Damn the Witch Siren Navigates A Post-Concert World

It goes without saying that this has been a tough year for artists and musicians, whose income and very way of life have been disrupted by COVID-19. It has perhaps always been the case that artists have to be adaptable to survive, constantly navigating the shifting tides of culture and the norms and practices of the industry. Records and radio gave way to MTV, which was cannibalized by the internet. The CD went extinct at the onset of the MP3, and streaming took over shortly thereafter. It would seem that the new frontier is multimedia and live streaming concerts.

In the modern world, it is more important than ever that unsigned bands are able to generate their own content. Especially in the midst of this public health crisis, which has put many bands in limbo.

Columbus, Ohio’s Damn the Witch Siren have always embraced a DIY ethos. From the beginning they have recorded and produced all their own music. They direct, film and edit their own music videos, and do almost all their own photography. Since the pandemic hit the US in March, the duo have released a full-length album called White Magic, released a music video for the single “Gothic Summer”, and steadily pushed out a series of nine live performances from their home studio.

Because they’ve been unable to play shows, which was the band’s primary source of income, Damn the Witch Siren has been asking fans to support them directly by purchasing their music through Bandcamp, or donating to help them continue making art and music. You can contribute via PayPal at damnthewitchsiren@gmail.com, with Cash App at $witchsiren, or Venmo at @zwolfbites.