WORCESTER — Dale Belliveau, the lead singer of Young Other, is grateful he no longer has the coronavirus this holiday season. 

“I am thankful for my health, everybody in the band’s health, and our fans’ health. We all caught COVID last month, it was a tough thing to go through,” he said. 

Young Other is four-piece rock band based in Worcester that has been around for about seven years to date. Belliveau said he’s grateful for the return to live music this year and the renewed vigor brought to it from formerly cooped up fans.

“It’s been a very difficult year just seeing from where we were at the beginning of the year to where we are today,” said Belliveau. “We’ve been back out, playing a couple shows and a lot of people have come out that we’ve seen two years ago.” 

Betsy Heron

One of the shows the band played in mid-October took place in Rochester, New York, at a semi-private party in an antique barn refurbished into a music venue dubbed The Ant Farm.  Unfortunately, during the show, all four members of Young Other caught the coronavirus. 

“I just felt I rocked out too hard at the show because my body was killing me and I was like ‘maybe I am just getting older?’” said 26-year-old Belliveau.

Belliveau powered through the body aches and persistent headache that plagued him for the two weeks he had the coronavirus by running. 

“After the fourth day, I woke up feeling good and I just started running everyday because I was home,” he said. “I was like I am just going to run, exercise and make sure my lungs come back to health and everything and on the fourth day I just started running two miles every day.”

Like Belliveau, Betsy Heron, one of the four sisters who make up the popular Central Mass based bluegrass group The Green Sisters, said she’s grateful for the undying love and support her fans have had for music events in all its forms throughout the pandemic. 

“I am thankful for – especially because of the pandemic – the continued interest and support that people are having for live music and online music events because that’s something we have had to explore,” she said. 

Heron added that the renewed and increased interest in The Green Sisters’ live performances that resulted in larger crowds peaked when music venues opened back up initially.

“What kind of seemed to happen for us was that it seemed like there was a renewed interest when things opened up again, but now it’s sort of back to how it was where some people come out, but a lot more people are not comfortable coming out to shows,” she said. 

As for her favorite Christmas song, Heron said “Christmas in Prison” by John Prine, a folk singer-songwriter known for writing humorous music often intertwined with social commentary. 

Meanwhile, area musician Jared Moore, the 23-year-old son of local guitar legend Heidi-Jo Hanson said he’s happy venues opened up as he took his solo acoustic act on the road in Central Mass (Moore’s a staple at 110 Grill in Leominster, for instance).

“It definitely helps that I can make a few more extra bucks by being more of a solo act then performing with a band,” Moore said. “And as much as I do enjoy being able to perform in front of people with more energy there’s just something that’s nice to be able to step back and become the background noise.”

Moore added that the increase of live gigs he’s been able to play following the pandemic shutdowns has not only been easy on the wallet, but has enhanced his well being as well. 

“It’s not entirely about the money it can’t be,” said Moore. “This is a part of who we are as musicians. It’s also more fulfilling to be playing out more regularly. Staying busy with this has been good for me overall, my mental health and my happiness.”

As for Moore’s favorite holiday song, it’s “Blue Christmas” by Elvis Presly.