Kansas Citians were so nice to this musician, he left the East Coast for the West Bottoms

Xavier Foley was a child prodigy bassist who had played at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. Then the pandemic hit, followed by Hurricane Ida. Now, his 30,000 Instagram followers watch him play from Kansas City's West Bottoms.
Growing up in Marietta, Georgia, bassist Xavier Foley was a child prodigy who won music competitions and eventually graduated from Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music. He was a featured soloist with the Atlanta Symphony and the Philadelphia Orchestra and had played at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall.

But just as his career was blossoming, the pandemic hit and he felt hopeless living in his small New Jersey apartment.

“After about 10 months in Jersey, I was so unhappy," he said. "And decided to just drive west.”