Facebook Live provides outlet for singer
“Before all this happened, I was starting to gain momentum. I was getting more shows and playing more often. I was booked well through July. Then, sadly, everything kind of hit a wall. The last public show I played was at Chelsea Wine Bar on March 14. Now, no telling what’s going to happen.
“I’ve been a full-time musician since June 2013. It’s worked out pretty well. But now I’m wondering, how am I going to make money? Basically, how am I going to feed my family? There was a place I had just started playing in Galveston. I talked to the owner on Facebook the other day, and he said, ‘I’m not even sure we’re still going to be open when all this is over.’ I wonder how many places are going to tell me that. That’s a very scary thought.
“I saw a couple people do Facebook Live performances. Some friends would text or call me and say, ‘You really ought to do this.’ I’ve always felt a need to perform and to entertain an audience. So while I’m not able to do that right now in person, I decided to give it a try.
“The nicest thing about my first show was how much it felt like a real performance with an audience. Even though it was electronic and everybody was responding through their phone or computer, it still had that energy that you could feed off from people.
“I had planned to play about two hours, but I ended up playing three. It was the first time ever that I played three hours straight with no break.
“I was getting flooded with song requests. My girlfriend started writing them down and holding them up so I could see them all.
“People said it was a nice break from all the doom and gloom of what everybody’s going through. I think the unspoken goal for any performer is to make people feel good and feel better if possible. If I can do that, then I’m doing my job. It’s a very gratifying experience.”
— Ryan Guidry
Ryan specializes in covers of 60s and 70s songs. During the coronavirus pandemic, he plans to continue playing Facebook Live shows Sundays at 4 p.m.
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