Marc Gladstone of Prism
SBS Covid Relief
Interview with Marc Gladstone of Prism/Stone Poets/HEAD/Abandon Paris
SBS: Let’s make sure we’ve got everyone on the same page – who are ya? How long have you been doin’ this music thang and what’s the story behind it all? What separates you apart from the rest?
Marc Gladstone: Out on the road as a professional musician straight out of high school, so that’s more than 40 years now… I’m a music believer, a music supporter, a music lover, a music listener; always listening, always learning… my passion for music is my strongest suit…
SBS: How has this time in lockdown/quarantine affected you and the music you make? Positives? Negatives? It’s obviously a crazy time for everyone, but certainly musicians throughout the independent scene as well…what have you been doing to make sure the music is still flowing somehow at this time?
Marc Gladstone: Well, all my gigs have been canceled – that’s over 20 for the last two weeks of March – more for April and it looks like that trend will continue… just Prism alone (I’m the keyboard player), had some very cool gigs this year – big festivals that hopefully will continue once this thing is done. But besides that, I play in 3 original bands – one that was gaining momentum and a cover band that plays to elementary schools to bring them the music of The Beatles (lots of gigs canceled with this one)… those are definitely negatives… add to that, I teach piano and now have half the amount of students in a compromised environment (online)… positives would be that also – I’m still able to teach! I’ve started a new original, remote, online project… AND… I’m finally learning how to use Logic! (which I’ve owned for a couple of years now lol)
SBS: Is there a lesson to be learned in all this Covid-craziness? If so, what do you think it is?
Marc Gladstone: I think, as much as it appears to be driving people apart, if you spend any time on Facebook; it’s also bringing people together. The only way to get through this thing is to maintain, or obtain, a “we” attitude… no more “me” attitudes…
SBS: What is the most key thing that people can do out there to support musicians during this time?
Marc Gladstone: There are many online performances… some bands (no names as some of these are bands I actually like) are charging for these… okay, I get it, but I prefer the broadcasts where there’s a “tip jar” – donate if you like… I like relying on people’s integrity and honesty – call me naive…
SBS: There are some that say there’s ‘no going back to normal’ and others that still think that’s a possibility after all is said & done and we’re allowed outside again…what do you think? Let’s ballpark it…let’s say it’s…September 2020, that’s not too far away…what does the world look like at that point?
Marc Gladstone: In September businesses will be back… not sure that’s a good idea though… music festivals will not be back yet – takes too long to successfully promote an event. Next year? I hope so, but even that’s a stretch. There will be no “back to normal”… the world has and will be forever changed as a result of Covid-19… not saying that’s entirely a bad thing: I think people will be more apt to support local businesses for example… and hopefully more aware of personal space and disease control…
SBS: What do you miss most during this whole lockdown? What’s the first thing you plan on doing if/when things find their way back to normal, and why is that the most important thing to ya?
Marc Gladstone: I miss going to beaches, parks, etc. with no guilt… as much as I’m a musician and that’s mostly indoors, I’m pretty much outside whenever I can be – I miss the freedom of not feeling guilty doing that… and of course I miss playing live music to both small, intimate audiences (may happen after your September 2020 ballpark…) and mostly to large crowds in the thousands (not sure when that will resume; let’s just hope it does, period) – that’s my biggest rush and I miss it so much…
SBS: Open floor! Anything else you want to say to the people out there?
Marc Gladstone: Covid-19 is terrible of course… but we’ve been here before (Spanish flu, SARS and more)… it seems like this time it’s more all-encompassing, but perhaps that’s just because our online media is much more prevalent today… we’ll get through this one too… let’s hope we learn a little better this time around…
Find out more about Marc Gladstone and the music he’s making at the official pages below!
Official website: www.marcgladstone.com
Find out more about HEAD at their official website at: http://headmusic.ca
Find out more about Stone Poets at their official website at: http://www.stonepoets.ca
Find out more about Prism at their official website at: https://prism.ca
Find out more about Abandon Paris at their official page at Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abandonparis1
Listen to Marc’s show Green Beans, Mushroom Soup, & Strawberry Ice Cream at Pacific Northwest Radio on Sunday nights at 9 PM PST here: http://www.pacificnorthwestradio.com
We’ve extended the deadline & we’ll be accepting submissions to the SBS Covid Relief interviews in written, audio, and video forms until the end of May – find out more about how you can get involved right here.
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