Dread Mar I Live, by Multiple Arms production

Social Distancing in mind I invited a single friend over, opened the door and, asked, “Where’s the booze? “Her Reply? “I don’t know.” I look over at the Tv, flashing on the screen, 11 minutes, and 35 seconds till the live stream begins. “I think we can make it, but if we miss the first song, I’m Going to be pissed.” I knew the first song playing because it was Jacks Mannequin’s, Fronted by Andrew Macmahon, 15th-anniversary show for Their Album Everything in Transit released in 2005. Everything in Transit was one of my favorite albums growing up, so much so, that the first official project I produced, we recorded at 4th St studios in Santa Monica, Same place This Album was tracked. We didn’t make it back in time for the first song, but this was overall something I have never experienced before in my 20 years of attending Shows. Rushing back from the gas station was exciting, and it brought me back to the days when a certain premier or network movie was beginning, and everyone is scrambling through the house getting snacks, or blankets, and getting comfortable before they miss any part. We hurry in the studio, I refresh the feed and there in 4k, and pristine Audio is Jack’s Mannequin Live at the Oc Drive-In. Drive-in? Ok? Now that is definitely something I have not experienced in my 20 years of attending shows. It was different, but from what was shown of the crowd through the stream, they seemed to be having the time of their life dancing beside their cars. My Soundbar Cranked up, the sound streaming was surprisingly excellent quality, and in retrospect, I believe that bands and artists that have toured in the past should’ve always been live-streaming a final show at the end of the tour, for all the people that couldn’t make it out. They probably should’ve done it since pay per view started, and they should do it from now on when society goes back to “normal.” Live streaming a live show will undoubtedly broaden your audience, and it is an experience all on its own.

Live Music is Hibernating. It is not dead. Nor will it ever die. In my opinion, we are at the resurgence of a new creative explosion that will take our artwork to the next level. Many artist are spending more time in their studios, Every major festival is canceled, some not even postponed to next year. Places like Austin, Texas are seeing many Venue owners Struggling to make it through to keep their doors open, and some owners see a very dim light at the end of the tunnel, some are gone for good. In The Small Town of Yuma, Arizona Jose Ruiz runs “Multiple Arms Productions. Jose Ruiz “El Kooks” has been consistently putting on and promoting live shows in the city for years, I was able to sit down for a drink and discuss a bit of the current state of music. I decided to ask him to share his experience with us and break it down to 3 Simple Questions, and I’ll leave you with his answers:

CAN YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF AND HOW THE LOSS OF LIVE MUSIC AFFECTED YOU?

Jose Ruiz “El Kooks”

Who would have thought that 2020 was going to turn out the way it did? I sure as hell wouldn’t have imagined it or believed it if you would have told me that the all-mighty music industry would be on the brink of collapse due to a world pandemic! Hi, my name’s Jose Ruiz, I’m the owner and operator of Multiple Arms Productions, a multi-purpose media company based out of Arizona. I started Multiple Arms in 2006 as a way to bring entertainment to the Yuma area. Over the years it has evolved, and 14 years later, I find myself organizing and promoting live shows, booking, photography, videography, management for bands, co-running a fully functional recording studio, live audio and occasionally touring with bands. As of August 2020, I currently find myself unemployed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Life has drastically slowed down for me and for many others who are part of the industry and now I find myself at a crossroad, do I wait for normality to return? Or do I hang up my jacket and move on and look for a normal life? I admit, when this all started, i didn’t think it was going to reach so close to home or that it would last so long! Now our stages are slowly vanishing and possibly everything I’ve worked for all these years vanishing along with them.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE THINGS THE MUSIC INDUSTRY IS DOING TO KEEP IT ALIVE?

With live shows temporarily out of service, there’s been a recent boom in alternative ways to provide live music, one being drive-in concerts and the other being live streams. Personally, I don’t find either of those options as an alternative that I wish to partake in, nothing against the bands and artists going that route, but playing live to an empty room or people distanced so far from each other and sitting outside of their vehicles, doesn’t seem very appealing to me. Live concerts have always been (to me) a way to experience and connect in different ways to my favorite bands and artists. This year I had Rage Against the Machine, Nine Inch Nails, Tame Impala, Circa Survive on my “to watch live” list, and I also had many tours routing through my area that I was supposed to host and sadly those did not happen.

WHERE DO YOU THINK LIVE MUSIC IS GOING NEXT?

As far as where I think the music industry is heading next, well, that’s a complicated subject. In a perfect world, everything goes back to reality, and next year I’ll be in the crowd at a Tame Impala concert enjoying a joint with complete strangers while we sing our hearts out.

By: Felipe Ozuna