 I was so nervous while I waited for Angelikah. This was, after all, my first ever interview over Zoom and I could feel my heartbeat in my ears. After what felt like 45 minutes of meticulously placing items around my head so that my laptop camera could present personality, she emails to say the link is broken! Great start to your first Zoom interview, Kyle! While my clammy hands emailed her an updated link, I forced myself to take a deep breath. And had to remind myself she might be nervous to meet me too; we are, after all, strangers meeting over a strange technology because of a pandemic. All of it is just strange.
ANGELIKAH FINALLY ENTERS I was put at ease with her friendly smile. The perk about Zoom is the window in which we see each other. There is focus, there is vulnerability, there is sustained eye contact unlike a normal interview backstage ripe with distractions and hubris, especially after a fabulous performance. Yes, a Zoom interview lacks the energy exchange of being in person, but I was grateful to have an instant option while in isolation to process a recent performance of hers at an empty State Theatre and learn more about this emerging artist. I couldn’t take my eyes off her and before long, we created a virtual bond. For the past 10 years I have traveled to venues and interviewed bands, fans and music business professionals for a web series I created right after college. The settings of my interviews ranged from sitting on a tiny stage in Brooklyn with a band called Phantogram, to a dank basement at the Mercury Lounge in NYC with a band called, Wave Machines, to walking along the streets of Amsterdam with Keller Williams before his show at Melkweg, to interviewing Queen Ifrica under a tent in Jamaica for the annual Rebel Salute Reggae Festival. These interviews were super fun, very DIY (some might say cheesy), yet through it all there is genuine passion for talking to bands and sharing stories about live music. In all my years of interviewing bands and live music professionals, I never once had one digitally, let alone about such a brooding subject (interviews are typically happy feature pieces), so I was somewhat paralyzed- but my desire to listen to people share their point of view, grew stronger. Turmoil reveals truth and ushers in change and so fortunately with Zoom, from the Coast of Maine, I could try and help document their thoughts and share mine too within 20 minute podcast episodes. If everyone else can adapt, so can Concert Cast. Despite COVID, Concert Culture is still actively generating incredible stories. My Zoom interviews in Season 2 (plus two socially-distant interviews) are not about commiserating but rather proving that connections can still be made and we are all on an accelerated path forward. AMPLIFIED APPRECIATION Speaking of acceleration, when I produced Concert Cast Season 1 it was my way of cherishing music venues and their importance to a shared concert experience. Concert Cast celebrates my love for music venues and shines a light on the people behind the scenes that make live music happen. Little did I know that as soon as I released it it would become instant nostalgia and that, unfortunately, a pandemic has shown the value of venues to our society. As they say, you don’t know how important something is until it is gone. I can't wait to get back to interviewing fans and bands in the heat of the moment at a live show; we can agree there is an energy there that Zoom will never capture. But for now, I’ll be patient and Concert Cast, like the rest of the music industry will continue to adapt to bring you the stories of the Concert Culture warriors and musicians inspired by everything happening today. When we get to the other side, our venues will be stronger than ever and we’ll all return the favor with amplified appreciation. Listen to Angelikah's Concert Cast Episode Here
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