The pandemic and live music’s stumbling recovery have not been kind to working musicians (to drastically understate it). The inability to safely and reliably convene has been a drag on the bottom line as much as the soul, depriving bands of their primary way of building an audience, not to mention pay the rent.

The internet is a powerful tool, but for many artists there’s no substitute for the stage, stepping in front of a crowd and letting the music speak to listeners in ways social media “gurus” never could. This is especially true for artists like The Dip and Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, two must-see Seattle bands who had heads full of steam when the world turned upside down.

Back in 2020, seven-piece soul brigade The Dip planned to take its second lap around the country supporting its sophomore album, “The Dip Delivers,” which featured Lamarr and DLO3 guitar wizard Jimmy James on standout scorcher “Advertising.” Especially meaningful, the Seattle favorites had landed their first headlining date at the Showbox, a longtime benchmark for local bands on the rise.

“It was a huge bummer,” recalls baritone saxophonist Evan Smith, “it being such an iconic venue and this yardstick in the musical community. And then seeing in recent years all the discussion of whether that property was going to be redeveloped, too. I remember thinking at the time ‘Oh, great, I’m never going to get to play there.’”

Before the shutdown hit in early 2020, the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio was gearing up to release its second album with Colemine Records. The boutique soul label helped the hard-grooving soul-jazz ensemble make a splash on the jazz charts with its debut album — a strong but hastily recorded set — just a year earlier. The band’s more fully baked follow-up, “I Told You So,” was initially pushed to October, but as fall approached “it seemed like everything was starting to get worse,” Lamarr says.