BOXFORD — Attired in Hawaiian shirts and sunglasses, Corey and Sarah Jackson are poised to counteract coronavirus and the social isolation blues with a Facebook Live performance packed with song and laughter.
Well known to Lynn residents as an Arts After Hours co-founder, Jackson and his wife, an experienced fundraising consultant, are doing their part to lift spirits and provide a little levity in trying times.
For a half an hour almost every night and typically around 5:30 p.m., the parents of two small children perform on their Facebook page for anyone willing to endure a mish-mash of show tunes and other music the pair sing, with Corey Jackson providing piano accompaniment.
“We’ve been all over the place from Phantom of the Opera to new musicals and yacht rock. We throw anything on the piano,” Jackson said.
Yacht rock? In case you’re not familiar with the genre, it loosely encompasses ’70s and ’80s soft rock with artists like Christopher Cross (“Arthur’s Theme” — better known to most people for the line, “if you get caught between the moon and New York City”).
During their recent performance devoted to yacht rock, the pair covered Cross, Kenny Loggins, Chicago and the Dolly Parton/Kenny Rogers duet, “Islands in the Stream.”
Every song is spiced with frequent laughter breaks and dramatic gestures. The Facebook audience weighs in with requests for Frank Sinatra and selections from “Grease” while the Jacksons’ children, ages 2 and 4, do their best to avoid the cacophony.
“They hate it,” said their father.
As executive director of Peabody-based Citizens Inn, Jackson’s job is to fight hunger and homelessness.
“My job is focused on some pretty traumatic scenarios. All of my life I’ve turned to the piano for self-care,” he said.
Corey and Sarah Jackson met while performing theater and their impromptu Facebook performances are an offshoot of their creative sides.
“It started with Corey singing a couple of songs and turning to me and saying, ‘Would you do it with me?’ Not only does it fulfill self-care for us, but it connects us with people,” said Sarah.
Their virtual audience wants to hear more Elton John and Disney songs. The Jacksons love the requests but, most of all, they love listeners’ response to their music.
“I was amazed when people said, ‘Thank you.’ They — all of us — need an escape,” he said.
