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Days of Rona: Daniel Pruitt of Lord Buffalo

The statistics of COVID-19 change with every news cycle, and with growing numbers, stay-at-home isolation and a near-universal disruption to society on a global scale, it is ever more important to consider the human aspect of this coronavirus. Amid the sad surrealism of living through social distancing, quarantines and bans on gatherings of groups of any size, creative professionals — artists, musicians, promoters, club owners, techs, producers, and more — are seeing an effect like nothing witnessed in the last century, and as humanity as a whole deals with this calamity, some perspective on who, what, where, when and how we’re all getting through is a needed reminder of why we’re doing so in the first place.

Thus, Days of Rona, in some attempt to help document the state of things as they are now, both so help can be asked for and given where needed, and so that when this is over it can be remembered.

Thanks to all who participate. To read all the Days of Rona coverage, click here. — JJ Koczan

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Days of Rona: Daniel Pruitt of Lord Buffalo (Austin, Texas)

How are you dealing with this crisis as a band? How is everyone’s health so far?

Fortunately we’re all healthy and ¾ of the band has been able to keep their jobs and work from home. I work in the service industry and was laid off. I am lucky to work for a solid musician-owned company that paid me for a few weeks after the shop closed and also made it easy to get unemployment. I’m hiding out in Oklahoma City for a bit and the rest of the band is in Austin. We Facetime weekly and are cooking up ideas for some new music. On top of that I’ve got a few collaborations I’m working on with friends that are nice distractions.

Have you had to rework plans at all?

This whole thing hit right as we were leaving for a West Coast tour in support our LP Tohu Wa Bohu. We made it three dates in before it became clear that trying to tour wasn’t safe for us or our fans. Not great timing. We arrived home to find SXSW and the rest of our spring schedule was canceled. Since then we’ve had several summer shows and festivals cancel and/or tentatively reschedule.

I sent Desert Records the final mixes for a split LP with Palehorse/Palerider a couple days before we left for tour. The release date and road shows for this release are getting pushed back until later in the summer. We’re trying to reschedule everything we can, but at this point no one really knows when it will be ok to gather for live music again. Everything is a little up in the air.

What are the quarantine/isolation rules where you are?

In the city of Austin we have smart local government who made shelter-in-place happen relatively quickly. Essential businesses are open with social distancing in effect. Everyone who can work from home is doing that. The city is asking people to wear masks in public. Meanwhile, the Governor of Texas is an idiot who values dollars over humans and is reopening the state already. I think it’s a huge mistake. I hope I’m wrong. Many businesses are disregarding the lifting of restrictions from the governor’s office because they value the safety of their employees and customers, which is heartening to see.

How have you seen the virus affecting the community around you and in music?

The isolation is certainly strange, I wonder how it will affect our communities in the long run. Crossing the street when you see another human does something to you after a while. Initially we all approached this pandemic as a sprint, but now that it’s clear that it’s more of a marathon I think there is a different sort of stress that sets in. I have family and friends who work in healthcare and I worry about them. Not just in the sense of exposure to the virus but the long term psychological effects of waking up everyday and putting yourself and your family into harm’s way. Heavy stuff.

As far as the musical community, there’s been a proliferation of live music streams and social media events, which are good and necessary placeholders. I think live music is a form of creative release for the performer and the audience. At the same time, live streams are not a substitute for the stink of making a proper mess in a room together with other humans and I think we’re all trying to figure out when we can do that again. We’ve done some interviews remotely and live on Instagram. There’s definitely a captive audience in these times. Outside of social media, it seems there’s more getting in touch with fellow musicians and saying, “Hey, you know how we’ve talked about collaborating on X, let’s finally do it.” I’m excited to see some of those come to life.

What is the one thing you want people to know about your situation, either as a band, or personally, or anything?

I’ve struggled with productivity, worrying I’m not as productive as I think I should be right now. You spend your whole adult life trying to simultaneously pay rent and bills and make music, wishing you had more time to focus on music without the physical and emotional drain of outside work. Then, Boom, out of nowhere, it’s forced on you, but it’s paired with the financial stress of losing your job and the anxiety of being in the midst of a pandemic. Suddenly, it’s hard to feel creative. Anxiety is a drain on your brain, keeping you from mentally getting into a creative space.

I wonder if the larger problem isn’t how we derive our personal value? How we base our self-worth on our production? I’m trying not to engage in the circular thinking of what I should be accomplishing, instead attempting to be present, to value slowness, to take a breath and try to get acquainted with who I am when I’m not running, running, running; who I am when I’m not defining myself by my work. Do I really know? I still sit down to work, but I’m trying not to get mad when nothing seems to come of it. Making yourself available is all you can do sometimes. I trust that when glacier starts to thaw and the juices flow again, when the muse is coaxed down from her perch, this time spent grounding and expanding this knowledge of ourselves will be an undeniable asset.

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