The Lithgow region is lucky to call itself home to many talented musicians.
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Musicians, because of restrictions, aren't able to perform live and have had to take alternative routes to allow locals to hear their music.
One group that has had it easier than most is the well-known family band, Hollow Rock.
As siblings who live under the same roof they have the luxury of being able to practice and play their music whenever they like.
"During these difficult times, we consider ourselves very lucky," they said.
"Although we are all still keeping up with home schooling and university via online learning, we are fortunate that we are still able to play music together and take breaks from our studies. Overall, nothing has changed in the way we jam and practice our music.
"We are very, very fortunate."
The group agreed that it was a different environment not being able to do live gigs or go and watch other talented musicians perform.
"Although we aren't able to do any live gigs, we have been practicing very hard and we will be ready for when restrictions are lifted to go out and perform for everyone again and to watch other musicians," they said.
Recently the group have recorded covers of their favourite musicians and are getting ready to upload them to their Facebook page: HOLLOWPOINT2790.
"We found it difficult deciding where to film our songs as we only have a very small practice area with limited space, so we decided to go out into the paddock and do a type of open-air shoot, which worked out very well," they said.
"We are slowly getting more followers on Facebook, which gives us a really good feeling when people view our uploads. We are pushing on with our song writing and we have found it is not an easy thing to write good songs, but it is a fantastic way for all of us to work together as a family."
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The group said it was a different 'lifestyle' not being able to leave their house and having up to five Zoom meetings at a time during school hours.
"The internet certainly gets a going over," they joked.
"Even though the COVID restrictions are in place and have changed the way everyone functions, we are very lucky to live with plenty of ground around us, learning is still available online, we have our music, our hobbies, and our family to keep us going.
"We are still in a very good place even though our whole community is challenged."
Although the group only has a small area to jam and rehearse in, they said they try and make good use of the space.
"We can start and finish and start again without any troubles. We are currently working on a new band space which will have a larger area to allow us to film and upload from our band room," they said.
Hollow Point recognised that while the Government has been doing a lot for everyone in the country to grapple with the pandemic, musicians should not be left out.
"It is important that musicians, road crews, producers, venues, publishers, production teams, catering, and film and lighting groups are all supported in this industry, which will help in the recovery as we move out of this terrible time," they said.
"Music is one of the unique things where you can listen to it while sitting down or standing up, at work or at home, waking up or going to sleep, which allows us to draw on happiness from our favourite bands, artists, and concerts in some of these difficult times."
That is why the family is encouraging residents to support their local artists.
"Our local artists need to be supported as much as they can, not only through streaming and watching their music, but also by coming to gigs and community events when we come out of the lockdowns," they said.
"Musicians' abilities and creativeness come from supporters and fan base. When you're up on stage or in front of a camera and you know people are enjoying what you are giving to them, it helps you to play and develop so much more."
The group said they felt 'lucky' to live in the Lithgow area and be supported by so many people.
"Lithgow has a great history of musical talent, and we really need to get that firing again. It would be great to see some new venues open up when we come out of lockdown to encompass not only adults and older people, but also the youth," they said.
"If anyone wants to get into music, get in contact with High Street Music and speak with Lez, who is extremely knowledgeable and is a current performer in the band 'Kavorka' and acoustic duo 'Lez and Nae'."
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