In age of coronavirus, local bands find new way to entertain, connect: Online shows
Blake Parish and Kris Luther, who bartend together at Lola’s Saloon and play in the same rock band, are out of work and out of gigs due to the new necessity for social distance. Like most everyone, the coronavirus pandemic has left them in their homes, and on their couches.
So that’s where they had their concert on Thursday night, with the help of Facebook.
The members of The Hanna Barbarians sat down in Parish’s living room with an open laptop in front of them, wearing clothes they had raided from his wife’s collection of vintage clothing. Luther, in a bright floral dress with a flower on his head, had an acoustic guitar resting on his knee. Parish poured himself a shot of tequila in a black tuxedo and top hat.
“Oh hey, didn’t see you there,” he said with a knowing glance to the online audience, some of whom were neighbors on his Fort Worth street.
Luther then began strumming the bouncy melody of David Bowie’s “Starman,” and Parish belted the famous lyrics about a starman in the sky who would really like to come and visit. It seemed to be a fitting song for the age of the coronavirus.
With social restrictions in Tarrant County closing bars and restaurants — except for take-out — and limiting gatherings, people have had to find new ways to connect. That has meant more conversations are done from a safe distance of 6 feet or through a screen.
Parish noted he and Luther were far from the first local artists to do a virtual show, as those who make their living performing for large groups of people have been left with few options. Luther was also planning on broadcasting a show from the stage at Lola’s on Friday night.
The show is going on, albeit in a different way.
“We’ve got a bunch of friends who are around town that are doing it. Some are doing tonight and throughout the week,” Parish said of virtual shows. “My uncle said, ‘As long as you play, you’ve always got a trade.’ You’ve just got to figure out the way to get it to the people.”
More than 1,000 people have watched the three separate sets Parish live-streamed to Facebook on Thursday night, and he said he and his wife, Tiffany Ortez Parish, have heard several stories from people who tuned in live. A neighbor had it playing up on his TV. A family played it for some toddlers, who danced along. One person projected the performance onto a wall.
Hundreds of people left comments underneath the Facebook post for the live-stream as it was happening, saying they missed each other, or this was exactly what they needed, or even just hello.
“We all need this right now. Everybody’s scared, everybody’s upset, everybody’s life is disrupted in one way or another,” Parish said. “It feels great to know we’re helping people forget about their troubles for a little while.”
Parish had a link to his Venmo and Paypal in the Facebook post for anyone who wanted to donate some money to the struggling artists.
Parish said he and Luther approached the show with a fairly laid-back attitude, not even coming up with a setlist. Their wives watched just out of frame and Parish’s Boston terrier, Louie, chimed in every now and again with a bark.
At one point, Parish pulled out a harmonica to play along to the Rolling Stones’ “Parachute Woman,” and warned the audience Louie would freak out.
Sure enough, the dog started howling as soon as he began blowing into the instrument.
“We had a blast, man,” Parish said. “I’m a little sappy sometimes, and I was like, ‘Man, we may not see each other for a while.’”
He also said, “If we can’t physically be together, we’ve got to remind everybody that we’re out here.”
Wednesday was the last night Lola’s was open to the public. Tiffany Ortez Parish, whose shop Honeysuckle Rose Vintage located next to Lola’s also had to close, said her store is “a dream” and “it’s definitely been tough.”
It was nice, she said, to have a beer and watch her husband’s wacky and improvised show bring some people together.
She said she could’ve watched it for three hours.
“It was a great escape,” she said. “I definitely forgot about everything that’s going on.”
This story was originally published March 21, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
