THOUGHTS ON THE PANDEMIC: Local 257 Members speak

Music MEANS something

Whatever got us hooked lies outside of our gigs. It flies in the face of worry because most of us started before we knew much, if anything about the business, or any business. This, of course, does nothing to solve the economic uncertainly we all are currently facing BUT it points to something that I find to be absolute. Music is a need.

People need to hear it because it can soothe, or provide a catalyst for release. It helps them lighten the load they carry every day.

WE need it because our souls seek to express the inexpressible — say something that reaches beyond our self-imposed limits revealing our essence.

Case in point: Stravinsky's Firebird Suite. It might be my favorite.

In the 4th movement, he lays himself bare. The lone French horn — the rush of the ending. The dissonance becomes so intense that you are FORCED to accept it as a cadence. It is a statement and it is DEFIANT.

We may have to reshape how we sustain ourselves with this crisis but we WILL adapt. Wanna know why I know?

Because music MEANS something. It is a need...for you and for us all. — Roy Agee