Coping with Quarantine: Musician and cook Piper Bazard

Coping With Quarantine is a recurring feature that examines how people across Greater Lansing are being affected by the coronavirus. City Pulse aims to interview a diverse cast of residents as they adjust to a new lifestyle under the measures taken in Michigan to curb the pandemic. If you are interested in being featured, please contact ashleycitypulse@gmail.com

THURSDAY, April 9 — Piper Bazard, 23, is a line cook at Ruckus Ramen and a touring musician who performs with Lansing punk groups Grey Matter and She/Her/Hers. Bazard, who uses they/them pronouns, was busy tracking an album in Ohio when the coronavirus saw its first major surge in Michigan. The severity of the coronavirus’ impact was immediately apparent as Bazard noticed the city where She/Her/Hers began recording its forthcoming album had the eerie visage of a “ghost town.”

"The studio was close to a locked-down hospital and university. I was walking around thinking, ‘This is pretty weird,’” Bazard said. “Ohio closed businesses a few days earlier, but I assumed a similar thing was going on in Michigan.” 

The She/Her/Hers recording sessions weren’t the only artistic endeavor of Bazard’s that took a backseat to the coronavirus. Bazard’s group Grey Matter just released an LP, “Climbing Out,” and was booked to play its release show at Capital City Film Festival. That gig and the festival as a whole were postponed. Bazard was also on the team for Stoop Fest, a mid-April Lansing indie festival that was also postponed. Bazard’s residence on Allen Street — known to Lansing’s music scene as 127 House, a DIY music venue — also canceled all of its upcoming gigs. 

“I was swamped with projects, and they all got canceled within 48 hours,” Bazard said. “At first it was logistically stressful. There were a couple of days where I had to tell everybody things were canceled. That was rough. I was disappointed and bummed out for a while. There was a solid week where I didn’t do anything.”

Bazard’s ska group Grey Matter has eight band members that live in separate residences and are therefore unable to take part in the trend of musicians performing livestream concerts. 

“For various reasons, we can’t all be in the same room for practice, which kind of sucks,” Bazard said. “Members have older family members and neighbors. Also, we’re an eight-piece; I don’t even know how you would stream that. That sounds really complicated.”

The group writes by coming up with ideas individually and bringing them to the group.

“Our writing process will kind of be put on hold unless we can figure out how to do it on Zoom, but that sounds terrible,” Bazard said.

Bazard is quarantined with five roommates — all of them musicians and independent contractors who have been laid off. Michigan’s unemployment system has been frustrating for Bazard, who is still waiting to receive approval for benefits. Fundraisers, such as the GoFundMe set up by The Avenue Café for its employees, have provided much-needed support.

“There’s a bunch of people that have reached out to help us,” Bazard said.

When Bazard isn’t working on music, they are “smoking a lot of weed” and “watching bad TV.” Bazard has become a dedicated follower of gloriously trashy series like “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Love Is Blind.” Free time is devoted to gardening and deep cleaning the house — a “fun adventure.” 

Despite being in close quarters with several people, the many residents of Bazard’s Allen Street home are getting along quite well. 

“Everyone I’m stuck in a house with right now is currently, or has been, a touring musician for a long time,” Bazard said. “People are very chill about boundaries and sharing space with each other. There’s always a social group of people hanging out in the common spaces, and there’s also time when people are just staying in their rooms.” 

Bazard said being quarantined with friends is helping keep them “sane,” as they are still able to socialize in self-isolation. 

“I would be losing my mind if I was by myself. Even with social distancing, I’m with my friends; we know our neighbors and people are walking by to say hello a lot,” Bazard said.  

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