SoCal Musicians Raise Over $1,000 For COVID Relief With Virtual Concert Series

Virtual concerts and festivals have been popping up all over the place in the midst of COVID-19. These livestreams are the closest fans can get while social distancing. Bands of all sizes are utilizing services like Twitch and Facebook Live to give their fans a live window into the action.

Southern California metal outfit Asylus have launched a virtual concert series called “Music For Movement” that rivals the majors. Southern California musicians have come together to provide COVID relief.

You can join the fun live over on the Asylus Twitch Channel.

The band’s new “Music For Movement” virtual concert series has already raised over $1000 for Project Hope, an organization providing COVID relief. We spoke to the band’s vocalist and keyboardist Davon Harper to learn more about the project and the story behind it. You can check out the full interview below.

How did you come up with the idea and name?

When a lot of things started happening all at once starting with corona we knew we wanted to do something to bring awareness too what was going on. So Mel Torres, Chris Namoc, Jacob Ortiz, and myself (Davon Harper) put ourselves in a group chat and started brainstorming ideas and names, etc. At first, I said music for change, and Mel embellished on that idea and typed Music for Movement. Immediately we were hooked and it was off to the races after that!

Where are you broadcasting from and what’s the setup like?

The first few we tested at Mel’s house in his studio. Then I told Mel about my connection with Jeremey Whitley the owner of Let There Be Rock School FV which is where I instruct most of my students for music at. The facility is an amazing spot and after telling Mel and showing him the spot we talked to Jeremy and he kindly let us utilize the space for the movement!

What sort of tech does it take to run a production like that?

Well for us it mainly came down to the team behind it! Chris Namoc our friend who runs the sound really stepped up and helped the stream sound as good as it does now. Mel Torres always came through with the video work and offered his services as well and that overall is what keeps the stream production up! The drive to help wherever we could and step in to make a difference was the crucial part even if we only had iPhones and shure sm58 mics I’m sure those two would’ve helped me find a way to get the word out!

Do you have any plans for expanding?

We actually talk about this every time we finish a stream haha. Yeah, that would be awesome! As much as I enjoy the process and being proud of the small things we do in our communities now. Having a massive platform to make a bigger impact would be amazing one day!!

What’s the best way for bands to contact you if they want to be considered for upcoming broadcasts?

Our email AsylusMusic[at]gmail[dot]com is the best way! Just send us your EPK some links to your music and the rest is history. 🙂

Which bands have been featured so far and do you have any upcoming bands planned?

Our first band was A Page Unturned. We’ve had our friends in The Unsung, Every Other Year, and Jacob Ortiz from (Promotive) come so far the last one we did was featuring Hoity Toity and they were rad!

How much have you raised so far and which programs do they benefit?

So far from the three we’ve done we have raised over $1000 towards Project Hope. It’s a nonprofit that is donating masks and proper utilities to nurses and medical professionals to help fight COVID-19.

Do you plan on utilizing twitch in any other interesting ways after quarantine is over?

We’ve talked about using it in many different ways for it’s such a powerful platform! Mel has a gaming channel called DayNightDuo! We’ve talked about doing some more stuff on there possible more live shows, bad stuff but we shall see! 🙂

If bands wanted to create a live streaming setup do you have advice or resources to point them to?

First find anyone who’s willing to help out family, friends, etc every little bit of help goes a long way, but it’s not impossible on your own!

  1. Grab an interface if you don’t have a lot of musical instruments being played at once go with something basic!
  2. Next download Streamlabs obs it’s free and that’s what we use to send everything to the social networks live. YouTube has a lot of tutorials on how to set up the stream!
  3. Next is a camera and you can use anything, even your phone. Works out amazing just make sure you have enough light.
  4. Lastly, just have fun and be you that’s what really keeps the viewers engaged and that’s the best part:)

You can learn more about these heavy hitters via their Facebook, Instagram, YouTube Channel, or Website.

More About Asylus

Hailing from Orange County, California, Asylus consists of five members spanning across Southern California taking influence from trending acts such as FEVER 333, Scarlxrd, and KAYZO. Through aggressive electronic production, heavy guitars, and punishing vocals, paired with infectious melodies, Asylus developed a reputation in Southern California.

The high energy, irresistible tunes, have projected the act across the Southwest region of the United States in 2017 while receiving support from Concert Crap, Music Mayhem, Strife Magazine, and Highwire Daze Magazine.

Keep it on Bythebarricade.com for tons of interviews, reviews, articles, and photos! Also, “Like” By the Barricade on Facebook to never miss a post.

Similar Posts