Interview with Jeffrey Watts, December 10, 2020

Partial Transcript: Okay, now, now we've started. My name is Kopana Terry, and it is December 10, 2020 and I'm talking with Jeff Watts.

Segment Synopsis: Watts worked with Parks and Recreation of Lexington running audio for seasonal outdoor cultural events. He also works as stagehand. He's a musician for fun; he's in a band called Big Maracas, as well as the March Madness Marching Band. When the COVID-19 virus first started, he thought it would take a year to get over the pandemic. It directly impacted him because his entire job was bringing together large groups of people. He discusses his unemployment in depth and how complicated the entire process was.

Keywords: Big Maracas (Artist); Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); Lexington Opera House; Lexington Parks & Recreation; Lexington Parks and Recreation; March Madness Marching Band; Moondance Amphitheater; Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center

Subjects: Acoustical engineering.; Acting.; Actors.; Amphitheaters; Arts.; Bands (Music); COVID-19 (Disease).; COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020-; Concert tours.; Dance.; Dancers.; Epidemics.; Grips (Persons); Lexington (Ky.); Music in the theater; Music.; Musical performance; Musical theater.; Musicals.; Musicians.; Pandemics and COVID-19; Parks.; Public works.; Seasonal labor; Singers.; Singing.; Sound engineers.; Sound--Equipment and supplies.; Stagehands; Summer employment.; Supplemental unemployment benefits; Theater.; Unemployment insurance.; Unemployment.

Partial Transcript: Um, Parks and Rec, you did a couple shows back in the summer when it was warm enough to do something out at Moondance, and then what?

Segment Synopsis: Watts discusses some performances at Moondance Amphitheater, including some bands performing, as well as the Ballet Under the Stars pre-show with the kids. Other dance troupes wanted to use the outdoor stage after this performance. They also had a Halloween show called Wicked Wonders. The ground was marked to enforce social distancing and the bands performed six feet apart. He discusses how he was terminated, but he was brought back on payroll for these events. University of Kentucky men's basketball is playing at the Lexington Center, as well as a couple of concerts. He discusses the basketball games and how they are being played with pandemic guidelines. He mentions the few programs at the Downtown Arts Center and Lexington Opera House.

Keywords: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); Lexington Opera House; Lexington Parks & Recreation; Lexington Parks and Recreation; Moondance Amphitheater; Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center

Subjects: Acoustical engineering.; Amphitheaters; Ballet.; Bands (Music); Basketball.; COVID-19 (Disease).; COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020-; Child artists.; Child dancers; Dance companies; Dance.; Dancers.; Epidemics.; Filmed basketball games; Halloween.; Masks.; Medicine, Preventive.; Music.; Musical performance; Musicians.; Nutcracker (Choreographic work); Pandemics and COVID-19; Parks.; Public health.; Social distancing (Public health); Sound engineers.; Sound--Equipment and supplies.; Theater.

Partial Transcript: So you're a union member. How, how is the union operating during this period?

Segment Synopsis: Watts discusses being a part of a union. He says they've waived the dues for this year. He briefly discusses his experience with the bands he is in during the pandemic. He thinks the March Madness Marching Band will survive. He realized that he could go out into nature to keep himself inspired. He walked on trails and went camping. He discusses how he handled Burning Man, doing his own version. He describes what he created for the virtual version he made.

Keywords: Brighton East Rail Trail; Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); Legacy Trail; Lexington Parks & Recreation; Lexington Parks and Recreation

Subjects: Art festivals; Bands (Music); Burning Man (Festival); COVID-19 (Disease).; COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020-; Camping.; Camps.; Epidemics.; Hiking.; Labor unions.; Landscapes.; Marching bands; Masks.; Minecraft (Game); Music--Performance.; Music.; Musicians.; Nature trails; Nature.; Outdoor life.; Pandemics and COVID-19; Performing arts festivals.; Practicing (Music); Rick and Morty (Television program); Social distancing (Public health); Trails.; Ukulele

Partial Transcript: So what do you think, what do you think the future holds, um, in, in terms of, um, employment and getting back to normal, as much as we're going to be normal after this?

Segment Synopsis: Watts thinks the parks work will get back to normal when people get vaccinated. He says one factor to returning to normal will be people's comfort with sitting close to others. He says it's not financially doable to produce concerts at reduced capacity. He worked at a data processing company whose clients were banks. He discusses how he got to his current career. In high school, he had two main interests: music and electronics. He ended up in the data processing company because he needed a job, eventually being transferred to the electronics area. Later, a friend of his was working at Parks and Recreation and he got a job there running sound.

Keywords: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); Lexington Parks & Recreation; Lexington Parks and Recreation; Stage technicians

Subjects: Acoustical engineering.; Bands (Music); Big band music.; COVID-19 (Disease).; COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020-; Concert tours.; Concerts.; Dance companies; Dance.; Data processing; Electronics.; Epidemics.; Grips (Persons); Jazz.; Musicians.; Occupational training.; Pandemics and COVID-19; Parks.; Sound engineers.; Sound--Equipment and supplies.; Stagehands; Surround-sound systems.; Vaccination.; Vocational education.; Vocational school students

Partial Transcript: Is there anything, um, about this period of time that we haven't talked about that you think is important for future researchers to know about you or about your work or, um, how you're getting by right now? Anything that we haven't talked about?

Segment Synopsis: Watts briefly discusses the future of his job. He only works part time seasonal for Parks and Recreation so he has no benefits. He says there are about eight people in the Big Maracas band. He plays congas for the band. The concerts got cancelled. He talks about learning that everything was cancelled. He says some events were just postponed at first, but ended up getting cancelled.

Keywords: Big Maracas (Artist); Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); Lexington Parks & Recreation; Lexington Parks and Recreation

Subjects: Acoustical engineering.; Bands (Music); Basketball.; Bongo; Brass instruments.; Budget.; COVID-19 (Disease).; COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020-; Careers.; Concerts.; Congas; Drums (Musical instruments); Epidemics.; Expenditures, Public--Forecasting.; Flexible work arrangements.; Gig economy.; Music--Performance.; Music.; Musicians.; Pandemics and COVID-19; Parks.; Percussion.; Seasonal labor; Sound engineers.; Sound--Equipment and supplies.; Temporary employment.