To grasp the future is to reach back into the past—or maybe, to drive into it. I had never attended a Drive-In before. Drive-Ins were a nostalgic throwback reserved for people with cars (I Uber), and were always a long way away—hosted in one of the satellite cities that scatter the vast suburban sprawl beyond Los Angeles quixotically known as the Inland Empire. But Covid-19 was forcing a stark rethink for how bands could provide their fans with their vaccine of culture. For the LA-based band, [BONES UK](https://www.bonesuk.com/), the solution lay in reaching back into the past to the heydays of the 1950s, when the Drive-In was the place to be.
Photo by David Solorzano
About twenty cars are pulled into a backlot in a quasi-industrial corner of Studio City. Rollerskaters in facemasks and black prowl the lot and shepherd each car into an allocated spot. Tube amps crackle and spit. Waves, shouts, and smiles are swapped between the people in their various cars—this is the first outing many have had since lockdown had fallen. A mic gets checked, a pick rakes the throbbing strings of an electric guitar. The crowd start to howl, perched atop car roofs and leering out car windows. It begins...
It was May 10, 2020, and BONES were doing a groundbreaking drive-in concert. “It was underground and punk. Like New York block parties.” Lead singer Rosie Bones would reflect later. “The energy at the first one was WILD. Like the beasts being (safely) unleashed. Obviously turns out some other people had the same idea. But there is room for them all.”
Now the band is embarking on an entirely new type of tour with their EARTHWALKERS series. “Times like these—when there are obstacles in your way, rules and safety concerns to work around actually ALWAYS bring out the most interesting solutions,” Rosie explains. “You have to think outside the box which WE LOVE.”
BONES UK are an outside the box kind of band. Guitar prodigy Carmen Vandenberg, cigarette-sultry vocalist Rosie Bones, wild-kicking drummer Heavy have together defined a sound that is at once entirely new and authentic to its roots. Rock and roll and something sharper and more immediate—needle precise guitar riffs under raw pulsing melodies. 2020 kicked off as a momentous year for BONES with their first [Grammy nomination](https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/bones-uk/252085), a tour with Korn, a spot on [The Howard Stern Show](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkXBVSFjA6E), and then—immediately before the Covid curtain came crashing down—a performance on [Late Night with Seth Myers](https://www.nbc.com/late-night-with-seth-meyers/video/bones-uk-pretty-waste/4228854), which wouldn’t air for months while the world pieced itself back together into some wounded semblance of normality.
In EARTHWALKERS, BONES UK are partnering with Monster Energy, Audible Reality, Blackstar Amps, Korg, and MAC Cosmetics on a mission to play and share live music within the boundaries and health restrictions of this alien new landscape. EARTHWALKERS begins with BONES surfacing from their quarantine bunker, and re-entering the world via ethereal live shows in obscure settings, including an empty music venue, the middle of a football pitch, pop-up performances in fans yards, and another drive-in style performance in a field. In an ethereal performance from their warehouse—The Bloomhouse, situated in the hills to the west of Austin, Texas.
EARTHWALKERS is a significant pivot away from the 25-show headline tour that BONES had planned with Live Nation at the end of last year. But after three scrapped tour attempts, the band and their team forged ahead with a strategic excursion into the depths of far west Texas—at the time, an area that had not been heavily affected by the outbreak. “The plan was to create intimate performances for approximately one to five fans, and along the way, shoot some incredible footage to support the arcing storyline within the narrative and mission of the EARTHWALKERS Tour.” [Jessi Tichenor](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessitichenor/), BONES manager and told me. “The gorgeous backdrop of Marfa became our focus. We felt we could move carefully into the community, keeping both the locals and our own team safe.” Producer (+ [ACES HIGH](https://www.aceshigh.io/) founder) Tamara Deike shared.
Photo by Jason Denton
Yet as the band hit the road, the Big Bend area was ravaged by the pandemic. The team of eight finished quarantining and passed their COVID tests. “I rang the City Counsel in Marfa, the Chief of Police, and other friends we know on the ground there.” Deike explained. “Their consensus was to move forward, but do it safely. And so, with intense caution, that’s exactly what we did.” The band also worked with the Marfa Foodbank and Monster Energy to provide a food, clothing, and cash donation to the local community.
Soon, BONES will be doing a livestreamed performance from an undisclosed shuttered music venue in Nashville to help raise awareness and support for the [National Independent Venue Association (NIVA)](https://www.nivassoc.org/) which is helping music venues and staff displaced by the ongoing pandemic. A shocking [70-90%](https://variety.com/2020/music/news/senate-concert-industry-save-our-stages-federal-pandemic-aid-1234854204/) of musician’s revenue is generated by live performance, and tragically almost the entire industry has been shut down since March. Even with the recent passing of the #SaveOurStages Act, those displaced by the pandemic must still navigate accessing these funds.
EARTHWALKERS is a bold attempt to cut new ground and to reimagine a different face for live music in a fragmented world where remote is the new immediate.
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