During the Covid 19/Corona virus situation Demon Reports team had the idea to do the interview with artists and the bands from all over the world about this situation and global pandemic. In this interview one of our Journalist Vladimir Cincovic had an interview with Vocalist Mish from the Australian Heavy rock/Alternative band Torizon about the whole Covid 19 situation, how does she sees the bands, venues and fans after this situation, what does she misses the most during this Corona virus situation, about the live streaming show trends, below:
1. During the Corona virus/Covid 19 situation, what was the main thing that keep you occupied during the lock-down, did it helped in the creative way, like creating new music, songs, ideas, etc?
”Hi I’m Mish, vocalist, from an Australian Heavy Rock/Alternative band Torizon. The main things that kept us going are creating more music, adapting to the ever changing restrictions as a team refining our song writing process. We all have respective home studios for capturing ideas and sending them back and forth and building the songs. I think we ended up writing half an album or a brand new EP….we haven’t decided which way to go just yet. Apart from that we doubled down on music & content marketing courses & up-skilling ourselves. We all have formal music theory education and used this time to revisit, apply & build on our current knowledge base. We also upgraded our home base private rehearsal & recording studios which has been amazing!
2. How did this situation affected you in the promotional way, since the shows are not allowed, did the social media helped in promotional way, also did this situation affected you in financial way, as well?
”I think this situation really made us take a deeper look at our brand and values, assess what we stand for and why we are making music. Now that we aren’t playing live to promote new material, we turned to social media platforms with consistent content reflecting the aforementioned values. This really helped us connect with our fans at a deeper level by showing them the behind the scenes of what it takes to create music and running a band whilst virtually bringing them to our home & rehearsal/recording studios. We also used social media platforms to bring awareness to mental health and chronic pain sufferers. Absolutely, 3 out of the 4 band members lost their jobs for the foreseeable future due to the current restrictions. We are lucky to be in a position where all band members are multi-skilled and can create music, videos, marketing material, graphic design etc in house – this allowed us to record, film and release our upcoming single “Find My Way Out”.”
3. Do you think that the major festival and venues, as well the other bands would easily recover from this situation and how much will take your band to recover in your own opinion?
”Major festivals and venues will still suffer for a while yet. Due to reduced numbers and punter limits, it isn’t going to be as cost effective to run a business, promote and pay for artists as well as other overheads. Less numbers will mean higher ticket prices. Given the struggling economy, people won’t be able to afford many of these major events due to the recent job losses. On top of that many international acts will have a hard time coming into the country due to border closures, travel bans and CV19 control measures. Some bands unfortunately would not have used the time to their advantage and will be playing catch up to the ones that have been working on new products, social media and crowd engagements. While shows will still be limited it gives local and Australian artists a chance to step up and and offer crowds more bang for their buck. Personally, Torizon has worked really hard to keep up the momentum all through the lock-down period and we should come up ahead of the curve if we keep up the same work ethic.”
4. How do you interact with fans during this situation, what will you do to be there for your fans, would you live stream maybe your shows, or something else that can be interesting for your fans ?
‘Social media is the key to connect with our fans right now. We’ve been trialing a few different things but the video format seems to be working really well. We release weekly videos which entail behind the scenes, play-through, live covers, gear rundowns, vocal routines, studio sneak peeks etc. taking our fans on a journey with us through songwriting process, production, tracking etc. We also created a series called Covid Diaries showcasing what we have been doing during lock-down, talking about mental health and the importance of self care. Besides that we have been writing new music so we can release a single every 2 or 3 months to be there for our fans We have also increased our content creation and posting frequency to keep in touch with everyone. Our focus is putting a spotlight on the music community & helping each other out. And of course we can’t always be serious, sometimes all we need is a good meme or talking about Star Wars etc. to unite everyone!”
5. What do you miss the most? Live shows or being around the people that are close to you?
”Definitely hanging out with everyone at live shows. There is no better feeling than playing for a big crowd and then mingling with everyone afterwards. And of course I really miss going to for a nice meal with my close friends and family without having to worry about anything…the little things that we took for granted.”
6. Who will suffer the most are those bands, festivals, venues or fans?
”I think major promoters, venues, festivals, production and crew services will suffer the most. They have the highest overheads and are 100% reliant on the music industry for their livelihoods. If you look at it in a positive light, the fans now have a chance to discover new music and maybe stumble upon the next big band. If it wasn’t for the
7. Which record you choose for the isolation theme for this situation, which one fits perfectly for this situation?
”The Open Door by Evanescence – This album takes you through the full spectrum of darkness, it’s angry, lamenting, melancholic, apprehensive and raw. It really represents what we are all going through.”
8. How do you personally see this global pandemic, do you have advice for fans and the other bands – how to easily overcome this situation?
”Personally, this pandemic has unified everyone globally. Everyone has been forced to a halt, rethink their priorities and take a second to appreciate everything we have been taking for granted. I have seen strangers be a little kinder to each other, local community social media groups helping each other out and the essential workers killing themselves to keep everyone safe. The best thing you can do right now is stay home and only leave for essentials. It’s ok to feel low, anxious, depressed and anything else you may be feeling right now. Self care is key, meditate, journal, call the free mental health hotlines,check in with yourself and your friends/family. Be creative, do the things that you’ve been putting off for when you have some time, you will feel better for it.”
9. What do you think of this live-streaming trend, how does this look and sound to you?
”Live streaming is great when it’s done well. Right now, social media is saturated with live stream performance videos so we haven’t personally delved into it for that reason. However, it is something that we’d like to do in the near future. Personally, I prefer a live chat or a virtual listening party with the fans where we can have a chat, answer questions and interact directly with everyone.”
10. Finally, do you have a message for the fans and the audience in this tough times?
”It is OK to feel whatever you are feeling right now. Stay strong because we will be on the other side very soon. We have some brand new music for you. We love you and sincerely appreciate your support and we’ll keep bringing new music to you. Hang in there!”
Thank you for the interview, stay safe!
”Thank you so much for your time! All the best and stay safe \m/”
Check out the song “Shine On”, here:
