MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis Tourism and I Love Memphis Blog are teaming up to host Get Live! Memphis, a three-day virtual music festival.
The festival begins Thursday night through Facebook and features headliners like Southern Avenue, Ben Nichols of Lucero, and many more local Memphis musicians.
The festival gives musicians a stage, and the goal is to help those without work.
"The idea that all of the sudden, the thing that you identify as your source of survival - emotional and financial - is now not accessible, is devastating," Jayne Ellen White, Memphis Tourism Music Specialist, said.
For three nights, artists will sound off through the Facebook event page hosted by the Memphis Tourism page. It's free for people to tune in, but a link will be attached for people to donate money for artists and crews who are without work to the Music Export Memphis COVID-19 Emergency Relief fund.
"To have the Memphis Tourism advocating for us and putting it out there to say that we have to take care of these people, that are going without now or are unsure, uncertain of what's going to happen next. Give them a little cushion, a little comfort," Memphis singer Stephani McCoy said.
McCoy is one of the several artists performing during the festival. She's a part of the acoustic duo known as Derek and Doll. While she also works as an instructor for Stax Music Academy, she’s often seen on weekends performing on Beale Street, at least before the COVID-19 pandemic.
"[On top of that] private gigs, private weddings, and parties and things like that - that had to be pushed back to like the fall," McCoy said.
Other artists rely solely on the money they make from performing. They need this help, McCoy said.
It won't only be Memphians tuning into the festival. It will put the city on display to the world when tourism has essentially come to a halt.
"My hope for the virtual music festival is that we double down on our identity as a live music city, and that people all over the world can access all of the amazing musicians that we have here in town and the musicians have a stage always," White said.
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Coronavirus in Context:
The symptoms of coronavirus are similar to the flu or a bad cold. Symptoms include a fever, cough and shortness of breath, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Most healthy people will have mild symptoms. A study of more than 72,000 patients by the Centers for Disease Control in China showed 80-percent of the cases there were mild.
But infections can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death, according to the World Health Organization. Older people with underlying health conditions are most at risk.
The CDC believes symptoms may appear anywhere from two to 14 days after being exposed.
Lower your risk
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
- If you are 60 or over and have an underlying health condition such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes or respiratory illnesses like asthma or COPD, the World Health Organization advises you to try to avoid crowds or places where you might interact with people who are sick.