El Paso musician hopes to connect his fans through quarantine concert series

EL PASO, Texas -- The outbreak of Covid-19 has forced many to change the way they work and operate on a daily basis. Musicians are no different, the gigs they'd book as a source of income disappeared seemingly overnight. Forcing local musicians like Julio Ortiz to adapt continue to do what they do best, play music.

"The places I usually go play at, or at a vineyard out there, I wanted them to have that kind of feel where people could sit down and prepare their dinners and their wine and enjoy a concert a good two-hour concert," he said.

Ortiz plays music for a living, but with bars closed and weddings canceled he's had to get creative to reach his audience. Facebook Live concerts have helped him stay afloat through donations from Paypal and Venmo.

"We have been very fortunate over the last few weeks to have people tune in and make donations and give tips to try to keep things afloat and try to keep things going. It's my plan to continue to do what I do. and that’s provide music for people. And if I can’t do it in person, then I am just going to keep doing it on Facebook Live until I can do it in front of a nice crowd and give them a nice 'cheers'," Ortiz said.

Ortiz plans on continuing the online concerts as long as he has to. It provides an escape for his fans, and it provides him with the opportunity to get back to doing what he loves.

"It offers a timeless space for you to live in for awhile. When you do finally get lost in the music, for me its a wonderful escape. It's killed so many of these quarantine hours for me, it makes them go by very smoothly for me. It's my gift to share in essence,"Ortiz said.

If you would like to join Ortiz at his next concert feel free to click the following link. For those that would like to make a monetary donation you can do so through Paypal or through his Venmo account (@Julio-Ortiz-music).