to get to be for a little while : full band ilyAIMY.

Fri 4/3 - Come Together for "No Place for Hate," the Webcast (rK).
COME TOGETHER with performers from across the Mid-Atlantic to support #NoPlaceForHate! | 7pm EST
Join us for an online gathering of our socially-isolating performers including: Crys Matthews, Rob Hinkal and Kristen Jones of ilyAIMY, Leah Marie Fuls, Jenny Founds of Ruby Dear, Neil Grover, Emily Hall (Songs by Emily Hall), Carter Lansing of the Acoustic Kitty Project, Bronze for Birdy, Dave Deubler of Doyle And The Dudes and Acoustic Bite, Tom Cooney (Tom Cooney Music), Janene Otten, Jason Reif of Freestone Productions, and Not For Coltrane (Michael Duck). No Place for Hate®, a 20-year-old initiative of the Anti-Defamation League, supports programs in more than 1,800 schools across the U.S. to help kids combat bias, bullying and hatred. This webcast raises funds for ADL Philadelphia's work supporting No Place for Hate programs in nearly 50 school districts in Pennsylvania, including many in the Lehigh Valley. More information at https://gofundme.com/cometogether2020

I hope you’re doing okay. Yeah you. It’s strange. You know it’s strange. We know it’s strange. There are people who don’t believe in the pandemic, others that figure it’s just a bad cold, and others who have suffered through it or are suffering through it who know it’s truly awful. Some have been hospitalized, others are suffering through at home. And other friends are working on the front lines of this madness who’ve watched people die. Though we’ve lost a couple of friends in the last weeks, to our knowledge they’re unrelated to the Coronavirus.

I urge you to be intelligent about where you’re getting your information. Our friend Randy Tredway down in Texas shared a great video about the virus and one of the most important things Dr Vuong does is explain, right up front, who he is, his credentials, and why he felt he had something to say about Covid-19. (he's a weight loss physician and one of the things that puts you in the "high risk" category is being overweight) And none of it was “because I have a blog” or “because it pissed me off” or even “because I’m a political appointee”.  If you want to watch it : https://youtu.be/4J0d59dd-qM . Beyond being responsible with your health, your safety and the safety of those around us – be responsible about what you’re taking into your MIND as well as your body.

He does good sound effects. I appreciate that. Also : “Sometimes you have to have a pimp in Life”. Nuff said.

I’m not going to talk about the big decisions to my mailing list. Who should get money… Whether the economy or our population is more important... self-isolation vs quarantine vs herd-immunity? That’s beyond me. But I urge you to take in information intelligently. I want to get back on the road ASAP, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to solely read reports that say “oh, this’ll all blow over by Easter”.

We Love you and we miss you.

-rob
ilyAIMY
Baltimore, MD (FOREVER!!!!)
www.ilyaimy.com