BAKERFIELD, Calif. — With live performances shut down due to COVID-19, musicians have resorted to other options like live-streaming on Facebook. 23ABC's Kallyn Hobmann spoke with one local band on their experience as performers during the pandemic.
Together Lauren and Kyle Appleton make up the country/blues music duo The Appletons, and right now, they’re missing their fans more than anything.
“[We] can’t wait to see them again, more often. That’s the real thing, [we] just miss them all a lot," said Lauren.
The Appletons had several live performances lined up when COVID-19 hit. They had to cancel all of their plans. The duo says they’re making it work, but it’s hard not having their regular job to pay the bills.
“It’s a struggle. It’s stressful. It’s very stressful. We pretty much play music for a living. This happened and so, you know, the rug kind of gets swept out from under you," said Kyle.
And they’ve joined in on what other musicians are doing and have done several virtual performances, but they say it’s just not the same.
“The first livestream we did was pretty awesome, and then the second one was pretty awesome, and then, you know, the more you do it, they’re like, okay we’ve seen you on our phones enough. It’s not the same," said Lauren.
The Appletons are finally finding opportunities to play in person again. They performed at Cafe Smitten on Saturday and they're working on releasing a new recording soon. They want their fans to know they’re doing well and are excited for the future.
“We’re positive and, like we said, we record with people all the time. We still play music, but it’s different. We can’t wait until we get back to normal and we can all just hang out with all our friends and hug each other and get in each others faces and sing," said Lauren.
