Asheville musicians release quarantine-themed videos

WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS: Matt Williams, top right, recruited an all-star ensemble for "Please Stay Home," an impromptu cover of 311's "Don't Stay Home.” Clockwise from bottom right are MonoNeon, Williams (wearing a mask and gloves), Jon Lauterer, Jonathan Scales and Roddy Wilder. Photo courtesy of Williams

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Asheville-area musicians aren’t able to perform live at venues in front of audiences, but their online fan bases remain as rapt as ever. In order to provide listeners with new tunes and have a little fun with the current quarantine, several local creators have made music videos that directly address the present social climate.

Ryan Barber’s humorous “Stuck in the House” was among the first such videos and posted March 25. On the Fairview-based singer-songwriter’s Facebook page, he describes the track as “a lil’ somethin’ funky just for y’all while we’re all grounded.”

“It’s pretty much self-explanatory,” Barber says. “It was inspired by cabin fever, confusion, fear and frustration after Day 3 of quarantine. I wrote the tune in a little over half an hour and am currently working on a sequel.”

 

The following day, local rockers The Get Right Band recorded the social distancing song “The Resistance Is Distance” from its three members’ separate houses and made a video for the timely composition.

“It’s kind of a public service announcement,” says guitarist/lead vocalist Silas Durocher. “[We’re] hoping to help convince everyone to take this thing seriously while throwing in some much-needed comic relief.”

 

In crafting a visual companion for his recently written and recorded single, “Crazy Alone (Quarantine),” Asheville singer-songwriter Morgan Geer — who makes music under the name Drunken Prayer — and his wife, Christa de Mayo, spent a day driving around the city, filming their friends from a distance, behind shut windows and closed doors.

“I had put a shoutout on social media asking WNC friends if they’d be open to house-by-house video drive-bys, and we got a positive response,” Geer says. “It was a bittersweet afternoon, but sweet just the same.”

 

Elsewhere, local musician/producer Matt Williams was driving to The Eagle Room studio to record a cover of a Beatles classic with Jon Lauterer (drums/percussion), part of a forthcoming fundraiser for a local nonprofit. On the way there, Williams was listening to his longtime personal favorite band 311 and got the idea to tweak the lyrics of its song “Don’t Stay Home,” thereby transforming it into “Please Stay Home.”

“It just so happened that [Jon] was also one of the biggest 311 fans I know, so after we tracked the Beatles tune, I told him about my idea. He loved it!” Williams says. “So, I said, ‘Well, if you can nail the drum part, I’ll follow through hard on this.’ He busted it out in a single take from memory like a boss.”

To complete the song, Williams called up his friends MonoNeon (bass) and Jonathan Scales (steel pans), who agreed to track from their respective home studios, and got Roddy Wilder (background vocals/turntables) to swing by The Eagle Room to lay down his parts.

“The rest is history,” Williams says.

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Edwin Arnaudin
Edwin Arnaudin is a staff writer for Mountain Xpress. He also reviews films for ashevillemovies.com and is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association (SEFCA) and North Carolina Film Critics Association (NCFCA). Follow me @EdwinArnaudin

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

2 thoughts on “Asheville musicians release quarantine-themed videos

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.