Covid-19 has dealt out arts community a heavy blow. We are actors, dancers, singers, musicians, filmmakers, artists in the NoHo Arts District.
If it weren’t for artists what would we be doing during quarantine? There would be no movies, TV shows, music, dance classes online, etc. So let’s applaud two NoHo musicians who have taken this pandemic as a creative outlet to bring joy. Meet the Sidewalk Singers. We spoke with Dan and Serafia to learn more about this dynamic musical duo.
Why did you start Sidewalk Singers?
Sidewalk Singers was formed during the Covid-19 pandemic by two North Hollywood-based musicians who lost their means of income and wanted to continue to entertain and give back to the community, all while still maintaining social distance protocols. The goal is to provide a fun, safe and memorable way for people to celebrate their special day during these tough times AND give back to the community with 25% going to the Save NoHo Theatres fund (we send donation receipts) – We also will be doing a “donation only” basis for people who are front of line workers, such as medical staff, educators, law enforcement, grocery clerks, etc.!
How does it work?
A singer and guitarist will arrive with sanitized balloons to the front of your home, (socially distanced) or to the home of a friend/loved one and perform! If it’s a surprise for someone else, we can be in text communication with you the whole time! We will also be wearing our face masks! We can perform songs of ALL GENRES and if one of the songs you want isn’t on our list, we will LEARN IT JUST FOR YOU! We specialize in birthdays, anniversaries, or even a morale booster for your best friend! Don’t let Covid-19 stop you from creating beautiful memories for your special day!
See the song list>>
What are your backgrounds?
We are life-long working musicians! Founder Serafia is a jazz/blues vocalist and songwriter and has performed all over LA. Some of her regular shows are at The Langham Huntington, The Montage and The Sofitel. She also has sang the National Anthem at Dodger Stadium 2x. Dan is a self-taught guitarist and songwriter who has performed at the SXSW music festival. We are a couple!
How did you come up with the name?
We wanted to pick a name that conveyed the visual of exactly what we will be doing! Social distancing + Music! HAHA! We didn’t want people to think we would be coming into their homes, being amid Covid-19, so the word sidewalk seemed perfect because it’s implied in the name that we will be socially distanced, doing what we do best…. !!
So you’ll donate to Save NoHo Theatres campaign?
Yes! We truly live by the motto, ‘we live here we give here’…Though these times are scary and uncertain, we still want to be able to give back to our neighborhood that we LOVE. We already added on our site that an additional 25% of booking costs will be going to the NoHo Arts District to help save our theaters. Everyone is struggling right now…but we wanted to still be able to give back the best we we know how–through music! We know for a fact that music heals, and adding an additional layer of benefit to our community just makes it that much sweeter… We’re also going to send donation receipts to people who book with us, so they can see where their donations are going! 🙂
Why did you move to the NoHo Arts District?
We moved here because it just seemed like the perfect place for us as musicians….and turns, out, it is! To be surrounded by so much history of thriving art and living around other creative people just further inspires us more. Plus, it’s so amazing to live so close to so many recording studios and theaters! NoHo Arts District is changing and growing and we’re so happy to be right in the thick of it growing with it!!!
What do you like most about living in NoHo?
As mentioned above, we just love the vibrancy this side of town has to offer. From the rehearsal spaces, to the recording studios, to the theaters, shops and cafes. Everything we love as artists is all here. The history here is rich and alive and you can really feel it!
What would you like to see more of?
I think it would be awesome if there were more live music venues in the NoHo Arts District, or venues that offer live theatre, start to incorporate live music… after Covid-19 ends of course.
Anything You’d Like to Highlight?
I’d love to highlight that I greatly enjoy singing the National Anthem at sporting events around town. If you’ve gone to a Dodgers Game, UCLA Baseball game, or USC baseball game you’ve probably seen me sing the national anthem. Also, I just released a new contemporary jazz album entitled, “Water Sign Lullabies” just before the Covid-19 lockdown. Dan was part of creating that album as well!