I had recently moved back to Central New York after 15 years as a full time working musician in the Tampa Bay Area when COVID-19 hit. Prior to that, I spent several years between Syracuse, Ithaca, and NYC. I moved back to Syracuse to be closer to my immediate family and was nervous as to whether or not I would be able to continue performing full time. Thanks to having grown up playing music in CNY (I played my first gig at The Lost Horizon in 1994 at the age of 14), I was welcomed back into our music community with open arms.
Within two months I was performing at Dinosaur, Funk N Waffles and Kitty Hoynes, among others. I joined Letizia and The Z Band as lead guitar 
player and primary male vocalist and had begun DJ’ing part-time for Rock Bingo Music Trivia. I began to think things might just work out
By early March of 2020, I was ecstatic to see my calendar filled with dates through January of 2021. I reconnected with old friends in the scene and was in awe of how quickly I was accepted by established members of our tightly knit community.
By mid-March, everything changed. Most dates were canceled immediately and the rest were iffy at best. I moved in with my mother when I arrived in Syracuse last fall. With my bookings becoming more consistent, I expected to be out by spring. That turned into many more months than I planned (her too for that matter – God bless her!). I was fortunate to begin teaching lessons online via Zoom and I had a part-time job with UPS loading and unloading planes and trucks at Hancock Airport. Unfortunately, this landed me on a chiropractor’s table three times a week. I was left thinking I might have to return to FL out of necessity as they were beginning to reopen at a quicker pace. Then the spikes started….so much for that idea!
A few of the Rock Bingo gigs began to come back during the summer but quickly ceased when the new guidelines preventing advertised events were announced. The Z Band had a few sporadic wedding gigs but they were few and far between. Because I needed to find full-time work (and other extenuating circumstances) I had to resign. I’ve always been able to make a living performing and the college degree I earned as a fall back has never been put into play. Now I couldn’t perform and there were no “job” jobs available to even do something else. Once again, uncertainty dominates the landscape.
I am grateful for my current situation. Guitar Center responded to an application I had submitted months prior and I am currently working at their Erie Blvd location. I may not be performing 5 nights a week, but I am happy to work around what I love with other like-minded individuals. I have started to get a few offers here and there as an “incidental” solo act. I still teach and, like many of us, have begun spending more time in the studio, but live performance has always been my passion and my bread and butter.
I am in awe of how our community has rallied together to support one another and organize in an attempt to bring about rational guidelines for reopening that won’t decimate the vibe and atmosphere of our locally owned establishments. The CNY music scene is where I grew up and received my musical education (scholastic and practical) that allowed me to pursue this as a career for the past 25 years. It provides refuge, release, refinement, and relaxation for all in our area. I fear what the landscape may look like when this crisis abates. I believe we will endure, I only hope the damage won’t be irrevocable. This is a special corner of the world and it deserves to be preserved.
Christopher LeFever
Syracuse, NY