Thread by @TheRealHoarse

It has been a long, cold, lonely winter.

One of the things that has gotten me through it is live music.

Or, more accurately, sharing the joy of listening to live music with other people.

1/

That has been an accidental blessing.

It started in December when someone DMed me to tell me their nephew was playing live on YouTube in and hour and expected only a handful of family members to show up.

I posted about it and 200 of us piled in.

It was a blast.

2/

Even in the fractured dialogue of a fast-moving chat window, it felt like... normalcy... togetherness... community.

For an hour, it was just music and company and happy conversation.

It made me realize how much I miss those things. It was water to the thirsty.

3/

In January, a real loneliness had started to settle in for me. It was a nagging, sad weight.

That came to a head one weekend when I didn’t have my son. It was the first weekend in longer than I can remember when I didn’t have him.

4/

So, I posted a message on here saying “Can we find something to do tonight?”

And then @TashaD2N suggested maybe Chris Barron, the lead singer of the Spin Doctors, would play some music.

Five minutes later, it was on...

5/

And just like that, we had an impromptu get-together. One hundred and fifty people hanging out while Chris sat on his bed and played music.

It was so very much what I needed.

6/

Now, these much-needed hang-outs have become a regular thing.

Chris plays every Friday. He and I talk regularly. We both love pulling them together and putting them on.

Many of the people who have come have become regulars. It feels like going to your local pub.

7/

Tonight, we’ll do another. Chris will play on his Instagram page at 9 pm ET. (IG handle: (at)TheChrisBarron_)

I’ll be there, drink poured, enjoying the togetherness.

But first, Chris and I pulled together something special.

8/

I used to go to music clubs with friends a lot. We’d hit up venues that showcased new acts. You’d hang out, have a few drinks, and hear a bunch of acts.

One night, we were out at one of them and caught a group playing their first New York show. Place was half-empty.

9/

It was some band from Oregon. Eclectic. Had an accordionist in the band.

We thought they were great and were like “We gotta keep tabs on those guys. They were great.”

The next time we saw them, it was at the sold out Radio City Music Hall.

10/

The band was the Decemberists.

We heard them play to a handful of people in an empty club.

That’s the fun of new acts. The discovery.

The ones that stand out aren’t the ones that are polished and smooth. It’s the ones that just have something about them.

11/

Looking for those moments is half the fun.

And tonight, we have a chance to have one of those.

A chance to hear a new musician. Someone with passion and a drive to make her own music and perform.

12/

Her name is Julia Bhatt.

She’s 19 years old, charming, talented, funny, and self-taught.

Who knows what the future holds for her musically. But tonight we get to pile into a virtual club and hear her play to an intimate crowd.

13/

At 8:30 ET, she’s going to play live on her Instagram feed.

After a year of being unable to go out on the road, she’s opening for the Spin Doctors’ Chris Barron online at least.

14/

Maybe you’ll join me. I hope you do.

To get in:

- visit @JuliaBhatt’s page on Instagram at 8:30 ET
- her avatar will say “Live”
- click on the avatar

That’s it... you’re in. And then at 9:00 we’ll jump to @thechrisbarron’s feed.

15/

These shows have made these last months earlier.

Each week, I look forward to them more than the last.

It has been a long, cold, lonely winter and these shows are a little bit of sun.

Maybe I’ll see ya tonight. Hope so.

//