As the executive director of the Big Love Network, Zach Freidhof is all about building community. He’s still doing that even after we’ve been ordered to be apart during the novel coronavirus outbreak. The leader of the pop-rock band, Zach & the Bright Lights, and avid yogi has been livestreaming performances and leading Sunrise Chanting meditations via his Facebook page to lift everyone up. As he releases the joyous single “Outshine” on March 27, he chats with us about shining some light during these strange times.
Q: Why are you doing all of these livestreams?
A: There’s a couple reasons. One, I just really love making music and playing it for people. Since that’s not an option, livestream is the next best thing. Another is my music is pretty uplifting and a lot of people find inspiration in it. So it makes sense that during this time of chaos and challenge, my music and meditations would be helpful. We need opportunities to know that we still have people there with us.
Q: When did you realize how serious this situation was?
A: I had a handful of shows canceled all at once. I realized this was going to be more than a handful of shows canceling — this was going to be everything canceling. It was time to sit back and breathe through it. I feel like we’re all figuring this out together. At least not just a problem that I’m facing — it’s in front of a lot of people.
Q: What do you plan to do when this is all over?
A: Continue playing music. I hope that there can be good ways to celebrate the community once this is over, and we’re able to be around each other again. I hope that we can remember the feeling of being faced with being able to do only what’s really important to us. Hopefully, we can keep that up even after life returns to some sense of normalcy.
