Artist of the Day | JOSEPH BROOKS ORGAN
ARTIST OF THE DAY
10.04.2021
JOSEPH BROOKS ORGAN
LOCATION
Toronto, ON, Canada
GENRE
Singer-Songwriter/Folk
CURRENT MEMBERS
Joseph Brooks Organ
Zach Bines
Michael Tobin
Anh Phung
Daniel Pencer
Taylor Nelles-McGee
Andrea Stewart
Damian Dobrowolski
Spencer Cole
With the current pandemic, the state of the music and touring industry has dramatically changed. Where were you when everything was brought to a halt?
I was in the planning stages of making this record. I had written the songs but needed to re-record them, as well as write arrangements for the songs that I felt required a more lush accompaniment. I was writing other music that is not on this most recent release. I was teaching music to 22 private students, and bartending. Luckily I did not have any tour dates booked at that time.
How has that affected your plans for the coming year? Did you have a tour planned, upcoming album release?
I was lucky in that the pandemic struck when I was in the woodshed. I was busy writing and conceptualizing my album and had no tour dates booked. Obviously I would like to have toured this record, and the pandemic has certainly drastically altered how I imagined this album release would go. But at least no plans had to be cancelled, unlike in the case of so many of my friends. And I had some time to get used to the idea of a virtual release as I pieced the record together.
What have you been doing to fill/make the most of your new-found free time at home? How are you supporting your mental health through all of this?
In the first part of the pandemic I wrote like crazy. Every morning I woke up and wrote music for three hours and I loved it. Then, once I had come to terms with the fact that there was no end in sight to COVID life, I decided I had better not wait until it was possible to get everybody in a studio to make this record. So I started arranging everything, sent all the musicians charts, and got them to record their own parts at home with whatever setup they had. I actually kind of love that we were able to make it work despite some pretty considerable barriers.
Also, exercise and outdoor time has been huge for me. Cycling to the Leslie Street Spit in Toronto to sit by the water and enjoy some meditative quiet was an almost daily ritual for me throughout most of last year. I took up tennis and golf. I went skating almost every day this winter. Lots of long walks with friends. Obviously there have been inconveniences, and I really feel for all the people who have had to endure serious hardship during this time. For me, however, the pandemic has offered a welcome reprieve from an overly rushed kind of lifestyle where time flies by and life gets swallowed up by busyness. I think the slow-time of the past year is something that I will do my best to preserve in my life after this is all over.
How are dealing with the Covid second wave?
Just fine. I would love to be able to visit my parents and hug my friends and know that everyone is safe, but other than that I have really been enjoying getting the word out about this record along with the help of my main man Eric Alper.
Do you have a message for everyone at home reading this?
Loneliness can be awful, but solitude can be freeing and inspiring.
If you would like to be our next ARTIST OF THE DAY please email us at:
JEN@CONCERTWORKS.CA
