We’re all being played. Literally. And by some of the worst musicians possible–bureaucrats and bourgeoisie. Do you want to know what COVID-19 is really about? It’s simple, really. The economy is going to bust, for many reasons, but mainly because the Federal Reserve has been printing money non-stop since the 1980’s. Keep in mind, this “fiat” money is no longer backed by anything–gold was removed as the insurance in 1973. When the money printing ceases to be effective, we will have severely high unemployment and hyperinflation. COVID-19 is stepping stone on the way to control this implosion via implementing a mandatory tracking system complete with digital money, negative interest rates, and essentially full control over your livelihoods. It will happen in these steps: New designer bio-weapon (COVID-20) is released–>Mandatory testing and vaccinations required to travel–>Vaccine identifier programs will become mandatory for everyone–>Your entire lives will be monitored 24/7; you will need the latest vaccine to participate in society–>If/When you speak out, your access to money will be removed. End of story. But we’re just musicians right? Has anyone thought about the future of music?

Apparently not. What I am seeing currently is depressing. Most of us working musicians are out of a gig and perhaps permanently. How many bars, restaurants and music venues will survive this lock down, let alone future ones? In all the endless virtue signaling of “saving lives” we conveniently overlook the fact that we are drilling holes in the boat that we all ride in–the economy. I’m sorry to tell you folks, it’s never going to recover to its past level in our lifetimes. Time to put on some blues…

Of course, this is by design. And the designers will tell us that we can simply resort to video conferencing, right? Companies like Zoom and apps like Facebook live will save us, right? Has anyone perused social media lately? I mean, props to the peeps that are trying, but what I’m seeing is a bunch of half-assed musicians begging for attention that they would have never received if they needed to compete in the real world. There are thousands of pro’s, if not hundreds of thousands that now have to somehow get their signal level above all the ridiculous noise that’s out there. It’s akin to how the digitizing of music recording made the process easier, but unfortunately didn’t produce any better music. In short, we are all screwed.

On the other hand, I’m sure the chosen crowd, the cookie-cutter producers of shit will be out there–and they will be the only ones who can afford to produce music anymore. Imagine the future of that music scene. Had enough Justin Bieber yet? Maybe you’d prefer some more Billie Eilish, or Ariana Grande? NO FUCKING THANKS. Generations of young wannabees, growing up to the sounds of Dua Lipa instead of Miles, Coltrane and Jimi. Perhaps in the futures we won’t even need musicians anymore–I mean, we’ve got computers, right? Talk about a post-apocalyptic scenario. It’s like the book 1984, with Madonna as the head of the Ministry of Music. Yikes!

So what do we do about it? I’ve had a few thoughts. The first thing we all have to do is navigate this lock down. I’m sorry if you are afraid of your own shadow, but we can’t hide in caves for the rest of our lives. Not to mention, we don’t have to, as we have RIGHTS that are not only God-given via natural law, but rights that are woven into our country’s bloodlines–the rights that stem from our constitution. The first amendment gives you the right to assemble–without any infringement, period. The fourth amendment secures your right to travel without papers, or being unreasonably detained or questioned about it. The fourteenth amendment preserves our right to pursue life, liberty and happiness without the interdiction of the State. The first thing we are going to have to do is take back our rights.

Keep in mind, the tyrannical power structure that is putting this in place have no plan to let us up again. Even if this lock down is lifted, what prevents another one in the future? What would the economy look like then? It is important that, even as musicians, we become informed and promote ideas of freedom to their necessary ends. I’m not going to kid you, this might seem like a tall order in light of the down pressing that is currently occurring. However, at this point you really have no choice, as your ability to make any money from your craft has been severely limited. Choose wisely as you navigate the future.

Back to the music. It’s time to write songs that mean something. It’s time to stop writing music about the love that you found, that you’ll never find because it’s always not able to be found, dig? Although I loathe politics, it’s time to get political with your lyrics. Remind people of their once everyday lives, their rights, their needs. Remind people of histories of authoritarian rulers who deprived their citizens of even food to eat. Remind people that our country, our globe perhaps, used to be much different than it is today. Most important, remind people that they are sovereign in their personhood and their rights come from their creator, not the government.

When the social distancing memes are lessened organize a house party with a few local bands that are friendly to the mission. Although I am a strong advocate of keeping politics and performance separate, these are desperate times amigos. You’ve got the microphone. No need to attack anyone, but do try to encourage and stimulate thought, discussion and discourse as to what the future should look like, minus the tyrants at the helm. At this point I would suggest performing for donations; for example a large yard could hold 30-50 people who could collectively donate $300-$500. I know, it’s not a ton of money, but at least it’s something.

Another thing you can do is find places that will accept your music for free. All those CD’s are going nowhere anyway, so why not give them away? Turn on the future generations to something different and away from the latest Tay-Tay album. Reach out to other performers, radio personalities, event venues, etc. and let them help spread the message. Seriously, who wants a world without good music or at least the ability to choose from a wide variety of music? All of these people can be our allies in this difficult time. Work together.

Most important, get off your ass and do something. Don’t lounge around hoping your new whiny quarantine song is going to go TOP-40. It won’t because Usher and T-Pain have already written theirs–I imagine the lyrics are something close to not being able to bang as many ho’s in their lambo’s anymore. The pressure of conformity is enormous right now, I know. Rise to the challenge, rise above the noise and get your signal out. We are all in this together and we need each other to find our way through this. Otherwise, only a precious few of us will be allowed to perform in future jug bands!

Stay safe and be well. Fear is a virus. There is nothing wrong with the air. This entire coronavirus event is overblown and manipulated to push an agenda; nothing more, nothing less. Whether you can see that or not is imperative to removing yourself from the sheep filled pen. Yours and your families survival depends on it. The future of music depends on it. Our civilization as we know it depends on it. God speed friends!