As the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic continues to rock the music industry, GRAMMY.com reached out to a few musicians to see how they were spending their days indoors. Today, Eric Burton from the GRAMMY-nominated duo Black Pumas shares his Quarantine Diary.
[10:05 AM] Good morning! It’s 10:05 AM in my world and trying to ride a vibe. My mornings usually start off with a cup of coffee, and one of my favorite tunes or a new tune that I had yet to have heard.
[11:20 AM] I love visiting the garden! The squash at my friend’s place is beginning to produce. It’s nice to reflect on the process of growth and it’s very grounding to see it and touch it physically on a daily basis.
[12:15 PM] One of my favorite things to do is check in with friends overseas. I feel so connected to be able to hear how things are going from their perspective as it pertains to our world and our lives.
[1:25 PM] Now I’m sitting down at a piano trying to keep that inspiration going to some degree. I make sure that there’s a lot of equipment or instruments around especially analog. The Black Pumas are working on our new album right now. We’ve got a few handfuls of ideas for material that my bandmate Adrian and I have been trading back and forth.
I think we spend most days really stoked about the opportunity we have to create time and space for ourselves to continue to do what we know and love. I usually am very motivated and competitive with myself to do something better than I did the last time. I tend to stay committed and focused playing music, just jamming out and seeing what I can come up with.
[3:33 PM] I've moved from the piano to an analog keyboard now. I usually like to listen to music that is very much natural and acoustic and/or listen to music that has a lot of different weird kooky sounds that are more on the digital side, just for the idea.
[4:22 PM] The weather in Texas can be ever changing and in a short period of time. In that, it’s nice to observe it and reciprocate some art from it. I’m an autumn baby anyway, so maybe that plays a hand in how I feel at home in the rain today.
