Like the majority of you, all of us in the Philadelphia area are staying at home, learning to adapt to our “new normal.” MAGNET is checking in with local musicians to see how and what they’re doing during this unprecedented time. Photos by Chris Sikich.
Kilynn Lunsford: Until recently, I was working as the national organizer with Labor For Bernie, uniting union members in support of Bernie Sanders. Now, I’m just working on a PA Medicare For All campaign plan and participating in labor actions with USPS, BMWE and Philly’s sanitation workers, to name a few. I’ve managed to do a decent amount of reading during quarantine and even more so now that I’m unemployed; some of my most-enjoyed have been Capital: Volume One, Racecraft, Toward Freedom: The Case Against Race Reductionism and a collection of Brecht short stories. My fiancé, Thomas, and I have watched so many films it’s hard to keep track of them all, but my absolute favorite was Elio Petri’s Trilogy Of Neurosis, which includes the masterpiece The Working Class Goes To Heaven. Not only does its cast include the best of Lina Wertmüller’s regulars, but it cleverly explores an array of Marxian ideas; among the many scenes worth extoling, Lulu inventorying his spoils of compensatory consumerism, and the comical pathos it invokes, is possibly my favorite. Musically, I’ve been playing around with a Roland drum machine, recording beats and vocals on my phone. I have a solo album I’ve been working on, but I still need to finish the artwork. I haven’t had a lot of inspiration to work on visual art while stuck inside; but that’s my goal for the next few months. I also need to work on the art for a live Taiwan Housing Project tape we put together with Belltower Records.
Marky Feehan: Since I lost my job in March and hunkered down, I’ve just been watching a lot of Netflix. I’m hoping this is all going to end soon so I can go back to bar hopping. No Kenzinger is worth dying for, though, so looks like I’m stuck for now. In the meantime, I’ve been doing a lot of recording in my living room. Kilynn and I started out recording on my couch, and now I’m back to square one again. I can’t wait to get back on the road again with the band and back into the studio to make our next album.
Shawn Kilroy: I’ve been playing the drums a bunch.
Cameron Healy: Mostly, I stare at a screen. I spent two weeks ill with COVID-19, trying to get myself back into science, and I’m generally outraged at the fascist police murder of George Floyd. May the old world die and a new one be born.
