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.
Bunch: 2020 was supposed to be the busiest year of my life. Similar to many people around the world, everything I was working on came to a screeching halt in mid March. My band Suburban Living and I were actually on tour playing a show when all the shutdowns began to happen, and by March 13th I was back in Philly preparing for lockdown.
Since then, the past 4 and a half months have been some of the most challenging on my mental health. However, there’s solace in knowing that a lot of other artists in the world are going through the same thing. I do my best to continue to work on music outside of Philadelphia in a mountain home located in the Shenandoah Valley. Suburban Living has an album called “How To Be Human” coming out next month. We worked so hard on this album, and now we can’t do a damn thing to promote it in real life. We can’t get together to practice due to immunocompromised family members, play shows, or make any type of appearances that usually come with putting an album out.
I keep telling myself everything is temporary. When I’m feeling down I work on projects to keep me going. I’ve become a much better cook, handyman, and partner. I’ve fallen in love with the outdoors and the mountain town I’m living in. I’ve become a more well rounded human through all of this. I’ve gotten to spend a lot more time with family, while also realizing how important my friendships are. I miss “the old life” but I also love everything I’ve learned through this. At the end of the day, I’m happy to be healthy and lucky to have the people and places that surround me.
“Dirt,” the latest single from the forthcoming How To Be Human, is out today.