The Lithgow region is lucky enough 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.
Jacques Alamod, who goes by stage name JQues Alamod is a Lithgow singer songwriter who has a taste of pop dance, African/ Caribbean music and a little of reggae and hip hop music.
He said that one of the reasons he hasn't suffered too badly from lockdown was because he also runs Hometown Cafe in Lithgow.
"That has kept me busy, as I've needed to adjust my business model for the current climate," he said.
"Running the cafe also means I still get out of the house - but it has been hard in other ways. I love dancing and used to go to Sydney to learn salsa and bachata dance, and I love hanging out with friends, so it's been hard not to be able to do all of that."
As someone who also enjoys attending live shows, JQues said it was "weird" not being able to go to live performances.
"I miss the energy and being around bigger crowds of people. I just had an album launch event in April, and was hoping to do a little tour around some towns and cities in Australia," he said.
"I put a lot of love, passion and energy into my album and was excited to do it - but unfortunately I can't for now."
While in lockdown, JQues has been working on some music with an artist in Albania and an artist in Haiti.
"I have to do this remotely anyway, as we're sending each other music back and forth, but it's also been held up as I'm not able to go and record my parts at a studio," he said.
"I do have a setup up [at home] which I can use for fun, but for songs I've been working on, I prefer to record at a bigger studio for a better result, either in Sydney or Orange."
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According to JQues, there is help for artists whose turnover was over $30,000.
"For smaller artists who do this full time - I think it's so important for them to have help, especially if they're not employed elsewhere and can't claim the disaster payment," he said.
JQues wanted to encourage residents to support their local artists, even if that just meant giving a like on a Facebook post.
"In these times it's so important to support each other, even liking, sharing, or giving an encouraging word goes a really long way," he said.
"It means a lot when people follow us on social media and subscribe to us on YouTube. To follow us on Instagram, Facebook. All of it helps!"
If you want to follow JQues journey, you can find him on his socials below:
- Instagram @jques_alamod
- Youtube: JQues alamod
- Facebook: @jquesalamod
- Spotify: JQues Alamod
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