I’ll give the media and the politicians credit: it took them about three days to get me from I ain’t afeard o’ no Corona Beer Virus! to HO-LEE @#%&!!!  Last Sunday night we had dinner out with friends and family. Fast forward to Friday: the door is barred – no one enters, no one leaves – and we’re having a Pine-Sol Party to disinfect every surface in the house.

If one is attending a lockdown, your larder should be stocked with three items, besides the necessities of food and stuff: A) Someone to talk with, B) Something to listen to, and C) Something to watch. Regarding the first one, I hugged my wife this morning and said, It’s a good thing we like each other. For the latter two, I’m relying on Junie Grey.

Something to Listen To
Yesterday I was informed that our economy cannot survive an extended lockdown, and that we are one step on the near side of the next Great Depression. Great. The theme song of the previous Great Depression, the most requested Karaoke song in every Hooverville, was ‘Brother Can You Spare a Dime.’

Once I built a railroad, I made it run
Made it race against time
Once I built a railroad, now it’s done
Brother, can you spare a dime?

I’m sorry, but that’s way too depressing, even for a Depression. As our lockdown careens through recession and into the depths of economic despair, we’ll be blasting ‘Boi Cha Cha’ by Junie & TheHutFriends. The track features a stripped down sound with plenty of breathing room for the multiple personalities of Junie Grey that populate the vocal track. The rhythm has an elusive lightness that even your Boomer parents can dance to as they drift into the sunset on their ice floe. And listen for the subtle Bowie reference in the chorus.

Something to Watch
After we’ve blown out our speakers sneakers with ‘Boi Cha Cha,’ we’ll be ready to apply ourselves to some serious binge-watching. My choice: the YouTube series by Junie Genius. Junie Grey will teach me to make a Nasty Dollar Dispenser, which I plan to upgrade into a Clean Dollar Dispenser by replacing the Nasty Fluid with Purell. I’ll learn how to solve my fear of public bathrooms, a skill that I can apply to my own bathroom. And I’ll learn how to make a robotic version of the Harry Potter Invisibility Cloak. It really works, folks!

Based in Pittsburgh PA, Junie & TheHutFriends comprises lead singer and mad scientist Junie Grey, augmented by a mass of masked Ones: the Tall One, the Smart One, the Wise One, the Ripped One, the One I Don’t Want to Meet in a Dark Alley, and the Sixth One. They self-describe as an art pop musical dumpster fire that aims to craft a technicolor universe, explored through layered synth pieces, robot music videos, and (too many) harmonies.

The music of Junie & TheHutFriends is available on Bandcamp, Spotify, and Apple Music. Visit their website to learn more about the band and to watch their origin story. And be sure to follow Junie & TheHutFriends on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.