Hello everyone. Lee Realgone here. I just wanted to check in with you during these insane times.The last month has been interesting to say the least, but few of us predicted things would become as serious as they are.
Covid-19 (aka the Coronavirus) has spread so far that it has now been labelled a global pandemic. Schools are closing, or have closed. Small businesses are struggling and we’ve all been advised to remain indoors.
For Real Gone, this doesn’t make a great deal of difference. Most of our work in the past has been created in the living room. That remains a safe space and I’ll continue to write whenever possible. In terms of taking the necessary safety measures, I’ve given the keyboard a wipe down and will be attempting to stay at the recommended seven feet away from my partner as much as possible. Since we’ve been together for the best part of fifteen years now, that shouldn’t be too difficult!
In all seriousness, there have been a couple of aspects already affected. We were off to two gigs this month; both have been postponed. This means that gig reviews will no longer provide content until this crisis is over. We’ve heard from all kinds of bands – ones we’re close to and some less so – with regard to postponed shows and full tours that have now been scrapped. These are terrible times to be a musician and we all need to do what we can to support each other. Real Gone will continue to plug all manner of DIY bands over the coming months – however long things remain in relative chaos. Every little helps when spreading the word about great music, and at a time when we’re all looking for entertainment as a distraction to stay sane, supporting great music seems more important than ever. Hit those sites like Bandcamp and Soundcloud. Follow the links. See what you can discover. There’s a whole world of music waiting for you at the push of a button.
From today until the foreseeable, I now also have a partner working from home, so any written output might be a little more sporadic. However, there are already a hundred and fifty articles lurking in the Real Gone vault that still haven’t been posted on the site, so it’s not like fresh content will be an issue.
I’m also going to attempt to shake things up a little for our loyal readers who’ll now be working from home. I’m aware that if Real Gone is to be an effective distraction, it needs more than just reviews and the sound of my own voice. Plans are afoot to add some new video and audio content over the next couple of months. Although nothing has been set in stone, there might be a couple of video exclusives and there are tentative plans to revive the “playlist project”. The ‘Great 70s Project’ from a few years ago was immensely popular and it would definitely be fun to revisit the 60s and/or the 80s in the same way… If there’s anything you’d really like to see/hear at Real Gone, please get in touch.
Please stick with us; the world is falling apart, but there are no plans for Real Gone to disappear. As always, your support, your enthusiasm, link shares and social media interaction is really appreciated. Now more than ever.
Of course, no amount of talk is going to improve the current situation. We just need to stay strong and – above all else – stay safe.
Look after yourselves…and don’t panic!
Lee Realgone
Thursday, 19th March 2020