By: Rick Landers
Guitar International publisher, Rick Landers, the opening act at the first Six Strings of Separation “drive-in” style performance he conceived after watching videos of Italians singing from their balconies to their neighbors. Videographer, Steve Pendlebury, passes by to work the four video cameras he staged to capture Rick and singer-songwriter, Siobhan O’Brien – Photo credit: Ron Goad
The world is now aware of the tragic global path of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and the need to modify many of our daily habits to accommodate this new deadly viral strain to protect ourselves.
The six-foot social distancing, a new “territorial imperative” recommendation from infectious disease experts is gaining traction, and we’re all washing our hands multiple times a day, sanitizing flat surfaces and limiting close social gatherings.
A new wave of individual social isolation has been taking place around the globe. And to not rewire one’s brain to develop new social habits can literally be deadly. It to not keep ourselves in our homes, can also deaden our sense of togetherness or community.
It all seemed so sad and so strange to me.
As a singer-songwriter and a music magazine publisher, I embraced music as a way of life, and I knew it had sterling qualities that could uplift our spirits, even help us soar. And it could be a critical life line for those unsettled by life’s more painful moments. I believe humanity needs music, demands music.
With that in mind, this past Saturday found myself watching some Italians on the news, breaking out I song on their balconies, entertaining themselves and their neighbors, all while being forced to be alone. Their homes became a form of incarceration.
I was touched by the Italian songsters’ humanity and wondered if there was something that my friends and I might do to emulate the Italian’s new outdoor music venue.
Having hosted my own Blue Melody Sessions house concerts here in Reston, Virginia, for around four years with many wonderful musicians, I’d gained some experience and lessons learned regarding making a music event successful, as well as neighborly.
With inspiration from Italy, a spark ignited that resulted in the concept of having an outdoor house concert in my driveway for friends and neighbors, but to do it within the constraints of our new social distancing and safety protocols.
I figured that if I played loud enough for my neighbors to hear me, that I could take my gear out to my driveway, plug in and crank up. If they wanted, they could stay on their own property, some could drive to my house and listen in their cars or haul their chairs to my sidewalk and settle in for some music.
Worst case, I’d be playing by myself and call it “practicing” or rehearsing. My main concern was whether we could do this while not only feeling safe, but taking precautions to actually be safe.
I’ve published Guitar International magazine for fifteen years, and played guitar since 1964, and I like to read, so I borrowed and revised a well-known concept phrase, Six Degrees of Separation, then coupled it with the playing of six-string guitars to name my driveway concert concept, Six Strings of Separation.
My plan was to do a solo performance for about an hour of original music I’d written over the years. I’d haul out my Fishman sound system, one of my favorite guitars, a 1983 custom shop Yamaha L25-AT acoustic guitar. And my audience is made up my nearby Reston neighborhood friends
That was the plan, a free concert from my driveway for friends and neighbors all huddled together safely, to keep spirits up and just share a fun and unique experience.
“Rick’s got a great idea that is pleasing to the senses . . . and inspiring as well!” – HP Newquist, Founder, National Guitar Museum
So, I decided to make it happen, if I could. I sent out an email to announce to many of my friends that I planned on playing in my driveway on Tuesday at 1:00 p.m.
One friend of mine is a wonderful singer-songwriter, a New Irish Soul performer named Siobhan O’Brien. Right away she replied to my email announcement that she planned on coming. It became a my foregone conclusion that she’d be featured and I’d open for her. As a full-time working musician, like thousands of others she had her scheduled shows cancelled. Music is her passion and she needed to get out of hibernation and sing.
New Irish Soul singer, Siobhan O’Brien, was featured at the first Guitar International Six Strings of Separation drive-in style neighborhood gig. Social distancing and other safety measures were adhered to, including by friends who listened and watched the gig from their cars, while on blankets, from chairs on nearby driveways and sidewalks. Photo credit: Ron Goad
Siobhan simply wanted to “get out there” and sing. It’s a spiritual drive, and her love of music and good company that drive her. And she’s a great friend who I knew would delight my neighbors. With three albums out, with some songs in rotation around the country, she’s a real pro, and many of my Blue Melody Sessions guests saw her in my home about a year ago.
Next, I wanted to get some photos of this unique Six Strings of Separation plan when it was live, and if possible get it videotaped. Step in one good friend, Ron Goad, a seven-time Washington Area Music Association award recipient, who offered to take photos of our performances
I then sent a note out seeking video support from music aficionados. Within minutes, Steve Pendlebury, an experienced videographer, who happens to live about a mile from my house, was “in”.
“As musicians, we rarely haven’t been in a financial crisis. Still, I’ve found musicians will always find a stage, even if it’s busking, to perform. Today, we find it especially important to play, especially when music is needed more than ever before, to calm the spirits and inspire souls. Thanks to good grassroots ideas, like Six Strings of Separation, we have found another stage to play in trying times.” – Ryan Roxie (Guitarist with Alice Cooper)
So, there we were on-line working this out, separation intact. We all agreed to work safely, in unison, but separately on location. Ron grabbed some sodas on the way to my house, I sanitized them, and we had rubber gloves, sanitizing cloths, and our six feet separation protocols. Gear, like our mic and amps and other equipment would all be sanitized before, during and after the show.
We were a team and to my delight, a well-functioning team that collaborated without much on location guidance. We knew the drill to protect ourselves and one another.
With an audience of known friends who are mature, smart and fun adults, I sent out a note announcing what might be called a “pop-up” event or more humorously a drive-in show and highlighting the need for social distancing from their driveways, their cars, or from my sidewalk.
I’d invited a retired doctor friend of mine, Craig Clark, who was also on hand and pumped about this responsible and creative idea.
Steve, Ron and Siobhan all arrived early to get our ducks in order, before Steve and I did a sound check and I began talking to our audience that was arriving and settling in for the gig.
Around 1:00 pm, I began my set with some original songs that many had heard before, and a few new ones just “out of the box”. I hadn’t had much time to figure out a set list for the show, but rolled out a group of songs with different styles, a sad “Appalachian Hollow”, a tender song “A Moment’s Hesitation, something a little rocky “Misunderstood” and several more.
“Great idea! That’s quite interesting! It’s actually one hell of an idea! – Stacy Hogan, Producer, A Writer’s Paradise (Nashville)
Steve had four video cameras placed and rolling, with Ron parked in his chair about 30 feet away snapping some photos. Siobhan was on hand waiting in the wings, ready to blossom on our home spun stage of concrete and carpet.
The early morning chill began to make way for the sun when I ended my set and introduced Siobhan and she lit into set with some cool strumming and her voice that captivates and mesmerizes. Her easy going Irish accented banter was a delight and a step up from my own Detroit mid-west explanations of how my songs came about.
Siobhan rolled through songs from her albums’ tracks, that included: “You can’t Run Out of Love”, “The King’s Fool”, and “Hold Me In Your Arms”. She played a beautiful version of the traditional, “Lake Pontchartrain”, when taking requests.
The sun came began to shine warming us up. Seeing my neighbors relaxed, waving from a distance and smiling was proof positive that this Six Strings of Separation concept was truly uplifting, at a time when families had been hunkered down, trying to figure out what this “new normal” meant for their lives.
Sure, we knew precautions were necessary, but were we being drawn toward changes that would deny us seeing one another and enjoying live music?
The answer is clearly, “Nope.”
CHECK OUT THE MUSIC OF SIOBHAN O’BRIEN HERE!
The Six Strings of Separation idea proved doable, safe and one that we could all look forward to repeating in the future. Our successful Blue Melody Sessions house concerts simply shape-shifted to accommodate the needs of a world being negatively manipulated by the realities of COVID-19.
My friends and I would be the test bed for this morphing of our past celebrated Blue Melody Sessions into Six Strings of Separation.
Blue Melody Sessions, where we enjoyed the music of professional musicians in a comfortable living room setting. The past four years gifted us with entertainment by Craig Bickhardt [Tender Mercies], Tim Grimm [A Walk in the Woods], the Reckless Saints, Dan Boling [Grammy Nominee], Bryan Cahall, Claude Bourbon, Ruut and more.
Six Strings of Separation proved not only doable, but highly successful. Rekindling my neighborhood’s spirit of friendship and community was a worthy goal. It was fun, we relaxed and we celebrated not only the music, but one another.
Seven time Washington Area Music Association awards recipient, Ron Goad, (foreground) planted himself at the end of the the driveway for the first GI Six Strings of Separation “drive-in” style performance – Photo credit: Rick Landers
As Siobhan sang, I received a note from another acclaimed performer, Yasmin Williams, who’s been featured on National Public Radio (NPR) and has been interviewed by some of the best music magazines. She regretted reading my announcement email late, but wanted to be involved in the new driveway gig series.
And all of our Facebook friends applauded our new found freedom, when we loaded up our pages with photos of our prototype Six Strings of Separation outdoor show, with our audience safely tucked away in their cars, nearby neighbors on blankets and chairs, and others finding safe spots to plant their beach chairs.
Our Six Strings of Separation crew and performers were vigilant maintaining their social distancing, wearing gloves, and sanitizing touch points, that meant wiping soda cans, amp knobs, mic stands, guitars. And, we had our doctor friend on board! An important logistics element for the performance was to limit the invitee list to those people that we know, who are mature and we had confidence that they would adhere to preventive measures.
Our Virginia governor signed an Executive Order (EO) limiting private entertainment gatherings to ten people, and to be effective on the day of the show. So, I limited people to my property to the four, and to those of us managing the performance. My neighbors and other friends weren’t part of the official gathering, but a fair distance away, as I mentioned before – in their own driveways, in their cars, or on the public sidewalk in front of my house.
For those of us managing the gig, we quenched our thirst with sanitized drinking cans, stayed the requisite safe six feet apart, sanitized our equipment before, during and after the show, wore rubber gloves when practicable – fingerpicking a guitar with gloves can be a sad affair! – and asked our audience members to tend to their own safety needs, and those around them. Safety was our first priority, music and entertainment followed.
CHECK OUT THE MUSIC OF SIOBHAN O’BRIEN HERE!
SIOBHAN IN THE STUDIO PERFORMING “WHILE IRONING”
