Venues and artists optimistic, cautious as live music returns to Macon amid COVID-19

Nearly a decade ago, Austin Sanderson began to DJ in his bedroom. Now Sanderson, who goes by the stage name DJ Uh-Oh, is the DJ for Rehab, a hip hop group from Warner Robins that has released seven studio albums since 1998, where he plays for a much larger audience than just himself.

“I tour with Rehab, so I’ve played in front of five, six thousand people,” Sanderson said “Which as a kid that started out DJing in his bedroom is amazing. Knowing that you’re picking the right song and watching the whole crowd just rock with you is legitimately amazing.”

Sanderson and the group were all set to go out on a cross country tour, something Sanderson hasn’t experience yet, when the coronavirus outbreak hit. They walked off stage at a show in Warner Robins on Saint Patrick’s Day to news from their manager that all shows were canceled for the foreseeable future.

“We were lined up for two months of California shows then like Anchorage, Alaska. Like traveling, traveling,” Sanderson said. “That hit me really hard because not only is that money that we all lost but that’s an experience that I’m not going to get.”

A new kind of show

Sanderson began serving at Lazy Susan in downtown Macon and also DJs there every Thursday night with a throwback playlist. Between that and a series of virtual shows that he did during the shutdown with DJ B3, he has been able to remain active in the community and keep his name out there. He said that while he enjoyed being a part of the virtual shows, it took away his favorite part of being a DJ, the crowd’s reaction. With the small sets at Lazy Susan, he at least gets to interact with customers from all age groups who enjoy some of the classic hits he plays.

“The reception has been really good, everyone enjoys the shows,” Sanderson said. “I will say the one positive thing from COVID-19 is that it taught a lot of artists that couldn’t go on tour that you have to have social media presence.”

Sanderson is worried that a second wave of coronavirus cases could be on the horizon, causing a second shutdown of live shows. One venue that Sanderson has played in the past is JBA in downtown Macon. Owner Brandon Lawler opened JBA nearly a year ago and his been able to showcase some of the local up and coming artists. He said that the shut down was tough for his up and coming venue. JBA voluntarily closed before the shutdown, Lawler said that it was hard to post the announcement on Facebook because it left him with an uncertain future.

“It was pretty hard to do that because I’m not even a year old yet and I’m having to shut down for I don’t know how long,” Lawler said. “It was unnerving. It wasn’t an easy thing to do.”

Recently, Lawler reopened JBA without much fanfare as he turned his little dive bar music venue into more of a speakeasy with no live music.

The goal was to slowly work towards bringing back live music which he plans to do next week with a test run of their regular schedule.

JBA offers craft beer, cocktails and a place to enjoy some of the talent that Macon has in its music scene. Lawler doesn’t typically book cover bands and has put a lot into upgrading the sound system.

JBA also features open mic or decks nights so local artists can perform. He also doesn’t charge a cover so that if someone walking by hears a band they like they can walk in and check it out

“We do pride ourselves on the music we host... I invest a ton into the music and everything involved with the music,” Lawler said. “ I don’t have the music to promote the bar per say, I have the music to promote the artists.”

A test run

With the test run next week for live music, Lawler is hoping to slowly gain some traction again but is cautiously optimistic. One of his major concerns is a second wave hitting or a potential outbreak being linked to JBA.

His staff are going to follow all the guidelines laid out by the state and local officials, as well as the CDC.

The way JBA is set up, it also allows for people to enjoy the music from the sidewalk outside so those that don’t feel comfortable coming inside yet do still have the option to take in the show from outside.

“I am obviously most worried about an outbreak. God forbid something get traced back to JBA,” Lawler said. “It’s a really sticky situation. There is really no truthful answer (to how to handle this). I don’t know what to do.”

Lawler plans to see how the response is to the first week back with live music and try to assess what to do next.

“We are trying to balance the business with the ethical side of things,” Lawler said. “Hopefully, it (live music) stays.”