His world shuttered around him, but Jule Carenbauer wasn’t prepared to shut down himself.
His job went away because a casino dealer can’t work remotely, and all of his live music performances did, too, and that meant no more shows at Wheeling area venues like Undo’s West in St. Clairsville, the Public Market in downtown Wheeling, and at The Lube at The Highlands vanished, as well.
“Sure, there was unemployment, but that didn’t replace everything,” the singer/songwriter said. “Unemployment didn’t replace the people.”
And that was a problem because Carenbauer is a people person and has been since returning to Wheeling after serving the United States Air Force in the 1990s. So, he did what most people were forced to do.
Carenbauer took what life he had left to the ole World Wide Web.
“When Covid came and we all got laid off from our jobs, I really had nothing to do as far as going out and playing music. That’s when someone asked me, ‘Hey, why don’t you play on Facebook?’ and I thought, ‘Why would I play on Facebook?’ But then I realized I really didn’t have anything else to do,” he explained. “So, I started doing an acoustic thing for two hours on Wednesdays and people started watched.
“When the spring arrived, I decided I was going to do it outside and that’s when my neighbors started coming outside for the show,” Carenbauer recalled. “I was playing on my porch and people brought their chairs and their coolers and that’s what we did that summer on those Wednesday nights. At that point, it took a life of its own.”
That’s why his Facebook audience has continued to enjoy “Jule’s Music Night” each Wednesday evening at 7 p.m., and he’s performed in and outside of his home, at the Triadelphia Community Center, and under the roof of the Schwartzfeger Shelter at Wheeling Park.
Why still?
“I have continued to do the Wednesday show because it is a form of therapy for me, and it also gives me the chance to the play because I really don’t get the chance to practice much at all,” Carenbauer said. “The only gigs I can play are the happy hour shows and when I get them, I do them, but otherwise, it’s Jule’s Music Night on Wednesday nights.
“Now that all the businesses are open again, I don’t get as many viewers as I did during the pandemic, but there’s a good chore group that are there each week,” he said. “For some folks, including myself, it’s a kind of interaction we enjoy, but it’s the kind of interaction you don’t get all of the time. And hey, if someone wants to talk, we’re always there on Wednesday evenings.”
The ‘New Normal’?
Once upon a time just two years ago, government mandates ruled the land, and the alleged experts didn’t know if human beings would ever speak to each other without wearing masks let alone whether or not people would shake each other’s hand again.
A combination of education and vaccinations, though, diminished the positivity ratings, allowed kids to go back to their classrooms, and sent live entertainment back to the stage.
“I wrote the song ‘The Other Side of Corona’ when we had no idea what to expect. The only thing we knew for sure was that we wanted it all to be over,” Carenbauer said. “It was a really bad dream for everyone, and a lot of people suffered and a lot of people passed away, too.”
Fortunately, the coronavirus evolved as viruses do and now the only “new” in today’s ways involves the ease pf online communication. That’s why, in fact, Carenbauer is set to return tomorrow evening at 7 p.m. for his 142nd music night.
“I really don’t know how long I will keep playing the Wednesday show,” Carenbauer admitted. “Now, my friend Bob Gaudio did send me a note and asked me to book him to join me on my 200th show so it sounds as if I’ll have to keep going to make it another 59 or so shows. Seriously, if we get to No. 200, I’ll try to make it as big as I can, and Bob will definitely be there with me.
“We’ll have some fun with for sure, and that’s been the idea all along. It’s about bringing people together whether its online or in person,” he said. “For some folks, that means everything, and I am happy to oblige. Because of my new work schedule at the casino, I haven’t been able to get back to playing any events like before, so I need those Wednesday nights too, trust me.”
