THINGS TO DO
by Sean McCarthy
REVIVING
Sean FitzGerald, singer for NB Rude Boys. Photo credit Charlie Winters.
live music
Hurting but hopeful, the South Coast music community has not been exempt from the COVID-19 roller coaster
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triving to return to a world they once knew, local artists and venues are enduring the pandemic challenge economically as well as emotionally, beset but determined. “Musicians were the first to get locked out and the last to be allowed back in,” says Sean FitzGerald, lead vocalist for the local ska rock act NB Rude Boys. “People turn to musicians for escapism and now we’re the ones who are in need of it the most. “Going into this two years ago we were thinking that there would soon be some sense of relief but things are looking even more uncertain right now,” FitzGerald says. “There’s a malaise, a lot of people are dealing with depression, trying to make ends meet while being creative. It can be difficult just getting people together to practice. Some people went to college for performing and now there’s nothing for them. They’re in their 30s and 40s,
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With more time on their hands, many musicians have been able to devote more time and effort to their creativity scratching their heads about how to make money.” But according to FitzGerald there has been an upside for some musicians in the COVID age. With more time on their hands, many musicians have been able to devote more time and effort to their creativity. At the beginning of the pandemic the NB Rude Boys were in the process of recording a four-song EP. But with the onset of COVID and the resulting down time, the nine-piece band made the decision to amp up the album to include nine original songs. They are targeting a spring release for “Welcome To Rude Bedford.” “I’m optimistic about the amount of new music being produced in this area,”
March 2022 | The South Coast Insider
FitzGerald says. “Music has seen a significant explosion. With the advances of technology, the average person was able to pursue either a dream or a hobby and actually start recording with the convenience of apps and software right on their phone.” And COVID has been the mother of creative ingenuity. The New Bedfordbased band A Wilhelm Scream was working on their sixth full-length album as the pandemic ensued, but the project got delayed and numerous worldwide tour dates were scrapped. The band adapted to the circumstances by creating their
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