Challenges
Magic Castle, whichWaters describes as the “epicenter of magic,” for a show conducted via Zoom on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
It challenges the magicians involved to reconfigure the way by which they involve the audience in the show, for they cannot simply as a participant to pick a card, any card.
“It’s interesting to experiment in that realm and keepthemagic andmystery alive,” Waters said.
For a Zoom invite, send a request at facebook.com/ deanwatersmagic.
Relationships
For GordyOhliger of jazz band Hot Potato, the lack of financial income isn’t as concerning as his inability to socialize through music. He was a traveling musician for 27 years before he decided to settle down in Chico.
Ohlinger consistently played at local restaurants where he befriended the owners and servers until the pandemic hit. “I won’t see those people anymore,” he lamented. “We’re friends. … I know these people.”
He has so far had seven gigs canceled clear through the end of May. “That’s heartbreaking because that’s what I do,” he said. “It’s a way to be part of society. Itmeans a lot to me.”
His music is the foundation to his relationship with others.
“It’s a way to bewithpeople. I like sharing it. I like seeing people laugh and dance and feel real good,” he said.
“Music connects us all in a way. We don’t realize it until it’s gone.”
Relief
Joshua Hegg’s commiseration with his fellow struggling artists led him to move. The pianist is the managing director of Uncle Dad’s Art Collective, a nonprofit devoted to supporting local artists.
“We want a place for north state artists to get relief,” he explained. The collective created $100 micro grants to alleviate the pain of newfound financial burdens weighing down local artists.
“We’re asking to donate if they moved,” Hegg said.
Hegg himself had five gigs canceled in March people feel so and four in April, with two pending cancellations.
As a music teacher, he’s working furiously to figure out how to continue his lessons.
“Teaching piano online is harder than you’d think because (the students) have to see my hands and I have to see their hands. I lost amajority of my studio. For the music industry, this is a tectonic plate shift,” he said.
To maintain his livelihood amid the pandemic, Hegg is thinking up ways to continue playing music for the delight of others.
He’s been live streaming cocktail hours from within his own home.
“My wife and I were sitting around super bored and thinking about howfun it would be to go to a cocktail hour,” he said.
This has now become a weekly Sunday tradition for all who want to listen and contribute to his tip jar. Though instead of sitting atop his piano, the tip jar is virtual forms, including Venmo and Paypal. The cocktail hours can be viewed at facebook.com/ jhegg.
In addition to that, he’s hoping to implement a meditative piano hour at nighttime to lull people to sleep. His own nerves motivated him to do so. “I get crazy anxious, especially right now, and especially at night,” he said.
“Music is the social art form. It’smeant to be played for people in real time.”
To bring artists together, Hegg created a Facbook group, North State Artists COVID-19 Support.
“It’s just what us artists have to do. We have to adapt. What are the needs of the arts community right now? How do we fulfill that?” Hegg asked.
Uncle Dad’s, made up of six volunteers, became a nonprofit one year ago, readying it for this global crisis.
“Our mission statement is to support artists locally. What an exact manifestation of our mission statement. If any organization is going to do something, it’s going to be us,” Hegg said.
In order to qualify for a micro grant, artists will be asked to provide proof of financial strain and to describe how they intend to use the funds once awarded. All donations to the relief fund will be tax deductible. To apply or donate, visit uncledad.co/covid-relief.