Brooklyn Artists Survive — and Thrive — Through Trying Times
As we look forward to the reopening of live performance venues, Brooklyn Roads reached out to some of our “Artists On Our Radar” alumni to see how they’ve been dealing with the pandemic on both a creative and personal level. The common threads were positivity, perseverance, and productivity.
Nicole Atkins: A Most Creative Year
Nicole Atkins/photo by Vivian Wang /courtesy of 7S MGMT
“Making art and music is the biggest thing in my life so having all this downtime has just given me more time to dig deeper,” Nicole Atkins tells Brooklyn Roads. In fact, she adds, “I’ve had one of the most creative years of my life during this pandemic. I made a variety show from my attic and the Jersey shore that featured my music and loads of performances and interviews from special guests like Ween and Jason Isbell.”
Atkins, who launched her career and released her first three albums during the 10-plus years she lived in Brooklyn, has “done a lot of songwriting and painting and recording” from her Nashville base these past 14 months. “Bandcamp Fridays have been something to look forward to every month” as has releasing “some special new song or limited-edition art piece.” She also released her fifth album, Italian Ice, along the way.
When not writing or performing, Atkins has been riding out the pandemic by “spending quality time at home with my husband and watching lots of shows.”
She also tells us that prospects for live shows in 2021 are “starting to trickle in. Check my socials and website for updates. We cannot wait to play. For real. “
Ben Rice: Quality Time in the Studio
Songwriter, producer, mixer, engineer, and native Brooklynite Ben Rice tells Brooklyn Roads that keeping busy in the studio during the heights of the pandemic was very helpful.
“I got into a nice flow collaborating with people remotely during quarantine days and as things have started to open up it’s been great to get back to working with people in person,” he says.
Ben Rice on the board at Degraw Sound / photo by Drew Reynolds
Working out of his studio – Degraw Sound in the Park Slope / Gowanus area — Rice used his time in quarantine wisely and recently released his first full solo album, Future Pretend, in February of this year. He tells us that he was very fortunate to have the opportunity to work on production projects and have time in the studio.
Besides music, Rice says he makes sure to get out for walks every day to keep his sanity in such strange times and listens to podcasts and audiobooks regularly.
While there are no prospects lined up for live shows in 2021 yet, Rice says he is proud to have done a livestream celebration to commemorate his latest release.
Carolann Solebello: Song Prompts and Yoga
Carolann Solebello / courtesy of the artist
During the early months of the pandemic, “It was tough to focus my energy long enough to practice or record songs I already knew, much less write new ones,” Carolann Solebello tells Brooklyn Roads. But when she heard her songwriter pal Cary Cooper was launching another season of RealWomenRealSongs, “I jumped at the chance to write and post new songs based on a weekly prompt.” Since January 2021, she has posted 16 new songs — one each Saturday — to RealWomenRealSongs’ social media channels.
Also helping her get through the pandemic, “I’ve become even more devoted to my daily yoga and meditation practice.” She is also grateful that she and her husband and son live close to Prospect Park. “Having that outdoor space to ramble around in has been such a blessing.”
Looking ahead, she recently booked her first live show in more than a year, May 28 at Acme Hall Studios in Park Slope. It’s part of a series of Friday night concerts in May “for vaccinated folks only,” she emphasizes. “I’m also excited about participating in a Make Music New York porch concert somewhere in Ditmas Park on June 20, exact location TBD.”