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steppin ’ out (& stayin ’ in) We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews

Karen Waldrup

Music is Healing

By Jesse Davis

“Now is the worst time to have greed,” says country singer/songwriter and bona  de internet sensation Karen Waldrup, whose upcoming concert at Lafayette’s Music Room was canceled due to concern over the coronavirus.

 e singer was quick to adapt, though, and pivoted to a series of live-streamed performances, which she dubbed the Cabin Fever Worldwide Video Series, to replace her tour. “I certainly believe that it’s a duty, especially of musicians, to take it seriously and stay in and protect the people who are vulnerable,” Waldrup says.  e Louisiana-born songwriter made a commitment to herself to keep playing — even if she’s separated from the audience by miles and phone and computer screens. Waldrup says she will play the same night and time as the originally scheduled show, and she teases playing blues harmonica or covering an Albert King song to lean into the Memphis connection.

“I also think about the responsibility of musicians to just play music,” Waldrup continues. “Music is healing. It’s such a challenging time for everybody, and especially for us because our livelihoods depend on music.” Waldrup’s series will be available via her Facebook supporter page, which is accessible with a $4.99 fee.  at way, she can play for her fans — and bring in some revenue to pay her band — without endangering anyone.

 e Nashville Music Industry Award-winning artist has this advice for other musicians and artists struggling to cope with the current state of a airs: “Don’t be afraid to prop your phone up, tune your guitar up, and play your music.”

KAREN WALDRUP’S LIVE-STREAMED PERFORMANCE CAN BE VIEWED FROM HER FACEBOOK SUPPORTER PAGE ON TUESDAY, MARCH 24TH, AT 8 P.M., $4.99.

20 As recession looms, have we shot ourselves in the safety net?  e Last Word, p. 39

VARIOUS DAYS & TIMES March 19th-25th

Amid the spread of COVID-19, most events and gatherings have unfortunately been canceled or postponed. Luckily, we have you covered with this list of activities that can be done and entertainment that can be utilized mostly at home during social distancing for the next few weeks so that our readers can avoid developing cases of FOMO.

Novel Same-Day Delivery Novel, Mondays through Fridays until 5 p.m., $7 Wanting to stock up on some good reads while hunkering down in your home? Novel o ers same-day deliveries of books to residents from Midtown to Germantown who order before 5 p.m. BalletNova Center for Dance online classes Available at balletnova.org, Wednesday, March 18th, through Friday, March 20th, multiple classes between 10 a.m. and 5:45 p.m., free Virginia-based dance company BalletNova is now o ering online ballet classes for all ages, as well as tap, jazz, yoga, and meditation instruction, taught by their sta and faculty and hosted by artistic director Matthew Powell. Lawrence Matthews III (above) documents places “To Disappear Away.” Arts, p. 29

Nightly Met Opera Streams Available at metopera.org, Wednesday, March 18th, through Sunday, March 22nd, 7:30 p.m., each stream is available for viewing for 20 hours, free  e Metropolitan Opera in New York City hosts free daily streams of encore Live in HD performances from the last 14 years.  is Wednesday through Sunday, online viewers will have the opportunity to view (in consecutive order) Verdi’s “Il Trovatore,” Verdi’s “La Traviata,” Donizetti’s “La Fille du Régiment,” Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor,” and Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin.” Marc Rebillet Quarantine Livestream Tour Available on Marc Rebillet’s Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Twitch;  ursday, March 19th (8 p.m.); Saturday, March 21st (7 a.m.); and Monday, March 23rd (6 p.m.); free Electronic musician and YouTuber Marc Rebillet, known for improvising electronic songs with comical lyrics, says “F*ck coronavirus, let’s do this!” and makes up for live concert cancellations with his Quarantine Livestream Tour.

Rev. Jolinne Balentine-Downey

Have Faith By Julia Baker

Last week,  e Rev. Jolinne Balentine-Downey of Embury United Methodist Church in Millington received notice from Bishop William T. McAlilly, the bishop of the Nashville Episcopal Area of the United Methodist Church, suggesting that all churches in the Memphis and Tennessee Conferences consider suspending worship services for at least two weeks to lessen the risk of the spread of COVID-19. Balentine-Downey was shocked, but she understood that it was in her community’s best interest to comply and move her sermons and devotionals online.

“I was stunned,” she says. “But I really respect our bishop, and I felt like what he was trying to convey is that it isn’t just about our particular congregation and what’s best for our membership, but it’s about what’s best for the community and our country.”

She adds, “I’ve been posting devotionals for a couple of years, and people seem to really respond well to it.”  is past Sunday, Balentine-Downey posted a sermon, inspired by Adam Hamilton’s book 24 Hours  at Changed the World, discussing Jesus’ ability to resist temptation to stay silent to save his own life. She says this message could translate to the pandemic at hand.

“We’re all in a new era, and none of us have ever dealt with global pandemics before,” she says. “We church leaders have had di cult decisions to make, and not everybody’s going to like the decisions you make, no matter what you decide to do.” Balentine-Downey says it’s important to think creatively in order to spread God’s message, especially in times like these. “I believe God is always present with us all the time,” she says. “We’re never completely alone, and it’s important to share the message that He loves us and provides for di cult times.”

TO WATCH AND LISTEN TO THE REV. JOLINNE BALENTINE-DOWNEY’S DEVOTIONAL MESSAGES AND WEEKLY SUNDAY SERMONS, FOLLOW JOLINNE BALENTINE-DOWNEY ON YOUTUBE.

We Saw You.

with MICHAEL DONAHUE

memphisfl yer.com/blogs/WeSawYou

Finding Neverland — the young at heart rule the day in Benh Zeitlin’s visually stunning Wendy. Film, p. 34

Time Warp Drive-In: And Now For Something Completely Time Warped … : An Evening with Monty Python Malco Summer Drive-In, 5310 Summer, Saturday, March 21st, dusk till dawn, $10 Malco Summer Drive-In has recently increased its hours to seven days a week, meaning that Time Warp Drive-In will still live on. At the dusk till dawn movie night, visitors can see Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Monty Python’s  e Meaning of Life.  e Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home Book Release Available at Barnes & Noble and online, Tuesday, March 24th, $12.99-$31.26 Last week, we wrote about Welcome to Nightvale podcast’s live show, “ e Haunting of Night Vale” coming to GPAC.  e show was postponed, but fans will still be able to enjoy the latest novel  e Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home, written by podcast creators Je rey Cranor and Joseph Fink.  e authors consider it “part  e Haunting of Hill House, part  e Count of Monte Cristo, and 100 percent about a faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home.”  e United States of Anxiety: Alone Together During COVID-19: Live Call-in Available at wnycstudios.org/ podcasts/anxiety or wherever you get your podcasts, 24/7, free Feeling anxious about COVID-19? You aren’t alone. Producers of the popular podcast United States of Anxiety address how the virus is reshaping our lives, politics, and health, while taking calls to see how callers are coping thus far.