URGNT ADAPTS TO DELIVER LIVESTREAMED SOLO HOUSE CONCERT SERIES
SHOW TONIGHT FEATURING MOSCOW APARTMENT
ZECA POLINA, QUINCY MORALES, DIGGING ROOTS,
STAY OUT LATE, LAILA BIALI AND MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED
TORONTO ARTISTS, SOUND TECHS
VIDEOGRAPHERS AND PRESENTERS
UNITE FOR LIVESTREAMED CONCERT SERIES TO AID
LOCAL ARTISTS AND INDUSTRY DURING COVID-19 CRISIS
LEARN MORE AND SUPPORT URGNT ON GOFUNDME
Toronto, ON – March 27, 2020 – Following three successful livestreamed concerts featuring Measha Brueggergosman, Moskitto Bar and Quique Escamilla, URGNT won’t let space restrictions as the result of COVID-19 halt their mission.Mark Marczyk, known for his work as ringleader of Toronto’s guerrilla-folk party-punk icons, Lemon Bucket Orkestra, founded URGNT – a music movement to aid local artists and industry through livestreamed community performances during the COVID-19 crisis. Due to recent enforcements around the closure of non-essential services, URGNT has adapted to deliver a full lineup of livestreamed solo house concerts highlighting Toronto’s emerging and prominent musicians, with indie folk band Moscow Apartment performing tonight (Friday, March 27) at 7:00 pm ET. See below for an updated schedule, and tune in via Maclean’s, Facebook and the URGNT website. You can support URGNT and their artists through their GoFundMe campaign.
URGNT will continue to compensate all artists for a 45-minute set, as they have moved into an ‘online venue’ format, curating the best of Ontario’s musicians who have been hit hard by the COVID-19 crisis. URGNT has also opened up a call for artists to submit a 45 minute live set. If selected, URGNT will stream it via Maclean’s, Facebook and the URGNT website, as well as the artist's fan page.
URGNT will livestream solo house concerts with an array of iconic and emerging Toronto acts, whose tours/work have been cancelled and livelihoods put at stake (among them, JUNO winners and nominees), to livestream 30-45-minute sets. Recent performances featured Soprano songstress, Measha Brueggergosman, multicultural sound ensemble, Moskitto Bar, and Mexican singer-songwriter, Quique Escamilla. Upcoming sets will include Hip Hop artist, Quincy Morales, Indie beatnik The Holy Gasp, stand-up comedian Elvira Kurt, JUNO Award-winning Indigenous blues duo, Digging Roots, vocal jazz artist Laila Biali, with more to be announced. See below for complete details.
What began as a call out in a Facebook post has been growing rapidly as an initiative Marczyk established only two weeks ago alongside long-term colleagues and key community members, Kathleen Ryan, Jaash Singh, Tamar Ilana, Alex Bordokas and Oksana Hawrylak.
“How can we be advocates of the whole diverse ecology of our live music sector in this time of crisis and bring attention to the artists, venues, technicians, promoters and arts workers who themselves bring value to our economy and quality of life?” Marczyk comments. “WE NEED THIS. Our city needs this. The whole world needs this. Italians quarantined in apartment blocks have been having sing-alongs from their balconies. European opera houses are releasing their coveted video archives to the public. Symphonies are being performed in front of no one. We are all being creative in the face of adversity to remember our humanity. It would be nice to be creative together so that when this all passes, we can remember and be proud of what we did together to get through it.”
About URGNT LIVE
URGNT LIVE is a Toronto-based online venue. What started as livestream series in empty venues created in response to the COVID-19 outbreak has quickly adapted to promote social distancing and create a curated platform to present and support the best of the city's musicians. URGNT's goals are: to unify the arts industry in Toronto in a safe and creative way; to raise money to pay a nominal fee to all involved parties to help with lost gigs and wages as a result of the quarantine; to document and catalogue this unique period in history; and to make compelling content available to audiences when they need it most.
Kathleen Ryan is URGNT’s Head Of Production, with experience working for numerous organizations and notable events, including the JUNOs. Maclean’s is the official media sponsor, supporting ongoing coverage and broadcasts of the concerts.
URGNT is in need of support to highlight the spirit of Toronto’s music scene, emphasizing the importance of staying connected and supporting the people who create the music that gets us through extreme situations. For all the negative effects of the Coronavirus, URGNT is an opportunity to show just how incredible Toronto is through its people and places, so that when people do ultimately come out of quarantine, they are inclined to be more active.
“We want to be strong advocates for diverse representation, which is part of the city we love, so we've already been reaching across genre, cultures, and identities, but we also hope to hear from artists in response,” Marcyzk says. “Artists can now submit their 45 minute live sets to us directly. If selected, they'll be streamed on URGNT and Maclean's, not to mention we'll send them some cash."
URGNT is closely monitoring their GoFundMe page and acknowledges the health implications of this initiative. The team is developing a series of guidelines (including but not limited to having ample sanitation products on hand, ensuring only invited participants who don’t exhibit symptoms and haven’t travelled recently, maintain distance, even on stage), while evolving with public health recommendations.
Upcoming Livestream:
Friday, March 27 - Moscow Apartment - Indie folk - 7pm ET
Stay tuned for dates to be announced including:
Quincy Morales (Hip Hop), The Holy Gasp (Indie beatnik),
Elvira Kurt (stand-up comedian), Digging Roots (Indigenous Blues Duo),
Laila Biali (Vocal Jazz),Zeca Polina (Brazilian Forro),
Stay Out Late (Hip Hop), Teo Milea (Romanian piano) and more.
For allies, artists, venues, sound technicians, and videographers looking to get involved, please visit www.urgnt.ca, email mark@urgnt.ca or call 647-526-5675.
Visit and support URGNT on GoFundMe
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