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

Days of Rona: Matt Lynch of Snail & Mysterious Mammal Recording (Los Angeles, California)

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How are you dealing with this crisis as a band? Have you had to rework plans at all? How is everyone’s health so far?

So far everyone’s health is good. Mark is convinced that he and his wife had it in late January in Seattle. Of course, this is conjecture but the symptoms matched up. This was before it was even on our radar and no testing but Seattle was the first place it showed up in the States. They are okay now though. I’m in Los Angeles, Mark is in Seattle and Marty is in San Diego, so we don’t play live that often and didn’t have any tour plans yet. We were already in the middle of recording our record and Mark is in the overdub phase up in Seattle so fortunately we are in a good place there. I edit and mix and overdub once Mark is done, so luckily this is something we can continue to do in isolation. I am going to have more time to do this now because I have been laid off from my day job at a travel marketing agency. Not a lot of work going on there, so I’m freed up for mixing and mastering the Snail stuff and finishing Collyn’s Diesel Boots record as well as projects for other artists.

What are the quarantine/isolation rules where you are?

We are in a shelter-in-place here in Los Angeles. We go out for groceries and to walk our dogs. All non-essential businesses are closed, which means everything except medical, grocery, and media. All the beaches and parks are shut down, including bike and walking paths. They tried to keep them open but there are just too many people here in general and we aren’t great at following rules apparently.

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

Everything is closed except to get groceries. My job is gone, at least for the time being. Gigs are all cancelled. There have been a lot of cool live streams happening with music though, and the time to enjoy them. A lot of people are coming together virtually in my community, sharing information, helping each other with groceries and where to find them, trading food items among neighbors for recipes. People are cooking more again, playing music as a family – a bit of the old ways are creeping back in, which is a nice positive. It seems that musicians, or the musicians I know anyway, are generally into cooking. I think there is a parallel there of putting individual elements together to make a whole that is stronger than its parts that appeals to musicians.

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

I think the most important takeaway from this for me is that this has proven just how fast society can change. We are going to come out on the other side of this to a new normal — it won’t be the same — so now is the time to take stock and decide for yourself what you want that new normal to look like, and work towards making it happen.

https://mysteriousmammal.com/
www.snailhq.com
www.facebook.com/snailhq
https://www.instagram.com/snail_hq/
www.smallstone.com
http://www.facebook.com/smallstonerecords
http://www.smallstone.bandcamp.com

Currently in the recording studio with bandmate Matt Lynch, Snail guitarist Eric Clausen has announced a new project featuring Collyn McCoy of The Ultra Electric Mega Galactic and London-based drummer Darby Todd of The Darkness. L.A.’s a weird town, man. But the band sounds cool and Lynch‘s studio, Mysterious Mammal, can be relied on for a full, thick sound, so I’ll be interested to hear how Division Process‘ debut, The Jesus Horses, turns out when the time comes.

Lynch sent the announcement down the PR wire:

Members of Snail Embark On New Project — DIVISION PROCESS

Eric Clausen, lead guitar player for Snail, has entered the studio with Snail bass player and producer Matt Lynch to begin recording his solo project the Division Process. The album, entitled The Jesus Horses, is being recorded at Lynch’s Mysterious Mammal studio in Los Angeles and features some heavy players, notably Darby Todd (The Darkness, Hot Leg) on drums and Collyn McCoy (Otep, Trash Titan, The Ultra Electric Mega Gallactic) on bass.

Division Process is the sole vision and songwriting of Clausen, who plays all guitars and performs all vocals. The Jesus Horses will fuse many styles of heavy music and rock — slow and heavy with melancholy and beauty, sludge and butt rock with experience and searching. Heavy down-tuned instrumental beds with gritty, melodic metal vocals and intensely personal lyric imagery. The songs sound like they emerge from a heavy haze of nicotine and crank.

Some band signposts for reference: Snail, early Metallica, DIO, Motorhead, Tool, Kiss, Alice in Chains, Melvins, Nirvana.

The current track list:

The Acts Of The Apostles
Annex Mecitrocity
Night Of The Sleestak
Pills For Breakfast
Paper Covers Stone
Something With Protien
The Daze Of Lines And Doses
The Jesus Horses (Dear Mother Interlude)
Dope Hope mp3
Stone (BHT)
The Sweet Goodbye