Days of Rona: Jake Wallace of Elder Druid
The ongoing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, the varied responses of publics and governments worldwide, and the disruption to lives and livelihoods has reached a scale that is unprecedented. Whatever the month or the month after or the future itself brings, more than one generation will bear the mark of having lived through this time, and art, artists, and those who provide the support system to help uphold them have all been affected.
In continuing the Days of Rona feature, it remains pivotal to give a varied human perspective on these events and these responses. It is important to remind ourselves that whether someone is devastated or untouched, sick or well, we are all thinking, feeling people with lives we want to live again, whatever renewed shape they might take from this point onward. We all have to embrace a new normal. What will that be and how will we get there?
Thanks to all who participate. To read all the Days of Rona coverage, click here. — JJ Koczan
Days of Rona: Jake Wallace of Elder Druid (Belfast, Northern Ireland)
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How have you been you dealing with this crisis as a band? As an individual? What effect has it had on your plans or creative processes?
As a band, we initially did a livestream from our rehearsal space on the 20th March, just before full lockdown came into play in the UK so that was the last time we were all together. It was cool knowing that so many people were sitting at home watching us jam out and within a few days, we had 6k views on the video so we were pretty happy and surprised with that. We’ve all been playing our respective instruments at home and writing bits and pieces but we always need to play together in the room to make it all gel. That has always been the formula.
We got our first ever batch of vinyl at the start of April so that was a bit frustrating as it was probably the worst time to end up with boxes and boxes of records, with no gigs to play and no merch tables to lay them on. We had a few festivals cancelled, as well as main support for Stoned Jesus & Conan on their respective Irish tours. Really shitty luck but everyone is in the same boat so we can’t let it get to us.
Personally I’ve just been buying/listening to a load of new records and playing games on my PS4. Luckily, I’ve been in lockdown with my girlfriend so it’s great to have each other’s company during all of this.
How do you feel about the public response to the outbreak where you are? From the government response to the people around you, what have you seen and heard from others?
Honestly, Belfast seems to be heeding the advice a lot better than other parts of the UK. Northern Ireland has had the least deaths out of the 4 nations in the UK so I guess that’s something. There’s definitely a lot less people on the streets and it’s a weird ghostly atmosphere in the city centre with all the shops/bars etc. being closed. Our local bar/metal venue Voodoo has launched a funding page to help support them through the crisis so hopefully the guys can pull through unscathed as we’ve played more shows there than anywhere else and it’d be devastating to lose somewhere like that.
What do you think of how the music community specifically has responded? How do you feel during this time? Are you inspired? Discouraged? Bored? Any and all of it?
I think it has been very encouraging to see most of the music community trying to support each other as everyone is being hurt in one way or another. Most notably, I really loved the fact that Bandcamp waived their fees on the first Friday of the month to allow artists to earn that little bit more. It’s a great gesture and it really encourages fans to spend, especially with it being straight after payday. At the same time, I’ve seen a lot of bands profiteering off the pandemic and selling masks etc. at extortionate prices and I don’t agree with that at all, especially when they’re just an accessory and not actually useful in stopping the spread of the virus.
What is the one thing you want people to know about your situation, either as a band, or personally, or anything? What is your new normal? What have you learned from this experience, about yourself, your band, or anything?
We’d love everyone to know that we’re gonna be working to reschedule all the shows that have been cancelled over the next few months, as well as booking new shows for later in the year and next year, all being well. I’d say we’ve learned that paying rent for a rehearsal space that we can’t use really sucks and if we’re ever getting a vinyl order in the future, we’ll make sure and do our research on the world’s vulnerability to pandemics and the likes.
If anyone wants to support us by picking up our latest album ‘Golgotha’, it’s available on vinyl/CD/digital over on our Bandcamp page, as well as loads of new shirt designs. Your support is greatly appreciated.
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https://elderdruid.bandcamp.com/releases
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