With Nowhere to Play, Local Musicians Find Ways to Connect

Their livelihoods disappeared in an instant, but these local musicians have found ways to keep making music, stay in touch with their fans and support their community.

It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere (online)
Jack Mosley was playing his guitar and performing “trop rock” originals to crowds three to four nights a week at the Lighthouse, End Zone and Farlow’s, and down to Punta Gorda, when he said, “I could see the ax falling.” Florida closed the bars and clubs, then restaurants had to operate at 50% capacity and then everything shut down. His last paying gig was March 15. 

A fixture at local happy hours, Mosley decided to create his own. Every weekday at five o’clock, Mosely picks up his guitar and goes live on Facebook from his backyard studio for Jack’s Half-Hour Happy Hour. “I’m interacting with the camera, but I’d rather be interacting with the audience,” he said.

With no expectations or requests, Mosley has been able to take more risks. He wrote “Flying Man” when he was 17, and says he can’t remember the last time he performed it, until breaking it out on his Happy Hour. 

Mosley isn’t playing on Facebook for money. He decided not to set up a virtual tip jar, because he says that even though he’s out of work, his wife Debra has managed their finances well. But he says, he is concerned about his annual summer tour which should kick off the first week in June. Last year he put 9,500 miles on his RV, performing in Colorado Springs, San Diego and Sterling, MO. “Now it’s wait and see,” he said. 

Mosley is looking forward to playing again soon and hopes that his fans and everyone listening to music online supports local musicians “who are not as fortunate as I am.” Jack Mosley is on Facebook, where you can also check out his new single, “When the Aliens Came.”  

His Lanai is his Stage
With a perfect blue sky and puffy white clouds in the background, Kenny Rose picks up his guitar and, after a quick promo for his CDs, begins to sing on his lanai. Soon his Facebook feed fills up with “We miss you.” “We love you.” “Thank you.” When he finishes a song, the only one clapping is a neighbor outside the lanai cage, who interrupted his bike ride to stop and listen. 

After selling his family car dealership 15 years ago, Rose moved to Englewood with his wife Tammy and pursued his dream of becoming a professional musician. His March calendar was jammed with six to seven gigs a week at the SandBar, Snook’s Bayside, Ricaltini’s, the End Zone and private clubs. On March 17, St. Patrick’s Day, Rose played the Sandbar to the state-mandated 50% occupancy. “It was a beautiful day, and half-empty. It was weird,” he recalled. 

It was also weird not playing for an audience. “You just miss everybody and you miss performing,” said Rose. “When
you do this for a living 15-16 years, your crowds become like oxygen. I thought if I could do a couple of shows I could reconnect a little bit.” So, he set up his phone and reached out on Facebook Live, telling stories and jokes and singing. 

 For his first concert, he played the piano, something he hasn’t done for a crowd for years, because he says with a laugh, “I’m really just not that good.” The next concert he was back on the guitar. The Facebook likes and loves keep going up but he’s not counting views and shares. After the concert he reads and responds to the comments from the fans who miss him as much as he misses them. “It’s like a whole day of social interaction, it really is overwhelming.” 

Tune into Kenny Rose’s Facebook Live concerts Saturdays at 11 am and visit his website, kennyrose.com. 

Rob Garcia
Rob Garcia had been taking it a bit easy after a busy national tour and was just getting back on the local circuit, when he said, “Everything went off the rails.” With no gigs in his future, Garcia turned to Facebook. 

When Common Grounds in North Port had to move their concerts from live to online, Garcia sang rock classics by Steve Miller and Elton John alone on the stage. But he also made sure to share the online concerts and events from his fellow musicians on his own Facebook page. 

Now he’s going one step further, planning an online telethon, Southwest Florida Bands Together. Garcia is hoping to attract a variety of musicians and bands to play on Facebook Live all day on April 15. He says his goal is “awareness” and to raise money for his colleagues through a virtual tip jar. He also hopes the online audiences will see local acts they might never have seen and the bands will find new audiences who will come out and support them when this is all over. 

Garcia is also writing a song called “The Forgotten Ones,” for all the out-of-work restaurant employees who, just a month ago, he shared so much time with. He, Mosley and Rose all agree that these are the people we should be concerned about. Rose said that since his fans can’t tip him, they should thank him by tipping a bit more the next time they get take-out.

Rob Garcia is on Facebook and visit his website, www.robertgarciasoloact.com.