'I kind of missed those nerves': DJ Shub gets back onstage
In the 5th episode of COVID Diaries, the godfather of powwow step talks about his return to live music
Dan General, a.k.a. DJ Shub, was performing for a festival in Panama as the COVID-19 pandemic started to take hold. He managed to get back to Canada just before the festival shut down, avoiding getting stuck in a country far from home. And like everyone, he thought things would die down for a short while and then pick back up. But that's now how things turned out, of course.
"As an artist, live music is a key component to who you are," he told CBC Music. "So it was scary times because it was the unknown."
CBC Music caught up with DJ Shub at Thunder Bay's Wake the Giant festival in September 2021, and he reminisced about his very first show after the pandemic lockdowns.
"Definitely a lot of rust, getting back into it. Rust that I didn't think I would have. But I remember the first show we did, getting back out there, I was as nervous as I was when I first started. So those nerves came back, which was a good feeling, I kind of missed those nerves."
Those nerves energized him to reconnect with what he'd lost.
"Live music means inspiration," he said. "That's where I used to get all my inspiration from, was going out, playing festivals, watching the other groups. Watching people, just vibing out and loving the music…. And that's one big thing that I lost, you know, during the whole pandemic thing, is that connection that we have as artists with the audience. And that connection creates everything, creates inspiration, you know, so that's what I miss the most, and I'm so happy to be here."
Watch the video above for DJ Shub's full interview, and stay tuned for more COVID Diaries to come.
