Grammy-nominated pianist turns to shoe shining to make ends meet
2nd November 2020 · 0 Comments
By Fritz Esker
Contributing Writer
As America struggles through the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic, many local musicians and gig economy workers are have had to get by with creative side gigs and smaller performances.
Rickie Monie, Preservation Hall’s Grammy-nominated jazz pianist since 1982, learned shoe shining from his father and grandfather. When he would tour with the Preservation Hall Band, his band mates would often compliment him on his shoes. They eventually started paying him to shine their shoes. Now that Monie, like other musicians, has been seriously impacted by shutdowns from the COVID-19 pandemic, he has begun shining other people’s shoes through an endeavor called “Music for Your Soles,” as a way to help make ends meet.
“The bills still hit every thirty days,” Monie said. “I figured this would be a good time to get creative…I encourage every musician out there to be creative in their thinking.”
Monie said his friend Shannon Powell has offered virtual drum lessons during the pandemic. Other musicians have performed virtual concerts with online tip jars. But these efforts do not compensate for the loss of the city’s tourism and convention scenes, which fill live music clubs with people.
“Live music is the lifeblood of New Orleans. When the initial lockdowns were put in place, the restrictions hit our musician community right at the start of festival season, their busiest time of the year,” said Kelly Schulz, senior vice president for communications and public relations at New Orleans and Company. “As a group, our local musicians continue to be one of the most financially impacted from the effects of the pandemic. People who spent their lives honing their craft and building a career have been denied the ability to perform in front of the crowds that have supported their livelihoods.”
While musicians have been forced to think outside of the box in making money, some organizations have stepped up to provide one-time or continuous relief for musicians and gig economy workers.
In March, the New Orleans Business Alliance (NOLABA) created a relief fund for local gig economy workers. NOLABA started the fund with $100,000, which was then matched by New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans owner Gayle Benson. The fund has now cleared $500,000 in donations. NOLABA President & CEO Quentin Messer Jr. told WWL in March that the average grant size would be between $500-$1,000 and that people could reapply after 45 days. Eligible applicants must be Orleans Parish residents and receive 60 percent or more of their income from the gig economy. (Applicants can still apply at nolaba.org/relief-fund, but must provide a document proving residency, a 2018 or 2019 tax return, bank statements and proof of gig-related employment.)
Victoria Adams Phipps, chief strategy officer of NOLABA, said 1,200 individuals have received support from the fund. The top three occupations held by grantees were musician, rideshare driver and artist. Many of the respondents were unbanked or under-banked, which made distributing funds a challenge in some cases.
“In addition, because many are self-employed, often relying on word-of-mouth commitments for ongoing work (standing gigs at venues, etc.) or cash-based sales (busking, etc.), many were unable to take advantage of unemployment insurance or relief funds provided by the state or federal government,” said Phipps.
Under phase 3.2, live music has started a slow return to New Orleans.
“We are encouraged by the continued reopening of the city,” said Schultz. “Our performers want to make sure their audiences are safe and healthy; we hope that our locals, visitors and government can find ways to support these vital contributors to our culture.”
Tom Leggett, who performed at Jazz Fest in 2019, has been performing smaller gigs at venues like Abita Brew Pub and at private events. He has worked with Front Porch Gigs, a new organization that sets up musicians with small, safe outdoor gigs. As an English teacher at Brother Martin High School, Leggett said he is lucky to have full-time employment during the pandemic, but the loss of gigs still stings financially.
Both Monie and Leggett have worked on recording albums during recent months.
“It’s daunting to plan an album release without any prospects of live performances or touring to support it, but artists will tell you sometimes you have to keep the art going no matter what,” Leggett said.
Monie said that even when music venues open up again, it won’t be an immediate return to normalcy for musicians. Venues will face capacity restrictions and some people might still feel skittish about attending concerts. When asked for his opinion about the future, he expressed uncertainty.
“I always hope for the best, but it’s unforeseeable,” Monie said. “We don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Leggett said that even if things pick up again, there is also always the possibility of tougher restrictions being reinstated if COVID-19 cases spike.
“Everyone needs to do their part to help keep the virus in check so that we can return to some semblance of normality again,” Leggett said.
Until that semblance of normality has returned, Monie plans to continue growing his shoe shine business.
“I always had the talent to do this, and I love it, so during this tough time I reverted back to the basics. It’s one way to survive during these challenging times,” said Monie.
Music for Your Soles offers on-site shoe shining appointments as well as complimentary pick up and drop off services with prices starting at $20. More information about Music for Your Soles can be found on Facebook or by calling 504-701-7425.
This article originally published in the November 2, 2020 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
