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ISOLATION DRILLS

Isolation Drills: Elaine Rasnake

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.

Rasnake: I had plans to go on tour in April, but March was when everything began to change. After canceling all of my tour dates, I had a virtual release of a new EP, Settle Down Found Tapes, in late March. In conjunction with the release, I played in a handful of virtual gigs on Facebook, Zoom and Twitch.

My mental health and a dry spell of creativity, however, quickly began to take a toll on me. Every day I was constantly overwhelmed with feelings of panic, grief, anxiety and fear. It felt like there was no end in sight.

In the summer, I finally decided to take a step back from the artist lifestyle in order to re-evaluate what I wanted and really needed in my life. Alongside my music, I was beginning to put more focus and time into my audio mastering business, Daughterboard Audio.

Thankfully, as the quarantine continued, my friends began sending me more and more of their music to master and helped spread the word of my—now blossoming—business.

I don’t think that I will ever stop making music, but COVID-19 forced me to face the music and realize how much I love audio mastering. And that my truest passion lies in helping others. Who knows, maybe I’ll write a song about this when it’s all over.