While social distancing has pushed many artists to perform on video screens, Minneapolis musician Philip Shorey seeks small, in-person audiences. KFAI’s Paul Brohaugh joined him on a Monday morning, outside of Bethesda Hospital, where healthcare workers have been treating COVID-19 cases.
“You know, like, in war times, when soldiers went into battle, there’d be a parade, with, like, music and flowers for them,” Shorey says. “So I think it’s like that. You guys are working real hard, going into battle. So we’ve kind of brought the parade to you.”
Shorey has a track record of presenting live music in unconventional ways. He’s been involved in a musical saw convention in New York City. He’s taken a marionette act around the world, performing from a suitcase. In recent years, he’s put together a volunteer orchestra to play music he composed to accompany the 1929 silent vampire film Nosferatu. Playing the accordion at 6:30 a.m. outside of a hospital during a health care emergency is right up his alley.
Listen below.
Support for MinneCulture on KFAI comes from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.