Live from Quarantine

Hello, everybody!

Obviously, much has changed since I last checked in with all of you, but first things first! I'll be doing a livestream concert via YouTube this Friday (April 17th) at 7pm EST and I'd love for you to be virtually there. You can join in then right here, and/or head to that link anytime before the show to set a reminder to watch in advance. 

As many of you know, I tend to spend all my time in more or less constant motion, so my life since this lockdown began has felt pretty exotic and bizarre (and it doesn't help that I've been compelled to go around looking like this). In a wild stroke of luck, though, I'd already arranged to sublet a friend's apartment in western Massachusetts during these spring months, so I've had plenty of space to get a bunch of new work done, along with frequent opportunities to get outside and romp in social isolation through the woods. I also had the chance to play a short virtual concert via Sofar Sounds's online platform a week or two ago, which you can still watch here and even easily make a donation if you want (about which I'll say a tiny bit more towards the end of this email).

The weeks leading up to the moment when all the world ground to a halt were pretty exciting: not long after getting back from England, I found myself on a questionably-timed February tour through Ontario and the upper Midwest, which (except for this singularly unpleasant moment) was lots of fun: it involved getting to talk to a bunch of wonderful high-school writing students in Michigan, returning to some favorite spots in Minnesota and Wisconsin, marveling at the insane noises made by a huge and icy lake, and most excitingly, looping down through Nashville to record a bunch of interesting piano sounds with audio wizard Kevin Harper (I'll be getting in touch to tell you more about some of the results of that very soon). 

I was also stunned and deeply flattered to discover that one of my songs is apparently featured in a new book called You've Never Heard Your Favorite Song: 100 Deep Cuts to Make Your World Sound Better, which you can preorder here (I can't wait to see what the other 99 are). I was also honored -- and equally shocked -- to find my music in the acknowledgements of another new book, this one about national parks, by CBS Sunday Morning contributor Conor Knighton. You can check that one out here. 

Also, here's a few seconds of me noodling on the guitar, as well as a nice new single by my friend Connor that I played piano and accordion on, a new live southern rock album for which I played keyboards, and another great new song by my friend Max that I helped with too. And apropos of nothing, here's a cool drawing someone made of two of me after a concert I played in Cambridge, MA at the beginning of February.

Anyway, see you here this Friday! I hope you can come, and, at the risk of sounding annoying, please consider making a donation if you can; all work for performing musicians has dried up for what looks like it could be a year or more, so anything you feel like kicking toward my PayPal (ben@bencosgrove.com) or Venmo (@BenCosgroveMusic) accounts would be wildly appreciated. (You can also pay whatever you'd like for a download on Bandcamp or purchase something from my online store.) But obviously the show is free, you're VERY welcome either way, and it'll be great to hear from you if you can make it. I'll play some new songs, banter awkwardly to a blank screen, and show you a glimpse of my temporary housing situation. It'll be really nice to have the company for an hour or so.

Thanks again for all your support, everybody, and hope you can make it to the livestream on Friday (again, link here). I miss all of you, and I really hope you're all healthy, taking care of each other, and hanging in there okay.

All best,
Ben