Mari Fong interviews country singer-songwriter Chase Bryant and Sweet Relief Musicians Fund Executive Vice President of Development & Artist Relations, Aric Steinberg. Chase Bryant shares his solutions for anxiety, depression and imposter syndrome recovery. After skyrocketing to fame, Chase Bryant found himself quickly playing with country superstars like Tim McGraw where the stress of fame took his toll and led him to a suicide attempt. Slowing his life down, being true to himself, and therapy have soothed his soul and helped calm his mood disorders.
Next, Aric Steinberg of Sweet Relief Musicians Fund talks about how this 501(c)3 nonprofit can help musicians and others working in the music industry with financial assistance, especially during this pandemic. Sweet Relief and the CHECK YOUR HEAD Podcast partner for the Add-A-Buck Program where artists donate $1 for each ticket sold to benefit musicians and their mental health. Aric shares how easy it is to apply for Sweet Relief assistance.
“Be brave, ask for help, and be persistent in finding the mental help that you need.” For free and affordable solutions for mental health and addiction recovery, visit: http://checkyourheadpodcast.com/
* Donate to our mission at checkyourheadpodcast.com or on our patreon.com page. Every dollar is appreciated, every listener is appreciated.
- THANK YOU for following us on social media @checkyourheadpodcast
- Watch and subscribe to our YouTube Channel: checkyourheadpodcast.youtube
Say hello and give us feedback! We love hearing from our Superhero fans ❤️🤘
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:00):
Welcome to the Check Your Head podcast, the podcast
where notable musicians andexperts share their stories and
solutions for mental health andwellness.
I'm your host, Mari Fong, amusic journalist and life coach
for musicians, and this monthwe're celebrating our Check Your
Head superheroes, those who havefound their solutions for mood
(00:23):
disorders and addictions, aswell as those who have supported
and encouraged others duringtheir mental health journeys.
Because September is NationalRecovery Month, where we
celebrate those who choose toself-improve, those who choose
to make self-care a priority,and those who have experienced
the depths of life and chose toinstead fight with hope and hard
(00:44):
work to get to a better, morejoyous life.
In September, we also celebratethose who have survived and
thrived after a suicide attempt,along with those who have had
suicidal thoughts but choserecovery instead to and even
chose to help others along theway.
Our featured musical guest is aperfect example of this.
(01:05):
A country music star who seemedto be on top of the world in
2014 when he debuted his single,Take It On Back, followed by
another big hit called LittleBit of You, with both singles
landing on Billboard's top 10country charts.
What followed for this artistwas skyrocketing fame and
touring with the likes ofcountry singer-songwriters like
(01:27):
Brantley Gilbert and playingmega shows with stars like Tim
McGraw.
Our musical guest today is ChaseBryant, who grew up with anxiety
and depression that finallycrushed him when fame became too
heavy of a load.
Chase shares his story behindhis suicide attempt, his mental
health solutions for recovery,along with his new single,
(01:49):
Upbringing, which is also thename of his new album.
Stay tuned to listen to a clipof Upbringing at the end of our
episode.
Next, we have an expert who hasbeen instrumental in one of my
favorite nonprofits for themusic industry, Eric Steinberg,
Executive Vice President atSweet Relief Musicians Fund.
(02:09):
Eric will share Sweet Relief'simpact on helping musicians
during the pandemic and howthey've been helping musicians
for the past 27 years.
The Check Your Head podcast is aproud partner with Sweet Relief
to raise awareness and funds formental health, with Sweet Relief
providing assistance to anyonewho makes their living in the
music industry during toughfinancial times.
(02:31):
But first, let's hear countrysinger-songwriter Chase Bryant
share his story.
You had...
a couple singles that did reallywell at the start of your
career, which was Take It Backand A Little Bit of You.
And as you rose to fame,sometimes that transition could
be difficult and sometimes itcould be enjoyable.
(02:52):
How was that for you?
SPEAKER_03 (02:54):
Miserable.
I mean, there were days thatwere good, but I was making poor
decisions and drinking too much.
I mean, it was just textbookthings, you know?
I got caught up in it for aminute and then I realized how
much I didn't like it.
And it's like I couldn't getmyself out of it because that's
who I wanted to be at the time,I thought.
(03:17):
And that was a miserable escape.
SPEAKER_01 (03:20):
You know, I was reading about something called
imposter syndrome.
I don't know if you've heard ofthat, but it happens sometimes
to musicians where they feelalmost like a fraud.
There's a lot of self-doubt andfeelings like someone's going to
find out that this is not who Ireally am.
Did you...
Ever feel like that?
SPEAKER_03 (03:39):
I feel like in a way we all are.
I mean, we all come from a placethat we were different from
somebody else.
And then we go on stage and allof a sudden we're just this
hero, you know?
Definitely, yeah, I felt it atthe maximum level.
It's miserable.
You're putting on a cape tryingto be the superhero.
You know, people need to realizeyou're just a normal person.
(04:02):
I mean, people say, well, you'renot normal.
You're a rock star.
Well, what is that?
What good does it do?
Do you one day have a tombstonethat says, I don't want mine to
read Chase Bryant, rock star.
I want mine to read ChaseBryant, great husband, great
dad, great friend, greatbrother, great son, loving,
(04:23):
caring, not rock star.
It's incredible how things sortof change when you get
everything you want.
SPEAKER_01 (04:33):
Well, I'm thinking about all the people around you.
and how that was kind ofenabling for you, whether it was
what they were telling you orthe things that were giving you.
I mean, did you feel that waspart of it also?
SPEAKER_03 (04:48):
Yeah, I think you surround yourself with people
that also tell you, oh, you'rethe greatest thing in the world,
and then it starts failing andyou wonder why.
You feel like that one car thatcame out with a bad radiator or
something, you know what I mean?
It worked for a while and it wasawesome, then all of a sudden it
just died.
You know, I was thinking thismorning, how many people we
(05:09):
surround ourselves with everyday and how different each
person is.
Like think about the person youhave to be for your family, the
person that you are for yourfriends and how many different
friends, some that like todrink, some that don't, some
that like to go to the movies,you know, and don't want to go
out and some that are older,younger.
We're always wearing a differentmodule that fits into like, You
(05:35):
know, I've just started thinkingabout that and how much I need
to really be more selective asto what I give my time to,
because your time is incrediblyimportant.
And if you waste it, it canwaste you, you know?
SPEAKER_01 (05:49):
Right.
The other thing too, is thatfans or people around you that
said, no, you're a rock star.
They have a self image of youthat they're putting on you, but
then you have a self image ofyourself that, inside you that
is not matching what thesepeople are saying.
And there was a time after thosehits that you put out singles
(06:13):
that didn't exactly reach theheights of the first singles.
And that was also distressing.
Can you tell me how you feltduring that time?
SPEAKER_03 (06:22):
People that I surrounded myself with and told
me how great I was and called meand asked about my parents and
everything else Still, at theend of the day, got mad when
something didn't work because Ididn't make them any money.
They don't call you like theyused to anymore.
They don't text.
There's no group text.
I mean, I can name a number ofthem and I still call them to
(06:42):
this day just to see if they'llget back on a healthy routine of
calling me just because it'slike a little nudge to me where
it's like you did everything youcould.
You know, I don't want to dieone day a bad guy.
I did a lot of bad things in mylife.
I'm not saying bad things as in,oh, I've done something illegal
or whatever.
I was always scared of jail, soI never did that stuff.
(07:04):
But what I did do was I didn'ttreat everybody the way that
everybody should be treated,which would be the way that I
want to be treated.
And when you're having hits andyou're eating caviar in some of
the finest restaurants in theworld and you're flying all over
the world playing these shows,it just wasn't correct.
I was just dying for this kid inme to get out.
(07:26):
I was like, why won't they lovehim?
Why do I have to do this?
Why do I have to dress a certainway?
Why can't they just like me?
Because I wasn't letting themsee it.
I never really went to the labeland said, this isn't me.
They never really knew.
Nobody knew because I was hidingit.
I was very good at it.
(07:47):
There were a lot of thingsnobody ever knew.
And I was keeping in a shellbecause I was too afraid that if
The real me came out.
What if they didn't like it?
Then what?
SPEAKER_01 (07:58):
I mean, there are people that will treat you
differently due to money andfame.
So that could be reallyconfusing.
At the time, who was that ChaseBryant that was trying to get
out?
How would you describe thatperson?
SPEAKER_03 (08:13):
And you're looking at him.
One thing that never changed.
I was so into making the showthe best thing that there was.
I mean, I wanted to go out everynight and be the best no matter
what it was.
And then I got on stage and allI started thinking was shiny
suits and I'm the man.
And if I was sitting hereplaying guitar, I feel like I'm
(08:37):
the best guitar player when I'min the studio or I'm at home.
And then when I go out live,it's just kind of like, eh, it's
okay.
I mean, there's part of me onstage that was real, but I think
it was because it was the songsand Something wasn't connecting.
And I was talking to those guysand they were like, man, you're
always mad.
Like if one thing went downhill,I mean, I was riding somebody,
(09:00):
you know, and I was yelling orscreaming at somebody.
But sometimes I didn't payattention as best I should have
because I was too caught up inwhere we were going to go drink
after the show or what were wegoing to do.
Stacking alcohol on top ofanxiety was not a good move.
Because then you start getting alittle more honest with yourself
(09:22):
and you start seeing the chainthat's unraveling.
It's wild.
SPEAKER_01 (09:29):
Well, it sounds like you became a person that you
really didn't like.
SPEAKER_03 (09:33):
When you say that, I think I've overcome so much and
I have tried to get so far awaywith that guy.
I don't even remember what lifewas because that was such a dark
time in my life.
that I don't want to know him.
I don't want to recall him.
And I enjoy talking about thepast because I don't sit here
(09:55):
and dwell on it too much.
But you start realizing when youhave more better days than bad
days, you kind of escape that,you know, we're over here now.
We're basking now.
SPEAKER_01 (10:06):
I know that you have a much better life and there's
been a road to recovery.
It takes time to really get to apoint where you could talk
about, you know, your suicideattempt.
And I can...
Kind of understand where youhated that person so much that
you just wanted to destroy it.
And you didn't know how to getthe real you back.
SPEAKER_03 (10:27):
Yeah.
I woke up every day wonderinghow it was going to end.
I just like, this is it.
I'm done.
If this isn't going to end, ifthis pain and misery isn't going
to end, then I'm going to end.
Maybe that was God or somehigher power saying, okay, well
then change it.
Because I was begging forforgiveness.
I was shouting sorry as loud asI could.
(10:48):
I was asking God for help.
Nobody will ever know the kindof pain that I felt when I'm
screaming at the top of my lungssaying I'm sorry.
And feeling a cold barrel of a.357 revolver in your mouth and
you were chewing on it.
And no matter how hard you bitedown, you're not going to break
(11:09):
that barrel.
That barrel is going to breakyou.
There was nothing that couldoverpower me at that time.
You could have sent King Kong myway and I promise you, I could
have whipped him just because myadrenaline was just next level.
And I began to shake and it wasjust, I'm sorry.
(11:31):
And then boom, pull the trigger.
SPEAKER_01 (11:34):
Do you remember putting six bullets in the gun?
I
SPEAKER_03 (11:39):
recall there being six bullets in the gun when I
took them apart and put them in.
But as frantic as I was leavingthat house, I may have just got
lucky enough to pull the oneslot that didn't have a bullet
in it because I was shaking andmad.
I mean, I recall putting six init, but I don't know.
I can't answer that questionbecause that's the miracle.
(12:00):
I don't know.
But I recall putting six.
That's the way I recall it.
But I remember the gun notfiring and then waking up and
going, oh, my God, and thenopening my eyes.
I was in the same spot I wassitting in when it happened.
SPEAKER_01 (12:14):
After that, there were thoughts in your head that
life is too short.
Don't make it shorter.
Did you feel that that was youspeaking to yourself or did you
feel like that was God speakingto you or the
SPEAKER_03 (12:27):
universe?
I've never known where that camefrom.
Life is a whole lot more thanany record.
or any show or any award oranything I could ever do.
The most important part in mylife was to get myself okay
because I wanted to be a dadlike my dad was to me.
(12:48):
I wanted to be a best friendlike my mom and my brother was
to me.
And I wanted to be a greathusband and a caring father and
best friend.
When I think about that night,the pictures are so vivid, I can
still see it.
And I still have a hard timewith it because I shouldn't have
(13:09):
ever let it get there, but Ican't regret that moment of my
life because that's why I'mhere.
And now I have to use it to helpothers, to realize that no
matter how bad it gets, we'reall hopeful for a better day.
And we're the people that are incontrol of that.
Nobody else is in control ofthat.
(13:31):
I mean, when you're down thatlow, we all think, well,
somebody or something will fixit, but quite frankly, we're in
control of that.
We have to fix it.
We have to take the time.
We have to have the will to fixit.
And for me, being a man, it isnot easy to say, I have a
(13:53):
problem or I have something thatI need to get fixed.
And it's not easy to say in aband with four guys and a bus
driver and a merch person and atour manager and a management
team, when you're the one payingfor their kids to go to school.
That was hard.
And that's why it took me somany years because I didn't want
(14:13):
to let anybody down.
But I don't think I let anybodydown.
I think I let myself down for along, long time.
I
SPEAKER_01 (14:22):
know that there was a message that you had to your
family before your suicideattempt.
Can you give me an idea of whatthe message was about?
SPEAKER_03 (14:32):
Yeah, the theme was purely to say that I was sorry.
and how thankful I was for a lotof people and to understand that
that wasn't a selfish act.
I get the part of where it mightbe selfish because, yes, you are
leaving a family who will haveto deal with it for the rest of
their life.
Yes, there is a part of it thatis selfish, but it's not an act
(14:54):
of selfishness.
It's an act of hurt and pain andsorrow and misery.
So I just said how thankful Iwas and how grateful I was for
the people that were good to me.
Sometimes there's just more badpeople out there to you than
there are good people.
You know, it was a lot ofdifferent things.
It was a lot of people.
It was a lot of years of thesethings happening to me that I
(15:17):
was just tired of.
And I've reached out to a lot ofthose people who made me feel a
lot of the ways that I did.
I forgave everything andeverybody and I forgave myself.
I mean, that was key for me.
SPEAKER_01 (15:29):
After that attempt, you went to the hospital, went
through recovery.
What was that road of recoveryfor you?
SPEAKER_03 (15:37):
Well, there were parts of it that were miserable.
When I first stepped foot in thehospital, when I got behind the
door, I tried to leave when Igot there because I was scared.
It hit me.
It's like, okay, you're notgetting out.
Because while I was told Iwasn't getting out of I thought,
(15:59):
okay, well, maybe I'll just goto therapy or something.
No, it doesn't work that way.
Thankfully, I wasn't there thatlong.
I mean, they had seen a bigprogression in me and knew that
I wanted help through therapy.
And I think the parts that weremiserable were, look, it isn't
fun being told you're wrong.
(16:19):
I mean, it's not.
But when you finally startunderstanding, that's okay.
I can be wrong now.
That's all right.
I'll be wrong.
I can own up to that.
And I can grow from that.
See, that's the key to me is thegrowth.
And then everything else startedmaking sense.
(16:39):
Digging years and years back andtalking about things was a good
thing for me.
Music was a good thing for me.
Not surrounding myself with badpeople.
SPEAKER_01 (16:52):
Well, it does sound like you've done therapy.
Have you ever tried anythinglike medication or any other
kinds of specific therapies thatreally helped you?
I
SPEAKER_03 (17:02):
was on medication when I was younger, on and off,
like both depression andanxiety.
But I realized, just slow down,take a deep breath.
But I just feel like there arepeople that are falsely
medicated.
SPEAKER_01 (17:18):
Well, I agree.
I feel whether it's doctors orpsychiatrists may not be taking
the time to really find out whatthe root of the problem is, or
if it's something chemical, itcan be.
But there's always a trial anderror that happens.
What did you find that you feelwas the root of it?
And what do you do now on adaily basis for your mental
(17:39):
health?
SPEAKER_03 (17:41):
I've had worked with a therapist for a really good
while that seemed to react towhat i had like a ptsd my memory
i don't forget anything i canrecall recall things and i had
to learn to let those things gomy everyday regimen is try to
get myself in a schedule what itried to do every day is to try
(18:03):
to get myself up at the sametime and get myself down at the
same time try to eat good i lovegood greasy cheese enchiladas i
will crush a buffet any day ofthe week.
But I try to make sure that mybody intakes what's good for me
as much as I can.
And I try to stay on top ofthings like that because I do
(18:24):
feel like you start to get in arhythm.
You know what I mean?
It's like you can't really bebeaten that way.
And then I try to realize I'mgetting upset or my anxiety is
just ruling my body.
I try to get right to somethingthat I feel like How do I slow
down?
What do I do?
Do I get on my mower and justcut my grass and relax for a
minute?
(18:44):
Last week, I cut my grass threetimes, if that tells you
anything.
I just try to get in a rhythmwith things.
I try to stay focused on music.
I try to stay focused on myfamily, my friends.
I try not to spread myself toothin.
SPEAKER_01 (18:57):
Well, I think that's really important because being a
creative person, sometimes weget so passionate about our
creativity that we can...
continue without taking breaksor stay up to the wee hours of
the morning.
That's not healthy to evenschedule breaks throughout the
(19:18):
day.
And also as a creative person,we normally don't like routines,
but I've also come to realizethat routines are so important
to keep you on top of things.
And I really love the fact thatyou said you wake up at a
certain time in the morning andyou go to sleep at night because
what you're doing is honoringyour sleep.
(19:41):
Honoring your sleep.
And that is such a hugefoundation for your mental
health.
And it's something that a lot ofpeople don't realize how
important that is, especiallymusicians, because on tour, you
know, you play the show and thenthere's the after party.
There's people on the tour busand, you know, there's so much
(20:02):
that can interrupt thatschedule.
So it does take a lot ofstrength to really keep up that
routine.
SPEAKER_03 (20:08):
You nailed it.
You get up, you get there, yougo do this, you come back, you
grab some lunch, you go dosomething else.
You go to soundcheck, you comeback from soundcheck, then
you're freaking out because, oh,this guitar isn't sounding
right, so we've got to get thatright.
Shower, hurry up, go do a meetand greet, come back, go do a
show, come back, party witheverybody.
Those days will not be a part ofmy life anymore.
(20:29):
I will wake up when I wake upand do my thing first and then
do what's next.
I gotta be honest.
There's one thing that the musicindustry applauds that I don't
agree with.
And that is, man, that kid willgo out and play 300 shows a
year.
Boy, we ought to applaud him.
(20:51):
You can wreck somebody doingthat.
I mean, I did that.
And I was gone so long.
that I fell in so much love withthe road that when I came home,
I resented my house because Iwasn't on a bus.
I couldn't sleep.
I couldn't eat right.
I couldn't do anything right.
When I came home, I just, heckit, I felt like I'd just sleep
all day and stay up all nightlong.
(21:13):
You have to be able to balancethose two things because without
that balance, it's hard todevelop a relationship with
anybody.
It's hard to stay true toyourself.
So now realizing I'm going backout on the road, Sure, everybody
can have drinks.
Sure, everybody can have a glassof wine or do whatever they'd
like to do.
But I'm not going out there tohave some party on my bus.
(21:35):
You know what I mean?
You got to take that seriously.
And I'm there to work.
And I'm there to have funplaying music, not have fun
playing the party guy.
Somebody once told me, when yougo on stage, you put that cape
on.
And when you come off, youfigure out how to take it off
and go back to living real life.
And there is something to that.
(21:56):
You do have to have that guy whocan turn that switch on and go
be that superhero and then comeback and be able to just shut it
off.
So I'm working on that.
I'm trying to figure that partout.
SPEAKER_01 (22:09):
One thing that I noticed when you were talking
about the rehearsals, the soundchecks, the show, the after
party, the whole thing, there'sso much adrenaline that happens
during that time.
And even though the adrenalinemight be happy adrenaline and
excitement, it's stilladrenaline.
And when we have that coursingthrough our bodies 24-7, we're
(22:31):
not meant to do that.
Adrenaline was meant for back inthe primitive days.
When a cheetah came and jumpedout at us, we had to bolt and
leave.
That's the thing with stress and300 dates a year.
You have ongoing stress and thatadrenaline will take you down.
Your immunity, your energy, evenif you're having a great time.
(22:53):
That's the thing that I've cometo realize.
So how is touring going to bedifferent now that you've
realized these things?
SPEAKER_03 (23:03):
Taking time and slowing down a little bit.
Going to have a glass of coffeeat a coffee shop down the road.
Maybe take a book and read for alittle bit and not going to
sound check 45 minutes earlybecause I'm always early to
everything, like way early.
Everybody used to say that.
They're like, man, you're theone rock star that's like there
before the party even starts.
(23:23):
You know, you're like early toyour own birthday party.
So just slowing down, being atplaces on time, not being there
the day before and just coastinginto things, not necessarily
just jumping to conclusionsbefore they arrive.
SPEAKER_01 (23:37):
You mentioned when something would go wrong in the
past, you would get really upsetand scream at people, but
there's always going to bemistakes.
There's always going to bethings that happen.
Do you look at it differentlynow?
SPEAKER_03 (23:52):
I've surrounded myself with people now that I
can't afford to lose.
And by afford, I mean not buymoney.
I mean for my own It's good formy heart because I love them too
much.
My mom and I are very close.
My dad and I are extremelyclose.
And sometimes I get mad and Itake it out on them.
(24:13):
I can't afford to lose, youknow, my parents, my brother,
his daughters, my nieces, mysister-in-law.
You know, we've worked so welltogether.
You got to really watch thingsthat you say to people because
those things can hurt for a verylong time.
I have regained some trust andsome love from guys that I
(24:37):
played with on the road beforethat we might've had not seen
eye to eye, but I might not havehad to handle it the way I
handled it.
Cause when I, when I'm sternabout something, I'm very stern.
I'm a very stern person.
I very honest.
I think now it's justunderstanding that if you're
hurtful to somebody and You haveto look at the consequences.
(25:00):
And I don't want to be that guy.
I've done and said things in mylife that I wish I would have
never done or said.
I hope that moving forward, Isay the things that matter most.
And that's to allow people tounderstand how much I care for
them.
It's a hell of a feeling insidewhen you know you've done
something wrong or saidsomething wrong.
(25:20):
It eats you up.
And it did me.
Because I would never sleepwithout thinking about it.
SPEAKER_01 (25:27):
sometimes that's the hardest part is to forgive
ourselves for things that we'vedone but realizing that others
have forgiven us already andespecially when you're trying to
be a better person you
SPEAKER_03 (25:40):
can't change the fact that we're human i know a
lot of people that wear a hat orthey put their hair back or they
do whatever they do glassespeople used to ridicule me of
like Okay, well, I have verysensitive eyes and I get
drowning migraines that'll sendyou under for days.
But those are things I used totake to heart and be like, why
(26:02):
do they don't like me?
That doesn't mean that.
It just means that a little bitdifferent.
You know, we're humans.
It's okay for somebody not tolike something.
It's okay for somebody todisagree with something.
That doesn't mean they don'tlike it.
It just means they might notagree with it.
We're human.
We make mistakes.
We each do something a littledifferent.
SPEAKER_01 (26:23):
But when you look at your life today, what is it that
is making you happy?
SPEAKER_03 (26:27):
Having the chance to have this conversation.
I mean, this is huge, right?
I would have never had theaudacity to talk about these
things, you know, years ago.
They would have frightened me todeath.
It would have been, I don't wantanybody to know that.
I'm still a very private person,but It's things like this.
It's moments with my family,with my friends.
(26:49):
It's having this studio aroundme where I get to create music
every day, the hunting, thefishing, the cutting my grass,
just knowing that I'm here.
It's knowing that I've hadanother day to live.
I take life very seriously now.
It's being able to feel okaywith the fact that I made some
very life-altering decisions.
But look where I am now.
(27:11):
Somebody asked me today, Theysaid, what would you tell people
that are going through somethingreally hard?
And my answer, my honest answeris to soak it in.
Because when you think it can'tget any worse, it might.
And when you think it won't beany better, it will be.
(27:31):
That's the one thing I know.
I know that it can be better.
As long as you're the driver ofyour own life, you're going to
be okay.
It's just understanding that Wegot to take those moments in so
that when we get to another bumpin the road and get a flat tire,
we'll call somebody to come airit back up.
It's not the end of the world.
(27:52):
Let it go.
Let it be.
And then don't dig too far back.
Don't be looking at yesterdaytoo much.
Live in the moment andunderstand what that moment has
to offer and what you have tooffer that moment.
SPEAKER_01 (28:04):
I like that analogy where you said, if you get a
flat tire, just call someone toPump it back up because it shows
that we all need help sometimesand it's okay to ask for help.
And there are people around youthat would love to show their
love and care to you by helpingwhen you need it.
It's in the same way where youfeel good when you are able to
(28:28):
help somebody that you love.
So a good analogy there.
SPEAKER_03 (28:32):
Well, thank you.
SPEAKER_01 (28:36):
Next up, we have a leader in one of the most
well-loved nonprofits for thosein the music industry, Eric
Steinberg, Executive VicePresident of Development and
Artist Relations at Sweet ReliefMusicians Fund.
Eric will talk about how SweetRelief's Atabuck program and
other ways artists can helpraise funds to provide financial
assistance to musicians and howthe need is especially important
(28:59):
during this pandemic.
Eric also shares how easy it isfor you to apply for assistance
if you're in need and have acareer in the music industry.
Now let's hear Eric share hisknowledge and advice.
I'm excited that the Check YourHead podcast has a partnership
with Sweet Relief because Ireally admire everything that
(29:20):
you all are doing.
And you've been doing it for 27years.
Can you give us the story abouthow the nonprofit began with
Victoria Williams?
SPEAKER_04 (29:32):
Thanks, Maury.
We're also grateful for ourpartnership and the good work
that you're doing over here atCheck Your Head Podcast.
Yes, Victoria Williams,singer-songwriter, was out on
tour with Neil Young, and shebegan experiencing some movement
difficulty in her hands,strumming, and it turned out to
be symptoms of MS.
(29:52):
She was diagnosed with MS.
As she began the treatmentprocess, the bills were
mounting, as they do, and shewas very fortunate to have a lot
of friends in the musicindustry.
Neil was one of them.
Lou Reed and Lou Reed's wifewere one of the drivers.
(30:12):
They created this incrediblealbum that Pearl Jam was on it
and a slew of other amazingartists.
artists got together, puttogether a compilation of
Victoria Williams songs, and itsold incredibly well and raised
more money than she needed.
She put the remaining fundsaside to help other musicians
(30:34):
who might be in that position,overwhelmed by medical bills,
who didn't have such fancyfriends to make albums for them.
And so that's how Sweet ReliefMusicians Fund was born.
That was in 1993, 94.
And, you know, we've been goingstrong ever since.
Helping musicians in the musiccommunity.
We, a few years ago, opened upthe fund to include not only
(30:56):
career musicians, but also musicindustry professionals.
All those other folks in theindustry, the crew, agents,
managers, anyone who makes theirliving in the music industry and
finds themselves in thatpredicament are eligible for
help.
SPEAKER_01 (31:12):
Well, I'm really glad you did that because I feel
like with the pandemic and Imean, it put a halt to
everything, especially touring.
And just thinking about touringin itself, I mean, there's a
huge trickle down with the tourcrew, the management, you know,
publicist.
I mean, it affects so manypeople in the industry that
(31:33):
surround the artist.
And, you know, I remember youhad mentioned that during the
pandemic, you had received10,000 applications for
financial assistance.
What...
Are some of the things thatyou've seen or heard about the
impact on people in the industrywith this pandemic?
SPEAKER_04 (31:54):
Yeah, it's total devastation.
unprecedented, completely wipingout billions and billions of
dollars of an entire industry.
It's not just the artists whoaren't working.
It's everyone who makes thatmachine move.
And that is a lot of people.
The public isn't always aware.
They're intentionally invisible.
(32:14):
They literally wear blackclothing as they move around the
stage so that they're unseen.
And the pandemic, I think,really did shine a spotlight on
those folks.
But it took a little while.
For that to sink in, I think itwas immediately obvious to the
public at large that artistswere in trouble and musicians
who relied on touring forincome, which these days, unless
(32:36):
you're Drake or Beyonce, you'rerelying on touring.
So the public was aware of themusician side, but the crew side
was a whole other story.
And it was so severe, Mari.
We actually were approached bythe Rex Foundation.
They were founded in honor ofGrateful Dead Rhodey.
So they have a particularaffinity for the crew folk and
(32:58):
they wanted to help.
They wanted to help thatcommunity.
And we started a fund with themcalled the Rex Rhodey Fund that
specifically focused on helpingthese behind the scenes folks
who desperately needed help.
And I mean, these are talented,highly skilled individuals, but
immediately ground to a halt,full stop.
That's it.
The lights are turned off.
And all the mental healthfactors that you have to deal
(33:20):
with when such a devastatingchange occurs to try to pick up
the pieces and move on and feedyour family and the holidays are
coming and you have a mortgageand you have kids and you have
credit card debt that is nowmounting and student loan,
whatever it is, absolutelyoverwhelming.
So the need was tremendous.
(33:42):
It still is tremendous.
And the emergency is still infull effect today.
So we received 10,000applications like that, and it's
well over 15,000 now.
We've helped a good portion ofthem, but we've got a long way
to go.
The need was exponentiallygreater, and luckily so was the
help that we received.
The spotlight really had shinedupon the industry, and our
(34:04):
reputation served us well inthat we know what we're doing.
We provide assistance to themusic community, and they sure
needed it last year and the last18, 20 months.
SPEAKER_01 (34:16):
What really brought it home to me is I did an
interview with Sean Morgan ofCedar.
He was talking about thepandemic.
He said, my depression reallyheightened because there's so
much uncertainty.
He was talking about things thatwe all think about.
He said, Mari, I am trying tofigure out how to do schooling
(34:37):
with my child on the computer.
I'm worried about putting foodon the table.
I have to pay my bills.
I'm thinking, see, there's thisbig band that may not have those
concerns, but it doesn't matter.
I mean, those concerns go acrossthe board.
And one thing that's differentwith a pandemic is that we don't
(35:01):
know what the end is going tolook like.
And, you know, with the Deltavariant, that was something that
was unexpected.
And now there are festivals andshows that are closing down
because of it.
So there's a lot of moving partsto this whole pandemic.
SPEAKER_04 (35:19):
Yeah, for sure.
It's a fluid situation andeveryone's trying to do their
best and the uncertainty isdefinitely still there.
We're still getting emails fromfolks who now they're, driving
Ubers or trying to get Instacartjobs and gig working and doing
anything that they can to keepit together.
(35:41):
But they're not playing music.
There was a gentleman, I spoketo his wife.
This is a person in a verysuccessful national, globally
touring jam band.
And she said that he was walkingaround the house, depressed,
unable to adapt until he wasfinally able to to go to a
(36:02):
practice session with hisbandmates.
And he came home from that onepractice session, complete
turnaround, like he was a newperson, she said.
And she herself is a mentalhealth care provider.
She's a therapist.
So she was able to describe thisto me very well.
And it was incredibly powerful.
And artists who make music, theydo it because they need to do
(36:25):
it.
It's like they have to.
And that was certainly the casewith this jam band guy.
Finally, he was able to playwith his bandmates and the
depression lifted to the extentwhere it was incredibly
noticeable by his family.
So you combine all this otheruncertainty and then you're
isolated from your band andyou've had this, your art
(36:46):
basically kind of taken awayfrom you.
There's nothing like the livemusic experience.
Any performer will tell you thatplaying to a screen is not the
same as playing to a liveaudience.
There's that energy exchange ismissing and it becomes a, A real
hole inside.
And it's really sad.
SPEAKER_01 (37:05):
You know, through the podcast and just as a music
journalist, I've learned howmuch that artist expression is.
through their music andperforming is so healing for
them.
Being able to connect thosereally vulnerable feelings
through their lyrics to theirfans and how healing it is for
their fans to connect with thatenergy and also just the feeling
(37:29):
behind those lyrics that makethem feel like somebody else
understands this feeling that'sbeing expressed in the song.
So it is definitely this two-waystreet where the band is
energizing and fulfilled.
And as a fan, I mean, I lovegoing to a live music show.
If I go to a show and you gotall those people, it's like
(37:53):
everybody's on the same pagewith this energy and that
feeling can last like for aweek.
And it was, you're kind of on anatural high.
SPEAKER_04 (38:02):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (38:04):
So one thing that I was really excited about is that
you developed this specificmental health fund and Was there
anything in particular thatencouraged you to put that fun
together?
SPEAKER_04 (38:15):
Yeah, absolutely.
Everything that we've beenlearning about mental health and
the importance of mental health,it was a need in our community
that needed to be addressed.
And there were some studies thatwe read that spoke to the real
vulnerability of the artistcommunity to mental health
troubles.
So we wanted to address it.
(38:37):
But we thought our role would bebest to make the connections and
to remove the financial barrier.
We pay for stuff.
That's what we've done isprovide emergency financial
assistance.
So we're turning back to themental health fund as a way to
draw attention to this need.
(38:58):
And we're establishing and haveestablished a lot of
partnerships with a lot of greatorganizations who provide mental
health services specifically tothis community, which is very
important to us.
We had spoken to a number ofartists who would say, I went to
this person and they just don'tunderstand the things that I
have to deal with when I'm ontour and all the intricacies of
(39:19):
being an artist.
They didn't feel understood.
by their therapists.
So we work with someorganizations that specialize in
creating networks of therapistswho do understand those things,
who have special training inentertainment and music
industry.
And that's been a really greattool for us.
And so our role is to make theconnection and take away that
(39:41):
financial barrier.
And it's the difference betweenI'm going to pay rent this month
or I'm going to get therapy.
So we want to make sure thatthey get the help they need and
aren't blocked by a lack offinances.
SPEAKER_01 (39:55):
I mean, I do feel like when we're really conscious
about our mental health, werealize that it's a foundation
for our life.
I mean, if the mental health isoff in any way, it could really
affect so many things in ourlife, other relationships, our
career, just our whole thoughtprocess.
So Thank you so much forrecognizing that.
(40:16):
And you mentioned how musicianshave a higher incidence of mood
disorders.
We actually had Johan Svanbergfrom Record Union from Sweden on
the podcast.
And he talked about the 73%study, which showed that 73% of
independent musicians haveexperienced a mood disorder
sometime during their life.
(40:38):
And there is definitelyrecovery.
And oftentimes addiction is tiedtogether.
to mood disorders.
And I'm sure that's somethingthat you come across also with
the people that you interactwith as far as getting financial
assistance.
SPEAKER_04 (40:54):
Absolutely.
And addiction is prettypervasive in our industry.
I was thinking about that whenyou were talking about that
experience that artists have andthat the audience has, and it
changes the way you feel andmuch the way using a drug or a
drink would as well.
And it's a shared experience.
And you walk into a show andyou're walking in with maybe, I
(41:15):
don't know, five, 10,000, even acouple of hundred people.
And you all have something incommon.
You all like this band and youall are about to have this
experience together.
And it's exciting.
And you have a bond with thesepeople.
And then you have this amazingenergy transfer and it changes
the way you feel.
And it's a rush.
And that can be addictive,right?
I speak...
(41:35):
just as a lay person, but I havea keen understanding of this
dynamic, that in the quest tochange the way you feel, it
certainly can affect mentalhealth in a lot of ways.
And that trickle-down effectthat you mentioned, it can be
all-pervasive and very powerful.
SPEAKER_01 (41:51):
One thing, when I talk to some of the musicians
and artists that come on theCheck Your Head podcast, they
oftentimes want to do somethingto support mental health, as
well as being outspoken withtheir own story.
And one thing they've beeninterested in is this Atabuck
program that you have at SweetRelief.
Can you tell us a little bitmore about that?
(42:12):
And if an artist wants to getinvolved, what can they do?
SPEAKER_04 (42:17):
Sure.
Artists are definitely ourbiggest supporters here at Sweet
Relief.
And the Atabuck program is agreat tool that we have been
using for many, many years.
The most straightforward way toimplement it is online.
You just add a buck to the priceof your ticket.
You're going out on tour.
You work with your agent whowould put it in the contract
(42:40):
with the promoters.
And if you were going tocharge...
15 bucks a ticket, you charge 16and a dollar would go to Sweet
Relief.
It can also be applied to if youhave a limited edition vinyl
release, for example, and you'regoing to sell it for 22 bucks,
you would sell it for 23 and adollar would go to Sweet Relief.
You could do it on a merch itemand you could say, hey, for this
(43:02):
week, this t-shirt, we're goingto donate a dollar every time we
sell a t-shirt.
So it can be applied in any kindof a way and we're always open.
The great thing about the add abuck on a tour is that then each
show becomes a benefit show.
So that's a little bit more of astory.
So it becomes a nice promotionaltool, a little something extra
(43:23):
to talk about with the fans andmaybe the promoters and even the
venues like to talk about them.
Like, hey, tonight's not justyour typical Imagine Dragons
show.
It's also a Sweet Relief benefitshow.
SPEAKER_01 (43:35):
Yeah, I think there's definitely pride there,
not only supporting SweetRelief, but of course,
supporting other musicians andartists The other really good
thing about it is that I knowwe've worked together on a few
Atabuck programs is thepromotion behind it.
Because I know Sweet Relief hasbeen, as well as the Check Your
Head podcast, has been reallygood about promoting those shows
(43:56):
and saying thank you to thoseartists.
So sometimes local bands orbands that may want a little
extra promotion, it kind of doeshelp.
the Satellite City show that wehad, they expected a max of 300
people and they got 337.
So they were really excitedabout that.
I know.
And that was the first live showthat I've been to in a long
(44:19):
time.
And it was such a wonderfulfeeling.
I mean, we were indoors withmasks on, but there was no
difference in the amount ofenergy that we felt from the
band and just the excitement ofbeing out and listening to live
music again.
SPEAKER_04 (44:32):
Yeah, that's so cool.
We are always trying to be agood partner.
We do not say no.
If it's a small band that mightonly sell a couple hundred, we
will never say no to someone whowants to help us.
SPEAKER_01 (44:44):
Well, you know, I saw the list of all the
supporters on the website andit's like everybody under the
sun, as far as a musician goes,seems to be on that list.
You've got the Foo Fighters,you've got Yoko Ono, you've got
Ozzy Osbourne, JustinTimberlake.
I mean, the list goes on.
But there's also like comedianNick Kroll is on there and
actress Molly Ringwald.
(45:05):
So it really is for anybody whowants to support musicians.
UNKNOWN (45:10):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_04 (45:11):
For sure.
There's a lot of crossover,actually.
I would venture to guess that wemight have the most extensive
list of musician supporters ofany charity in the world.
SPEAKER_01 (45:21):
I would bet on that, too.
So anything else you would liketo say, Eric, about Sweet Relief
Musicians Fund?
SPEAKER_04 (45:28):
Go to our website.
Check it out.
Email us.
Reach out to us on any of oursocial media platforms.
You're eligible for help if youmake your living in the music
industry.
We do have pretty extensiveresources.
waiting list right now forfunds, but we also have a very
extensive resource page on ourwebsite with lots of different
categories and lots of differentways for you to get assistance.
(45:49):
So if you're in the musicindustry and you're in trouble,
please reach out to us and we'llmake sure you get some
SPEAKER_01 (45:58):
help.
A big thank you to our musicalguest, Chase Bryant, and our
expert, Eric Steinberg of SweetRelief Musicians Fund.
For more information on ChaseBryant and to purchase his new
album, Upbringing, visitchasebryant.com and follow Chase
Bryant on his socials at ChaseBryant Music, at I Am Chase
Bryant, and at Chase Bryant.
(46:22):
Stay tuned to hear a clip ofChase Bryant's single,
Upbringing, at the end of ourepisode.
For more information on SweetRelief Musicians Fund, visit
sweetrelief.org and follow SweetRelief on their socials, at
Sweet Relief Musicians Fund andat Sweet Relief.
And be sure to sign up for SweetRelief's weekly newsletter
called The Band-Aid Report.
(46:44):
If you'd like to participate inSweet Relief and the Check Your
Head podcast's Atabuck programfor mental health, email us at
checkyourheadpodcast atgmail.com or info at
sweetrelief.org.
So until next time, be brave,ask for help, and be persistent
in finding the mental healththat you need.
SPEAKER_02 (47:05):
I ain't changing who I am Cause I've always been this
way Like me, hate me, love me,leave me It's in my DNA It's in
(47:27):
the water down here
SPEAKER_01 (47:32):
Check Your Head Podcast is kindly supported and
partnered with Sweet ReliefMusicians Fund, DBSA San Gabriel
Valley, Earshot Media, and LemonTree Studios in Los Angeles.
Visit checkyourheadpodcast.comwhere we have over 100 solutions
for mental health.
Be our friends on social mediaat Check Your Head Podcast.
(47:52):
Watch us on YouTube and supportus with a kind donation on
checkyourheadpodcast.com.
Check Your Head podcast issponsored by a 501c3 nonprofit
with all donations being taxdeductible.
Thank you for your support andthank you for listening.
Welcome to the Check Your Head podcast, the podcast
where notable musicians andexperts share their stories and
solutions for mental health andwellness.
I'm your host, Mari Fong, amusic journalist and life coach
for musicians, and this monthwe're celebrating our Check Your
Head superheroes, those who havefound their solutions for mood
(00:23):
disorders and addictions, aswell as those who have supported
and encouraged others duringtheir mental health journeys.
Because September is NationalRecovery Month, where we
celebrate those who choose toself-improve, those who choose
to make self-care a priority,and those who have experienced
the depths of life and chose toinstead fight with hope and hard
(00:44):
work to get to a better, morejoyous life.
In September, we also celebratethose who have survived and
thrived after a suicide attempt,along with those who have had
suicidal thoughts but choserecovery instead to and even
chose to help others along theway.
Our featured musical guest is aperfect example of this.
(01:05):
A country music star who seemedto be on top of the world in
2014 when he debuted his single,Take It On Back, followed by
another big hit called LittleBit of You, with both singles
landing on Billboard's top 10country charts.
What followed for this artistwas skyrocketing fame and
touring with the likes ofcountry singer-songwriters like
(01:27):
Brantley Gilbert and playingmega shows with stars like Tim
McGraw.
Our musical guest today is ChaseBryant, who grew up with anxiety
and depression that finallycrushed him when fame became too
heavy of a load.
Chase shares his story behindhis suicide attempt, his mental
health solutions for recovery,along with his new single,
(01:49):
Upbringing, which is also thename of his new album.
Stay tuned to listen to a clipof Upbringing at the end of our
episode.
Next, we have an expert who hasbeen instrumental in one of my
favorite nonprofits for themusic industry, Eric Steinberg,
Executive Vice President atSweet Relief Musicians Fund.
(02:09):
Eric will share Sweet Relief'simpact on helping musicians
during the pandemic and howthey've been helping musicians
for the past 27 years.
The Check Your Head podcast is aproud partner with Sweet Relief
to raise awareness and funds formental health, with Sweet Relief
providing assistance to anyonewho makes their living in the
music industry during toughfinancial times.
(02:31):
But first, let's hear countrysinger-songwriter Chase Bryant
share his story.
You had...
a couple singles that did reallywell at the start of your
career, which was Take It Backand A Little Bit of You.
And as you rose to fame,sometimes that transition could
be difficult and sometimes itcould be enjoyable.
(02:52):
How was that for you?
SPEAKER_03 (02:54):
Miserable.
I mean, there were days thatwere good, but I was making poor
decisions and drinking too much.
I mean, it was just textbookthings, you know?
I got caught up in it for aminute and then I realized how
much I didn't like it.
And it's like I couldn't getmyself out of it because that's
who I wanted to be at the time,I thought.
(03:17):
And that was a miserable escape.
SPEAKER_01 (03:20):
You know, I was reading about something called
imposter syndrome.
I don't know if you've heard ofthat, but it happens sometimes
to musicians where they feelalmost like a fraud.
There's a lot of self-doubt andfeelings like someone's going to
find out that this is not who Ireally am.
Did you...
Ever feel like that?
SPEAKER_03 (03:39):
I feel like in a way we all are.
I mean, we all come from a placethat we were different from
somebody else.
And then we go on stage and allof a sudden we're just this
hero, you know?
Definitely, yeah, I felt it atthe maximum level.
It's miserable.
You're putting on a cape tryingto be the superhero.
You know, people need to realizeyou're just a normal person.
(04:02):
I mean, people say, well, you'renot normal.
You're a rock star.
Well, what is that?
What good does it do?
Do you one day have a tombstonethat says, I don't want mine to
read Chase Bryant, rock star.
I want mine to read ChaseBryant, great husband, great
dad, great friend, greatbrother, great son, loving,
(04:23):
caring, not rock star.
It's incredible how things sortof change when you get
everything you want.
SPEAKER_01 (04:33):
Well, I'm thinking about all the people around you.
and how that was kind ofenabling for you, whether it was
what they were telling you orthe things that were giving you.
I mean, did you feel that waspart of it also?
SPEAKER_03 (04:48):
Yeah, I think you surround yourself with people
that also tell you, oh, you'rethe greatest thing in the world,
and then it starts failing andyou wonder why.
You feel like that one car thatcame out with a bad radiator or
something, you know what I mean?
It worked for a while and it wasawesome, then all of a sudden it
just died.
You know, I was thinking thismorning, how many people we
(05:09):
surround ourselves with everyday and how different each
person is.
Like think about the person youhave to be for your family, the
person that you are for yourfriends and how many different
friends, some that like todrink, some that don't, some
that like to go to the movies,you know, and don't want to go
out and some that are older,younger.
We're always wearing a differentmodule that fits into like, You
(05:35):
know, I've just started thinkingabout that and how much I need
to really be more selective asto what I give my time to,
because your time is incrediblyimportant.
And if you waste it, it canwaste you, you know?
SPEAKER_01 (05:49):
Right.
The other thing too, is thatfans or people around you that
said, no, you're a rock star.
They have a self image of youthat they're putting on you, but
then you have a self image ofyourself that, inside you that
is not matching what thesepeople are saying.
And there was a time after thosehits that you put out singles
(06:13):
that didn't exactly reach theheights of the first singles.
And that was also distressing.
Can you tell me how you feltduring that time?
SPEAKER_03 (06:22):
People that I surrounded myself with and told
me how great I was and called meand asked about my parents and
everything else Still, at theend of the day, got mad when
something didn't work because Ididn't make them any money.
They don't call you like theyused to anymore.
They don't text.
There's no group text.
I mean, I can name a number ofthem and I still call them to
(06:42):
this day just to see if they'llget back on a healthy routine of
calling me just because it'slike a little nudge to me where
it's like you did everything youcould.
You know, I don't want to dieone day a bad guy.
I did a lot of bad things in mylife.
I'm not saying bad things as in,oh, I've done something illegal
or whatever.
I was always scared of jail, soI never did that stuff.
(07:04):
But what I did do was I didn'ttreat everybody the way that
everybody should be treated,which would be the way that I
want to be treated.
And when you're having hits andyou're eating caviar in some of
the finest restaurants in theworld and you're flying all over
the world playing these shows,it just wasn't correct.
I was just dying for this kid inme to get out.
(07:26):
I was like, why won't they lovehim?
Why do I have to do this?
Why do I have to dress a certainway?
Why can't they just like me?
Because I wasn't letting themsee it.
I never really went to the labeland said, this isn't me.
They never really knew.
Nobody knew because I was hidingit.
I was very good at it.
(07:47):
There were a lot of thingsnobody ever knew.
And I was keeping in a shellbecause I was too afraid that if
The real me came out.
What if they didn't like it?
Then what?
SPEAKER_01 (07:58):
I mean, there are people that will treat you
differently due to money andfame.
So that could be reallyconfusing.
At the time, who was that ChaseBryant that was trying to get
out?
How would you describe thatperson?
SPEAKER_03 (08:13):
And you're looking at him.
One thing that never changed.
I was so into making the showthe best thing that there was.
I mean, I wanted to go out everynight and be the best no matter
what it was.
And then I got on stage and allI started thinking was shiny
suits and I'm the man.
And if I was sitting hereplaying guitar, I feel like I'm
(08:37):
the best guitar player when I'min the studio or I'm at home.
And then when I go out live,it's just kind of like, eh, it's
okay.
I mean, there's part of me onstage that was real, but I think
it was because it was the songsand Something wasn't connecting.
And I was talking to those guysand they were like, man, you're
always mad.
Like if one thing went downhill,I mean, I was riding somebody,
(09:00):
you know, and I was yelling orscreaming at somebody.
But sometimes I didn't payattention as best I should have
because I was too caught up inwhere we were going to go drink
after the show or what were wegoing to do.
Stacking alcohol on top ofanxiety was not a good move.
Because then you start getting alittle more honest with yourself
(09:22):
and you start seeing the chainthat's unraveling.
It's wild.
SPEAKER_01 (09:29):
Well, it sounds like you became a person that you
really didn't like.
SPEAKER_03 (09:33):
When you say that, I think I've overcome so much and
I have tried to get so far awaywith that guy.
I don't even remember what lifewas because that was such a dark
time in my life.
that I don't want to know him.
I don't want to recall him.
And I enjoy talking about thepast because I don't sit here
(09:55):
and dwell on it too much.
But you start realizing when youhave more better days than bad
days, you kind of escape that,you know, we're over here now.
We're basking now.
SPEAKER_01 (10:06):
I know that you have a much better life and there's
been a road to recovery.
It takes time to really get to apoint where you could talk
about, you know, your suicideattempt.
And I can...
Kind of understand where youhated that person so much that
you just wanted to destroy it.
And you didn't know how to getthe real you back.
SPEAKER_03 (10:27):
Yeah.
I woke up every day wonderinghow it was going to end.
I just like, this is it.
I'm done.
If this isn't going to end, ifthis pain and misery isn't going
to end, then I'm going to end.
Maybe that was God or somehigher power saying, okay, well
then change it.
Because I was begging forforgiveness.
I was shouting sorry as loud asI could.
(10:48):
I was asking God for help.
Nobody will ever know the kindof pain that I felt when I'm
screaming at the top of my lungssaying I'm sorry.
And feeling a cold barrel of a.357 revolver in your mouth and
you were chewing on it.
And no matter how hard you bitedown, you're not going to break
(11:09):
that barrel.
That barrel is going to breakyou.
There was nothing that couldoverpower me at that time.
You could have sent King Kong myway and I promise you, I could
have whipped him just because myadrenaline was just next level.
And I began to shake and it wasjust, I'm sorry.
(11:31):
And then boom, pull the trigger.
SPEAKER_01 (11:34):
Do you remember putting six bullets in the gun?
I
SPEAKER_03 (11:39):
recall there being six bullets in the gun when I
took them apart and put them in.
But as frantic as I was leavingthat house, I may have just got
lucky enough to pull the oneslot that didn't have a bullet
in it because I was shaking andmad.
I mean, I recall putting six init, but I don't know.
I can't answer that questionbecause that's the miracle.
(12:00):
I don't know.
But I recall putting six.
That's the way I recall it.
But I remember the gun notfiring and then waking up and
going, oh, my God, and thenopening my eyes.
I was in the same spot I wassitting in when it happened.
SPEAKER_01 (12:14):
After that, there were thoughts in your head that
life is too short.
Don't make it shorter.
Did you feel that that was youspeaking to yourself or did you
feel like that was God speakingto you or the
SPEAKER_03 (12:27):
universe?
I've never known where that camefrom.
Life is a whole lot more thanany record.
or any show or any award oranything I could ever do.
The most important part in mylife was to get myself okay
because I wanted to be a dadlike my dad was to me.
(12:48):
I wanted to be a best friendlike my mom and my brother was
to me.
And I wanted to be a greathusband and a caring father and
best friend.
When I think about that night,the pictures are so vivid, I can
still see it.
And I still have a hard timewith it because I shouldn't have
(13:09):
ever let it get there, but Ican't regret that moment of my
life because that's why I'mhere.
And now I have to use it to helpothers, to realize that no
matter how bad it gets, we'reall hopeful for a better day.
And we're the people that are incontrol of that.
Nobody else is in control ofthat.
(13:31):
I mean, when you're down thatlow, we all think, well,
somebody or something will fixit, but quite frankly, we're in
control of that.
We have to fix it.
We have to take the time.
We have to have the will to fixit.
And for me, being a man, it isnot easy to say, I have a
(13:53):
problem or I have something thatI need to get fixed.
And it's not easy to say in aband with four guys and a bus
driver and a merch person and atour manager and a management
team, when you're the one payingfor their kids to go to school.
That was hard.
And that's why it took me somany years because I didn't want
(14:13):
to let anybody down.
But I don't think I let anybodydown.
I think I let myself down for along, long time.
I
SPEAKER_01 (14:22):
know that there was a message that you had to your
family before your suicideattempt.
Can you give me an idea of whatthe message was about?
SPEAKER_03 (14:32):
Yeah, the theme was purely to say that I was sorry.
and how thankful I was for a lotof people and to understand that
that wasn't a selfish act.
I get the part of where it mightbe selfish because, yes, you are
leaving a family who will haveto deal with it for the rest of
their life.
Yes, there is a part of it thatis selfish, but it's not an act
(14:54):
of selfishness.
It's an act of hurt and pain andsorrow and misery.
So I just said how thankful Iwas and how grateful I was for
the people that were good to me.
Sometimes there's just more badpeople out there to you than
there are good people.
You know, it was a lot ofdifferent things.
It was a lot of people.
It was a lot of years of thesethings happening to me that I
(15:17):
was just tired of.
And I've reached out to a lot ofthose people who made me feel a
lot of the ways that I did.
I forgave everything andeverybody and I forgave myself.
I mean, that was key for me.
SPEAKER_01 (15:29):
After that attempt, you went to the hospital, went
through recovery.
What was that road of recoveryfor you?
SPEAKER_03 (15:37):
Well, there were parts of it that were miserable.
When I first stepped foot in thehospital, when I got behind the
door, I tried to leave when Igot there because I was scared.
It hit me.
It's like, okay, you're notgetting out.
Because while I was told Iwasn't getting out of I thought,
(15:59):
okay, well, maybe I'll just goto therapy or something.
No, it doesn't work that way.
Thankfully, I wasn't there thatlong.
I mean, they had seen a bigprogression in me and knew that
I wanted help through therapy.
And I think the parts that weremiserable were, look, it isn't
fun being told you're wrong.
(16:19):
I mean, it's not.
But when you finally startunderstanding, that's okay.
I can be wrong now.
That's all right.
I'll be wrong.
I can own up to that.
And I can grow from that.
See, that's the key to me is thegrowth.
And then everything else startedmaking sense.
(16:39):
Digging years and years back andtalking about things was a good
thing for me.
Music was a good thing for me.
Not surrounding myself with badpeople.
SPEAKER_01 (16:52):
Well, it does sound like you've done therapy.
Have you ever tried anythinglike medication or any other
kinds of specific therapies thatreally helped you?
I
SPEAKER_03 (17:02):
was on medication when I was younger, on and off,
like both depression andanxiety.
But I realized, just slow down,take a deep breath.
But I just feel like there arepeople that are falsely
medicated.
SPEAKER_01 (17:18):
Well, I agree.
I feel whether it's doctors orpsychiatrists may not be taking
the time to really find out whatthe root of the problem is, or
if it's something chemical, itcan be.
But there's always a trial anderror that happens.
What did you find that you feelwas the root of it?
And what do you do now on adaily basis for your mental
(17:39):
health?
SPEAKER_03 (17:41):
I've had worked with a therapist for a really good
while that seemed to react towhat i had like a ptsd my memory
i don't forget anything i canrecall recall things and i had
to learn to let those things gomy everyday regimen is try to
get myself in a schedule what itried to do every day is to try
(18:03):
to get myself up at the sametime and get myself down at the
same time try to eat good i lovegood greasy cheese enchiladas i
will crush a buffet any day ofthe week.
But I try to make sure that mybody intakes what's good for me
as much as I can.
And I try to stay on top ofthings like that because I do
(18:24):
feel like you start to get in arhythm.
You know what I mean?
It's like you can't really bebeaten that way.
And then I try to realize I'mgetting upset or my anxiety is
just ruling my body.
I try to get right to somethingthat I feel like How do I slow
down?
What do I do?
Do I get on my mower and justcut my grass and relax for a
minute?
(18:44):
Last week, I cut my grass threetimes, if that tells you
anything.
I just try to get in a rhythmwith things.
I try to stay focused on music.
I try to stay focused on myfamily, my friends.
I try not to spread myself toothin.
SPEAKER_01 (18:57):
Well, I think that's really important because being a
creative person, sometimes weget so passionate about our
creativity that we can...
continue without taking breaksor stay up to the wee hours of
the morning.
That's not healthy to evenschedule breaks throughout the
(19:18):
day.
And also as a creative person,we normally don't like routines,
but I've also come to realizethat routines are so important
to keep you on top of things.
And I really love the fact thatyou said you wake up at a
certain time in the morning andyou go to sleep at night because
what you're doing is honoringyour sleep.
(19:41):
Honoring your sleep.
And that is such a hugefoundation for your mental
health.
And it's something that a lot ofpeople don't realize how
important that is, especiallymusicians, because on tour, you
know, you play the show and thenthere's the after party.
There's people on the tour busand, you know, there's so much
(20:02):
that can interrupt thatschedule.
So it does take a lot ofstrength to really keep up that
routine.
SPEAKER_03 (20:08):
You nailed it.
You get up, you get there, yougo do this, you come back, you
grab some lunch, you go dosomething else.
You go to soundcheck, you comeback from soundcheck, then
you're freaking out because, oh,this guitar isn't sounding
right, so we've got to get thatright.
Shower, hurry up, go do a meetand greet, come back, go do a
show, come back, party witheverybody.
Those days will not be a part ofmy life anymore.
(20:29):
I will wake up when I wake upand do my thing first and then
do what's next.
I gotta be honest.
There's one thing that the musicindustry applauds that I don't
agree with.
And that is, man, that kid willgo out and play 300 shows a
year.
Boy, we ought to applaud him.
(20:51):
You can wreck somebody doingthat.
I mean, I did that.
And I was gone so long.
that I fell in so much love withthe road that when I came home,
I resented my house because Iwasn't on a bus.
I couldn't sleep.
I couldn't eat right.
I couldn't do anything right.
When I came home, I just, heckit, I felt like I'd just sleep
all day and stay up all nightlong.
(21:13):
You have to be able to balancethose two things because without
that balance, it's hard todevelop a relationship with
anybody.
It's hard to stay true toyourself.
So now realizing I'm going backout on the road, Sure, everybody
can have drinks.
Sure, everybody can have a glassof wine or do whatever they'd
like to do.
But I'm not going out there tohave some party on my bus.
(21:35):
You know what I mean?
You got to take that seriously.
And I'm there to work.
And I'm there to have funplaying music, not have fun
playing the party guy.
Somebody once told me, when yougo on stage, you put that cape
on.
And when you come off, youfigure out how to take it off
and go back to living real life.
And there is something to that.
(21:56):
You do have to have that guy whocan turn that switch on and go
be that superhero and then comeback and be able to just shut it
off.
So I'm working on that.
I'm trying to figure that partout.
SPEAKER_01 (22:09):
One thing that I noticed when you were talking
about the rehearsals, the soundchecks, the show, the after
party, the whole thing, there'sso much adrenaline that happens
during that time.
And even though the adrenalinemight be happy adrenaline and
excitement, it's stilladrenaline.
And when we have that coursingthrough our bodies 24-7, we're
(22:31):
not meant to do that.
Adrenaline was meant for back inthe primitive days.
When a cheetah came and jumpedout at us, we had to bolt and
leave.
That's the thing with stress and300 dates a year.
You have ongoing stress and thatadrenaline will take you down.
Your immunity, your energy, evenif you're having a great time.
(22:53):
That's the thing that I've cometo realize.
So how is touring going to bedifferent now that you've
realized these things?
SPEAKER_03 (23:03):
Taking time and slowing down a little bit.
Going to have a glass of coffeeat a coffee shop down the road.
Maybe take a book and read for alittle bit and not going to
sound check 45 minutes earlybecause I'm always early to
everything, like way early.
Everybody used to say that.
They're like, man, you're theone rock star that's like there
before the party even starts.
(23:23):
You know, you're like early toyour own birthday party.
So just slowing down, being atplaces on time, not being there
the day before and just coastinginto things, not necessarily
just jumping to conclusionsbefore they arrive.
SPEAKER_01 (23:37):
You mentioned when something would go wrong in the
past, you would get really upsetand scream at people, but
there's always going to bemistakes.
There's always going to bethings that happen.
Do you look at it differentlynow?
SPEAKER_03 (23:52):
I've surrounded myself with people now that I
can't afford to lose.
And by afford, I mean not buymoney.
I mean for my own It's good formy heart because I love them too
much.
My mom and I are very close.
My dad and I are extremelyclose.
And sometimes I get mad and Itake it out on them.
(24:13):
I can't afford to lose, youknow, my parents, my brother,
his daughters, my nieces, mysister-in-law.
You know, we've worked so welltogether.
You got to really watch thingsthat you say to people because
those things can hurt for a verylong time.
I have regained some trust andsome love from guys that I
(24:37):
played with on the road beforethat we might've had not seen
eye to eye, but I might not havehad to handle it the way I
handled it.
Cause when I, when I'm sternabout something, I'm very stern.
I'm a very stern person.
I very honest.
I think now it's justunderstanding that if you're
hurtful to somebody and You haveto look at the consequences.
(25:00):
And I don't want to be that guy.
I've done and said things in mylife that I wish I would have
never done or said.
I hope that moving forward, Isay the things that matter most.
And that's to allow people tounderstand how much I care for
them.
It's a hell of a feeling insidewhen you know you've done
something wrong or saidsomething wrong.
(25:20):
It eats you up.
And it did me.
Because I would never sleepwithout thinking about it.
SPEAKER_01 (25:27):
sometimes that's the hardest part is to forgive
ourselves for things that we'vedone but realizing that others
have forgiven us already andespecially when you're trying to
be a better person you
SPEAKER_03 (25:40):
can't change the fact that we're human i know a
lot of people that wear a hat orthey put their hair back or they
do whatever they do glassespeople used to ridicule me of
like Okay, well, I have verysensitive eyes and I get
drowning migraines that'll sendyou under for days.
But those are things I used totake to heart and be like, why
(26:02):
do they don't like me?
That doesn't mean that.
It just means that a little bitdifferent.
You know, we're humans.
It's okay for somebody not tolike something.
It's okay for somebody todisagree with something.
That doesn't mean they don'tlike it.
It just means they might notagree with it.
We're human.
We make mistakes.
We each do something a littledifferent.
SPEAKER_01 (26:23):
But when you look at your life today, what is it that
is making you happy?
SPEAKER_03 (26:27):
Having the chance to have this conversation.
I mean, this is huge, right?
I would have never had theaudacity to talk about these
things, you know, years ago.
They would have frightened me todeath.
It would have been, I don't wantanybody to know that.
I'm still a very private person,but It's things like this.
It's moments with my family,with my friends.
(26:49):
It's having this studio aroundme where I get to create music
every day, the hunting, thefishing, the cutting my grass,
just knowing that I'm here.
It's knowing that I've hadanother day to live.
I take life very seriously now.
It's being able to feel okaywith the fact that I made some
very life-altering decisions.
But look where I am now.
(27:11):
Somebody asked me today, Theysaid, what would you tell people
that are going through somethingreally hard?
And my answer, my honest answeris to soak it in.
Because when you think it can'tget any worse, it might.
And when you think it won't beany better, it will be.
(27:31):
That's the one thing I know.
I know that it can be better.
As long as you're the driver ofyour own life, you're going to
be okay.
It's just understanding that Wegot to take those moments in so
that when we get to another bumpin the road and get a flat tire,
we'll call somebody to come airit back up.
It's not the end of the world.
(27:52):
Let it go.
Let it be.
And then don't dig too far back.
Don't be looking at yesterdaytoo much.
Live in the moment andunderstand what that moment has
to offer and what you have tooffer that moment.
SPEAKER_01 (28:04):
I like that analogy where you said, if you get a
flat tire, just call someone toPump it back up because it shows
that we all need help sometimesand it's okay to ask for help.
And there are people around youthat would love to show their
love and care to you by helpingwhen you need it.
It's in the same way where youfeel good when you are able to
(28:28):
help somebody that you love.
So a good analogy there.
SPEAKER_03 (28:32):
Well, thank you.
SPEAKER_01 (28:36):
Next up, we have a leader in one of the most
well-loved nonprofits for thosein the music industry, Eric
Steinberg, Executive VicePresident of Development and
Artist Relations at Sweet ReliefMusicians Fund.
Eric will talk about how SweetRelief's Atabuck program and
other ways artists can helpraise funds to provide financial
assistance to musicians and howthe need is especially important
(28:59):
during this pandemic.
Eric also shares how easy it isfor you to apply for assistance
if you're in need and have acareer in the music industry.
Now let's hear Eric share hisknowledge and advice.
I'm excited that the Check YourHead podcast has a partnership
with Sweet Relief because Ireally admire everything that
(29:20):
you all are doing.
And you've been doing it for 27years.
Can you give us the story abouthow the nonprofit began with
Victoria Williams?
SPEAKER_04 (29:32):
Thanks, Maury.
We're also grateful for ourpartnership and the good work
that you're doing over here atCheck Your Head Podcast.
Yes, Victoria Williams,singer-songwriter, was out on
tour with Neil Young, and shebegan experiencing some movement
difficulty in her hands,strumming, and it turned out to
be symptoms of MS.
(29:52):
She was diagnosed with MS.
As she began the treatmentprocess, the bills were
mounting, as they do, and shewas very fortunate to have a lot
of friends in the musicindustry.
Neil was one of them.
Lou Reed and Lou Reed's wifewere one of the drivers.
(30:12):
They created this incrediblealbum that Pearl Jam was on it
and a slew of other amazingartists.
artists got together, puttogether a compilation of
Victoria Williams songs, and itsold incredibly well and raised
more money than she needed.
She put the remaining fundsaside to help other musicians
(30:34):
who might be in that position,overwhelmed by medical bills,
who didn't have such fancyfriends to make albums for them.
And so that's how Sweet ReliefMusicians Fund was born.
That was in 1993, 94.
And, you know, we've been goingstrong ever since.
Helping musicians in the musiccommunity.
We, a few years ago, opened upthe fund to include not only
(30:56):
career musicians, but also musicindustry professionals.
All those other folks in theindustry, the crew, agents,
managers, anyone who makes theirliving in the music industry and
finds themselves in thatpredicament are eligible for
help.
SPEAKER_01 (31:12):
Well, I'm really glad you did that because I feel
like with the pandemic and Imean, it put a halt to
everything, especially touring.
And just thinking about touringin itself, I mean, there's a
huge trickle down with the tourcrew, the management, you know,
publicist.
I mean, it affects so manypeople in the industry that
(31:33):
surround the artist.
And, you know, I remember youhad mentioned that during the
pandemic, you had received10,000 applications for
financial assistance.
What...
Are some of the things thatyou've seen or heard about the
impact on people in the industrywith this pandemic?
SPEAKER_04 (31:54):
Yeah, it's total devastation.
unprecedented, completely wipingout billions and billions of
dollars of an entire industry.
It's not just the artists whoaren't working.
It's everyone who makes thatmachine move.
And that is a lot of people.
The public isn't always aware.
They're intentionally invisible.
(32:14):
They literally wear blackclothing as they move around the
stage so that they're unseen.
And the pandemic, I think,really did shine a spotlight on
those folks.
But it took a little while.
For that to sink in, I think itwas immediately obvious to the
public at large that artistswere in trouble and musicians
who relied on touring forincome, which these days, unless
(32:36):
you're Drake or Beyonce, you'rerelying on touring.
So the public was aware of themusician side, but the crew side
was a whole other story.
And it was so severe, Mari.
We actually were approached bythe Rex Foundation.
They were founded in honor ofGrateful Dead Rhodey.
So they have a particularaffinity for the crew folk and
(32:58):
they wanted to help.
They wanted to help thatcommunity.
And we started a fund with themcalled the Rex Rhodey Fund that
specifically focused on helpingthese behind the scenes folks
who desperately needed help.
And I mean, these are talented,highly skilled individuals, but
immediately ground to a halt,full stop.
That's it.
The lights are turned off.
And all the mental healthfactors that you have to deal
(33:20):
with when such a devastatingchange occurs to try to pick up
the pieces and move on and feedyour family and the holidays are
coming and you have a mortgageand you have kids and you have
credit card debt that is nowmounting and student loan,
whatever it is, absolutelyoverwhelming.
So the need was tremendous.
(33:42):
It still is tremendous.
And the emergency is still infull effect today.
So we received 10,000applications like that, and it's
well over 15,000 now.
We've helped a good portion ofthem, but we've got a long way
to go.
The need was exponentiallygreater, and luckily so was the
help that we received.
The spotlight really had shinedupon the industry, and our
(34:04):
reputation served us well inthat we know what we're doing.
We provide assistance to themusic community, and they sure
needed it last year and the last18, 20 months.
SPEAKER_01 (34:16):
What really brought it home to me is I did an
interview with Sean Morgan ofCedar.
He was talking about thepandemic.
He said, my depression reallyheightened because there's so
much uncertainty.
He was talking about things thatwe all think about.
He said, Mari, I am trying tofigure out how to do schooling
(34:37):
with my child on the computer.
I'm worried about putting foodon the table.
I have to pay my bills.
I'm thinking, see, there's thisbig band that may not have those
concerns, but it doesn't matter.
I mean, those concerns go acrossthe board.
And one thing that's differentwith a pandemic is that we don't
(35:01):
know what the end is going tolook like.
And, you know, with the Deltavariant, that was something that
was unexpected.
And now there are festivals andshows that are closing down
because of it.
So there's a lot of moving partsto this whole pandemic.
SPEAKER_04 (35:19):
Yeah, for sure.
It's a fluid situation andeveryone's trying to do their
best and the uncertainty isdefinitely still there.
We're still getting emails fromfolks who now they're, driving
Ubers or trying to get Instacartjobs and gig working and doing
anything that they can to keepit together.
(35:41):
But they're not playing music.
There was a gentleman, I spoketo his wife.
This is a person in a verysuccessful national, globally
touring jam band.
And she said that he was walkingaround the house, depressed,
unable to adapt until he wasfinally able to to go to a
(36:02):
practice session with hisbandmates.
And he came home from that onepractice session, complete
turnaround, like he was a newperson, she said.
And she herself is a mentalhealth care provider.
She's a therapist.
So she was able to describe thisto me very well.
And it was incredibly powerful.
And artists who make music, theydo it because they need to do
(36:25):
it.
It's like they have to.
And that was certainly the casewith this jam band guy.
Finally, he was able to playwith his bandmates and the
depression lifted to the extentwhere it was incredibly
noticeable by his family.
So you combine all this otheruncertainty and then you're
isolated from your band andyou've had this, your art
(36:46):
basically kind of taken awayfrom you.
There's nothing like the livemusic experience.
Any performer will tell you thatplaying to a screen is not the
same as playing to a liveaudience.
There's that energy exchange ismissing and it becomes a, A real
hole inside.
And it's really sad.
SPEAKER_01 (37:05):
You know, through the podcast and just as a music
journalist, I've learned howmuch that artist expression is.
through their music andperforming is so healing for
them.
Being able to connect thosereally vulnerable feelings
through their lyrics to theirfans and how healing it is for
their fans to connect with thatenergy and also just the feeling
(37:29):
behind those lyrics that makethem feel like somebody else
understands this feeling that'sbeing expressed in the song.
So it is definitely this two-waystreet where the band is
energizing and fulfilled.
And as a fan, I mean, I lovegoing to a live music show.
If I go to a show and you gotall those people, it's like
(37:53):
everybody's on the same pagewith this energy and that
feeling can last like for aweek.
And it was, you're kind of on anatural high.
SPEAKER_04 (38:02):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (38:04):
So one thing that I was really excited about is that
you developed this specificmental health fund and Was there
anything in particular thatencouraged you to put that fun
together?
SPEAKER_04 (38:15):
Yeah, absolutely.
Everything that we've beenlearning about mental health and
the importance of mental health,it was a need in our community
that needed to be addressed.
And there were some studies thatwe read that spoke to the real
vulnerability of the artistcommunity to mental health
troubles.
So we wanted to address it.
(38:37):
But we thought our role would bebest to make the connections and
to remove the financial barrier.
We pay for stuff.
That's what we've done isprovide emergency financial
assistance.
So we're turning back to themental health fund as a way to
draw attention to this need.
(38:58):
And we're establishing and haveestablished a lot of
partnerships with a lot of greatorganizations who provide mental
health services specifically tothis community, which is very
important to us.
We had spoken to a number ofartists who would say, I went to
this person and they just don'tunderstand the things that I
have to deal with when I'm ontour and all the intricacies of
(39:19):
being an artist.
They didn't feel understood.
by their therapists.
So we work with someorganizations that specialize in
creating networks of therapistswho do understand those things,
who have special training inentertainment and music
industry.
And that's been a really greattool for us.
And so our role is to make theconnection and take away that
(39:41):
financial barrier.
And it's the difference betweenI'm going to pay rent this month
or I'm going to get therapy.
So we want to make sure thatthey get the help they need and
aren't blocked by a lack offinances.
SPEAKER_01 (39:55):
I mean, I do feel like when we're really conscious
about our mental health, werealize that it's a foundation
for our life.
I mean, if the mental health isoff in any way, it could really
affect so many things in ourlife, other relationships, our
career, just our whole thoughtprocess.
So Thank you so much forrecognizing that.
(40:16):
And you mentioned how musicianshave a higher incidence of mood
disorders.
We actually had Johan Svanbergfrom Record Union from Sweden on
the podcast.
And he talked about the 73%study, which showed that 73% of
independent musicians haveexperienced a mood disorder
sometime during their life.
(40:38):
And there is definitelyrecovery.
And oftentimes addiction is tiedtogether.
to mood disorders.
And I'm sure that's somethingthat you come across also with
the people that you interactwith as far as getting financial
assistance.
SPEAKER_04 (40:54):
Absolutely.
And addiction is prettypervasive in our industry.
I was thinking about that whenyou were talking about that
experience that artists have andthat the audience has, and it
changes the way you feel andmuch the way using a drug or a
drink would as well.
And it's a shared experience.
And you walk into a show andyou're walking in with maybe, I
(41:15):
don't know, five, 10,000, even acouple of hundred people.
And you all have something incommon.
You all like this band and youall are about to have this
experience together.
And it's exciting.
And you have a bond with thesepeople.
And then you have this amazingenergy transfer and it changes
the way you feel.
And it's a rush.
And that can be addictive,right?
I speak...
(41:35):
just as a lay person, but I havea keen understanding of this
dynamic, that in the quest tochange the way you feel, it
certainly can affect mentalhealth in a lot of ways.
And that trickle-down effectthat you mentioned, it can be
all-pervasive and very powerful.
SPEAKER_01 (41:51):
One thing, when I talk to some of the musicians
and artists that come on theCheck Your Head podcast, they
oftentimes want to do somethingto support mental health, as
well as being outspoken withtheir own story.
And one thing they've beeninterested in is this Atabuck
program that you have at SweetRelief.
Can you tell us a little bitmore about that?
(42:12):
And if an artist wants to getinvolved, what can they do?
SPEAKER_04 (42:17):
Sure.
Artists are definitely ourbiggest supporters here at Sweet
Relief.
And the Atabuck program is agreat tool that we have been
using for many, many years.
The most straightforward way toimplement it is online.
You just add a buck to the priceof your ticket.
You're going out on tour.
You work with your agent whowould put it in the contract
(42:40):
with the promoters.
And if you were going tocharge...
15 bucks a ticket, you charge 16and a dollar would go to Sweet
Relief.
It can also be applied to if youhave a limited edition vinyl
release, for example, and you'regoing to sell it for 22 bucks,
you would sell it for 23 and adollar would go to Sweet Relief.
You could do it on a merch itemand you could say, hey, for this
(43:02):
week, this t-shirt, we're goingto donate a dollar every time we
sell a t-shirt.
So it can be applied in any kindof a way and we're always open.
The great thing about the add abuck on a tour is that then each
show becomes a benefit show.
So that's a little bit more of astory.
So it becomes a nice promotionaltool, a little something extra
(43:23):
to talk about with the fans andmaybe the promoters and even the
venues like to talk about them.
Like, hey, tonight's not justyour typical Imagine Dragons
show.
It's also a Sweet Relief benefitshow.
SPEAKER_01 (43:35):
Yeah, I think there's definitely pride there,
not only supporting SweetRelief, but of course,
supporting other musicians andartists The other really good
thing about it is that I knowwe've worked together on a few
Atabuck programs is thepromotion behind it.
Because I know Sweet Relief hasbeen, as well as the Check Your
Head podcast, has been reallygood about promoting those shows
(43:56):
and saying thank you to thoseartists.
So sometimes local bands orbands that may want a little
extra promotion, it kind of doeshelp.
the Satellite City show that wehad, they expected a max of 300
people and they got 337.
So they were really excitedabout that.
I know.
And that was the first live showthat I've been to in a long
(44:19):
time.
And it was such a wonderfulfeeling.
I mean, we were indoors withmasks on, but there was no
difference in the amount ofenergy that we felt from the
band and just the excitement ofbeing out and listening to live
music again.
SPEAKER_04 (44:32):
Yeah, that's so cool.
We are always trying to be agood partner.
We do not say no.
If it's a small band that mightonly sell a couple hundred, we
will never say no to someone whowants to help us.
SPEAKER_01 (44:44):
Well, you know, I saw the list of all the
supporters on the website andit's like everybody under the
sun, as far as a musician goes,seems to be on that list.
You've got the Foo Fighters,you've got Yoko Ono, you've got
Ozzy Osbourne, JustinTimberlake.
I mean, the list goes on.
But there's also like comedianNick Kroll is on there and
actress Molly Ringwald.
(45:05):
So it really is for anybody whowants to support musicians.
UNKNOWN (45:10):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_04 (45:11):
For sure.
There's a lot of crossover,actually.
I would venture to guess that wemight have the most extensive
list of musician supporters ofany charity in the world.
SPEAKER_01 (45:21):
I would bet on that, too.
So anything else you would liketo say, Eric, about Sweet Relief
Musicians Fund?
SPEAKER_04 (45:28):
Go to our website.
Check it out.
Email us.
Reach out to us on any of oursocial media platforms.
You're eligible for help if youmake your living in the music
industry.
We do have pretty extensiveresources.
waiting list right now forfunds, but we also have a very
extensive resource page on ourwebsite with lots of different
categories and lots of differentways for you to get assistance.
(45:49):
So if you're in the musicindustry and you're in trouble,
please reach out to us and we'llmake sure you get some
SPEAKER_01 (45:58):
help.
A big thank you to our musicalguest, Chase Bryant, and our
expert, Eric Steinberg of SweetRelief Musicians Fund.
For more information on ChaseBryant and to purchase his new
album, Upbringing, visitchasebryant.com and follow Chase
Bryant on his socials at ChaseBryant Music, at I Am Chase
Bryant, and at Chase Bryant.
(46:22):
Stay tuned to hear a clip ofChase Bryant's single,
Upbringing, at the end of ourepisode.
For more information on SweetRelief Musicians Fund, visit
sweetrelief.org and follow SweetRelief on their socials, at
Sweet Relief Musicians Fund andat Sweet Relief.
And be sure to sign up for SweetRelief's weekly newsletter
called The Band-Aid Report.
(46:44):
If you'd like to participate inSweet Relief and the Check Your
Head podcast's Atabuck programfor mental health, email us at
checkyourheadpodcast atgmail.com or info at
sweetrelief.org.
So until next time, be brave,ask for help, and be persistent
in finding the mental healththat you need.
SPEAKER_02 (47:05):
I ain't changing who I am Cause I've always been this
way Like me, hate me, love me,leave me It's in my DNA It's in
(47:27):
the water down here
SPEAKER_01 (47:32):
Check Your Head Podcast is kindly supported and
partnered with Sweet ReliefMusicians Fund, DBSA San Gabriel
Valley, Earshot Media, and LemonTree Studios in Los Angeles.
Visit checkyourheadpodcast.comwhere we have over 100 solutions
for mental health.
Be our friends on social mediaat Check Your Head Podcast.
(47:52):
Watch us on YouTube and supportus with a kind donation on
checkyourheadpodcast.com.
Check Your Head podcast issponsored by a 501c3 nonprofit
with all donations being taxdeductible.
Thank you for your support andthank you for listening.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Male Room with Dr. Jesse Mills
As Director of The Men’s Clinic at UCLA, Dr. Jesse Mills has spent his career helping men understand their bodies, their hormones, and their health. Now he’s bringing that expertise to The Male Room — a podcast where data-driven medicine meets common sense. Each episode separates fact from hype, science from snake oil, and gives men the tools to live longer, stronger, and happier lives. With candor, humor, and real-world experience from the exam room and the operating room, Dr. Mills breaks down the latest health headlines, dissects trends, and explains what actually works — and what doesn’t. Smart, straightforward, and entertaining, The Male Room is the show that helps men take charge of their health without the jargon.