The COVID-19 pandemic did not take pity on the entertainment industry this past year as continued safety concerns effectively shut down the live event industry across the globe.

Forcing many artists to put their careers on hold or move to a solely digital landscape, the pandemic has caused a large change in how musicians create and listeners consume new media- forcing many to struggle with gaining exposure and profit on new releases.

And for artists who have been in the industry for several decades, such as multitalented artist Alex Novak, who has fronted several projects- most notably The Venus Fly Trap- this change has been anything but easy, as translating a physical to digital profile is not always the most seamless of tasks.

But instead of giving up hope and letting an entire year go by, Novak both turned his personal record store into an online shop, and created a compilation album featuring some of his career highlights- both unique feats in their own rights.

We recently had the opportunity to chat with the brains behind Novak about how he is handling the year without live music, what the biggest adjustments he’s had to make so far are, and what he hopes for the future.

You can read our full quarantine questionnaire below, and be sure to check out Novak’s Bandcamp (linked below) for a look at all things The Venus Fly Trap. 

Second Society Report: How are you holding up during this insane year that is 2020?Hopefully your friends and families are staying safe and healthy?

Alex Novak: It’s been a stretch. The hardest part is no socialising gigs etc, but you gotta do what you gotta do. It’s certainly had an effect on people’s general well being and the direct and indirect deaths. Let’s hope 2021 is better.

Second Society Report: Did you have any big releases or tours that were put on hold because of the pandemic?How has that affected the band?

Alex Novak: Well certainly had dates planned which would have been added to as the year progressed but all that is unlikely to be happening anytime soon. Did think about delaying a release but decided to go ahead anyway because nobody had any ideas when this was going to let up. So we released VENUS FLY TRAP/ALEX NOVAK-MERCURIAL CD/DL (GLASS RECORDS MODERN) in May 2020. It’s a retrospective of all the bands and projects I have been involved with over the years.

Second Society Report: How have you been spending your new found downtime while the world has essentially shut down?

Alex Novak: Well trying to make a living. I run a record shop SPIRAL ARCHIVE and we have been shut down, this will be the third time now and it looks like it will be for a while, so essentially all my sales have come from my online shop via ebay. So I’ve been busy listing items and doing interviews and generally promoting the band to keep us visible for when things get back to normal, whatever and whenever that will be.

Second Society Report: Have you worked on any new releases during this time? Any that are already out or that we can get a sneak peak of?

Alex Novak: I’ve just sent the new release to be pressed- should be out at the end of March 2021. As previously mentioned, it’s VENUS FLY TRAP-TIME LAPSE 1989-94 CD/DL- a collection of tracks from the albums TOTEM, PANDORA’S BOX and LUNA TIDE. 

As a taster we also re-issued the track “Achilles Heel” as a download only thats out now, and we are also working on a couple of new tracks “Forbidden Planet” and “Bebe,” which will be released later this year.

Second Society Report: If already out-what was the inspiration for the release? Have you written any songs specifically about the state of the world right now?

Alex Novak:  Well MERCURIAL is a stop and take stock release, to put the music I have been involved with together as a body of work, hopefully to be reappraised and re-assessed. Instead of re-issuing each individual album for TIME LAPSE, I’d select tracks from each in a way creating an alternative album for an alternate reality. It’s going to take a while to filter all the events that have unfolded to digest and make sense of these times could take a while.

Second Society Report: How has it been being an artist in a time when you cannot tour?How have you been working to promote your music and expand your reach?

Alex Novak:  Frustrating. Gigs are a great way to sell merch and finance the band, and also to engage with an audience and provide the engine to drive everything. Mostly online has been the main outlet to promote the band alongside various releases but you are competing with a lot of other noise on the internet.

Second Society Report: Do you have any words of advice for fans that are particularly bummed out about the live music world coming to a halt?

Alex Novak:  I’m missing it too, not just playing but going out to see bands in general. Bands need your support at this time so when it is time to play again they can actually function.

Second Society Report: When the world returns to a safer spot and we are able to attend live shows again,what do you hope to achieve?Alex Novak:  Initially just to get out and play and to make up for lost time. Try to regain some of the momentum and regain ground to be back at least when this whole thing began. I guess a reset or reboot.

You can connect with Alex Novak and The Venus Fly Trap via the links below, and be sure to check out MERCURIAL, available now on Bandcamp.

Facebook / Website / Shop / Bandcamp / YouTube