Local Country Artist Jessica Lynn Talks About Life Off The Road During Shutdown

No work, layoff's, and over 26 million people on unemployment, but what's it like to be a performer who's got no where to perform?

Jessica Lynn from Yorktown is one of many local artists who, like lots of other people, are currently not working. It's not because her office or business is closed, it's because the places that she and her band normally play at are closed. The only connection she has right now with her fans is through virtual concerts and live streams.

I got a chance to talk to her recently about life off the road during the coronavirus crisis.

So with all that's going on now, you're basically unemployed, right?

"Yea, I've never been in this situation before where you just feel stuck. To not be able to get out and play in front of people, something I've been doing for the last 15 years, is just a very weird feeling."

That's great that you can do that, but it doesn't pay the bills, right?

"No it doesn't, but I think the thing that makes me feel comfort in all this, because when everything first hit it was kind of mass panic, like what are we going to do. My husband and band member Steve told me that I wasn't the only one going through this, the entire world right now is going through the same thing. So when I would start worrying about if these concerts are going to be canceled, or where are we going to perform, he said you're not the only artist that this is happening to, you're not missing out on anything, everybody is in this together. My heart does hurt for everyone, all the places we were scheduled to play, all the restaurants I love."

So what does the near future hold for performers who rely on clubs and concert venues to be open?

"I'm pretty sure we're going to be the last people back to work. It's not just work, music and the arts is something that brings a lot of joy to people, it's really sad, but understandable, everyone's safety has to be the top priority, so that's basically where we're at."

So, with all this down time, you must have more time to write, and I heard you had a new song that just came out, a ballad, which is kind of different for you.

"Yes, you know my previous releases have all been very uptempo, very happy songs, but my real love in music has always been those big 80's power ballads, so for me, I took the first two weeks of the shutdown and did nothing but sit with my guitar and write for about eight hours a day. Actually, I think some of the best stuff I've ever written has come out of that period, including this song, I just let my gut, and my heart and soul guide me."