Co-Mission Contributor: Ross Bellenoit
(Photo by Anja Schütz)
Meet Ross Bellenoit
I wrote the song “The Last Call” the day I arrived in Berlin for a 2 week solo tour in Germany at the beginning of March. I knew the virus was starting to really make its way through certain areas, and I could feel the sense of unease around everyone. I tried to channel this sense of “impending doom” into a waltz, two characteristics that historically have worked very well together in the oeuvre of songwriting as a whole.
The COVID-19 pandemic has put a halt on most things creative in my life. My life now consists of simply hustling to make sure there’s food on the table and a roof over my head. With live performance no longer an option (until there is a vaccine, realistically), and most of my teaching opportunities furloughed, I am having to rely on my wits to find different avenues of work that can be done remotely and safely.
I released a full-length record of original material this year, and while I am still immensely proud of it, not being able to tour behind it has diminished it’s momentum and ability to reach people’s ears. I would encourage everyone to visit my Bandcamp page, http://rossbellenoit.bandcamp.com, and, if they enjoy what they hear, make a direct purchase of any product (you can also sign up to be a subscriber which has extra perks).
I would also encourage people to visit my comic book jazz trio Muscle Tough at http://muscletoughband.com for some serious levity and fun in this new virtual music environment. And if you just want to help a person out, no strings attached, my Venmo is @Ross-Bellenoit and my PayPal is rossbellenoitmusic@gmail.com