As 2020 finally comes to an end, many of us breathe a sigh of relief. As we watched an industry we love fall amongst the chaos and struggle to get back up — we were left to scramble in figuring out how to navigate this new ‘norm’. Despite 2020 shutting down festivals and world tours, artists found creative ways to connect to their fans and help them escape from their harsh realities even just for a moment. As we approach the final days of 2020, we asked several artists despite 2020 housing some of the worst moments, what’s the best thing that’s happened to you? The Haunt, Practice, Maddox Jones, Glacier Veins, The Vaughns, Animalweapon and Never Loved share their highlights for 2020.

Practice [solo project of Michael Tapper]: “I guess maybe the best thing that happened to me in 2020 was getting Covid. I got it early, at the beginning of March, right before the lockdown in NYC. I was fortunate not to get really sick, and really the only symptoms I had were a complete loss of taste and smell for a week. At the time, the only symptoms known for Covid were coughing and fever, and I didn’t have either of those, so I didn’t even know I had it. At first, I thought the food and drink was just incredibly bland, but after a few days I realized it was me and not the food. I didn’t know what was causing it, but I thought it was probably something that I did to myself. After about a week, my senses came back, and I was like, ‘whew, that was weird!’ But then just a couple days later, my wife was reading the New York Times and said, ‘sit down, you have to read this.’ I couldn’t believe I had had it! But by then I was already better. The reason I’d say it was the best thing that happened to me in 2020 is threefold: 1) I was fortunate that I didn’t get really sick from it; 2) getting it early eased my mind for the rest of the year, since it was unlikely that I’d get it again (although I continued to wear masks and social distance); and 3) it was just a crazy experience to lose my sense of taste and smell for seemingly no reason, only to learn later that I had survived a deadly disease. You know, I was lucky, and you gotta count your blessings.”

Malia [Glacier Veins]: “In 2020, I’ve really appreciated the time that I’ve had to reflect on what I feel my purpose is as an artist. I’ve been inspired in new ways, and it has influenced my songwriting, specifically in the messages and feelings I want to put into the world with the music I create. I’m really excited to take this new energy and these thoughts and share it through future Glacier Veins music.”

 

 

 

 

 

The Vaughns: “It’s been a tough year but we are grateful for having extra time to spend with loved ones and on songwriting…also Ryan got engaged to his fiancé Brittany!” 

Shane [Never Loved]: “This year has had plenty of ‘Over It’ moments, there’s no doubt about that. However, the best part of 2020 for me has got to be video chats. Apps like Zoom and Discord have helped out so much this year. I’ve had some great times hanging out with friends through video chat. I’ve never really done it before this year but I love that I can hang out with friends from all over the world. It’s also been very beneficial for us as a band since I live a few hours away. We figured out a way to write music remotely through a lot of trial and error. Now that we have a system figured out we’ve been working on new music at least once a week! It’s really easy to look at all the negatives this year but some really great things have happened too!”

Camm [Never Loved]: “2020 has taught me to look at the positives in life more often and to be grateful for everything that I have. I’ve learned to cherish and enjoy things a lot more than I used to since 2020 took away a lot of the ‘normal’. While it’s been an odd year, I’ve learned a lot from it and I’m grateful for that.”

While this year didn’t exactly go according to plan, don’t forget to celebrate all the victories 2020 made you fight for – no matter how small. Remember to help where you can, shop small, support your local venues and just be kind. We’ve all been through our own level of hell this year, no one needs to add to that. To all the nurses, doctors, EMT/paramedics, first responders, frontline and essential workers, thank you for everything you’ve sacrificed, done, continue to do for all of us. To those who have lost a loved one, is suffering or knows someone suffering due to the mayhem that this pandemic has caused — our hearts and love are with you. Stay safe, wear a mask and remember to tell everyone important to you that you love them.

Maddox Jones
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Practice
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The Haunt
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Glacier Veins
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Never Loved
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Animalweapon
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The Vaughns
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