2020: A Year Like No Other

It's very odd for me to be posting a picture of me wearing a facemask, but seeing as this is 2020 it's only appropriate for the time we're living in, and what we've been through this past year. No one could have expected the entire world of music to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic when the state of emergency was issued in mid-March. All shows were cancelled, prominent venues shuttered permanently here in Boston including Great Scott, O'Brien's, and Once Somerville, and that left alot of people questioning their futures as to what's next for the local music scene here in town. I was certainly pondering my future as well, and that meant shutting down MusicBoxPete. I seriously thought about ending the site and closing down for good back in May when the country was grappled with important societal issues, and anything promoting music was deemed unimportant, irrelevant, or insensitive. I immediately thought about what would happen to upstart local acts who could no longer submit their music to my blog and where they would go to. I thought about the many musician friends I've made going to shows who have become my close brothers and confidantes. I thought about what I would lose out on if I decided to not move forward with MusicBoxPete, so I wisely chose not to.

MusicBoxPete always has, and always will be a beacon for local artists to be heard on the site, and for me to connect with each and every one of you weekly either on Facebook Live or on my podcast. If this pandemic has taught me anything, it's not to let the outside world drag you down and influence you. Continue to be who you are and surround yourself with those you care about. I'll be taking the rest of the year off to enjoy the holidays with my family, and I urge all of you to please take this time to use music as a building block to build friendships. Share playlists with your friends, family, neighbor, boyfriend, girlfriend, whomever you feel strongly about. Spin vinyls and share cocktails alongside some laughs with your family, and playfully joke about each other's musical tastes. It's music that are the building blocks and foundations for our relationships, which I can surely relate to. Be safe and be well everyone!

- MusicBoxPete