Hamilton Leithauser faced the inevitable when it was recently made official. Both his U.S. and Canadian tour dates were cancelled. It wasn’t as if he wasn’t expecting the news, but it still sucks. Any musician will tell you: The road is calling, but stupid COVID-19 stands in the way of following that beckoning muse of live shows, damn it.

But nothing will stand in the way of the music. Leithauser has concentrated on his latest material, mostly working solo but also collaborating with friends, and, as he explained on his Facebook page, there’s also time (when he’s not teaching 1st graders) to soak in awesome films and documentaries, and even indulge in online chess and scrabble. Care to chat about Ken Burns’ Country Music? Leithauser’s up for it.

FYI: The track on today’s Austin Music Minute is “Isabella,” from The Loves of Your Life. And speaking of Facebook, catch Leithauser’s live stream performance at 7 p.m. (Central) tonight, Wednesday August 5, on Facebook Live, presented by Robert Hall Winery.

-Photo courtesy of the artist.