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Pandemic song

Yooper musician pens tune inspired by pandemic, isolation, missing loved ones

Musician Jerry Krebs is pictured. (Journal photo by Jackie Jahfetson)

MARQUETTE– In the dawn hours of March 17, Jeff Krebs woke up humming a melody with the words, “See you on the other side.” Like most musicians and songwriters, Krebs grabbed his phone and quickly recorded it as a voice memo and then went right back asleep. The next day he turned that folk melody into a song inspired to comfort people who are missing the ones they love.

The soft, simple chords of Krebs’ tune “See You on the Other Side” came as a recollection of thoughts of his parents, his girlfriend and other family and friends scattered around the globe who are in isolation and all miss each others’ contact. With elements of traditional folk and country ballads, Krebs said he wanted to include an Americana touch to his song to tell a story.

“My hope is that (people) get some hope and comfort from listening to it; the song is heartfelt and sad, but ultimately hopeful that this will pass and we’ll meet again,” Krebs said. “I wasn’t conscious of this in the writing, but it’s been pointed out to me that ‘See You on the Other Side’ can also provide comfort to people who are missing a loved one who has passed away.”

The song’s Americana touch was influenced by Krebs’ grandfather, he said, noting that he had a way of pairing a strong story with a catchy melody. With verse lyrics of “and when I’m in my quarantine in my little place to hide, my heart is aching and I’m missing you, but I’ll see you on the other side,” Krebs said he wanted the song to be a melody of hope. While it only took Krebs a little over an hour to write the tune, he said he plans to turn the song into a recording and launch it on other platforms such as Spotify and/or iTunes.

“I think my song can provide hope that no matter how alone we feel, we are not alone in that we are all experiencing distance from our loved ones. We’ll get through it and see them again soon,” he said.

Co-owner of Yooptone Music, Krebs first had to move music lessons to Skype, and then last week the business had to shut its doors for at least the next three weeks due to the executive orders from the state, he said. This shutdown is, of course, devastating but Krebs said he’s confident that its strong customer base will help the business restore its functions back to normal once it reopens.

“In the past few weeks, I’ve had a lot of people talking to me about wanting to use this time to learn, re-learn or just play their instruments. Making music is a great source of comfort in difficult times — it’s a basic need and it makes us feel better,” he said. “I’m pleasantly surprised by the great amount of … musical performances appearing now online — great stuff to bring us together. I’ve been playing, singing and writing a lot lately — it keeps me grounded.”

To listen to “See You on the Other Side,” visit his Facebook page at facebook.com/jeffkrebsmusic/ or visit youtube.com and type in “Shelter-in-Place Song — See You on the Other Side by Jeff Krebs.”

Jackie Jahfetson can be reached by email at jjahfetson@miningjournal.net.

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