Notes From a Pandemic: The new hit song ‘Stay Safe,’ plus streams by Dua Lipa, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Kevin Morby

Kevin Bronson on March 26th, 2020

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It’s Thursday morning, and we’ll confess we have a crush on our huge library of live concert photos. Patience, patience … Meanwhile, get a load of songwriters who work long-distance:

“STAY SAFE” (THE NEW HIT SONG)

“There’s an old-fashioned remedy for cabin fever, and that’s to grab a guitar, fiddle or spoons. It works for me anyhow,” writes Grant-Lee Phillips. And the Nashville-based singer-songwriter found some like-minded friends. “I rang up John Doe and I said, ‘John, I’m going to write a verse, I’m going tape myself singing it on my phone, and then I’m going to text to you out in Texas, and then you write a verse and even a chorus if you’re on a roll.’” Doe did so, and Phillips then asked L.A.-based Sam Phillips if she would do the same, suggesting that her husband, violinist Eric Gorfain play fiddle on it. Bang. “I Frankensteined (yes, that’s a word) it all together,” the Nashville Phillips says. “In that spirit of togetherness, we offer you this message in hopes of lifting your spirits.”

TODAY’S LIVE STREAMS

■ 6:15AM: Meditation with Stuart Murdoch of Belle and Sebastian on Facebook.
■ 8AM: Dua Lipa on YouTube.
■ 10AM: Manchester’s Larkins on Facebook.
■ 10AM: Today and tomorrow, Bandsintown will hold its first LIVE Music Marathon benefitting the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund on Twitch, beginning each day at 10 a.m. for Mt. Joy’s Matt Quinn, Tank and the Bangas, Sofi Tukker and more. Tune in here.
■ 11AM: Every day, the World Health Organization and Global Citizen bring the #TogetherAtHome series. Tomorrow’s itinerary includes Kygo, Noah Cyrus, Lang Lang, Jon Batiste, Ty Dolla $ign, Caroline Jones with Jimmy Buffet and more. Tune in on Instagram.
■ 11AM: Sea Wolf on Facebook.
■ 12PM: Every day of this week AWOLNATION is going live with conversations and songs on Instagram.
■ 2PM: Irontom’s Harry Hayes and Dreamers’ Nick Wold on Instagram.
■ 2:20PM: Brendan Benson is doing one song a day on Instagram.
■ 3PM: Neil Finn & family on Fangradio (and archived here).
■ 3PM: Tim Burgess (the Charlatans)-organized listening party with band members from seminal British rock bands directly fielding questions from fans while listening to a specified album together. Today is Ride’s “Going Blank Again” with Andy Bell and Loz Colbert. Tune in and ask away on Twitter.
■ 4PM: Ben Gibbard on YouTube and Facebook.
■ 5PM: Cancelled Fest, the second of three days, with Eric Davis, Opus Orange, All Things Blue, Family Cash, the Gooms and more. Set times and artists for all three days are here. Stream live on YouTube.
■ 6PM: Kevin Morby and Waxahatchee on Instagram.
■ 6PM: Luna Shadows on Instagram.
■ 9PM: Ladysmith Black Mambazo, presented by CAP UCLA and KCRW, on Facebook and YouTube.

SUPPORT THE SCENE

With venues and bars shuttered, fundraising campaigns are underway for staff — sound engineers, bartenders, security, door people, etc. Here’s how to help:

■ A GoFundMe campaign has been started for employees of the Teragram Ballroom and the Moroccan Lounge. Donate.

■ A GoFundMe campaign has been started for employees of the Satellite. Donate.

■ A GoFundMe campaign has been started for employees of the Hi Hat. Donate.

■ The Hotel Café is soliciting donations via it tickets page, with 100% of the proceeds going to employees who are jobless because the venue is shuttered. Donate.

■ Zebulon Café has set up a GoFundMe page for its employees. Donate.

■ The Lodge Room (and adjacent Checker Hall) has a GoFundMe for their employees. Donate.

■ Gold-Diggers has launched a GoFundMe campaign for its staff. Donate.

■ The recently reopened Airliner has set up a GoFundMe page for its people. Donate.

■ The Bootleg Theater, which is operated by the nonprofit Rampart Theater Project, sent out a message to patrons thanking them for past support and noting that tax-deductible donations may still be made. Donate here.

DoLA NEEDS HELP, TOO

DoLA— the popular website and email newsletter that’s a virtual city guide to all things music, arts and culture– is soliciting donations for its staff. Like many outlets who depend on marketing dollars (including this site), DoLA’s revenue has plummeted to zero because of the lockdown. Their plea is simple: help us stay in business.

Meanwhile, the site has relaunched under DoStuff [At Home], offering a menu of virtual events and (safe) activities.