TL:DR: Our shows and “rob’s open mics” are cancelled through the end of the month. Wash your hands, treat one another well. We Love you and we Miss you.
We’ve been playing music to many of you for almost 20 years, and over the course of the ilyAIMY upDates’ existence I’ve had to write a couple of serious emails that go a little further than simply “hey, come see our show, buy our stuff, thanks for listening”. I’ve had to write emails as my father died and in the wake of 9/11. I felt the need to address hurricanes and catastrophes and tragedies both great and small simply because music isn’t solitary or isolating. It’s something we do together.
And so, though my partner Heather Aubrey Lloyd’s words echo in my head (“keep it light, keep it light, keep it light”) – lemme get serious for a bit.
In light of advice from medical professionals in our community* and with the aim to do what’s right for our fanbase (sorry everyone, we play the FOLK community – if we were a K-pop band and you were all 12 year-olds maybe I wouldn’t be worried about y’all!) we are cancelling our next several shows and I am cancelling my open mics till April. I’ve received feedback… I KNOW some of you think it’s silly… I think it’d be wise to be smart, even if it appears foolish, in order not to have been an idiot.
I won’t lie. This is going to deeply hurt us financially, and it hurts us spiritually as well. I hope this is an excess of caution. But no gig is worth anyone getting sick.
We’re a remarkably resilient species. America’s a remarkably innovative nation. We’ll muddle through Covid-19 as we’ve muddled through many crises – despite ourselves – but if touring has taught me one thing, it’s that when it comes down to the Wire** we WILL take care of one another.
ilyAIMY is thinking of creative ways to use our time: webcasts, recording, writing. We’ll let you know what we’re up to. Feel free to reach out and let us know what YOU’RE up to. Be patient, sympathetic, flexible and calm.
We hope to see you soon.
So say we all!
-rob
ilyAIMY
Baltimore, MD
*Yes, I KNOW we are well below the mandated thresholds put forth by the CDC and Maryland’s ban on mass gatherings and that… MORE–>
**Yes, this is a Baltimore joke. Keep it light, keep it light, keep it light…
