Editor’s Note: We have tweaked our This Show Is Tonight series to reflect the recent phenomenon of live music livestreaming in the age of social distancing.
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One of our favorite unique live show formats of the past several years has been the ones where a bunch of bands got together and essentially played one song at a time, rotating around the room like a sort of Later… with Jools Holland experience for local music. It’s tough to pull off that kind of stunt in the age of COVID-19, but Boston’s Hush Club have the next best thing: “Songs in the Round,” a benefit livestream show tonight (October 2) to raise coin for Every Mother Counts.
Also featuring Alisa Amador, Couchsleepers, and The Q-Tip Bandits, each band will play one song at a time, “passing the mic” virtually as each act streams a performance via the Rockwood Music Hall’s Facebook and Instagram accounts. The format aims to keeps things lively, and allows a viewer to catch all the performing bands even if he, she, or they check in for only a short time.
“When I was a kid, my family had a few tapes and DVDs of concerts that were physically ‘in the round,’ with a bunch of artists sitting in a circle, taking turns playing and listening to each other,” Hush Club’s Alasdair MacKenzie tells Vanyaland. “That format gave the shows a sense of community that I liked, and it also got me to listen to every artist’s songs rather than just the songs by the artist I already knew.”
The show is free to watch, though donations will be collected for the aforementioned Every Mother Counts, an organization that works to improve maternal healthcare around the world.
“Structural racism and disparities in access to health care have always been pressing issues, and this past year has shone a spotlight on just how much things need to change in those areas,” adds MacKenzie. “By working to improve maternal health care, which tends to be especially lacking for women of color, Every Mother Counts takes on both problems at once.”
Listen to the bands below, and hot the flyer and links for more info.
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