For most of us in the western world, the quarantine has been in effect for at least six weeks, and unfortunately more and more festivals and events have had to postpone or cancel. Some bands and promoters are opting to cancel their events entirely so fans can get refunds for their tickets.
While decisions are being made about IRL events, artists, promoters and event planners are soldiering on with online events, streams and entertainment. Yet again, this week is jam-packed with livestream concerts, festivals, lessons and more. Here are our picks for the fourth edition of Lockdown Get-Down, and be sure to check out the first three weeks on the IMP blog website or by searching the #lockdown_getdown hashtag on Instagram.
LivestreamsThis week is once again loaded with livestreaming concerts, festivals and more for your listening and viewing pleasure. From the Northern Lights to rock legends to EDM festivals, whatever fans feel like getting into, it's online.
Lou Barlow Acoustic Sets on Instagram - Before the lockdown, indie legend Lou Barlow was touring small venues like homes and libraries with intimate acoustic sets. Since the lockdown, the alt rock renaissance man whose founding credits include Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh and Deluxx Folk Implosion has been doing his acoustic sets from home. This week, he's doing two sets on Wednesday, April 22: one at 1pm eastern and the other at 7pm eastern. All his sets are on Instagram live, so follow him on the app for more info and to watch the online genius flow.
The Dark Eighties Livestream - Needing a fix of Bauhaus, Joy Division and the like? The Dark Eighties, source of all things macabre and goth on Facebook and beyond, had to postpone a couple of live events this year in Toronto and Vancouver so they decided to do a livestream on Twitch this Saturday, April 25. The seven-hour stream will cover everything from goth to New Romantics to darkwave and is free to fans but the site is accepting donations. Link up with them on their Twitch page for all the 80s fun.
Joris Voorn all vinyl set at De Marktkantine - House and techno legend Joris Voorn did a vinyl set on Beatport last week that brought the house (or hundreds of houses) down, so he's decided to do it again. This time, he's teamed up with Amsterdam power club De Marktkantine to bring the club vibes for the 90 minute vinyl set this Friday, April 24. Tune in to De Marktkantine's Facebook page for the livestream at 9pm CET for all the funky fun.
Bella Gaia Earth Day virtual experience - While we've all been inside so much the past few weeks, it's been hard to conceptualize that the Earth is still out there turning. In fact, this year marks the 50th year of the establishment of Earth Day, which would have been celebrated this weekend. NASA has come up with a way to still celebrate it online, however, with the launch of its new Bella Gaia online project, an extension of the wildly popular and award-winning concert and film series.
Wednesday, April 22 will be the premiere of the immersive experience, which includes satellite video of Earth with various types of maps superimposed over it, such as ship traffic, polar ice floes and oil consumption by country. Along with these mesmerizing graphics will also be stunning music composed by the project's creator Kenji Williams and live vocals by Bella Gia vocalist Kristin Hoffmann. The Bella Gaia experience also includes stories by astronauts and on this very special online edition, there will be a Q&A session with Ron Garan. Tune in Wednesday at 5pm EST and go to https://www.bglive.earth/ for more information
White Rabbit Group Livestream schedule - They might be putting us out of a job here but SoCal's White Rabbit Group has put together a comprehensive schedule of EDM-related livestreams that they're posting weekly. This weeks's schedule is up with not only the artists/events and times but also where they're taking place (YouTube, Twitch, et cetera). Artists this week include Major Lazer, Dillon Francis, Diplo, Alison Wonderland and the Isomniac livestreams. Follow @whiterabbitgrp on Instagram for each week's schedule.
Moondance Lockdown Sessions virtual festival - This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Moondance festival series but since their normally outdoor events can't be held this month, the company is doing a series of online festivals. This week on April 24, part three of the series will be livestreaming on Moondance's Facbook page. DJs this week include DJ Rap, Nicky Blackmarket, Trix, Twista and Acid Brothers. The event is free but donations to the charity NHS Charities Together are encouraged. Tune in here for the seven-hour festival starting at 5pm BST.
Square Garden Minecraft Festival featuring Charli XCX - One of the most interesting offerings this week is this 100 Gecs festival that will be run through the game Minecraft. The music and arts festival will feature Charli XCX, Tommy Cash, Cashmere Cat and an open pit Minecraft play show. Visit https://www.100gecs.com/ for details on how to attend.
Royal Albert Home Series - The famous Royal Albert Hall in London has planned out a big series of arts, culture and music in their Royal Albert Home event series, to run at least though the end of May. The 150-year-old venue is struggling to stay afloat with so many live concerts cancelled, so while these performances are free, they are asking for donations on their website. Coming up this week, #royalalberthome is hosting poet Toby Thompson, pianist Ashley Henry and a jazz fest for kids. Go to the Royal Albert website for information, links to the shows or to donate.
Classes and Lessons We've only got a couple of classes this week, but they're good ones. More dance stuff to keep in shape and a free guitar skills master class. Not too shabby!
Ballet Classes - California's ballet shoe superfitters The Pointe Shop are helping coordinate ballet class series with various masters and instructors each week. Some of these classes are for pros and pre-pros but beginner variations are offered. Stay in shape and learn a new skill all at once! This week's classes are on Thursday and Friday and feature instructors Sophia Ortega and Jordan Tilton. Check @thepointeshop Instagram for weekly schedule updates.
James Bay Live Lessons - Blues pop guitarist and songwriter James Bay has been doing a series of live tutorials on Instagram every Wednesday. In each lesson, he teaches how to play some of his most beloved tracks and does a great job breaking down the complex work he does on guitar. The sessions are also posted as recordings on Bay's YouTube channel after the fact. Catch him tomorrow for the 9th lesson in the series on Instagram and check out the whole series in a playlist on YouTube.
Miscellaneous Fun and EducationIt's not all music and art this week. We've found a few bits of fun that are more science oriented and can educate the whole family. Check out these bits and bobs to learn, grow and appreciate the Earth.
Lyrid Meteor Shower - This rare meteor shower peaks this week from April 21-22 and will be best visible in the northern part of the Northern Hemisphere early in the morning. Lyrids are the dust and debris left behind by the Thatcher comet and are visible each year, though the comet itself is not visible nearly as often. The next sighting is predicted to be 2276. To see the shower, viewers need only find a dark, clear patch of sky in the early hours of the morning and look up. For more information, visit the Daily Mail website.
Northern Lights Livestream - We've featured Explore.org on the Get-Down before but since then they've teamed up with Polar Bear International to bring a stream of the Northern Lights. The livecam is located directly under the Aurora Boralis oval at the Churchill Northern Studies Center in Manitoba so the lights are viewable as long as they're around until mid-spring.
Creepy Museum Battle Royale - The Yorkshire Museum in England began a Twitter thread last week calling for museums around the world to show off their creepiest exhibits, and the results have been, predictably, creepy. From a sacrificial sheep's heart with pins and nails in it to creepy dolls to an embalmed cat, if you've ever wondered what sort of upsetting treasures the world's museums hold, look no further than the thread below.
MUSEUMS ASSEMBLE! It's time for #CURATORBATTLE! 💥
Today's theme, chosen by you, is #CreepiestObject!
We're kicking things off with this 3rd/4th century hair bun from the burial of a #Roman lady, still with the jet pins in place...
CAN YOU BEAT IT? 💥 pic.twitter.com/ntPiXDuM6v
- Yorkshire Museum (@YorkshireMuseum) April 17, 2020
MPC2000XL Drum Machine Emulator - If you miss the old hardware-based music production style or want to get a handle on some analog production techniques in general, there's an unauthorized emulator for the legendary MPC2000XL drum machine. This is a fun way to learn analog production for music and computer geeks alike. Check out the details on the CDM website.
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