THURSDAY, APR IL 30, 2020 • KOKOMO TR IBUNE / PHAROS-TR IBUNE
37
ANDREA MELTON
FOR THE PHAROS-TRIBUNE
W
ith the shuttering of restaurants,
bars, wineries, breweries, coffee
shops and more in the wake of
the coronavirus outbreak, a specific and
creative segment of the population are
finding themselves with a lot more free
time on their hands.
Musicians and entertainers who
perform both as hobbyists and profes-
sionally for the public say their worlds
are rocked — in a different way.
Logansport normally boasts a vibrant
and thriving local music scene, particu-
larly for a town of its size. The local bars
host live bands regularly, as do Black
Dog Coffee, the historic State Theatre,
the Record Farm and the People’s Win-
ery. The talent pool is large enough that
any given weekend one can usually find
live music at one of these venues. Dur-
ing the warmer months, the Cass County
Arts Alliance offers the “Summer Sun-
down Music Series” where every Sunday
evening a local performer is featured at
one of three city parks.
Steve Michaels says he has been a full-
time musician for 10 years now. Michaels
plays guitar and sings both original
songs and covers. He loves to play locally
but also travels regularly around the
state, into Michigan, and even further as
a professional performer.
“Last year my career really took off
and I had so many gigs,” Michaels said.
“You know, it took me a long time to get
there as a solo artist. Things were look-
ing so good for this year and then bam
– it pulled the rug out from under me
and all the other performers, you know.
A lot of people. There are a lot of great
musicians in Logansport.”
Michaels expressed what many others
have in recent weeks, which is the surre-
alism of the situation.
“It’s all kind of like a dream, actually.
This is my busy time, usually. It’s just
hard.”
One trend for musicians globally is the
virtual or live streaming performance.
Many are utilizing online payment plat-
forms to help make ends meet. Michaels
has recently been experimenting with
that format himself via Facebook.
“I have videos on my page and I’ve
been trying to make money,” he said. “I
have the PayPal attached to that, which
a lot of players are doing. To me, it’s like
a change in our culture. We’re going to a
virtual performance.”
Michaels said he now has a lot of time
to practice and get a lot of things done
he doesn’t normally get a chance to do.
He also admits to being a worrier, par-
ticularly when it comes to the healthcare
workers and their vulnerable role in the
pandemic.
“I just worry about those guys who are
exposed to all that. They’re just heroes.
They’re my heroes.”
Guitarist and vocalist Mike Almon has
seen his music career ramp up over the
past couple of years. Almon performs
locally at venues and events but also has
found success booking gigs in healthcare
facilities around the state. Those jobs
have come to a screeching halt, though.
“Yeah, I mean I thought I was all sit-
ting kind of fat and sassy having all of
these shows. You get in a routine and I
sometimes had three of four shows in
one day,” Almon said.
Almon had 280 shows scheduled for
this year until the outbreak. As part
of the federal virus relief funding, gig
performers who make a living with
their craft are going to have unem-
ployment options through the State of
Indiana. Almon has just started to look
into those specifics.
“It’s just starting to gear up. It’s been
approved and everything but as far as
administration obviously they’re tak-
ing care of the regular unemployed
first,” he said.
Beyond the financial impact, Almon
misses performing for the elderly at the
healthcare facilities and hopes to rem-
edy that soon. He said he is thinking of
offering free shows outside the dining
room windows under a canopy at the
campuses.
“Several of them that I go to have
nice big dining rooms and the dining
rooms have big windows,” he said. “I
got the idea when I saw people right
outside the window talking on the
phone to their family inside, separated
by the glass. I thought, why not for the
music?”
SILENCE ON STAGE
Musicians muddle through social distancing effects
Mike Almon
had 280 gigs
lined up for
this year until
the COVID-19
brought
about social-
distancing
measures.
Photo by Rich Voorhees
