From a rooftop in Tunis with a borrowed guitar and without her band, Harlem singer-songwriter Emel Mathlouthi finds a new sound.

"It's good for me not to have the luxury of all my usual set up because it makes me think more and go more minimalist and just realize that music and feelings don’t need that much stuff," she told us.

Mathlouthi was on an international tour when the pandemic erupted, She's been sheltering with her family in Tunisa ever since. Her first paying gig since then will be as part of National Sawdust's new concert series "Digital Discovery Festival." Paola Prestini is a composer and the Artistic Director of National Sawdust.

Thanks to a large donation, the Brooklyn venue is paying more than 100 New York musicians a thousand dollars each for a half-hour streaming concert. "There's something, this kind of spiritual connection that we receive together when we experience music together, but in the meantime hopefully this really top notch curation and also what it's giving to artists provides some kind of enjoyment and some kind of solace," she said.

National Sawdust also is sending professional equipment to the performers who need it. Experimental singer Lucy Dhegrae appreciates the effort. "They're showing me how to do a multi camera documentation form my living room; we are going to have training sessions with their audio techs,” she said.

Performers are concerned not just about being able to pay their bills, but also about the entire New York music scene. Pianist Conrad Tao has been playing online to raise money for musicians in need. He might play barefoot during his livestream. "I made my Carnegie Hall debut in November and I played that recital barefoot. This is my space and this is how I like to play at home,” said Tao.

He's used to taking a bit of home to the stage and he's bringing the stage to home.

National Sawdust is seeking additional contributions, sponsorships and possibly a membership model to stage future livestream shows. For information go to nationalsawdust.org