“It felt amazing seeing everyone go insane for me pulling out a drumstick and playing my guitar as a violin” said Composition Booklet, a teenage math-rock musician. In front of 3,000 viewers on Twitch, the teen guitarist performing from his bedroom, picked up a drumstick and rubbed it against his fretboard to create a distorted sound. The stream’s chat, containing the likes of internet music critic Anthony Fantano, praised him. 

On Friday, Oct. 13, the A2B2.org website created by Andy Morin (of hip-hop group Death Grips) hosted the Night of Fire, a virtual music event. Held entirely on Twitch and Youtube live streaming services, artists from all over the world (and internet)  fundraised for the Los Angeles Downtown Women’s Center, a shelter housing women from all parts of the city, including Venice. Composition Booklet and teenage experimental-electronic artist Glass, both performing from their homes, played alongside world-renowned acts like Xiu Xiu, Machine Girl, and many others of varying notoriety. 

The event was an opportunity for many smaller indie musicians to play in front of a large crowd, spreading their music worldwide in a way unique to the internet.

 The event was a big indicator of a larger moment in music, one spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent quarantine. 

“It affected my career in making music in general,” Composition Booklet said. “Now, I can go to Ableton and other digital audio workstations and make a lot of cool sounds and songs. The pandemic is really affecting music and live performances because of many venues around the world closing down.” 

The music community as a whole seem to be affected in this way, with many artists having more time to create music and experiment with their sound further. 

“I usually made generic rap and trap beats because that’s what was the easiest to make,” Glass said. “But now that I have literally have lots and lots of time to produce, I can try new ideas.” 

Many artists have released albums and projects despite quarantine, and in the case of some of the acts showcased at Night of Fire, only started making music during quarantine. 

Almost every famous musician starts off at humble beginnings, and getting to see artists beginning their careers or performing their first gigs is a truly special experience. Now more than ever, many young people across the country and throughout the world are picking up music, and virtual events like Night of Fire serve to help these up and coming musicians in getting exposure while also contributing to a good cause. 

“It’s beyond me,” Glass said. “So many of my favorite artists played at my first show. And it was insane to have that big of a crowd. And I appreciated it a lot.”

Glass would like to thank Andy Morin, Matt, his supporters, and his girlfriend. Composition Booklet would like to say that more music will be coming soon. 

Their music can be found at https://compositionbooklet.bandcamp.com/ and https://glass11.bandcamp.com/ 

You can donate to the Downtown Women’s Center here: https://downtownwomenscenter.org/donate/