With COVID-19 restrictions easing up, local bands are starting to re-emerge in the music scene and play live shows again. In many towns across the US where the local music scene was popular before the pandemic, artists are getting to reclaim their place on stage and perform for crowds, even though they might still be smaller than before.
John Yokley of PTFS is the drummer for The Bad Neighbors out of Rockville, Maryland, a band that enjoyed more booking interest over the years than the busy members of the band could keep up with. Of course, gigs came to a screeching halt last year, but Mr. Yokley is happy to report that live local music is back and so is The Bad Neighbors band.
John Yokley and The Bad Neighbors play a mix of classic rock, 80’s rock, and alternative. While the band plays primarily in the Maryland and DC metro music scene, they aren’t strangers to some of the other hot music markets around the country including gigs at Gary’s Dewey Beach Grill in Dewey Beach Delaware.
One of John Yokley’s most memorable, significant and satisfying musical events was when John entered his band into a competition to participate in a Battle of the Bands charity event. As a result, the Bad Neighbors”, competed and were selected for The Community’s Got Talent – Battle of the Bands. The event was hosted by actor/comedian/musician Dan Aykroyd, and supported the children of fallen soldiers via two foundations: the CIA Officers Memorial Foundation (CIAOMF); and the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF). Both foundations provide educational funding for fallen Navy Seals, Delta Force and CIA Officers kids’ should one of their parents not return home. The event raised over $250k.
Below, John takes a look at how some other local music scenes have adapted to changes due to pandemic restrictions, and how they’ve made their resurgence since the vaccine got released.
Live Local Music Returns to Atlanta, GA
John Yokley is familiar with the music scene in Atlanta GA, one US city well-known for its local music scene as his daughter Jacqueline lives there. Atlanta got hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and the social distancing restrictions it brought along. John Yokley notes that since March 2020, when the virus took the world by storm, the city had to adjust to a world where live music was no longer an option – at least not like it used to be.
The city provided several resources to those in the music industry, such as free webinars for those affected by COVID-19, as well as the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant, which got signed into law to financially support independent music venues.
John Yokley reports that earlier this summer, live music started returning to Atlanta crowds, such as those at The Masquerade, Center Stage, and Boggs Social and Supply. Bands like Sunset Honor Unit, My Modern Office, and Dr. Doctor (hailing from the Athens and Atlanta local music scenes) will perform at Boggs over the next few months.
Furthermore, tons of tour dates and schedules have been set across the city, including local music and huge performers alike. Venues will get booked through this fall and winter, which is turning out to look a lot different than how things were this time last year.
Austin, TX is on the Mend
Another area ripe with budding artists and live local music is Austin, TX. This artsy Southwest city started re-opening its live venues and booking acts in August 2021, according to John Yokley PTFS, and since then, the city has seen a resurgence in local music events.
In true Texas fashion, honky tonk themed venues like The White Horse are once again featuring nightly live music, including country roots, funk, blues, and swing. Devin Jake and Armadillo Road are among Austin’s local acts that you can once again see live music in the city.
John Yokley says that while individuals may still want to wear a mask in public places, the restrictions are much more lenient than they were last year, putting cities like Austin on their way to the bubbling music atmosphere that once existed before the pandemic.
Live Music Returns to Nashville, TN
Similar to the local music comeback in Austin and Atlanta, Nashville (Music City U.S.A.) has seen a positive change in its own live music restrictions since the pandemic hit. Nashville saw its resurgence in live music early on in the summer of 2021 when concerts started getting booked again and the city is seeing the same thing start to happen in 2022.
John Yokley relates that in early June, the OUTLOUD Festival returned, featuring artists such as Japanese Breakfast, and Todrick Hall. The sudden change in restrictions came when Nashville’s Mayor John Cooper lifted all of the city’s COVID-19 capacity restrictions.
Going forward, music lovers can see a variety of local acts performing live in Nashville, such as open mic nights at venues like The Bluebird Cafe. You can also catch local acts at rooftop bars lining Broadway.
It Can Only Get Better
Although the COVID-19 pandemic took a blow to many small businesses, artists, and industries, we are finally starting to see things return to a somewhat new normal. John Yokley notes that restrictions are lifting, people no longer have to avoid public gatherings, preventative measures entered the scene, and masks aren’t 100% necessary anymore.
These are four things most of us would have probably never deemed imaginable at this time last year, but we’ve made it this far and continue to move forward.
Now that things have changed, live music is returning to its former glory in Maryland and the rest of the United States, and local music venues are getting booked up over the next several months. From Nashville to Austin to Potomac MD, local bands like The Bad Neighbors are getting back into performing for live crowds, and the music industry is rebuilding its successes once again.
