{"id":2457002,"date":"2020-04-09T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-09T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=324033"},"modified":"2020-04-09T16:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-04-09T22:00:00","slug":"at-home-in-aspen-quarantunes-and-virtual-concerts-find-grateful-audiences-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/at-home-in-aspen-quarantunes-and-virtual-concerts-find-grateful-audiences-online\/","title":{"rendered":"At home in Aspen: \u2018Quarantunes\u2019 and virtual concerts find grateful audiences online"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image p402_hide\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"605\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/bcoronamusic-atd-041020-1-1024x605.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/bcoronamusic-atd-041020-1-1024x605.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/bcoronamusic-atd-041020-1-300x177.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/bcoronamusic-atd-041020-1-768x454.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/bcoronamusic-atd-041020-1-1536x908.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/bcoronamusic-atd-041020-1-2048x1210.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><figcaption><strong>Jackson Emmer performing his weekly &#8220;Quarantunes&#8221; concert on Americana Highways.<\/strong><br \/><em>Screenshot via Facebook<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText DropCap\">With his turntable setup, some black lights, a disco ball and occasional cameos from his children, DJ Naka G has been at the helm of a popular virtual dance club in Aspen over the past month.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">As the novel coronavirus outbreak spread and stay-at-home orders went into effect, the Aspen-native X Games and Olympics DJ has been streaming free Facebook Live sets from his home.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">With hundreds of people watching and commenting \u2014 upwards of 1,100 watched his April 1 performance \u2014 they\u2019ve become near-nightly community gatherings for Aspenites in quarantine and people around the world who follow Naka. He\u2019ll regularly offer shout-outs as people join in on the virtual party, on a recent night calling out viewers from as far as \u201cJapan! Australia! Downvalley! Denver!\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Usually it\u2019s about an hourlong set, spinning his long-established signature mash-ups of crate-diving old school funk, hip-hop and soul with pop hits and rock anthems.<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\">\n<div class=\"row at-donation at-donation-mobile p-0\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/at-banner-paypal.jpg)\" class=\"col-xl-8 p-3 text-center rocket-lazyload\">\n<h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/donate\/?utm_source=article&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=donation&amp;utm_term=&amp;utm_content=mid-article\">Donate<\/a><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">It\u2019s peppered with his dry wit and snarky humor, as Naka occasionally picks up his handheld microphone to react in real time as fans comment (he keeps three computer screens running to track his mix, monitor video and view comments simultaneously).<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe theme tonight is \u2018hump day funk day,\u2019\u201d he said at the top of a recent Wednesday night performance. \u201cKind of like some of you might be smelling after days without showering: quarantine funk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Another set was themed #ILoveNewYork as COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths surged in the city, honoring the town with sounds from Wu-Tang Clan, The Ramones and the Talking Heads.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI wish I could say this is the first time I\u2019ve been at a Naka show without pants,\u201d one commenter wrote on a recent night.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Over the past several weeks, Naka\u2019s streams have developed into communal experiences and a sort of safe haven from the fear and rage that pervades much of the online conversation around the coronavirus crisis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cAny sense of normalcy is such a relief right now,\u201d wrote another, echoing the outpouring of gratitude during Michael Nakagawa\u2019s stream.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Naka\u2019s shows are part of a steadily growing and evolving ecosystem of virtual concerts, mirroring the national trend of online performances during the nationwide stay-home period. They range from Naka\u2019s sets to Jackson Emmer\u2019s \u201cQuarantunes\u201d sessions, from Thunder River Theatre Co.\u2019s \u201cThunderstream\u201d shows to local children\u2019s musician Miss Tammy\u2019s Facebook sing-alongs, the first of which included a kid-friendly refrain that sounds like a mission statement for all these virtual performances: \u201cI don\u2019t sing because I\u2019m happy, I\u2019m happy because I sing. I don\u2019t dance because I\u2019m happy, I\u2019m happy because I dance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">While many national and regional musicians are performing online for virtual tips and tickets to support themselves in the wake of devastating revenue losses from canceled gigs and tours, the Aspen area concerts so far have been offered up as a free service or as a way to support others.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Emmer is performing a weekly \u201cQuarantunes\u201d concert from his midvalley home on Thursday nights, streaming live playing guitar and singing on his Facebook page and through Americana Highways. This week\u2019s show is a tribute to John Prine, following the singer-songwriter\u2019s death this week from coronavirus. The shows have been drawing upward of 1,200 views. He is accepting donations and directing all proceeds to the Community Resource Center in Nashville, providing relief for musicians affected by the coronavirus economic fallout.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI have to help people because I can,\u201d Emmer said in a recent phone interview.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Emmer isn\u2019t living gig-to-gig, and had a break from the road planned for this spring anyway, so he is in a position to help others who aren\u2019t as fortunate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Like all the musicians performing virtual concerts, he\u2019s learning some new performance skills by playing to a laptop camera.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWhen I\u2019m on tour, if there\u2019s a night when I show up and open my mouth to sing and I don\u2019t feel like it, I have people there to interact with and remind me that I\u2019m there for a reason that\u2019s outside of myself,\u201d he explained. \u201cThat gets me excited and re-engaged. Now, the interaction is different. It comes from a comment or from just knowing that people are out there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">It may create a more personal expression for the viewer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI need to look inside of myself to the part of me that loves music most,\u201d he said of playing alone for a virtual audience, \u201cand really get in touch with that and play to that. I can\u2019t see them, but they are there and it\u2019s not about me. I have to show up and support them and offer something in these weird times.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Along with the \u201cQuarantunes\u201d shows, he\u2019s also releasing new songs weekly via Spotify, YouTube and SoundCloud. He\u2019ll keep doing so every week, he said, until the stay-home period is over.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Between the \u201cQuarantunes\u201d concerts, Emmer has been doing some recording for film and commercial scores, but is also writing songs. He\u2019s finished 10 songs in the past three weeks (\u201cfive of them are good,\u201d he said) and has gotten label interest in some of them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">As a touring musician, Emmer rarely has this long of a stretch at home with his wife, Olivia, and their dog, Willoughby. Along with playing music for a few hours a day, Emmer is indulging in his baking habit and experimenting with bread, biscuit, cookie and popover recipes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cA lot of it is mundane and that\u2019s honestly a treat for me, because I don\u2019t usually get that time,\u201d Emmer said. \u201cIt\u2019s a joy, even though it\u2019s weird because we are on lockdown.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">He had a tour planned with West Virginia singer-songwriter John Lilly in April, now canceled. But he\u2019d planned to be home a lot this spring, working on landing a label for a recently recorded album, his follow-up to 2018\u2019s \u201cJukebox,\u201d which garnered international attention.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Among his single releases in recent weeks is \u201cColorado Line,\u201d a bittersweet folk tune about coming home to Colorado he wrote this winter during a five-week tour through Texas and California. \u201cColorado Line\u201d is oddly attuned to our collective moment, though written before the pandemic took hold. The chorus goes \u201cMoney\u2019s gone, but I\u2019m feelin\u2019 fine\/Feeding off that sweet sunshine\/Back over the Colorado line.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt was an amalgamation of a bunch of feelings I\u2019ve had as I\u2019ve driven in and out of the state regularly,\u201d he said of the song, of which he recorded a vinyl single with a California-based record label.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Emmer also played a set at Carbondale Arts\u2019 eclectic Virtual First Friday on April 3. In an introductory Zoom colloquy with co-hosts Corey Simpson and Amy Kimberly, Emmer summed up the spirit of the many virtual gatherings and performances that have spring up as public life has moved online over the last month: \u201cI know we can\u2019t be together in the midst of this quarantine, but at least we can come tougher around some good stuff and we\u2019ll get through it together.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><a href=\"mailto:atravers@aspentimes.com\">atravers@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/entertainment\/at-home-in-aspen-quarantunes-and-virtual-concerts-find-grateful-audiences-online\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jackson Emmer performing his weekly &#8220;Quarantunes&#8221; concert on Americana Highways.Screenshot via Facebook With his turntable setup, some black lights, a disco ball and occasional cameos from his children, DJ Naka G has been at the helm of a popular virtual dance club in Aspen over the past month. As the novel coronavirus outbreak spread and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2457002","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-18 05:12:24","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2457002","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2457002"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2457002\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2457002"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2457002"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2457002"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}