Venue closures quiet local musicians during COVID-19 pandemic

The coronavirus isn’t just forcing businesses to close and residents to stay home, it’s keeping musicians off of local stages.

Singer-songwriter Layla Brisbois and The Down Brothers vocalist and guitarist Jeff Wilson are among those performers eager to pick up their instruments and play for crowds again once the COVID-19 pandemic dissipates. 

Brisbois, an Orlando native, started her career as a musician six years ago when she played a gig with local musician Guy Walker. She plays the acoustic guitar and the piano, but she said her true passion is singing.

“I ended up making it a full-time thing about two years ago,” Brisbois said. “It’s the one thing that brings me absolute, pure joy.”

She’s made her career by playing at Winter Garden venues, local breweries, restaurants and places such as Disney Springs. However, as the COVID-19 crisis continues, venues have been closing their doors in an effort to minimize the spread of the virus and keep the public safe, cutting off gigs for the time being.

“When the whole month gets canceled, you lose all your income,” Brisbois said. “You’ve got no way to pay your bills.”

Brisbois is now out of work for the next 30 days, and there are many musicians in the same boat.

“I know people who live gig by gig and have no way to cover their expenses,” Brisbois said. “Live music is a bit of a luxury for some places.”

By the time local businesses open up again, it’s not certain they will be able to afford live music again, she said. 

“I could be out of work for more than 30 days while businesses get back on their feet,” Brisbois said. “We’re at the bottom end of the totem pole right now.”

Brisbois said that, while stressed out by the situation, she’s trying her best to stay positive.

“It’s OK to be upset,” she said. “In a day, we lost everything for a month. ... Feel what you need to feel to get past this.”

In the meantime, Brisbois will be focusing on her original music. She will also be doing live streams on social media platforms.

“I’m gonna miss playing out,” Brisbois said. “I look forward to every gig. I do what I love because I genuinely love going out and playing gigs.”

Pittsburgh native Jeff Wilson plays guitar and sings with local band The Down Brothers, which performs numerous events in Windermere, Dr. Phillips and beyond. 

He’s been a full-time musician for 25 years and has traveled all over the country with his music. He said he always wanted to be a musician.

“It’s definitely not about the money — money isn’t the driving factor,” Wilson said. “It’s for the pleasure of making music. It’s the greatest thing in the world.”

With businesses in the area shutting down for the next month, money is scarce and making a living is daunting.

“It’s not good,” Wilson said. “I’ve been through riots, earthquakes and fires in Los Angeles. You could go to San Francisco to play. You could go to Phoenix to play. But this … this is a total shutdown. It’s devastating.

“It’s hard to keep the music business going,” Wilson said. “It’s important for musicians to stick together.”