Brendan Scholz's (Mercy Music) List of 2020 Inspirations • Bad Copy

This year has been… a year. While everyone seemed to have what we could collectively describe as a “shitty year,” everyone has had a very different 2020. This year, we couldn’t all meet up at festivals all over the country or the world. This year we couldn’t high five each other, chug cheap beer, and scream along to songs in a basement (or garage or sticky venue) on a Friday night. All the things that seemingly made us “us” were stripped away, leaving other facets of ourselves that we had long since forgotten or placed on an upper shelf to collect dust for some day when we would have more free time.

I’ve spoken to people who feel like they lost their hold on music and others who clung onto it for dear life like a life preserver. It’s been… a year. And while everyone has bravely faced 2020 with a different arsenal of supplies, this resulted in a variety different outcomes. That’s why, in addition to our contributors’ End of the Year Lists, we at Bad Copy have reached out to a handful of friends involved in music this year and asked them to share their top lists. Music, movies, photos, memories, new hobbies – much like 2020, nothing is off the table when it comes to these lists. Let’s find a little good in the bad, try to laugh at what we can’t control, and pray that we will be able to safely see each other soon. First round is on me. – Kendra Sheetz, Editor

2020 has been eye opening to say the least. I’m not sure if I wanted my eyes opened that wide, but they sure as fuck are now so it is what it is… These are some of the things that kept/keep me going this year:

My Family – My wife is a champion. To say she is high risk with COVID would be an understatement, and she’s still handled all of it with an amazing attitude and a smile on her face. My children have also done nothing but make the best of a terrible situation, excelling both academically and in their other activities. My mother is an RN. She is 65 and works 12 hour night shifts almost exclusively with COVID patients. She got COVID and it took her out for almost a month. She was right back at work as soon as she was cleared. I’m hoping she retires in 2021.

My band/music – Mercy Music put out our third and most successful (were drowning in money) record to date in the middle of the pandemic. I was at such a place of burn out when I wrote it. When we went into the studio I was pretty much thinking, “This is it.” I want to thank Jarred and Rye for sticking with me and being the best damn brothers/bandmates in the world. Thank you Aaron Weislogel for being the fourth member of the band. Thank you to Cameron Webb for working with us. Thank you Ken Seaton to reaching out to Cameron. Thank you Rob at Wiretap and Stefan at SBAM for believing in the record and putting it out. Thank you Yotam for showing SBAM the band. Thank you Mike at Earshot and Nick Josten for getting the record out there. Thank you Bracket for having us on your reunion shows. Thank you Indecline for having us as part of the protest. Thank you Corlene Byrd, Eric Cannon, Denny Blackwell for the amazing visual art. Thank you Kendra for asking me to contribute to this article. There’s more that I’m forgetting. You can punch me.