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: Alexandre Canhetti of Gods & Punks (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

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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?

In the beginning, we were worried about the new album we had just finished writing. We were in a tight schedule since Pedro, our lead guitar, is gonna move to Barcelona in August. Not only that, but we’re currently without a permanent drummer so Andre Leal, from fellow Brazilian stoner rock band Stone House on Fire, offered to record the drums on this next one. And we still had to rehearse all of the songs before recording them. So, that’s probably not gonna happen and Pedro might have to record his parts from Barcelona so this might be our first album recorded in the traditional click-track studio style.

The second step, as a band, was putting all that behind for a while and thinking of what we could do at the moment. So we recorded an EP with four acoustic versions of our past singles, mixed it, and mastered it in two days, and released it as a way to raise money to help people that are in extreme poverty here in Brazil. That’s because, when you live in Rio, you know that a there’s quite a portion of the population that barely has any access to information, basic sanitation and a decent place to live. And now those people would have to stay home and possibly starve during this pandemic. So yeah, we thought it would be a good idea to help out by having 100 percent of the money we got from that EP go to those people through a local charity foundation. And that’s what we did. Now, we’re trying to get more donations while trying to find a way to get ready, so, whenever this shit ends, we can record the new album.

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?

Well, in that aspect, there’s basically two types of people here: those that support the president, and those who don’t. Those who do, are often against social distancing measures as they think the impact on the economy would be worse than the corona virus itself. Meanwhile, those who either didn’t support the president before, or no longer support him, think we need to prioritize our lives and health, and follow the guidelines suggested by the WHO. However, while politicians debated, the numbers here have risen exponentially, and we now have an average of 800 deaths a day by coronavirus, and a sum of about 15k deaths, while public and private hospitals in all major capitals are reaching their maximum capability and the government does not have tests for everyone. Basically, we’re in deep shit. There’s no other way to put it. Plus, there’s a huge corruption scandal involving the president and his family, in the middle of it all, too. So, yeah. My main concern in terms of what I’ve heard is the huge amount of fake news people are believing. From pointless health measures to dangerous self-medication suggestions people are sharing online. Plus, there are also those who believe it’s all a huge conspiracy for whatever reason, and end up spreading false information.

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 feel like the international community is doing its part and is as active as ever. Bandcamp is still on fire, I get new music suggestions every day from people I follow, and I see this beautiful movement of people supporting the musicians they love and it’s fucking amazing. However, here in Brazil, I think many bands who have always been both politically and socially active, have gone kinda quiet. I don’t know why. I expected something completely different. The local psychedelic rock community here feels kind of faded. That’s a bit sad and disappointing, to say the least. Me? There’s days and days. Some days I wake up inspired and energetic, other days get me down, with absolutely no energy for anything, creatively speaking. I’ve been trying my best to maintain a steady routine, though.

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?

Yeah. How important is art? I mean… Music, literature, movies… That is what’s been keeping me sane, basically. Where the fuck would we be without it? So, yeah, I feel grateful that I can discover new bands and sounds every day and get away from all of this even if it’s for 40 minutes or so, thanks to artists from all around the world. And that’s possible because fans support these artists. And I’m so grateful for that. Plus, I want to thank everyone who downloaded Different Dimensions on Bandcamp. The minimum price tag was 1$ but the average amount you guys spent on the EP was $4.20. That’s so awesome. As Brazilian money is really devalued right now compared to USD, you guys have no idea how many families you guys helped. Thanks so much. And, as a final message, if you haven’t listened to our new acoustic EP, Different Dimensions, check it out on Bandcamp! Cheers!

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Tags: And the Celestial Ascension, Brazil, Days of Rona, Gods & Punks, Gods & Punks And the Celestial Ascension, Rio de Janeiro

This entry was posted on Monday, May 25th, 2020 at 8:36 am and is filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.