Heeter performs online after live shows canceled because of COVID-19

As many musicians all over the world are doing, Cape Girardeau singer-songwriter Jason Heeter is taking his music online in lieu of live gigs, but it hurts, he said.

Heeter said for the last two weeks, every gig has canceled, including a St. Patrick's Day party in Chester, Illinois, and other celebrations closer to home.

Of his online shows, Heeter said, "It's nice to be playing music for people regardless, but it's not even close to the income I've lost."

He's performing Grateful Dead covers Thursday evenings, then original works Fridays and Saturdays, he said, on Facebook and Instagram.

Still, Heeter estimated he's lost about $700 in gig money and made about $120.

"It's a little bit of a supplement, but not even a fraction of what I would've made," Heeter said.

In coming weeks, he expects the $700 to jump to more than $2,000.

Added to that, Heeter has been working on a new album for about six months. He was expecting to release it later this spring, and has a tour booked for June, out in Colorado, "but who knows if that's going to actually pull through."

Heeter said he's fortunate to have a day job at Shivelbine Music Store in Cape Girardeau, in the workshop, but "I've been doing the music for long enough that it's a pretty decent chunk of my income. I'm basically operating at half what I'm used to having."

Heeter has an online "tip jar," he said, which helps a bit.

The COVID-19 virus is a concern, he said, but he's not terrified.

"I'm definitely taking my own precautions, social distancing. It's a scary thing, but I keep my wits about me and don't let it work me up too much."

In his personal scope, he hasn't experienced it, he said, so it hasn't become as real to him as to some other people.

As a singer-songwriter with a wide variety of influences that come through in his music, Heeter said, he likes to find situations a lot of people experience, and create a turn of phrase off of it.

An early release from the forthcoming album, "Down the Drain," is online at Heeter's SoundCloud profile, and, he said, it grew from an interaction with a co-worker.

"I was walking out of work one day, and was asked how I was doing. I replied, 'It's just another day down the drain,' and she said, 'That's a song.' I thought, 'You're right, we spend the days working, and a lot of us would like to be doing something else.'"

The song gives an introduction to the album's sound, Heeter said.

While he waits to see what happens next, Heeter said, he'll keep working on his music.

"I'm sure there will be some kind of inspiration that will come out of this," he said. "Something will spark."

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