From the Editor…

I wanted to take this opportunity to assure that all of us at Music In Motion Columbus are still here and will continue to bring you articles on your music scene. Although we’ve had to adjust how we cover the local scene due to the COVID-19, also known as Novel Coronavirus (designated a global pandemic by the World Health Organization), we still love music and conveying news about your favorite local bands, artists and musicians to you.

I want to keep you informed on how we’re going about our continued coverage of the local music scene.

First, I made the decision on Thursday afternoon (March 12) to suspend all of our staff from attending live music concerts or meeting with bands, artists and musicians face-to-face. This action was not taken lightly, nor was it a knee-jerk reaction to the current events unfolding. This was taken solely to do our best to keep our staff safe.

Second, Our staff is working to come up with imaginative ways in which to cover the music scene. This will include more in-depth articles of the scene, bands, artists and musicians with care taken to minimize any risk to either the interviewer or those being interviewed.

Third, as of 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 15, Ohio Governor Mike Dewine made the decision to close all restaurants and bars in the state of Ohio at 9 p.m. Sunday, March 15 indefinitely. Carry-out and delivery are still available.

“Based upon the fact of where we are at this point, in this pandemic — we are literally at a crucial, crucial, crucial stage — Dr. Acton (Ohio Department of Health Director) will be signing an order that all bars in the state and all restaurants will close at 9 o’clock tonight,” DeWine said.

If you have questions about COVID19 in Ohio call the Ohio Department of Health coronavirus hotline: 1-833-4-ASK-ODH (1-833-427-5634).They are taking hundreds of calls an hour and now have the capability to call people back if they leave a message.

Fourth, even though this curtails live concerts, you can support the local music scene by purchasing merchandise by local bands, artists and musicians via their online accounts. If you’re unsure if a band has an online store, contact the band directly via social media. For many bands, artists and musicians this supplements their income and will be a major boost to their lost revenue by not playing live concerts.

Fifth, we will be temporarily halting new episodes of The Cat Club Podcast until such time as it is safe to have bands, artists and musicians back in our studio. Please take the time to peruse previous episodes and discover new music.

We guarantee that we will be back covering the local music scene (and live shows) as soon as it is determined to be safe to do so.

I hope that everyone takes the necessary precautions to minimize your chance of becoming infected with the virus. Without the bands, artists and musicians, as well as YOU, our faithful readers, we cannot do what we do.

Stay safe, my friends, and we’ll see you out at a show soon.

All my best,

Rick Gethin
Founder/Managing Editor