At the foot of the bed rests a glittery blue drum set and lodged between a worn leather sofa and his desk are four instruments…
At the foot of the bed rests a glittery blue drum set and lodged between a worn leather sofa and his desk are four instruments crammed, but within arm’s reach. Boundaries between personal, private and work life have become obsolete for many, but Valentin Prince has chosen to embrace the chaos during the pandemic and convert his bedroom into a makeshift studio and recording booth.
“My room being the practice space has shaped my life.… It reminds me what I’m going for. What I’m trying to accomplish, like my goals,” said Prince, guitarist and singer of Prince Bellerose. “My bedroom has become less of a bedroom, more of a studio, and I like it that way.”
Nearly three months into the COVID-19 pandemic, musicians have adapted to streaming shows online and collaborating with distant artists for songs in solidarity, but revenue and environmental changes have caused some music makers to reflect on and experiment with their artistic intentions.
Jaguardini is doing weekly aerobic Facebook videos, neon leotards and legwarmers included, and Lobby Boy is hosting socially-distanced happy hour conversations online. Lyrics and beats may be the foundation of what musicians sell, but the pandemic has allowed several artists the opportunity to dive deeper into their creativity and swim in the endless possibilities of online production.
For the trio of fellows in Prince Bellerose, time away at the start of the pandemic gave the band members time to recognize their collective ambitions of moving to music-making full-time within the next year. With shows and tours canceled, Prince Bellerose decided to open a Patreon account, a membership platform that awards subscribers with exclusive content, as a way to connect with audiences and maintain a regular source of income. Patreon members can choose from a variety of tiered subscription levels to access rewards like discounted merchandise or premium content such as art from drummer Joseph Harder, poetry from bassist Daniel Bellerose or instructional videos for the guitar from singer Prince.
“Long term, I think this really enlightened us. We all took a little time off work at the beginning of this and realized how A, how little money we needed to live and B, how important the band was to us.
