Coronavirus can't stop us!
Hey folks,
Its been a while! But I’m dusting off my keyboard to bring you all some sweet steel vibes
As we’re all aware, the world has been transformed by the Covid-19 outbreak. Whole cites worldwide have come to a standstill, schools closed, businesses shut down and the future of the world we live in, is very uncertain at the moment. Before I talk about what Contrast has been getting up to recently, I’d like to raise a glass to all of the key workers still going to work, to make this new world a bit more bearable, and to all of the doctors and nurses working hard to keep us safe.
One thing affected by this recent change is the temporary dissolution of social groups, which means many bands, steel or otherwise, aren’t able to get together any more! And for us, it was particularly difficult as we are like one big family and not seeing each other every week (sometimes twice, or three times! lol) was a really big adjustment; and for some of us, Contrast is our one thing to keep us sane from week to week and our main form of socialisation.
But we put our heads together and decided we wouldn’t let this hinder us! We hurried to the panyard to collect our instruments before the building closed down until further notice, and bought the panyard to our homes!
Although we aren’t able to practice together anymore, we have been keeping in touch on a daily basis and are still practising at home, and we wanted to show the world that despite all that is happening now, we are still able to do what we love! And this thought is what led to the creation of our new music video.
We decided to play Wishing on a Star and we each set up cameras in our homes, played along to a recording of ours, and filmed our parts individually. And with the help of a gifted audio engineer and videographer, this was the finished product! It encouraged us all to make sure we’re keeping up with practice, getting our pans out regularly, and still coming together to produce something together, it was soooo much fun!
It was posted on Facebook a week ago today and we have over 8.6k views have been shared over 240 times, not to mention the 1000+ views we have had on YouTube too! These numbers might be small potatoes to some, but we’re over the moon! Big thanks to everyone who has watched and shared .. we really appreciate it!
We were also fortunate enough to have been contacted by BBC News who asked us for an interview! Band leader Donna Munroe did a fantastic job and the article and video they put together for us is absolutely amazing
BBC News – Coronavirus: Steel band social distancing but still playing
Our second video is in the pipeline as we speak and we can’t wait to share it with the world to show everyone, we can still prosper during these times, keep active and do what you love and spread happiness and joy wherever you can.
So keep your eyes peeled for the next instalment of our lockdown entertainment and remember, Coronavirus can’t stop us!
Until next time,
Keep it Steel
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