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.
Greetings. Jeremy Prouty of Upholstery here.
Damn. I think we all knew 2020 was going to be a year for the books, but how could anyone have foreseen this mess we now find ourselves in?
For those reading this, I hope you are safe and healthy, with some level of security. This pandemic has laid bare what so many of us were already aware of: This country has terrifyingly little in terms of a safety net for our most vulnerable populations. My heart aches for everyone facing horrific conditions right now. It is hard to be hopeful in times like this, but we must try.
From a creative perspective, we are actually in a great position to be holed-up indoors right now. In January, I enlisted some of my funkiest co-conspirators—Arjun Dube (Trap Rabbit), Johann Sebastian (producer and multi-instrumentalist) and Marty Gottlieb-Hollis (Martronimous)—to help me start work on a “super-dark dance record.” We did a massive recording session in mid-January and essentially tracked the foundation for a full album’s worth of material. So now Johann and I are doing remote mixing sessions, sifting through the material together and starting to form what will be our next full-length record. I’ve just started writing lyrics for the pieces, so I’m sure all of the fears and anxiety filling the ether right now will find their way into the music.
I have been doing some live-stream performances, and have appreciated the chance to connect with folks that way. I’m incredibly grateful to be safe and secure with my family right now and to have the support of our West Philly community. I have been able to continue to work from home, so I have been spared much of the dread and worry that millions across the country are facing. I’m also grateful for this chance to slow down and recharge—it’s just tragic that the personal respite comes at the cost of so much suffering.
Upholstery just performed again as part of The Monthly Fund, a fundraising series that I curate. We were raising funds and awareness for Philly Thrive, a great local environmental activist organization.
Besides the pile of pus that currently resides in the White House, I personally put a lot of the blame for our current situation on the weasel that diverted our course into this alternate timeline back in 2016.
Fuck you, weasel.
