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What an insane year. Pandemic and protests, lies and truths, government incompetence, personal incompetence, people struggling, people prevailing. Sci-fi readers saw this all coming. Sci-fi viewers perhaps figgered 2020 might've involved SIMPLE stuff like dragons and kaiju and robot boxing. But we're fighting the good fight even though somehow 2020's not going to end with 2020. The spirit of 2020 will bleed long into 2021 - both the negatives and the positives.
So here comes a long, slightly-scattered thought process - but the TL:DR version is "thank you - thank you all".
Heather, Kristen, Rowan, Sharif, Joey and I - ilyAIMY, rob’s Open Mics – all of the institutions and organizations that we’re associated with – have all struggled. Some of us have gotten sick. All of us are persevering. I hugely appreciate the notes and letters from friends and fans that say that HOW we've persevered has helped YOU in some way too.
After it became clear that keeping open mics running - sharing space and sharing gear - would be the utmost of irresponsibility I canceled the Teavolve and El Golfo open mics early in March. I congratulated myself on my prescience but within a week or two both venues were shut down as Baltimore City and Montgomery County were locked down. I’m very grateful that Teavolve and a number of friends really pushed me to find a way to bring those open mics into a virtual format – and tonight we’re doing our 40th Virtual Open Mic. The format has allowed our "VOM" to encompass not just our local Maryland crowd but people from all across the world. First musicians that we knew through touring and then to an extended community of artists and performers that we probably would never have met but for a Monday night Zoom meeting.
There are many people that I could list – but Ron Smith and Jared Michael stand out as INSPIRATIONS that I wouldn’t have met without the VOM. Going virtual allowed me to renew regular relationships with people like Chris Ehrich and Roscoe Beano who otherwise I only get to see once every couple of years – and locals like Dougie Wells-Cochran and Telly whose work schedule had taken him away from the open mic scene – tuning in from a truck and hanging out with us on the road simply wasn’t possible a couple of years ago.
Using what Rowan and I had to learn to keep the open mic running (special thanks to Dave Benham and Jimmy Stewart who’ve all been integral test subjects during all of this - and to Jillian Matundan for introducing me to StreamYard!) allowed me to keep a LOT of things going – and the most important to me personally has been ilyAIMY’s Live from the Lair every Wednesday night.
I realized that we were either going to sit there doing nothing or perhaps eternally overthink when and how to webcast – and so I rather arbitrarily decided on performing on Wednesdays at 7pm. There were a COUPLE of arbitrary decisions made for 2020 – keeping the open mic at 7 on Monday simply because that’s when Teavolve had been. Reading a children’s book every day at 6pm (because that’s when Sam Vimes did it – I got through 50 books before deciding I wanted my 6pms back!) – and ilyAIMY every Wednesday at 7pm.
We have a steady audience and I’m so grateful that you’ve been there for us. Financially it’s certainly helped – but frankly we wouldn’t be surviving MENTALLY without these outlets. Shifting our overlapping quarantine bubbles, we’ve gotten every band member into Live from the Lair except Joey – and we’ll figure that out in 2021.
Because it’s not stopping. We’ve got a long way to go.
I definitely want to take a moment to thank the organizations that’ve hired me to help stream their events and concerts. Once I showed what I could do with the open mics – Dave Eisner and Institute of Musical Traditions got me doing IMT : LIVE on a regular basis. That caught the attention of Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer which led to work with the Birchmere and Creative Alliance in Baltimore. It drew the attention of Gordon Nash who got me involved with John Platt’s On Your Radar. That led to work with Pi Jacobs, Tawny Ellis, Travianna Records and more. Rowan Corbett and I streamed weddings and funerals. I’ve streamed an amazing program called Beyonce Mass to people all over the world (Yolanda, YOU may now take me to church). The open mic caught the attention of the Maryland State Arts Council, Focus Music restarted concerts, SAW provided support and Jay Keating provided VISION…
Creating the online “alternative” Takoma Park Folk Festival w inspiration from Robin Stearn and the wizardry of Gordon Nimmo-Smith, advising for Andrew McKnight's Mountville Folk Festival, running Winchester First Night this week – I KNOW I’m forgetting things but even so - I would trade it all for playing my coffeehouses and festivals and bait shops and clothing optional resorts again. I’m a performer, not an IT guy – and I personally Love you and I Miss You.
So thank you again to all of you who’ve supported us one way or another. It’s a fool’s errand to try to name everyone – but I’m gonna try. So stay safe and eventually we’ll all meet again. ilyAIMY.
Thanks to Abena Oteng-Agipong, Acacia Sears, Acoustic Live in NYC, Adam Singer, Adele McAllister, Ailish Zompa, Aimee McGoveran, Aimee Van Dyne, Alan Parker, Alessandra Torres, Alex Fagan, Alice Howe, Alisa Hoyt, Alissa Cox, Alix Koyama, Allison Chang, Allison Coe, Amanda Amanda, Amanda Odum, Amaya Gasco Hernandez, Ame Dahl, Amorette Kwan, Amy Horgan, Amy Law, Andrew Felicitas, Andrew McKnight, Anne Branzell-Spiegler, Annette Wasilik, Antonio Bantug, Arlene Farrier, Artem Bank, Arthur Lee, Arthur Morath, Ashe Abbott, Asparagus Media, Austin Stahl, Benjamin Lawless, Bernadeen Marinelly, Betsy Ross, Bill Apter, Black Sun Writers, Bob Gordon, Brandon Mintern, Brennan Kuhns, Brian Beverly, Brian Gundersdorf, Brightwire Music, Brittaney Wright, Bryan Woodward, C D, Candice Bruno, Carole Breakstone, Carolyn Isaacs, Carolyn McCauley, catherine pajic, Catherine Valero, Charles Sargent, Chris Chin, Chris Ehrich, Chris Mann, Chris Titchner, Christine Walker, Christopher Dee, Christopher Otto, christopher p malik, Chuck Duncan, Cinda Smith, Cindy M Corbett, Claire Fraser, Clesson Oakes, Clever Girls Paint, Coco Wilde, Colin Doyle, Colleen Young, COMMUNITY MUSIC, INC., Computers Put Right, Cynthia McClellan, Cynthia Sayer, Cynthia Thurston, Daniel Gage, Daniel Kenny, Daniel Ogden, Dave Godbey, Dave Mallen, David Benham, David Caplan, David Dittman, David Holiday, David Olfky, David weaver, debra st charles, Denise Feikema, Donald Luery, Donna A Evers-Southard, dorian winterfeld, Doris MacDonald, Doug DAlexander, Dylan Evans, Earle Wood, Edward Sabol, Eileen Ho, Eleanor Simon, Elena & Los Fulanos, Elena Huang, Elizabeth Reed, Elizabeth Riley, Ellen Agronin, Emily Conrad, Eric Millman, Eric Selby, Frank Begin, Frank Koyama, Franni Vincent, Gable Music Ventures, Gifford Jones, Gillian Carney, Grant Peeples Music, Gwen Morton, Gweneth Morton, Hannah Spiro, Happy Necks L.L.C., Heather Jones, Heather Peck, House of Musical Traditions, Houston Oasis, Ian Rothman, In the Stacks, Institute of Musical Traditions, Jacques-Jean Tiziou, Jake Jacobson Photography, James Harris, James Leitch, Jami Craig, Jamie Katz, Jamin and Jheannet Basilio Kuhn, Jane Webster, Jared Neufer, Jason Baretsky, Jason Shimshi, jay keating, Jay Laedlein, Jeffrey Epstein, Jeffrey Grip, Jeffrey Hahn, Jeffrey Jones, Jen Hitt, Jennifer Gerfen, Jennifer Kilroy, Jennifer Laedlein, Jennifer Parde, Jeremy Hebbel, Jillian Matundan, Jimmy Stewart, Joan Myers, John Annen, John Arnold, John Bolten, John Elder, John Kolojejchick, John Roberts, John Walber, Jon Patton, Jonathan Cowherd, Joseph Jones, Josephine Roberto Bello, Joshua Lavender, Joshua Verbeke, joyous dowdy, JTSMusic, Julia Ward, Julianne Nassif, Justin Lloyd, Justin McMahon, Justin Moyar Music, Karen Knee, Katherine Williams, Katheryn Phillips, Kathryn Rowe, Kathy Koehnlein, Katie Graybeal, Ken Gutberlet, Kerri Budelman, Khareem Bruce, Kimberly German, Kimberly Shires, Kirsten Hankinson, Kosi, kraig kinsey, Lacy Pennington, Laura Baron Music, Laura Esquivel, Laura Lising, Laura Shane, Lauretta Nagel, Lesley Covington, Leslie Hatley, Lily Fountain, Linc Bradham, Lisa Lauxman, Lisa Marie Jacobs, lisa mathews, Loebig Ink, Louis Sheridan, Lynn Hollyfield, Lynn Silsby, MANBROSS, Mara Elise Lloyd, Mara Hemminger, Margaret Barott, Mark H Rooney, Mark Mackay, Mark Schleifer, Mark Smith, Martin Cole, Martin Parker, Martin Seeboth, Mary Buike, Mary DiBlasi, Massuage Associates Llc, Matt Morosky, Matthew Presley, Maura Parrott, Meg Edson, Meghan Bowen, Melissa McGinnis, Melva Brown, Mia Rickenbach, Michael Cerrina, Michael Cohen, Michael Gerber, Michael Jennings, Michael McClelland, Michael Paulson, Michael Pritchard, Michelle Kearney, Michelle Swan, Michelle Taylor, Missy Smith, Monica Donnelly, Nancy Carver, Nien-Chie Wu, Nikki Parrotte, Pamela Steele, Patrick O'Neall, Patrick Peyton, Patrick Wojahn, Paul DiBlasi, Paul Fisher, Paul Freitag, Paul Mischler, Paul Sakamoto, PayPal, Peter DesRoches, Peter Sibner, Peter VanHouten, Plummer Crawley, Pure Shift Productions, Rachael Burnett, Ray Forton Music, Rebecca Derry, Rebecca Milloway, Rebecca Schwartz, Rebecca Wilson, Reggie Stout, Rich Morey, Richard Frangiamore, Richard Loebelson, Richard McCarty, Richard Wilkinson, Rob Spectre, Robert Anderson, Robert Fischer, Robert Gramann, Robert Huestis, Robert McFarland, robert schwartz, Robin Higley, Robin Stearn, Robustiano Fernandez, Roscoe Beano, Ross Martin, Roy CULBERTSON, Ruby Herrington, Ryan Simmons, S ROGERS CHIKUBA, Sabra Shulman, Sai Powers, Sally Windsor, Sandra Phillips, Sarah Gilbert, Sarah Milliman, Sarah Rosenberg, Sayeeda Powers, Scott Jernigan, Scott Moore, Sean Eustis, Sean Johnson, Sean Morse, Sense of Wonder Management, shannon borges, Shirley Jones, Sonja Gallo, Stephanie A Ortiz, Stephen Pendlebury, Steve Satzberg, Steve Wilson, Steven J Smith, Steven Johnson, Susan High, Susan Markland, susan schneider, Sydney Fenstermaker, Tamber Hilton, Tania Elaine Gale, Tara Innes, Telly Pandel, Thomas Carroll, Thomas Duggan, Tiger Torre, Tiger Torre Art, Timothy Allison, Timothy Cash, Tom Cooney, Tracey Gill, Tracy Buchanan, tracy holcomb, Triple Oak Bakery, tuttle alfred, Tyler Wolfe, Umbris Dei, Verdena Lee, virgil johnson, Volund Gearworks, Von Collins, William Babson, William Chrapcynski, William Lloyd-Roberts, William Phillips, William Smith, Yehuda Goldman, Yolanda Norton |
