| NOW HEAR THIS ESSENTIAL The soft rumble of the surf is audible along the Cambria neighborhood street, punctuated by the high-flying melody line sung by an unmistakable violin string. Brynn Albanese, who many locals will recognize from her group Cafe Musique and her participation in the <strong>SLO</strong> Symphony, holds her bow high like a magic wand between strokes. Sunlight sparkles off her electric violin, amped by a simple PA system, as she serenades the street with tango, Scottish folk music, and of course, gypsy-jazz. Her audience lines the street, sitting in lawn chairs at socially distanced intervals. The neighborhood is out to take in the show from their front yards, including a few sipping drinks and enjoying the music from their balconies. Since the beginning of the pandemic, local musicians of all stripes have taken a huge hit as venues have closed indefinitely. Albanese was no different and decided to live stream videos via Facebook for performances. But then she came upon a novel idea—outdoor neighborhood shows, dubbed “quarantine concerts.” “It was basically out of fear,” she laughed. “My entrepreneurial instincts kicked in and I was like, ‘You know what? I can make people happy and make a little income by doing these concerts.’” A San Luis Obispo local who calls Cambria her home as well, Albanese has performed outside of long-term care facilities as well as in the front yards of locals. She plays by request and requires someone to host her and her equipment, but only asks for donations. Whoever hosts is asked to spread the word around the neighborhood. Megg Mcnamee booked her for a Monday mid-June concert on her driveway. She hadn’t heard of Albanese until a few weeks prior, but posted fliers and emailed her neighbors to let them know of the show. “My neighbors up the road had a concert about six weeks ago, and I was driving out and heard it, and thought, ‘Oh my God!’ So, I stopped and listened,” Mcnamee shares. “Very popular, very well-received. Good thing to do, and what a great way to start the week.” For the uninitiated, Albanese is a profoundly talented violinist with a commanding presence. Well-educated and with a cosmopolitan vibe, she takes her audience on a veritable world tour with her bow and some backing tracks funneled through the PA. One moment you’re in a Venitian gondola, and the next, it’s an Appalachian hoedown. When the crisis began, the fear and overwhelming nature of the prospects for live music was daunting, Albanese said. After some creative brainstorming, she invested in the necessary equipment. “Something like this is actually very easy. It was socially distanced, there’s hand sanitizer, there’s everything that you need to have the concert; you just have to find the right place for it,” she explains. “I think that coming up with innovative ways to have musicians come to your neighborhood or come to your house or something like that is the way to go.” Albanese believes that musicians and those hoping to support them should think creatively and try to organize their own concerts. She has several more “quarantine concerts” planned, but she is also continuing her Cambria Concerts Unplugged series, where she will live stream from the historic Old Santa Rosa Chapel. Anyone interested can reach out to Albanese via her website, brynnalbanese.com. <strong>SLO</strong> <strong>LIFE</strong> JOE PAYNE is a journalist, as well as a lifelong musician and music teacher, who loves writing about the arts on the Central Coast, especially music, as well as science, history, nature, and social issues. 28 | <strong>SLO</strong> <strong>LIFE</strong> MAGAZINE | AUG/SEP <strong>2020</strong>
SOUND BY JOE PAYNE AUG/SEP <strong>2020</strong> | <strong>SLO</strong> <strong>LIFE</strong> MAGAZINE | 29