Coming into 2020, singer/songwriter/guitarist Michael Juan Nunez had his musical plans laid out, his course mapped. As the year opened, he had just finished the sessions for a new record, with festival gigs and tours on the West Coast and Europe primed and ready to go. “We finished it (the new album), and we rushed it through mastering,” Nunez said, leaning forward on the overstuffed sofa in the living room of his house in Erath, Louisiana. “I got the artwork together. The week we were going to press, we got a call from Baton Rouge Blues Fest. Then (New Orleans) Jazz Fest. We had the West Coast tour cancelled. Then the European tour.” Nunez’s new record and tours had fallen victim to the pandemic — a sign of the time not only for him, but also other musicians.
Singer-songwriter and pianist Julie Williams knows a thing or two about birthright. Known for her soulful etudes and unique sound, Williams grew up in a musical-ministry family, joining her worship-leader father onstage at the tender age of four. “It was, ‘Either learn how to play music or sing, or you’re out, kid!’” Williams joked. “I grew up onstage, literally. That was invaluable because normally you have to pay for your kid to be able to learn stuff like that.” She spent her early days performing with her family band. Years later, she furthered her talent while studying classical piano in college.