How you can support our artists during COVID-19

Hi everyone

As you know, many musicians are doing it tough as a result of thecurrent COVID-19 situation and the restrictions to reduce it spreadingto protect those most vulnerable in our community.

Below I’ve listed some of the Bird’s Robe acts most affected so farand some info as background – thanks to those of you who’ve reached outto ask about all this & your kind words.

If you’re in a position to help them out financially, please supportin any way you can – buying merch, music or holding on to your concertticket. If you can’t contribute financially, please consider helpingthem by sharing their music with people and streaming their music onSpotify or Youtube – this is the absolute best way to help them grow andeven the tiny streaming royalties add up over time. I’ve included aSpotify playlist with some of these acts featured here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4LqZmlZZBL9mzoHdhAx4NA…

Most of all, keep looking after yourselves, your families and thosearound you. It’s times like these we’re reminded of the power of music,as it provides us with an escape, hope & inspiration when we need itmost.

Toehider www.toehider.bandcamp.com & www.patreon.com/toehider –Mike is a single Dad and full-time musician. Many of his bread andbutter gigs in the real world have been cancelled and he’s about to put anew album out. Any contributions to help this incredible, talented,kind-hearted legend of a dude get through the next several months willhelp immensely. In return you get some of the most exciting, fun &ridiculous music you’ll come across, all made by just one guy.

sleepmakeswaves www.sleepmakeswaves.bandcamp.com –these guys have put everything into their music and hundreds of showsfor the better part of the past 9 years. The production on their new EPtrilogy has been delayed (Otto is currently self-isolating) and theirupcoming Australian tour has had to be rescheduled. They’ll survive,Alex is capable of living on baked beans for weeks & they’d be thefirst to tell you to give your money to someone who needs it more thanthem, but if you love this band, please support. They are currentlyrunning a sale on their back catalogue and tour merch too. But the newmusic rules, so check it out.

Solkyri www.solkyri.bandcamp.com –their upcoming tour of the UK & Europe is under a cloud right nowand they’ve had to postpone their hometown album launch for their newrecord ‘Mount Pleasant.’ Lovely guys who make passionate, energeticmusic and just fulfilled a dream to put out their record on vinyl forthe first time, with the hope of touring it to recoup on the investment.

We Lost The Sea www.welostthesea.bandcamp.com –the band will post more later but many of this year’s plans aroundtouring their new album ‘Triumph & Disaster’ are significantlyaffected. We all know what they’ve been through, how poignant theirmusic is and how much they’ve contributed to the soundtrack of ourlives. Now is a great time to catch up on them if you’re not alreadyaware.

SEIMS www.seims.bandcamp.com –on the cusp of fulfilling some mighty bucket list touring dreams, Sim’sband plans are also facing disruption with everything going on.

Furnace and the Fundamentals www.furnaceandthefundamentals.bandcamp.com –sure it’s not prog or post-rock, it’s a party, but this band also plays20-min tracks & we’re all part of the extended family – the next3-4 months (at least) of tours and shows have been postponed orcancelled, representing about 50% of annual income. A vinyl or shirtsale won’t solve that but every little bit helps towards paying theoutstanding bills from the tour dates no longer happening. The band alsoregularly employs Bird’s Robe crew as their regular touring crew, allof whom are out of work for the foreseeable future.

All the above links go directly to the individual artist bankaccounts and today (Friday/Saturday) Bandcamp is waiving their usual 10%service fee to help that little bit extra. However your support isalways welcome at any time.

If you’d like to support the industry more generally, please also consider a donation to Support Act www.supportact.org.au whoprovide assistance for arts workers in crises. They are currentlyrunning a fundraiser specifically aimed at alleviating hardship.

I also want to shout out Cathy & the Sargent House crew who havehad a huge amount of disruption during a year when many of their artistswere about to embark on career years. Chelsea Wolfe, Deafheaven,Russian Circles, Emma Ruth Rundle & many more are being affected.You can support them over at https://sargenthouse.com/…/support-artists-via-bandcamp-fri…

Likewise to Caspian, And So I Watch Your From Afar, This Will DestroyYou, Mew, Mono, John & all the guys from Maybeshewill, RoloTomassi, Jo Quail & more. Our extended family are all facing uniqueand difficult times ahead and are constantly in my thoughts.

Lastly, I’m doing OK for now. I don’t make my main source of incomefrom Bird’s Robe, but it is a large source of income for many of myfriends, the artists & the the regular crew I employ: tour managers,sound engineers, lighting operators & stage techs. I do make aliving from working as a drummer, so the outlook on that is pretty bleakif this thing goes on for more than a few months.

Anyway, if you want to support generally, I’ve set up a pay what youwant link here – just type in your favourite artists and I’ll puttogether a little package of music & merch for you that I thinkyou’ll enjoy. Here’s the link https://birdsrobe.bandcamp.com/…/birds-robe-records-sampler…

I’m still working on rescheduling dates for a heap of tours so thankyou all for your patience in the meantime. I’ll post more information assoon as I can.

Have a good weekend, stay safe & thanks as always for your support.

Mike