QUARANTINE PROFILE: Fast River
We’ve launched a profile series to highlight how artists are spending their time during the quarantine. Several times a week we’ll highlight a new artist across the globe and see how they’re keeping busy during COVID-19 lockdowns.
The band members are: Corey Durkin, Canyon Sharits, Dylan Cochrane, Andrew DeNicola, Daniel Caravella and Douglas Dejong.
Where have you been spending your quarantine?
Canyon: In our 900 sq ft apt!
Dylan: My fiancé and I bought our first house last April, and we have barely left since. But mostly spending my time in my temporary in-house studio, and Home Depot.
Andrew: Mostly at home, practicing/composing music, keeping in communication with my friends and family, and working part-time. Also exercising like hiking, jogging, biking, and Qi gong.
How have you been staying busy during quarantine? (or not keeping busy is totally fine too)
Canyon: I have two jobs in addition to being a musician and momma. So, aside from last March when lockdown first started, it’s been busier than ever before.
Dylan: I have a 1.5 year old son Odin who keeps me pretty busy but other than that working on music and small house projects. I built some really crappy shelves a few months ago :)
Doug: I've been practicing as much as possible and picking up a few new instruments. I've always "played" drums but now with quarantine, I figure my neighbors are more hesitant to knock on my door so I've finally been playing every day.
Dan: Playing an excessive amount of golf.
Anything new you’ve learned? / Something new you’ve done:
Doug: I started a hockey podcast - "Tougie's Take" - and spent a lot of time learning to mix and edit spoken word. There were a lot of subtleties to producing a podcast that I wasn't expecting, but roughly 100 youtube tutorials and 20 articles later, I'm pretty happy with the results I'm getting.
Dan: Learning how layer 1 through layer 3 networking works and how to consistently hit a cut or a draw on the golf course. Andrew: How to make different types of espresso drinks, recording my own music, and getting a personal trainer to learn new workout exercises.
Corey: I learned the difference between a leaf blower and a chainsaw.
Go-to quarantine snack:
Dylan: Double Stuff Oreos and milk all day every day.
Doug: String Cheese. I'm up to a 2-stick-a-day habit that I might need to kick when I finally go outside again.
Dan: Black forest ham/American cheese rollup with some dijon for dipping
Andrew: Knokkerbread crispbread crackers with hummus
Corey: Sourdough toast with butter wherein the toast is really just a vehicle for the butter.
Canyon: I went through a SERIOUS trail mix obsession in the beginning... like... serious. I was buying tons of different mixes (when I could find them from the bare-shelved store) and got to the point where I was combining different varieties (think dill pickle & cherry/chocolate). It got weird.
If you could only watch one film or TV show for the rest of time what would it be?
Canyon: Dateline!
Dylan: That 70’s Show
Doug: The Simpsons
Corey: West Wing
Andrew: The rest of Stanley Kubrick’s movies.
Dan: Lord of the Rings
What’s the best advice you’ve received during this time?
Dylan: Never leave your guitar pedals on the ground when you have a child. You will never find that "one" sound ever again.
Canyon: Do the opposite of what your brain tells you that it wants to do. If I’m ever scared/intimidated/overwhelmed by the idea of doing something... I force myself to do it so that my “fear brain” doesn’t win. I’d rather LIVE life than sit it out but man, it’s a CHOICE!
Doug: If you learn from your mistakes, they were investments.
Dan: When golfing, for every 10mph of wind in your face assume a 10% loss of club distance…for every 10mph of wind at your back, assume 5% increase in that clubs distance. Invaluable advice.
Andrew: To take your time with what you're doing, sharpen the tools that you already possess, and keep reaching out to people even if it feels difficult.
Corey: Dan told me to focus on details like 'picking a chord progression and tuning your guitars.' He wasn't wrong.
What’s something you miss the most right now?
Canyon: hugging people!
Dylan: Going to concerts and baseball games! I would give a lot to pay 12$ for a hotdog at a ballpark right about now.
Doug: It sounds like such a small thing, but I really miss those ridiculously oversized club sandwiches that pubs serve. Why are their sandwiches so much larger than other places? I don't know but I sure would love to eat one. Right now, even.
Corey: Watching my friends play shows.
Dan: I miss my friends the most, not seeing them all for months at a time is very new (in the grand scheme of things) and has certainly left a massive gap in my life.
Andrew: Performing live shows.