As the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic continues to rock the music industry, the Recording Academy reached out to a few musicians to see how they were spending their days indoors. Today, Jacob Michael from D.C. alt-rock duo Foreign Air shares his Quarantine Diary. Foreign Air's debut album Good Morning Stranger arrives on October 16.
[8 a.m.] 8 a.m. is when I usually wake up. Sometimes I'm in my bed but most of the time I’m still on the couch from the night before. I'll check Need2Know's daily news email. For me it's a good way to skim the news without diving too deep into anything that is going leave you feeling depressed about the current state of the world at the start of your day.
Photo credit: Luke Adams
[8:30 a.m.] It’s coffee time. I'll always make fresh ground espresso in the morning. I am still working on perfecting the world's best cappuccino. This of course requires a lot of research. I'll usually have a record playing as well. Right now I'm listening to Dirty Art Club's new album Gardens. I recently moved into a house in NE D.C. but haven’t been home very much because we’ve either on tour or working on finishing the album out in L.A. It’s been really nice to finally be able to spend some time at home and I've enjoyed falling into a routine.
Photo credit: Luke Adams
[9 a.m.] Something special happens when we are sleeping and we let our subconscious take over. I like to throw down a quick idea right away. I always feel the most creative right when I wake up, so I try to capture whatever is going on in my head without thinking about it too much.
Photo credit: Luke Adams
[11 a.m.] I'm meeting up with our drummer Luke Adams for a very competitive game of tennis. We like to bounce creative ideas off each other and just talk through whatever's happening in our lives. We've been touring and playing in bands together for over 10 years now. It's kinda nice to be able to reflect on things with someone you know that well.
Photo credit: Luke Adams
[12 p.m.] I’ll dive into whatever we are working on this week. Right now it happens to be a song we wrote with Jax Anderson a couple months ago before Covid hit. Jax just sent over vocals her friend PVRS recorded, which sound SO GOOOD. I'm a big Jax Anderson fan and it’s always amazing to me when you get to collaborate with artist that you really love and respect.
Photo credit: Luke Adams
[6 p.m.] Around this time everyday I start spacing out and become a lot less productive. I'll usually try to take a break and ride my bike to get out of the house for a little bit. I consider myself very much an East Coast person in the sense that I like being in the city and being able to ride or walk around and catch a vibe for what's happening. Not having as many cars in the city has definitely been one of the more positive things this to happen due to Covid.
Photo credit: Luke Adams
[7 p.m.] By this time, I definitely need a drink. My choice as of late has been Amaro, particularly Cappelletti's Sfumato. It’s smokey, herbal, and has a little sweetness to it but still finishes on the dry side. It’s really great poured over an ice cube, which is how I usually take it. I also like to try to support as many local restaurants around me as I can, but ultimately I've been cooking a lot more at home which I have come to enjoy quite a bit. A lot of vegetable-based dishes occasionally paired with a fish.
Photo credit: Luke Adams
[8 p.m.] When Covid hit in March, everything around us slowed down. Writing trips were cancelled and the headlining tour we had planned was postponed and then ultimately cancelled as well. It’s been very strange being home and having this much time off. I've tried to make the most of it by building out a home studio in the basement of my house which is where I probably spend most of my day now. I've also gotten back into buying and restoring vintage gear like this Crumar Orchestrator. I bought it at Atomic Music in Maryland awhile back but a couple of the keys stopped working and it would always fall out of tune. Now it's become a go-to instrument for me. The same goes for the Juno-106 that I recently got from a friend.
Photo credit: Luke Adams
[10 p.m.] I'm usually watching Michaela Coel's "I May Destroy You" on HBO, reading Yuval Noah Harari's Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow or re-watching one of Dave Chappelle's stand-ups on Netflix.
[12 a.m.] I'm passed out on the couch. If I'm lucky, I'll make it into bed, but honestly what’s the point when you're quarantined during a global pandemic? 🙂
If you wish to support our efforts to assist music professionals in need, learn more about the Recording Academy's and MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund.
If you are a member of the music industry in need of assistance, visit the MusiCares website.
