KEEPING THE ARTS ALIVE a lot of people hungry for the live music they’ve been missing and dying to go back once it’s safe to do so. I have my eyes set on a new spot, but I’m just waiting for the right time,” he said. Brandon Ballard, the former drummer for the punk bands Dicks From Mars and DEAdBUGGS, recently started hosting livestream performances from his home in the Bugghouse, which serves as an artistic community hub for punk shows and creatives. Every two weeks, he hosts a punk band that streams to YouTube and Twitch. As he explained, the shows fill a void in the punk scene and provide a safe place to perform: “People needed a creative outlet that wasn’t completely foreign to the community and culture we have all built up. Being part of a scene that cares about you and the art you make, kicks the creative gears up a notch, and not having that community has been incredibly hard for a lot of us.”
Hane Skot photo by Meg Burke
Simon Smiley, AKA Yung Smilez
“ ...If you can commission a song, painting, drawing or a sculpture, do that. If you have the space to host a living room, front porch or backyard show with musicians, book it. We can celebrate life even in this version of new normal.”
The recording studio and meditation have been a refuge for Regina Baker, also known as musician Regina Baker, Mvtha Cvla (pronounced Mother Color). The AKA Mvtha Cvla pandemic allowed Baker to slow down, work from home, take a step back from performing and focus on recording some EPs and collaborating with Bigtone Records in Bristol, VA. “I couldn’t have recorded with other artists. Baker’s musical style crosses genres from any music over the summer had it not been for my community of hip hop, soul, rap, R&B, blues, jazz, alternative and even fans,” Skot explained. “I’d encourage people to reach out more to meditative as she’s working on finishing a meditation EP. their friends in general and check on them, but especially those “I’ve spent most of my time writing songs, producing records, with connections in the arts. If you can commission a song, working on websites, doing graphics, editing videos and being painting, drawing or a sculpture, do that. If you have the space to a mom to my two sons,” she said. “When my meditation host a living room, front porch or backyard show with musicians, videos started going viral on TikTok, I realized that people book it. We can celebrate life even in this version of new normal.” needed that positivity, healing and manifesting mindset. It’s new content for me, but it’s just another side of me.” Although the pandemic has devastated nearly every facet of Pensacola born and raised, Simon Smiley, better known as Yung Smilez practically launched his musical career through the pandemic. When Smiley graduated from UWF and made the switch from football to music, he made his way to Atlanta to start building music connections. Like many artists, Smiley doesn’t describe his music using genres and prefers to keep his fans guessing. He kept busy building his fan base, recording music, shooting music videos and even doing a social distance show or two. As Smiley explained, he believes there is power in music for self-expression and healing: “For me, the hardest part of 2020 was the social injustice and seeing everything happening in our country—that left me feeling helpless at some points. I just want to help make it better and music allows me to express myself. Music is one of the most powerful things in the world that we all have in common. It touches every facet of life.” For local up-and-coming songwriter Hane Skot, the pandemic has altered the way they can book shows, earn a living and work toward establishing themselves in the music industry. Skot has balanced the emotional and creative blocks by meditation, buckets of tears, traveling into nature and the support of family and fans. They have also been in the studio working on an album
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the art community from museums, galleries and art centers to visual artists, performing artists and musicians, it has also given this community an opportunity to slow down and pause, reexamining their mediums of creativity and outlets of presentation. COVID has singlehandedly impacted the way in which art is shared with the world, by bridging an accessibility gap with technological innovation. Hybrid virtual events and online streaming options are here to stay for years to come. The last year of eerie quietness and idle time has also reinforced how important the arts are to our lives, our community and our humanity. If the community wants to keep the arts alive in Pensacola, they will have to be proactive in their love and appreciation by directly supporting the arts. Together we can patronize events in person or online, donate money, purchase and commission artwork, share posts and fundraisers on social media and rally around the people and organizations that provide the entertainment, art and culture to our bustling city.
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