Featuring
Ray Fulcher: Country's Mental Health Champion
Combining music and mental health
ISSUE 7
Lathan Warlick Tim Prottey-Jones Kristi Hoopes
The Marfa Tapes - Quote of the issue - Find your own therapy - Man on the Moon III Can mindful listening ease productivity-guilt? - Top 10 Songs: Overcoming Heartbreak ...and more
august 2021
MINDFUL Melody
+ Interviews
Introducing...Us!
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Are Biopics Good for Fans?
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Interview: Lathan Warlick - How a brush with death inspired his music's message of 'God, Love and Unity'
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Find Your Own Therapy
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Greetings from...The Marfa Tapes: Review
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Interview: Kristi Hoopes - Engagement, The Voice and Being Born for the Stage
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Top 10 Songs for Overcoming Heartbreak
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Music, Mental Health and Me #7: Maxim
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Interview: Tim Prottey-Jones - From Western to West End - and Back!
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Music Mental Health and Me #7: David
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Cover Interview: Ray Fulcher - Country's Mental Health Champion
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Quote of the Issue
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Man on the Moon III Review: Kid Cudi finds dawn after darkness
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Sampling - Creative Genius or Cutting Corners?
30
Contents
Hey there! I recently turned 23, which means I can no longer spontaneously start singing “I’m feeling 22” in my best Taylor Swift voice (actually, that's a lie, I'm definitely going to keep doing it regardless). I’m a huge fan of Country, Hip-Hop and EDM, but I’ve also got a guilty soft spot for One Direction. I recently finished a Buddhism & Hinduism Masters degree at the University of Oxford, and previously studied Philosophy & Theology there as an undergraduate. During this time I worked as Music Editor of two student publications, and I also started a blog over at www.maximoco.com, on which I’ve published album reviews, interviews, and some more general musical musings. My first foray into the relationship between music and mental health was in my Self-Help Songs blog series, where I’d pick a song that has an especially helpful message and discuss the meaning behind it. The more I studied Buddhism, the more I realised that most Buddhist practices and philosophies are aimed towards one goal - improving our mental health. This provided the inspiration for my blog’s 30-Day Happiness x Music Project, which combined a Buddhist step-by-step process of how to improve our mental wellbeing with a song that embodied each teaching. Two of my main passions in life are writing and music, and it’s been a long-term dream to start a magazine, so I’m incredibly excited to have co-founded Mindful Melody with my best friend, David. My favourite artists are Kenny Chesney, Travis Scott, Florida Georgia Line, Kanye West, Avicii, Zac Brown Band, Drake, Luke Combs, and The Shires…to name a few (!). When I’m not listening to music, I’m either out playing golf, over-watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine, or wondering why it’s so quiet…
Maxim Mower
Hi, I’m David and along with my more talented and better looking (no I'm not bitter) best friend Maxim I co-founded this magazine. I have always had a passion for music and played instruments from a young age but when I was 12 I settled on the saxophone and with it played in multiple groups within and outside of school. Through an amazing band I was in I was fortunate enough to perform at the Royal Albert Hall twice and go on a tour to Spain. I also did work experience as an army musician and just about got involved in music in any and every way I could. I studied music throughout school and also had a keen interest in History, Philosophy, Ethics and English but as it was my passion music is the one I followed through to University. As well as performance modules, in uni I would also study modules focused on music psychology, musicology, film music, music journalism and the music industry. Bored yet? So, music has been a big part of my life, but so is mental health. Although I didn’t really know it at the time I suffered depression through my later years at school, I knew the way I was feeling wasn’t right but was unable to put any sort of label on it. Whilst at uni, although overall a positive part of my life for many reasons, I began to suffer more and more and finally went to the doctors where I was diagnosed and put on medication for depression. After five or six years I have finally realised that the journey is not one with an end as such, but more of a bumpy ride filled with ups and downs. Whilst the ride at times may be more difficult than others there is no way that we can fix the road, but only better prepare ourselves for when the ride isn't so comfy (maybe a new set of springs!). When I'm not working or writing I'll probably be playing football, Xbox or watching the US version of The Office on a continuous loop.
David Dawson
Mindful Melody Pictures Presents... Are Biopics Good For Fans?
Photo by Geoffrey Moffett on Unsplash
Within the last few years we’ve been graced with two masterpiece biopics; ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ depicting Queen and particularly Freddie Mercury and ‘Rocketman’ depicting the life of Sir Elton John. It is no question to me that these two films are great pieces of cinema and I thoroughly enjoyed watching both – but the real question is – are they good for us as fans? One of the main things about biopics that I love is learning all about the ‘behind the scenes’ lives of our favourite artists and their interpersonal relationships; and most importantly their issues. I’ve written many times before about the troubles that come with fame that we often overlook. Blinded by the glitz and glamour it’s far too easy to look jealously on at these heroes we put on a pedestal than acknowledging that they too have a life full of difficulties. ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ for example made a fantastic job of showing us some of the darker times in Freddie Mercury’s life when falling into a rockstar lifestyle of drugs caused him to alienate all of those close to him; or when Sir Elton John fell into a rockstar life of drugs causing him to alienate all those close to him (I’m sensing a theme here). For me personally a lot of this happened in the years before I was born, so whilst I’m familiar with the greatest hits of both artists I missed out on a lot of the tabloid’s headlines, publicised relationship problems and booze and narcotic fuelled antics. This meant that by watching these films I gained a deeper sense of sympathy, understanding and knowledge of some legendary artists who I’d only really known previously by voice. This was particularly true for Sir Elton, who having been recently 30 years sober, has throughout my whole life been one of Britain’s moral and upstanding sweethearts that warranted the ‘Sir’ prefix. You can imagine my surprise therefore when ‘Rocketman’ depicted the artist battling through countless childhood traumas and mental difficulties whilst filling his body with a plethora of illegal substances and essentially falling off of the rails. I’m sure this was no surprise to an older audience who probably remember reading about it but for me goes completely against the depiction I had of the man. This isn’t a problem for me though; it’s actually a huge bonus. Whilst watching these films we are often shown explanations and inspirations for songs that before we may not have known. Again, the best example of this for me comes from ‘Rocketman’ and the title song itself. In my limitless naivety and squeaky clean impression of Sir Elton I had always assumed this song to be a triumphant telling of a man flying out into space. One look at the lyrics will let you know the extent of my stupidity, but to be honest before seeing the film I had no reason to question my view. It has however given me a new appreciation for the metaphor and the darker meaning behind the song – moving it up even further in my list of classics. This was similar in ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ in which we were shown Freddie Mercury slowly but surely piecing together the all time great song that shares its name with the film. We see him battle through many a confused face and disapproving look to pull together his artwork and although I’ve heard it a thousand times watching it come together like this really just makes you realise how bizarre it is, and how genius. I think these films really give fans a new appreciation of the sheer talent of these artists that we’ve maybe ignored in the past. Sure you’ve been hearing them on the radio for years but have you really ever stopped to consider their lives, their inspirations or their sheer musical talent? Now this would obviously be a pretty dull article if I didn’t have some sort of downside or counter argument so here goes. Can these films give us the wrong impression? I think ‘Rocketman’ probably gets away with this more. The film makes it clear that it takes artistic liberties from the start – we see Elton floating from his piano and seeing people who aren’t really there. It’s an amazing commentary on his mental state and I think only adds to the theme of the film, but it also makes clear to audiences that what we see isn’t exactly how it happened but more an artistic variation based on a thoroughly researched version of the truth. ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ on the other hand attempts to almost remake some of Freddie’s life shot for shot. Sure we know going to the cinema that what we are seeing is an adaptation but it’s made to look and feel so real. This is probably a credit to the writers, set designers and actors if anything but it does make it difficult to see where the line blurs. I’m sure there are some parts of the film, some private conversations or small parts of chronology that slightly don’t add up but when you watch it’s made to be so accurate that you just can’t tell. I’m sure most of it is accurate and very well researched with a lot of input from people who were there, but still it can be a dangerous game to blur the line so closely. Another fantastic biopic I haven’t mentioned does the same. ‘Straight Outta Compton’, which depicts the rise and fall of N.W.A, is another must see but also makes the mistake of not telling us entirely the truth. Again, we all expect there to be some artistic liberties but the film is depicted to be so real, and in collaboration with people who were actually there, that we really have no way of knowing. This came to a head when after the film I was shocked to find out that one of the most bad-ass and iconic scenes didn’t really happen. During a concert the group are warned against performing their song ‘F Tha Police’, by the police. Being N.W.A they play it anyway and eventually get stormed by police and leave the show in handcuffs whilst officers outside are being mobbed by angry fans. It’s pretty cool. It turns out that in real life whilst it did kind of happen it’s dialled down by about 100. Instead of firing gunshots from the crowd, the police threw small fireworks onto the stage to cause a commotion before catching the fleeing band and issuing them with a fine whilst asking for autographs for friends and family. I can see why they spiced it up a bit, but in a film that seems so true and close to the mark, and with inputs from all those involved, it seems unfair that they’d trick an audience by again blurring that line. So – are biopics good for us as fans? Overall it’s a resounding yes. I’ve learnt so much in the past about some great, great artists through biopics and I always find that after watching I’ve got a reignited love and passion for their songs. It seems that as soon as the credits roll I’m adding songs to my playlist that I’d forgotten about, or have just gained a new appreciation for. I think this is the same for a lot of fans, who love seeing what goes on behind the smoke and mirrors of the glitz and glamour. I also think it’s a fantastic way to drive home the message that these people we put up on a pedestal do have their own issues and struggles and I know that I’ve certainly gained a new appreciation for Sir Elton after understanding all that he has been through. My only qualm really is that the films should either be artistic or accurate. It seems to me that if you’re going to make a film that plays out as being 100% factual, it’s not really fair to start juicing up scenes or changing chronology to suit the script. If you want to be artistic about it and add some drama, then follow in the footsteps of ‘Rocketman’ and make it clear that this is what you’re doing and use it to really drive home the message.
Photo by Jakob Owens on Unspalsh
Maxim talks to the artist blending Rap, Country - and a whole lot of positivity
Hi Lathan! Thanks so much for taking the time out to chat today. I loved your recent My Way EP, it's full of some awesome Country collaborations. What inspired you to choose Country music as the collaborative focus for this EP? God gave me the vision of ‘God, Love and Unity’, so in order to push that vision I started to know God more and I started to love people more, and as far as the unity goes, I had to start working with people who didn’t look like me. I remember doing ‘Over Yonder’ with Matt Stell, and then RaeLynn DMed me and said, ‘Look, I love this song, is there any way we could get in the studio?’. So we created ‘Roots’, then after that, Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard hit me up and we connected. He introduced me to Lauren Alaina, Russell Dickerson, and everybody else who was on the EP. It was like a chain reaction - I take no credit for what God did with that whole thing. I wanted to ask you about ‘It’s OK to Cry’, which has a great message of not being afraid to be vulnerable. Have you experienced the stigma surrounding men’s mental health, and if so, how did you overcome this expectation to bottle up emotions? Definitely, you know how it is - growing up there’s the stereotype of ‘Real men don’t cry’ and ‘If you're a real man, you’re big, you’re boastful, you beat your chest, you’re masculine.’ I remember seeing my daddy cry, and that let me know that it’s definitely okay to cry. Crying is the way to release things our body has built up. A lot of times, after you cry, you start to feel a little better. When you’re holding that stuff in, it has to go somewhere, and that leaks off into you saying, ‘I can’t do this mentally’, and then you start to say, ‘I can’t do this physically’. It was on my heart so much to release that song to let people know it’s okay to be in that state, and to be down and to be sad, but that there's a way to get up afterwards. Just because you’re here, it doesn’t mean you have to stay here. That helped me out mentally - even though a lot of people hear this song and thank me for it, in reality it helped me out a lot. In the past, you’ve called yourself a ‘positive artist’, and even when you’re documenting a difficult experience, there’s always an underlying optimism there. How has your faith helped you to always see the silver linings? Being connected and having a relationship with God - that’s the one thing that helped me to build music like this. Now that I understand God and I understand Christ, it’s like I’m trying to help people understand who he is through my music. Since I’m helping people in this way, it’s coming out as real and raw. It’s not so much coming out as, ‘Hey, you need to get to know Jesus’, it’s coming out a lot more as, ‘Hey, I understand that you’re going through stuff in life, but let’s turn a leaf over’. You don’t have to go through what you’re going through, life could be so different. We’re going through enough negativity in life today. I want to be that person that whenever you hear about anything I did, or even just hear my name, there’s going to be something positive out of it. I also want my music to be something everybody can listen to. I don’t have to talk badly about women or even cuss in my lyrics. Whenever you hear it, it’s going to be positive and good music. On ‘Gotta Be God’ you mention your near-death experience. After you'd gone through that, was there an immediate sense of ‘Okay, this is God’, or did it take a little more time and reflection to feel this? I remember seeing some guys in the club that had a problem with some of the people I was with. They started walking towards one of them and tried to get something started - I immediately grabbed him and started walking him out of the door. As I was walking out, I felt a hard push in my back. When I turned around it looked like everyone in the club was fighting. I’m trying to gather the guys I came with, but then I noticed two guys walking up to us, and as they did that, everyone around them started scattering. I thought, well, if everyone is running, then I’d better run too! I remember looking back and my team had gone, so now I’m standing there by myself. I remember looking back and seeing these two guys were starting to chase me, and because I’m looking back I run right into a brick wall. I turn around and see the two guys standing right there beside me. One guy pulled out a 45 caliber pistol and points it right in my face. His friend was telling him, ‘Go ahead and shoot him! You gotta earn your stripes’. I remember looking up, and I said, ‘God, if you’re real, then just help me out of this situation.’ I didn’t have so much of a relationship with God at that point, but I can always remember my Grandma saying if I was ever in a time of need to just call on Him. The guy looked at me, looked at his friend, and then looked back at me - and he pulled the trigger. When he pulled the trigger, the gun clicked, and then the guy standing beside him took the gun out of his hand and said, ‘You don’t know what you’re doing, let me do it.’ As soon as he cocked the gun back, a bullet ejected out of the gun - then a car hit the corner and the lights scared the guys off. At that moment, it didn’t really register that I’d asked for help from God - none of that clicked in my mind until I started walking off. That’s when I had my first encounter where I felt the power of the Holy Spirit. I hadn’t ever experienced that before. It was miraculous. On your 2016 EP, ‘Street Rev’, there’s a really moving song, ‘Time Don’t Wait’, which is about losing a friend, and navigating feelings of guilt in the grieving process. What advice would you give to someone that might going through something similar? That was about my first cousin. He had just gotten out of jail, and I was helping him out the whole time in jail, sending him money. A guy that didn’t even know him shot him. When I heard the whole thing, it really hit me, because that night he’d gotten in touch to say that things didn’t feel right. But it was like 2:30am, so I thought I’d just call him back in the morning. That’s why I made this song, because time didn’t wait on me to call him and he lost his life. For anyone else going through that, of course you’re going to need some time to go through this phase. But at the same time, you can’t grieve like you don’t have hope. I was grieving like there was no hope. I was thinking that after this, it’s always gonna be bad, and I’ll always be mad at somebody. But I would encourage people, when they go through something like this, to always understand that it’s gonna get greater later. There’s a purpose for everything, even what happened to my family - I started making music after that, and started preaching to the streets that just because you grew up here, it doesn’t mean you have to live this kind of life. Just because my cousin died like this, it doesn’t mean other people have to go through this too. With his death, let me help somebody else. When you go through stuff in life, God uses it to help you get to another level and help you reach other people. The majority of the time, it’s not even about you, it’s about helping somebody else along the way. That’s really incredible that you’ve turned the traumatic experiences you’ve had into beacons of light to help other people. For sure. But I’m telling you, man, I’m not a perfect person - that wasn’t my first reaction to the tragedy. My first reaction was, ‘Who did it, where they at, let’s get the guys together and do something about it.' But the Holy Spirit was like, ‘I haven’t brought you from way over there to over here, for you to just go back there.’ That was another reality check for me. Your mantra is “do different, be different”. What’s the meaning behind this? When you grow up in an impoverished neighbourhood, like I did, when that’s all you see and know, that’s what you’re going to gravitate towards in life, because you’re comfortable staying in that situation. But once you do different, you become different, meaning if you change your environment and do something outside of your comfort zone, you get to be different. I moved all the way over to Virginia, and when I got there, I knew then that life was so much more than where I was in that neighbourhood. I thought, ‘I don’t want to be the same person I was yesterday - today is a new day.’ You were a welder for a number of years before making the plunge in December 2020 to pursue music full-time. What advice would you have for anyone else considering a career change that might be perceived as high-risk or unorthodox? It’s like anything we do in life, if we’re used to doing it 24/7, we’re not ready to make the jump to do something different. You lay down at night, you get back up in the morning, you have your routine. It’s a cycle. Once God started opening the door with music, I was still at first thinking, ‘I don’t want to do that and take those opportunities’, because I was so comfortable with the railroad - I’d been working there for nine years. Then I just started following the things that God wanted me to do - and now I get to do music full-time. This is for anybody out there - if you ever start to question what you want to do, continue to seek God on it, continue to seek Christ on it. Even if you don’t immediately find what you’re supposed to be doing, His grace and mercy aren’t gonna let you fall. I had to have that in my mind - even if music’s not what I’m supposed to be doing, I’m gonna take that leap of faith. Once you take that step, God acknowledges that, and now His grace and mercy are gonna cover you because you took that leap of faith. But people are afraid to do that because they’re afraid to fail, and we shouldn’t be, because if you trust God and believe in God, you understand that you will never fail. If this doesn’t work out, another door will be opened for something else. Your positive energy is infectious - I feel uplifted just from spending this time with you! Like I said earlier, we go through enough negativity just in one day. I’ve seen enough death and junk in my life. Life is like a vapour, just like it says in the Bible. So everyday, I’m gonna be up here - everyday. Even when something’s trying to bring me down, I remind myself - let me uplift myself. If nobody else is going to uplift myself, let me uplift my own self. A question we ask all our interviewees is to name their favourite three songs with a theme of mental health. What are your choices? 'Gotta Be God' - Lathan Warlick feat. Russell Dickerson 'In His Hands' - Lathan Warlick feat. Lauren Alaina 'It’s OK to Cry' - Lathan Warlick My Way is available to stream on all platforms now!
Lathan Warlick How a brush with death inspired his music's message of 'God, Love and Unity'
Photo by Dustin Haney
"I don’t have to talk badly about women or cuss in my lyrics. Whenever you hear it, it’s going to be good, positive music."
Therapy can mean a lot of things. Some people probably picture the classic TV/film interpretation of someone lying on a couch in an oddly decorated office whilst someone asks them questions about their parents. The reason it turns up so much in pop culture is because it has become something that a lot of people rely on. Whether trying to save a failing relationship, resolving some issues brought from a traumatic past or overcoming grief it seems that this has become a crutch for a lot of people. But, what if you don’t want to sit in a room with someone and talk about your feelings? Not everyone is great at opening up, and not everyone wants to. Problems are personal and although I always encourage people to share their burdens I also fully appreciate that sometimes it just isn’t easy. So, what are my alternatives? Music It seems an obvious one – and something a lot of people will probably have experience with. Sometimes when it all gets too much music can really have a healing power. It can be the cathartic aid that enables you to confront some of your emotions, it can be the distraction that helps you forget about the world, the boost that lifts your mood or the kick that gives you more energy. Although far from a complete solution to all of our problems sometimes we just need a quick fix to help us through the day and music is so good for this. I personally have a couple of go-to songs for all of my needs. I feel like setting up short playlists that cater to the range of your emotional needs is a really handy tool to just enable you to keep yourself going, even if just to put a smile on our faces for short while. Exercise For how unfit I look and feel I seem to preach exercise a lot in this magazine – but to be completely honest it has been a huge boost for me mentally. I go for a run every morning, I don’t run particularly fast and I don’t run particularly far and I’m usually out for about an hour so I’m not breaking any records by a long stretch. Even so, the lift that this gives me for the day ahead is just unbelievable. Firstly, just the joy in the morning of being out in the sun and fresh air is the ideal way to start my day; it wakes me up and makes up for all of those hours spent behind a computer screen working. Secondly is the sense of accomplishment; as I said I’m not exactly running marathons but it just feels like a productive start to my day. Even if I don’t accomplish anything else I know that I’ve at least been for my run and done something healthy and positive. Third is the time to myself. I like to listen to podcasts while I run and I just love having that time in the morning after I wake up and before I start work to have a good laugh at some great characters. Sometimes I listen to music and this offers a different feeling, allowing me to sink more into my own thoughts and to develop more of a rhythm. Gardening Ok so I’m not exactly green fingered and what I’m really referring to is cutting the lawn and trimming the hedges but that didn’t fit into my one word sub titles theme! So this seems like a weird one – for a lot of people keeping on top of their hedges and lawn seems like more of a burden than a task of any mental gain. I, on the other hand, love it! Sure over the summer when you’re trying to make plans and the grass is growing seemingly quicker than ever before it does feel like a chore, but the feeling of actually doing the job itself is unrivalled. Similarly to running it’s just nice to be out in the sunshine and having some time to yourself. No one is going to bother you because you’re clearly busy and even if they did you wouldn’t hear them – perfect! The other great thing is the job satisfaction. You can really see where you’ve been and it is so satisfying – looking back over the freshly cut lawn, observing the neatness of your lines and appreciating a job well done. These are jobs that don’t always take that long but they make a huge difference (at least for a couple of days). How satisfying and rewarding is it to look over your freshly cut grass or neatly trimmed hedge and take on a sense of pride knowing that it is the fruit of your own labour? There may be some of you that I’ve lost by this point but it isn’t just me! I recently read an article about rapper Rick Ross and his decision to mow his own lawns at his huge estate. Having heard locals tell him the previous owner spent almost a million dollars just on keeping the lawn mowed, Rick Ross decided to buy himself a tractor and grass cutter and put himself to work and revels in how much he loves sitting in his tractor, relaxing and getting the job done. Although not for everyone I think the more traditional form of therapy is a very helpful endeavour. Whilst the things I’ve mentioned can paper over the cracks and make us feel better sometimes we do need to find the root of the problem to solve it, rather than just putting out fires as they appear. That being said, and having some experience with therapy myself, it isn’t always the easiest thing to do, and it can be uncomfortable. I remember sometimes leaving therapy sessions feeling atrocious having confronted things that were so deep down I didn’t know they existed, and thinking, 'Wouldn’t it have just been better to leave that stone unturned?' In reality though I know that this is not always healthy and we cannot ignore feelings forever. I can also say that therapy allowed me to express thoughts and feelings without a filter – although people in my support network were always happy to listen I didn’t always want to burden their busy lives with my problems when I’m sure they have their own. Therapy allowed me that chance to get things off of my chest instead of bottling them up. I think the key is balance. My experiences with therapy have always been short term periods to try and deal with individual issues – and it did help; but I think it is just as important that we identify the things in our lives that can offer us a similar release daily to maintain a good level of mental health.
Find Your Own Therapy David Dawson
Photo by Eric Nopanen on Unsplash
Photo by Jenny Hill on Unsplash
Photo by Rémi Müller on Unsplash
Maxim Mower I have to admit, when I first heard about this project, a number of preconceptions began floating through my head. A trio of songwriters recording a series of live, demo-style songs in a remote, West Texas town, with audio of laughter, slip-ups and even cows mooing in the distance being kept in the final versions? We’ve been here before, where artists eschew the commercial, radio-friendly route in favour of a more authentic project of ‘pure songwriting’. However, if handled in the wrong way, the result can often come across as a publicity gimmick, or worse, as an exercise in self-indulgence, with obtuse lyrics that critics pretend to understand, but that only really make sense to the artists. But make no mistake - The Marfa Tapes, a collaboration between Country icon Miranda Lambert and her frequent songwriting partners, Jack Ingram and Jon Randall, does not fall into any of the aforementioned traps. The group produce a songwriting masterclass, and the rough audio quality only serves to enhance the project, bringing a sense of old-timey nostalgia and charm to the recordings. The tracks often end with snippets of banter between the trio, and their close friendship shines throughout the project, bringing a level of musical intimacy that is rarely found, even in established bands. Highlights of the album include the opening two tracks, ‘In His Arms’ and ‘I Don’t Like It’, which play as lonesome odes to a missed partner. The fact that Lambert, Ingram and Randall have all been on the scene for around two decades enables them to add an emotional depth and almost wearied wisdom to the lyrical content. The general arc of the project is one of lost love, and this does give the majority of The Marfa Tapes a melancholic air. The gentle sorrow of the lyrics coupled with a simple, strummed guitar brings a sense of peacefulness, though, rather than outright despair. This is epitomised on ‘Waxahachie’, where Lambert wonders whether, amidst a sea of personal upheaval, she can trust that the Texan town will still reassuringly stand where it always was (“Waxahachie, are you still on 35?/Are you still an all-night drive from Louisiana?”). ‘The Wind’s Just Gonna Blow’ introduces a feeling of acceptance that things never stay the same, with the challenge being to find inner stillness even while the outside world is more turbulent than ever (“Bad times, they all pass/For me and you they don’t/Dust ain’t ever gonna settle/The wind’s just gonna blow”). ‘Ghost’ is similarly moving, but adds a cutting edge and flash of anger (“Go rest in peace with every lie you ever told/‘Cause now you’re just a ghost”). Despite all the solemnity, we see refreshing injections of humour on the uptempo ‘Homegrown Tomatoes’, where the artists can be heard laughing as Lambert sings the chorus, as well as on their rendition of Lambert’s ‘Tequila Does’, where she receives a ribbing after messing up the lyrics of the hook - the modest hilarity of which is exacerbated by the fact that ‘Tequila Does’ is currently one of the biggest hits on Country radio. But I feel I should underline that this is not a hugely uplifting album, nor does it contain many themes of mental health. The reason I’ve reviewed it in this issue is because, for me, the key reason music can be so relaxing and therapeutic is the same reason we love books and films - it allows us to get lost in someone else’s story, even if just for a few minutes. This escapism enables us to step back from the clutter of our own thoughts and anxieties, and come back to them with fresh eyes and newfound energy. I can’t think of another album that is as transportive and immersive as The Marfa Tapes, to the extent that the real star of the show isn’t any one of the three performers - it’s the town itself. Marfa has always had a mythical status, from the mysterious, unexplained ‘Marfa lights’ that emerge along the horizon at night, to the single Prada store that can be found in isolation on the highway amidst acres of desert. It’s been chosen as a retreat for musicians such as Beyonce, as well as being the site of various installations by world-renowned artists. Marfa appears to be situated in a paradoxical liminal space between being on the crest of cultural and artistic progression, whilst also being a sleepy, desert town in Texas that seems to exist outside of the modern world. Due to the way this project has been recorded, and helped by the songwriting dexterity that pervades it, when you listen, it feels like you’re right there with the trio, sitting under the desert stars, enjoying the flickering glow of a fire while your racing mind slows to the easy rhythm of an acoustic guitar. On this album, Lambert, Ingram and Randall provide listeners with a Marfa retreat for anyone who isn’t able to visit in person - which, during a pandemic, is pretty much everyone. Pack up your mental baggage and check out of reality for a little while, so you can start your sonic sojourn and recharge through the evocative storytelling and delicate melodies of The Marfa Tapes. The Marfa Tapes is available to stream on all platforms now!
Greetings from...The Marfa Tapes Let Miranda Lambert, Jack Ingram and Jon Randall be your tour guides on this sonic retreat
Photo by Leonardo Corral on Unsplash
Photo by Shelby Cohron on Unsplash
Hi Kristi! Thanks so much for talking to me today! Thanks so much for taking the time! I’ve really been looking forward to this and love the whole mission behind Mindful Melody. For musicians the pandemic has been a very mixed experience with more time for creativity but missing the chance to perform to an audience. How has navigating the pandemic been for you and what are you most looking forward to now that it is coming to a close? Quarantine was a bit of a wake-up call for me, honestly. It wasn’t until everything slowed down that I realized how burnt out I was, how much I had entwined my identity and self-worth with my career. For the first time ever, I had a moment to stop and ask myself, “Who are you if music isn’t in the picture? What else do you love?” While I still wrote new songs and jotted down ideas, I explored other hobbies and passions like cooking, gardening, vintage thrifting, and hiking. I also had the opportunity to spend real quality time with my fiancé and work on our relationship. Though it came via tragic means, I’m grateful for the time I had to reflect and just take a breather from “doing” all the time. As the pandemic has started to recede, it’s been nice to go out in public and enjoy the company of others again. I’m looking forward to playing writers' rounds and gigs here soon. You released your EP ‘Life of the Party’ at the end of 2020, what was it like pulling together this project in the height of COVID? Being at home and not having a full schedule allowed me to focus on getting the project to the finish line, and there was no lack of work to be done, that’s for sure! Honestly, I was most excited to be giving people something to look forward to in the midst of such a dark and confusing time. Music comforts, inspires, and excites, and I hoped 'LOTP' would do that. Musicians put a lot of time, energy and emotions into projects such as this one - how does it feel as an artist to send these projects out into the world after your heart and soul has gone into them? Imagine holding your breath for as long as you can and finally being able to exhale. That’s the best way to describe it! I had been keeping the songs and merch so close to my chest for so long and was just relieved to let everyone have it. Taking the step to pursuing your dreams as a musician is a huge moment. What can you tell us about your journey and what advice would you give yourself if you were to start again? My journey as an artist and writer started 13 years ago thanks to Loretta Lynn and my third-grade talent show. The moment I got off the stage after singing her version of “These Boots Are Made For Walking,” I knew music was what I was called to do. I spent the rest of my adolescence touring across the country playing at any county fair, farmers' market or coffee shop that would let me. If I were to start again, I would tell myself to have fun and learn the art of stillness. I can often be so serious and business-first that I forget to let go and enjoy the moment. Congratulations on the engagement! How important has having that support system and significant other that you can trust been for your career and your mental health? Thank you! We can’t wait to finally get married this fall. Cliché as it sounds, I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. He’s everything I could have ever wanted in a partner, and I’m grateful to be sharing my life with him. This industry can be incredibly isolating and artificial in nature, so to have someone who I can be myself with 100% of the time is a gift I am grateful for every day. You were part of TV singing competition The Voice for it’s 13th season - being a Country artist, how was the experience of working so closely with a huge name such as Blake Shelton? It was an honor! There’s so much to be learned from your peers, and I felt fortunate to have the opportunity to glean some of his industry wisdom. Talent shows like The Voice can often thrust its contestants into the limelight - how did you find the sudden adjustment as a contestant and how do you think the whole experience has impacted where you are now? It made me realize just how important it is to have trustworthy people in your corner that keep you grounded. Humility, gratitude, and integrity can and often are so quickly lost in an industry obsessed with accolades and attention. I walked away from that experience knowing that what mattered most was treating every producer, stage manager, contestant, janitor, and shuttle driver I encountered with intentional respect and kindness and to never compromise those two things to get ahead. Performing has been a big part of your life from a young age - some people have an instant love for the stage whereas others find it more difficult to embrace. How does being on stage make you feel and has it always been something you’ve loved to do? The stage is where I shine and I’m a born performer, as my parents can attest to with VHS tapes of me singing up on top of the coffee table when I was a toddler as proof. It’s all about the human connection. If I can put a smile on someone’s face or bring a tear to their eye, I’m happy. Finally, one thing we ask all of our interviewees is to name their top three songs that relate to mental health. What would be your top three? 1. "Be Alright” – Dante Bowe and Amanda Lindsey Cook 2. “Brave” – Ruston Kelly 3. “Happy and Sad” – Kacey Musgraves
Kristi Hoopes Engagement, The Voice, and being born for the stage David Dawson
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"This industry can be incredibly isolating and artificial in nature, so to have someone who I can be myself with 100% of the time is a gift"
"Quarantine was a bit of a wake-up call for me, honestly. It wasn’t until everything slowed down that I realized how burnt out I was"
The brilliant opening to MOD SUN’s ‘Internet Killed the Rockstar’; ‘Karma’ can be just the reassurance you need. Opening with MOD wishing a string of poor fate onto his former lover for all the times he was mistreated it really demonstrates some of the frustration and anger that can come with heartbreak, particularly if you were wronged in the process. The reassuring part of the song is that after listing all the things he wishes on his former lover MOD takes pleasure in singing "Karma’s a bitch, I heard" before a repeated chant of "What goes around comes around." If you’ve been hurt, this song is just the reminder you need that the world has wonderful ways of making sure people get their comeuppance. DD
Appearing on Kanye’s hugely underrated Auto-Tune album, 808s & Heartbreak, this song is one of the more upbeat tracks on the project. The verses are directed at someone who is struggling with their self-esteem because of a bad break-up. In typical Kanye fashion, he tells them to stop worrying so much about what people are thinking, and to just go out and cut loose. It can sometimes feel like a competition as to who’s handling the break-up the best, and this song just reminds you not to get trapped by that mindset - “You heard about all the word of mouth/Don’t worry ‘bout what we can’t control”. MM
After Chris Martin’s very public split from Gwyneth Paltrow, either party could’ve been forgiven for lashing out or holding onto some resentment - you know, regular heartbreak stuff. But Martin seems to have an incredible (and almost annoying) level of emotional stability that makes me think he might be secretly teaching meditation classes to the Dalai Lama in his spare time. ‘Everglow’ is all about feeling grateful that the two people got to experience so much life together, rather than lamenting the fact that it’s over. MM
6. Everglow Coldplay
9. Meant to Be Bebe Rexha ft. Florida Georgia Line
Overcoming Heartbreak
7. Karma MOD SUN
10. Heartbreak Anthem Galantis, David Guetta & Little Mix
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
So putting a love song about how people are meant to be together seems a bit counter-intuitive for helping you recover from heartbreak. However, I think this song could be the reminder you need to restore your faith in love. If you’ve been through a particularly tough break up you’re probably having some pretty strong feelings against love and relationships – but the chorus line of this song, "If it’s meant to be, it’ll be" assures you that things happen for a reason. Sure heartbreak hurts for now, but it's all part of the journey to meeting that person with whom it's 'Meant to Be'. DD
8. Paranoid Kanye West ft. Mr Hudson
Top 10 Songs for...
In my opinion, EDM is the musical equivalent of caffeine, giving you a sudden energy boost when you most need it. This Little Mix hit is more accurately an anti-heartbreak anthem, summed up by the opening lines - “Hello, it’s me, your ex/I called to say not sorry but I wish you the best”. It has the overarching message of ‘Que sera sera’, for anyone needing reassurance that, no matter how bad it seems, everything’s going to be okay. MM
Whether you're new to the Heartbreak Hotel, or you're a returning visitor, this playlist will hopefully help you get an early check-out. David & Maxim
3. Good 4 U Olivia Rodrigo
Similarly to Chris and Gwyneth, this song was written in the aftermath of a celebrity divorce. In this Country equivalent of a diss-track, Pearce warns her ex’s current partner to beware of the ways he draws you in and then subsequently ruins the relationship. This song is ideal for anyone suffering from a recent break-up, where the emotions are raw and you’re still hurting - ‘Next Girl’ channels this frustration in a playful way. MM
So this song is pretty good in its fast paced original, but in its slowed down acoustic it’s hauntingly beautiful. This won’t be the track that gets you fired up and ready to move on but it will be the cathartic crutch that helps you confront your emotions. The song tells the story of the other man; the protagonist being the lover of a woman who is already in a relationship. The heartbreak comes when we learn that he has fallen completely in love with this woman and despite his numerous attempts to open up to her she sees him as nothing more than a meaningless physical affair. The lyrics tell the unrequited love story perfectly, and couple this with Matty Healey’s stunning acoustic vocals and you’ve got one of the masterpieces of heartbreak. My description really doesn’t do it justice so make sure you listen to the song! DD
1. Sex (Acoustic) The 1975
This song is the fantasy for those who have been cheated on. Whilst in the real world acts of vengeful violence aren’t the answer, it doesn’t mean we can’t dream, right? This resilient anthem describes in beautiful detail the meticulously planned damage that Carrie will exact on her ex’s pride and joy: his car. "I dug my key into the side of his pretty little souped-up-four-wheel drive, Carved my name into his leather seat, I took a Louisville slugger to both headlights, I slashed a hole in all four tyres, Maybe next time he’ll think before he cheats." You know what? I think he just might. DD
2. I Was On A Boat That Day Old Dominion
There are a number of songs from Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Sour’ album that could have made the cut, but this is by far my favourite. Providing all the aggression, bitterness and resentment that a break-up has to offer this song will get you through hard times (you’ll get this reference very soon). Harking back to early Paramore or Avril Lavigne; Olivia Rodrigo channels all her frustration at how easy it was for her ex to move on and find someone new while she still struggles to get past the initial break-up. The video is great too, showing Rodrigo channel her crazy side could be just the boost you need to really get rid of some of those negative feelings. DD
5. Before he Cheats Carrie Underwood
4. Next Girl Carly Pearce
This song is way too fun to really be called a heartbreak song - it’s all about enjoying yourself so much on a boat that you barely notice the fact that your partner is leaving you. It’s hardly realistic, of course, but during a break-up some light relief can be the perfect tonic to all the seriousness. Old Dominion’s light-hearted tone is ideal for this (“Was she laughing, was she crying/As she walked away?/I can’t say/I was on a boat that day”). MM
“The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time" Can ‘mindful listening' help ease productivity-guilt?
Humanity’s relationship with ‘leisure’ and ‘free-time’ is complicated. In the early stages of the digital age, when exciting new technological advances were being developed, experts predicted that in the future we’d only be working a couple of days a week, because computers and phones would enable us to complete our tasks so efficiently. However, fast forward a few decades, and people are generally working more, not less. But why, when technology means we can get things done so much faster? Personally, I love the buzz that comes with being productive and working towards a project. It makes me feel like I’m maximising - true to my name - my time, and I’m doing everything in my power to make the project as good as it possibly can be. And I don’t think there’s an issue with this, because working hard to achieve your goals is great, and leads to a rewarding sense of satisfaction and pride when you reach your creative destination. But once I accomplish the particular task I’ve been working towards, what happens then? Well, I move swiftly onto the next one - once again chasing that hit of productivity that my brain craves. If I take a break that lasts too long - i.e. more than a day - I sense a nagging feeling of guilt creeping up on me, inwardly reprimanding me for being lazy and unproductive. I think a lot of people share this in-built productivity compass, especially in a world where there are millions of different things vying for our attention at any one time. You can’t even read an article online without being bombarded by pop-up ads and subscription offers and other ‘articles you might like’. When that feels too chaotic and stressful, we then turn to our phones for some idle scrolling, where, once again, there are hundreds of images and videos desperately trying to win over the brain’s attention. My point is, even when we think we’re taking a break, it often doesn’t feel restful. I love checking what my favourite artists are up to on Instagram. But does half an hour of scrolling really make me feel recharged? I can’t say it does. The other problem is, when we take a break, it’s usually still with productivity in mind. When I’m tired from too much essay-writing or research and feel my brain slowing down, I take a TV or music break. All well and good, right? But the only reason I’m taking a break at all is for the purpose of getting myself back to a state where I can work effectively again. I think in many ways we’ve forgotten how to just do nothing. Try it now - stop reading this article, set a timer for five minutes, and just sit there doing nothing but staring out of the window. It’s hard, right? After barely a minute, I have the urge to check my phone - just in case - and sitting with my thoughts just turns into a mental checklist of all the things I need to get done. After a few more minutes, my fingers are itching to click the ‘Gmail’ tab on my laptop, even though I already checked it ten minutes ago. We’ve trained our brains to feed off the feeling of being productive, and this often prevents us from being able to properly and truly relax without feeling guilty. I’ve just finished my Masters degree, and everyone told me that’s a worthy cause for a short break from work - and I took their advice and took a little time off from the non-University projects I have on the go. But even on the days where I would just hang out with friends or watch TV, I still couldn’t shake that constant feeling that there was something productive I should’ve been doing instead. Okay, so we’ve established there’s a productivity problem. But is this too deeply entrenched in the modern mentality, or is it something we can unlearn? As I said, productivity is of course beneficial in healthy doses, so we shouldn’t completely ditch it and start sitting on the couch doing nothing every day. It’s more a case of knowing when to stop, so that you can allow yourself guilt-free leisure time. To an extent, I think the hardest part is acknowledging when it’s become a problem, and when it’s encroaching onto aspects of your life that shouldn’t be associated with the need to be productive. For example, I’d argue that being with loved ones is the most emotionally productive and rewarding ways we could possibly use our time - so if even these moments are being tainted by worrying about emails and to-do lists, then this definitely isn’t healthy. The other thing that helped me personally is - unsurprisingly - music. As you might have guessed from the title of this magazine, we’re also big fans of mindfulness. I found that a form of ‘mindful listening’ highlighted how the constant yearning for productivity was slowly and surely burning me out. What I mean by ‘mindful listening’ is taking a step back and looking at your current listening habits. This might not work for everyone, but I found that the songs and albums I was listening to on rotation were, amidst others, the likes of 'Sunshine State of Mind' by Brian Kelley; ‘Beer in Mexico’ by Kenny Chesney; ‘More Time Fishin’’ by Thomas Rhett; ‘Tequila On A Boat’ by Dustin Lynch and Chris Lane; and so on. Okay, so I’m listening to summery music in the summer. Big whoop, right? But the overriding themes behind all these songs are wasting time, doing nothing and just chilling without a care in the world. That told me that deep down, even if it was being drowned out by my productivity-guilt, I was drawn to the idea of just letting go for a little while and not being so uptight about work. It’s a simple enough conclusion to reach, but seeing my suspicions confirmed in my listening history gave me the nudge I needed to just take it easy sometimes, and not be so obsessed with being productive. The best part is, for any other productivity junkies out there, switching off won’t be as much of a culture shock as you might think. That feeling of guilt when you’re taking time off appears because you’re conscientious about getting all your tasks done, and you’re disciplined and methodical about this. So - why not use this same mentality for leisure time? Start by scheduling in breaks and periods of rest - in theory, because you already have a conscientious mindset, it’ll be easier to stick to this schedule. Turn your craving for productivity into a craving for relaxation. Of course, it’s never quite as easy as it looks on paper. I’m only just starting down this road, so I’m still more often than not opting for work over relaxation, even when there are no urgent deadlines I’m trying to meet. But I’m getting a little better at it, and with practice, I’ll be able to strike a better balance. On the flip side, we shouldn’t start feeling guilty for being productive, because like I said, it’s a largely positivity attitude to have in life. It’s more about being kind and compassionate to yourself, and listening to your mind and body when they’re telling you to take a breather. In my previous ‘Music, Mental Health and Me’ article on gratitude, I mentioned how, at the end of each day, I take a few minutes to list things that I’m feeling thankful for. Nearly always, the moments I feel the most gratitude for are times when I haven’t been productive - for example, spending time with family and friends, seeing a beautiful sunset, hearing an awesome new song, and so on. The time we spend working is stressful enough as it is, so we definitely don’t need any added anxiety about not working during our free-time. The likelihood is, if you’re worrying about not working enough even while you’re taking a break, you’re probably the kind of person that’s definitely working hard enough. Check out my Unproductivity Playlist below for the perfect soundtrack to kicking back, taking a well-earned, guilt-free rest, and having another metaphorical ‘Beer in Mexico’ (even if, in reality, it’s a ‘Beer in My Back Garden’. Hmm, somehow that’s just not as catchy…).
Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash
My Unproductivity Playlist
Photo by Maya Zidan on Unsplash
This article is kindly sponsored by Scarlet River Management
Tim Prottey-Jones From Western to West End - And Back!
Hi Tim! Thanks so much for talking to me today! You’ve recently released your new single ‘Fire’ – can you tell us where the inspiration for this song came from? I have a habit of preferring to write slightly melancholic songs; I love the sound of the chords. I actually like mixing it up too by putting happy lyrics with sad music and vice versa. Actually, with this song I thought you get so many break up songs so I wanted to paint a picture of something you think is going down that route where the spark is gone from a relationship. It’s about what do you do in that moment? Do you just give up? Because often that is the easiest thing to do, or do you try and reignite it and get back the spark and buzz you felt originally. It’s basically about giving it another go, another shot and let’s have all the fun we used to have. It was that and also I did want to make a return to the piano which was the instrument I started on. Country music is predominantly guitar based, particularly in my experience, I’ve been writing and playing guitar music for so long; I was mostly inspired by Lady A as a band who I love and they use the piano so well! The tricky thing with this song is that I had the opening section for quite a while, so the piano line, verse and pre chorus. In that sense I could have gone different ways with the chorus so in my mind this song has about three different choruses. I could’ve gone minor and made it devastating or lift it. I wanted to lift it and be powerful and give someone that inkling of light at the end of the tunnel and that even if things are going in that direction, it can be turned around. Even if you just talk it through it can be remedied. My earliest memories of writing that chorus were with the intention to make it upbeat so I guess that idea had always been in my head when writing it. The song focuses on the desire to ‘spark another fire’ in a relationship where it seems things have changed. In the pandemic a lot of people saw the nature of their relationships change and felt the strains of distance - how important do you think it is that people now focus on trying to rekindle the ‘fire’ as opposed to letting it go out? I think even pre pandemic this is something that happens a lot; maybe even more so in fickle industries such as music. I’ve been doing this for a long time and in different guises as well; I’ve gone through different routes. I’ve always been in bands but I had a detour for a few years in musical theatre doing West End shows and then back in bands and now solo stuff. You lose touch with people and I personally find that really hard to come to terms with. I hate the feeling of being let down by someone and I try to not let other people down; I’m not saying I always succeed, I’m only human. My fear is the pandemic has had an effect on people’s relationships because people have dealt with it in different ways. Some people will have very much gone into themselves and taken that time to re assess what they’re doing and whether they’re happy and sometimes that does mean cutting yourself off for a bit. It can go one of two ways and some people will be aware of that and acknowledge that people just need time and that hopefully come the end of the pandemic you will be able to see that person and everything will be normal again. Looping that back around to the song; it’s that idea of maybe assumptions are being made about how that other person feels or how they see themselves and then just having that really good talk. There’s a line in the song about who will you call about things and who would you talk to about what you’re going through because that person has always been me. I think we have to take into consideration that not everyone feels the same way you do about a pandemic, a relationship, taking some space, careers or relocating and it’s all related. The song is a great anthem for not giving in – even when things get tough the lyrics show a determination to get things back to as good as - if not better than - before. To me this feels like a great metaphor for a world moving out of a pandemic. How important do you think it is that in these tough times we can focus ahead on a brighter future rather than looking back? It’s not easy, is it? Sometimes you see the news or you look at social media and there’s always something that is extremely saddening. You can lose hope and you can lose faith in stuff. A lot of people like to see their future and to plan it and be quite optimistic; I try to be optimistic about it but actually in that interim time when so much stuff is being thrown at you career wise or things with family, things that I’ve personally gone through massively in the last couple of years. It’s very easy for it to influence your art; I think it always comes through in your writing whether you mean it to or not. If people know you or your story they’ll ask if lyrics or songs are related to certain incidents and you think ‘Oh god not intentionally!’ Lockdown for many people has taken on different forms. For me, I have a young son so we were the three of us in a relatively small flat in London. We had a lot of time together; historically I’d been out and away quite a bit with touring and various things but now I’ve been around a lot and I’m thankful actually. It was unplanned but I’m glad I was there. With the pandemic though it’s just about managing; things can get strained at the best of times and when you face something like this it can go one of two ways. I try to look on the positive side of things for me and those around me, which can be a burden and it can be tiring. I don’t know how you get out of that cycle though, maybe don’t watch the news or look at social media, but it’s a lot easier said than done. As musicians we are heavily focused on our online presence and to be posting things on a daily basis is a full-time job in itself! It’s very different from when I was doing it many years ago. I hope that did answer the question; but that’s how it affected me and that’s all I can really speak to! As you mentioned there, being a musician requires a lot of travel and movement but the pandemic has seen for a lot of people an enforced period of time at home which is a huge change of pace! Do you think it has changed your plans and perspective moving forward? I would say that the pandemic forced me into a different direction and for the better quite honestly. Prior to the pandemic I had been in bands, done some wonderful things and was touring quite a lot; when my son was born I was away touring only about two months after. Things then changed so when I was out of that band situation I was around more anyway, and that wasn’t pandemic related at all that was just circumstance. I always wanted the two things side by side; I wanted to be playing, recording and having family as a massive part of that. I firmly believe they can coexist; I’ve seen it before and I know people that do it; for me that’s the dream. I would say that my best chance of having that happen is being a solo artist. Building a team and a band around the songs I have written and having that little bit of control about what makes it all tick and what makes it work for my career and my home life. I can’t just say to my wife, "I’m off on tour now are you ok to stay at home?" It wouldn’t be fair and she has a career, not in music, and that works for us but we both have to be flexible whenever we can and that’s not easy when you’re a musician and get a call to suddenly go somewhere. Timing-wise the pandemic actually happened at a very good time for me in that transition between being in a band and travelling a lot to writing and producing and living with new music for over a year before I put it out myself. That really benefited me as it gave me time, which I’ve never really had much of before due to work and home life. It did give me time to work on those two things and make them coexist and now when gigs are opening, they feel even better than they ever have done for me. I’m in the right situations and having family there at festivals is great for me, it’s where all your worlds come together and that is the dream for me. That’s what I’m trying to build on now. The opening line ‘Tell me how you really feel’ is followed by the first verse which questions ‘Who are you going to turn to when I’m not around?’ How important do you think it is that we have those people in our lives that we can rely on in times of struggle and open up to? I think it’s absolutely vital. That’s coming from a guy who didn’t talk to anyone about his feelings for about 35 years. It’s something I was never good at and it took me going to see someone, to talk to a complete stranger that I was paying money to, in order to actually open up. I think it was one of the best things I ever did and it’s aided me now to highlight those people now in my life who I can talk to in a similar way at least. From my own experience having people that aren’t in music or in this industry is also really important because you can get caught up in a bubble. Yes, it’s really nice to have people to talk to who completely understand your life and lifestyle, but actually having friends that do different lines of work and have big families I find really interesting. To get their perspectives on things and to just talk to them about their life. I don’t know if other musicians find this but I don’t get jealous of other musicians, I’m very happy for people when they accomplish things but the only time I get jealous is seeing people who have a more standard way of living; a beautiful home with a big garden. I’m not jealous to a detrimental point, it’s more thinking, ‘Oh that would be nice’ but also I don’t think I’m meant to be like that so you are torn! But I do think that having people on both sides of the fence is important. You’ve had an eventful career so far and have worked with some big names – who inspires you the most as an artist musically and personally? Good question! They’re quite diverse! Having experience of working closely with people like Andrew Lloyd Webber was fascinating – just to see the way he works and how his mind works! He was always very lovely to me so I don’t have a bad word to say about him. Working closely with Tim Minchin too who has remained a very lovely friend. I think I’m drawn to geniuses! I just find them fascinating and he is an absolute genius! Funny, talented, brilliant and a really genuinely lovely man who is supportive. Ronan Keating too, someone who I never thought I’d work with in any capacity. Very generous with his time and just a really lovely guy! They were all wonderful. I guess from a band and country music side of things meeting and playing on the same show as people like Chris Stapleton was just absolutely unbelievable, he’s got one of those voices I just wish I had! Robert Plant was unbelievable too. Just inspirational people they really are! I know there are loads more and I’ll kick myself afterwards for not remembering everyone but I’ve been really lucky to be in their presence really. You’ve had an interesting career journey so far as a country musician having spent time in musical theatre and on the West End – can you tell me a little bit more about how that came about and then how you went from there back to country music? I think there is actually a connection between country music and musical theatre and I know a lot of people now in country music that have a history in or a diversion into theatre. I think it stems from stories. Country fans love a story and being able to connect with the lyrics and I think that’s why people also love theatre. People want to escape and be able to enjoy someone else’s lives and experiences. There’s a lot of crossover in the dedicated fan bases of both. For me, music is always first, I’d always been in rock bands and I was a session musician in country music when I left university and then was in bands all through my twenties. I had a vague appreciation of some musicals, only a handful that I’d heard parts or certain songs from. Being a lover of massive choruses and catchy melodies it really ticked that box. As a musician myself, singing was the last thing that came to me, mainly because of nerves. I have quite a high voice and this was the 90s and I was listening to grunge and rock and it seems like nobody was singing like that so I thought maybe I’d just be quiet! Eventually people would say to me ‘Have you heard this ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ thing?' Steve Balsamo was playing Jesus and singing this incredible stuff, I remember seeing him on the Royal Variety Show hitting these incredibly high notes and crying and it was unbelievable. I remember thinking that I wanted to sing like that, or at least try! So, while I was at university, studying music but as a drummer, I essentially locked myself in my dorm room and tried to sing it! I did the occasional concert just doing this one song from ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ as a bit of a party piece! Then, as more of a hobby, I decided to see if I could actually maybe write some of this kind of stuff. I wrote some modern sounding musical theatre songs and managed to get some West End and Broadway people to come and do the vocals on them for me and actually put together a couple of albums. How on earth I got those performers to do it I’ve got no idea but it was a great experience! I then had an opportunity whilst I was still living in the Midlands when they were doing a semi-professional production of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ and they were doing open auditions for Jesus. A number of friends told me I had to go for it so I did the audition and then got a phone call saying, ‘If you can lose some weight, you can be Jesus!’ It didn’t take me by surprise, the weight thing had always been an issue for me and still is. I threw myself in at the deep end, lost three stone in three months and performed as Jesus and loved it! That was about 2010. A couple of years later I saw this advert that Andrew Lloyd Webber was looking for the next ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ for a TV show. All my friends were encouraging me to go again and by this time I’d put all the weight back on! I ended up going to the auditions and getting on the live TV shows! I had to leave my job on a sabbatical, live in a big house in London with the other finalists and we were even flown to Mallorca to Lloyd Webber’s house. I came about seventh I think. For me it was a huge moment where I thought, ‘Can I do this for a living?’ Not just musical theatre but music in general. I ended up leaving my job and was offered a role on the arena tour of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ so I was in the show and also understudy Judas to Tim Minchin. My wife was between jobs so I actually got her a job on the show too in the wardrobe department, so we toured arenas together for a few months. When that finished I auditioned and got a tour of ‘Rent’ which was amazing. After that my wife got a job in London so we decided to move and then I could really pursue this. Within about a month I got a job on the West End in a show called ‘Once’ with Ronan Keating, which was a dream with the show involving acting, singing and playing guitar. I then did the first year of ‘Kinky Boots’ on the West End but during that time decided I wanted to go back to the band and country stuff. I set up a band called ‘The Wandering Hearts’ and just as I came to the end of my first year contract on ‘Kinky Boots’ we were ready to sign our record deal. I’ve been doing country music full time ever since that really now. I get a lot of people asking what made me go from theatre to country music but the country music came first! I wouldn’t rule out more theatre if the right thing was around but what I’m doing now is my passion. Finally, one thing we ask all of our interviewees is to name a top three songs that relate to mental health. What would be your top three? This Work is a Drug – Tim Prottey-Jones Lullaby – Shawn Mullins The Joke – Brandi Carlile
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Well the fact that you’re at the start of an article would suggest that the answer is neither a simple yes or no. My theory back in February was that 2020 had set the bar at its absolute lowest; that the year had been so completely dreadful that even if 2021 wasn’t a whole lot better it would still feel like a big step. I do think 2021 has lived up to that promise at least – it hasn’t exactly been a fairytale year but I’d still not go as far as comparing it to the deep dark depths of 2020. One of my main points of hope for 2021 was that COVID would become somewhat less of a burden on our lives and give us some more of that freedom that we all crave. Even this in itself is not a cut and dry answer. Whilst we were all promised the ‘freedom’ date of June 21st, then eventually July 19th, my expectations that life would suddenly return to normal were far from realistic. With cases rising and concern brewing, it hardly feels like freedom, and I wouldn’t be confident betting against another lockdown by the end of the year. Even with the supposed dropping of restrictions we are each week met with a series of new ‘must haves’ and 'must dos’ moving forward that really makes me feel that this isn’t progress but merely a repackaging of the hammer blows we have been dealt in the past. Of course if we can stay in some sort of state of relative freedom then I’ll trade abiding by a few little extra rules, but this is hardly a guarantee considering those of us who have spent two years abiding by the rules already have only been met with more lockdowns and restrictions throughout. I must admit that whilst I am trying to focus on enjoying the somewhat free will of today, my mind can’t help but wander to a future that looks bleak. The way that things are being announced it seems to me that never again will we get back to normality, but instead will spend the rest of our lives categorised over injections and forced by politicians to bend over backwards in exchange for a small shred of life as it used to be. Despite my gloomy writing though, I must admit that this year could have easily been a lot worse. England put in an admiral campaign at the Euro’s (despite my consistent lack of trust in Southgate) and temporarily united a nation threatened with division. And even though in my classic pessimism I packaged it as insignificant – the fact that as I write this I am able to work from the office, mix with people and go out and socialise feels pretty special. As I said in my last article, if 2020 was good for anything it was making us appreciate the small things and it has done so and more. 2021 has not been the bumper year we were all hoping for, but thanks to its abysmal predecessor I’d say that most of us feel pretty good about where we are at right now. In my ‘Am I Right to be Optimistic about 2021?’ article, one of the things I mentioned was the insane pressure we put on a new year as being some sort of fresh start or clean slate when in reality it is just another day. Once again in 2021 I do find myself willing for 2022 to approach. It seems sad that I am wishing my time away like this, but like most people I feel a desperation to get this infamous period put behind us and to move forward. I fully believe that COVID will still be the earworm of 2022 and possibly for years to come, but I’m hanging on to that separation that a new year brings. Being able to put 2020 and 2021 in a box together and bid thanks but no thanks will be a refreshing moment for all of us, even if in reality 2022 will be no more removed from 2021 than any day is from one to the next. So – was I right to be optimistic about 2021? It’s really hard to tell. When I focus on COVID and the current, previous and potential future situations I can’t help but feel pessimistic about what this year has offered. Like myself, many people hung their hopes on 2021 being a fresh start away from COVID, and at this current time it feels like we are years away from that. Putting COVID to the back of our minds however there is something in the air in 2021. People seem to be generally happier and, although incremental, freedom is slowly making its way back to us. We’ve all put 2020 in our rear-view mirrors and are focusing with bright eyes at the future with a greater appreciation of the small things we have now. In the sense that you have to hit rock bottom to appreciate just above rock bottom, yes, 2021 has been pretty good; but in the wider scheme of things the jury is still very much out.
Music, Mental Health and Me #7: David Was I right to be optimistic about 2021? The Follow Up
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
"I want people to think, ‘Oh man, well if Ray’s got his own struggles, then it’s okay if I do too.'"
Hey Ray! Thank you for taking the time out to chat today! You recently released the ‘Girl in it’ EP. The title track has a high energy that reminds me of ‘Anything Like You Dance’, while ‘Way Out’ and ‘Bucket List Beers’ are also great feel-good songs. Was it a conscious decision to make this new music uptempo and positive? Yeah, that’s a great question! I think what I naturally lean most towards is on the slower side - writing the sadder Country stuff is what I love. But about a year ago I challenged myself to write songs that have the same depth and lyrics that really said something, but paired with an upbeat message and track. I ended up loving how these songs do feel good, but if you break down the lyrics they hopefully give the listener something to latch onto. For them to find themselves in the song is really the main objective. One of my favourite things about Country music is the wordplay - ‘Girl in it’ and ‘Way Out’ are testaments to this with how the phrases change meaning throughout song. We’ve also seen it from you before on ‘Got It All’. Has this playful lyrical style always been something you’ve aimed to include in your music? I’ve always been drawn to that, and I love the challenge of taking an idea and presenting it in different ways. Obviously you don’t want to do it on every song you put out, but at the same time, I do love it being a trademark of my work. If we can get it right, then hopefully it comes across in a really cool way and gives the listener different ways to process and think about it, which also adds a different layer to the song. This year, you set up the Pretty Good Ball Foundation, which aims to improve mental health awareness for musicians, as well as offering artists free access to therapy. What inspired you to start this foundation? For me, coming from a very small town in Georgia, I didn’t really know a lot about mental health - it was always something you didn’t talk about. No-one around me educated me on it, it was always a case of pulling up your boots and toughing things out. But last year, the pandemic gave me a chance to slow down and reflect on my own mental and emotional health. I got talking to people about their own experiences with therapy, and I thought, ‘You know what, I want to give this a try. Let’s see what I’ve been missing along the way that can help me be a better me.’ A big part of that was learning things about myself, and realising, ‘Oh okay, I see how I could have been the problem in that particular situation or in that particular relationship.’ What motivated you to focus on musicians’ mental health in particular? Nashville can be a really tough town, especially when you’re first moving there, and as a songwriter or musician, it can wear on your shoulders. Trying to navigate all that is tough. I’d talked to my manager, Neil, about setting up some kind of charity, but I didn’t know what I wanted it to be yet. After about a month of thinking about it, it just hit me. We’d always talked about starting a foundation called 'Pretty Good Ball’, which is a line out of my song, ‘Love Ya Son, Go Dawgs’, and I remember sending him a text saying, ‘Let’s set up a mental health fund for musicians and songwriters who need to talk to someone, but can’t afford it.’ They might be scared, so this can give them the anonymity and outlet to go for it. I also want to try and de-stigmatise a little bit. One of the main messages that I want Pretty Good Ball to spread is that two things can be true at once - you can still kick ass, write Country music and be a ‘Country person’, and still be just who you are, but at the same time recognise that it’s okay to not be okay sometimes, and that’s normal. It’s okay to talk to someone about that. The analogy I keep coming back to is that if something’s wrong with your car, it’s okay to take it to the mechanic, because we just don’t know enough about cars ourselves to fix it. Why are we any different? We teamed up with the Music Health Alliance, and they have the infrastructure to put our funding into place, and people can fill out an application to receive grants to talk to someone totally anonymously, which is awesome. At the same time, I want people to think, ‘Oh man, well if Ray’s out here talking about mental health, and if Ray’s okay with it, and Ray’s got his own struggles, then it’s okay if I do too.' That’s what made me want to put Pretty Good Ball in place, and people already seem to be rallying around it and asking questions in very much the same way that you did, saying, ‘What made you want to do this?’ It gives me the opportunity to talk to them about it and let them know it’s okay to be feeling how I’m feeling. That’s inspiring to hear, especially given the fact that Country music hasn’t historically been hugely open about mental health. Did this make it more difficult to take that step of founding Pretty Good Ball? There was a little anxiety about how it was going to be received, because no-one’s really heard me talk about mental health. Something I’ve learned in therapy is that the things you find uncomfortable are the things you should lean into. I just thought that, even if I’ve never navigated these waters before, on the other side of that uncomfortable feeling there’s something that’s hopefully really going to help people. On June 15th, you made your debut at the legendary Grand Ole Opry. What was that moment like when you received the invitation? Oh my gosh, that was such a bucket list moment. Both for me as a kid, being so into Country music, and also outside of music being such a history fan - I went to the University of Georgia and got a Social Sciences Education degree and a Masters degree where the emphasis was History - and when you combine music and history, the Grand Ole Opry is the mecca. There’s just something magical about that place. It felt a bit surreal, and you get a little bit excited and a little bit nervous at the same time. It’s hopefully a testament to how far we’ve come, and what kind of opportunity we have moving forward. It was a dream come true. You’ve written some of the biggest Country songs of the last few years with Luke Combs - such as ‘Does to Me’, and one of my favourite Country songs of all time, ‘When it Rains it Pours’. I wanted to ask you in particular about ‘Even Though I’m Leaving’, which is such a moving song about a boy’s relationship with his father. I read that it’s not based on real-life events - if that’s the case, how did you manage to get into that headspace and tell this story in such a personal way? That song was the first time Luke and I had ever written with Wyatt Durrette, who’s got a bunch of hits with Zac Brown and a couple of other guys. We were in there talking and we really didn’t have a good idea that morning, and then Wyatt goes, ‘Hey, I don’t know if y’all would be into this, but my son’s in high school now, and he’s gonna be going to college in a few years. I’ve always wanted to write a song for him because I need him to know that, when he does leave, I’ll always be there no matter what.’ All of us put ourselves in that first verse where you’re a little kid and you’re scared of monsters under the bed. After that, we talked about how we had a real opportunity here to impact people, so let’s figure out what the next verses need to look like in order for people to see a bit of themselves or someone they lost in the lyrics. In the third verse, the guy’s going off to war and the dad has to stay back - in that case it’s about war, but it can also apply to leaving home for the first time and going to college, taking a job and taking a chance, or chasing your dream and moving to Nashville, where it’s your first time having that real separation. The dad is just saying, ‘Wherever you’re at, I’m still gonna be behind you’, and I think that’s a really strong message. Even the end of the song, when someone passes on from this life, the message is that a part of them is always there, and I think a lot of people can relate to that and feel that. That song has drawn more messages and people coming up to me with tears in their eyes talking about it than any other song I’ve written. COVID-permitting, when can fans next expect to see you perform in the UK? I’m super excited to be going on tour in the US with Ashley McBride and Luke Combs this year, as well as playing a few festivals. As for the UK, I absolutely want to come over there - before COVID, I was supposed to play a couple of small shows in London, and I was really bummed that I couldn’t come. Neil works with The Cadillac Three, who love playing in the UK, so it’s always made me excited talking to them about it. I’m looking forward to it and hopefully in 2022 we’ll be over there a lot! Finally, we ask all our interviewees to name their favourite three songs that have a theme of mental health. What would be yours? 'I’m Movin' On' - Rascal Flatts 'Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On' - Jimmy Buffett 'Love Can Build a Bridge' - The Judds
Ray Fulcher's written smash hits with Luke Combs, performed at the Grand Ole Opry, and now he's set up his own mental health foundation, 'Pretty Good Ball'. Maxim talks to the budding Country star about his journey so far - and where he's headed next.
Photo by Rachel Deeb
"You can still kick ass and be a ‘Country person’, but at the same time recognise that it’s okay to not be okay sometimes, and that’s normal.”
Photo by Christian Hall
You can stream Ray Fulcher's 'Girl in it' EP on all platforms now!
Photo by Edgar Chaparro on Unsplash
Try To Be A Rainbow in Someone Else's Cloud- Maya Angelou
Man on the Moon III: Kid Cudi finds dawn after years of darkness in this modern epic
Kid Cudi occupies a peculiar space in music - his pioneering brand of emo-rap heavily influenced the sound of today’s heavyweights, such as Drake, Travis Scott and even Cudi’s own mentor, Kanye West. Yet most people either know him for his features on other artists’ songs, or his naughties club hit ‘Day N Nite’, and would struggle to name more than a handful of his solo tracks. Kid Cudi’s Man on the Moon albums have always dived deep into the topic of mental health, exploring territory that rappers have historically shied away from. They play as concept albums that are loosely based on reality, with Cudi personifying his mental demons as the fearsome ‘Mr. Rager’, and subsequently battling this alter-ego over the course of the project. This final instalment in the trilogy sees Cudi returning once more to a state of darkness and “dealing with the same pain he had not felt in years”. Kid Cudi has maintained a successful acting career alongside his music, and he purposefully gives Man on the Moon III the magnitude and drama of a movie soundtrack. He continues the homage to film by dividing the album into four Acts: in Act 1, Mr. Rager rattles angrily against the cage of Cudi’s mind on electric tracks such as ‘Tequila Shots’ and ‘Dive’, before breaking loose in Act 2 and grabbing the mic with trademark ferocity. This is epitomised by Cudi’s foray into drill music on ‘Show Out’, which features the late New York MC, Pop Smoke, and London’s Skepta. Even though Cudi is submerged once again into the mental anguish that pervades the original two Man on the Moon projects, something feels different this time around. Although ‘Tequila Shots’ has sobering lines such as “I won’t stop ’til I crash and burn’/Tell my mom I’m sorry”, the hook contains hints of resilience and determination to overcome his demons (“Hear me now, hey, this time I’m ready for it/This fight, this war in me”). The turning point arrives during ‘Solo Dolo, Pt. III’, which foreshadows the woozier second half of the album that’s to come. It begins with Kid Cudi at rock bottom, documenting his struggles with addiction, loneliness and suicidal thoughts (“Can’t hear me scream/Something twisted in me/Say, ‘I’m waiting to die,’ I cry”). But just over halfway through the song, Cudi’s voice breaks through the synth haze with a little more lucidity, and the lyrics take on a more optimistic sheen (“Lord, he show me that I’m tested and I’m gonna fly/I ain’t slippin’, no, that’s not for me/Be who you are, don’t be nothin’ less, please”). There’s an interesting shift in religious imagery compared to the start of the album, where Cudi feels frustrated that God is seemingly ignoring his prayers (“Asking God to help ‘em, are you hearing me?” & “Hm, talk to Him, He don’t speak back”). On ‘Solo Dolo, Pt. III’, Cudi begins by talking of being in Hell and waiting for the Devil to come - but then we hear the emphatic return to faith - “He’s calling me” - and this initiates the more hopeful perspective from Cudi in the second half of the song. On one level, Kid Cudi does appear to be talking literally about his faith, but this also seems to represent a sense of acceptance and trust in the path that he is on, rather than agonising over the existential questions that he mentions in Acts 1 and 2. We see this newfound belief, both in himself and in his journey, at the start of Act 3 on ‘Sad People’, such as in the lines, “Close call, life on the edge/Ah, when the time comes, I’ll find peace”, which he then follows with a defiant mission statement - “I can find love in me”. Acts 3 and 4 are generally lighter in their chosen palettes, but given the fact that the overall mood is one of optimism, it’s impressive the breadth of pain Cudi still manages to document and overcome on these songs. He takes us through grief on ‘Elsie’s Baby Boy (flashback)’ and issues with self-esteem on ‘Lovin’ Me’, which features Phoebe Bridgers. ‘Lovin’ Me’ seems to capture the fundamental message of this project - to express our feelings rather than bottle them up, and to be a little more compassionate towards ourselves (“At times I really didn’t show/What was wrong with me, wrong with me/I told myself I cannot grow/Without lovin’ me”). Act 3 finds Kid Cudi still struggling with his demons, but seeing glimpses of light and moments of realisation that guide him towards a more peaceful state of mind. It is in Act 4 that he enjoys the spoils of this new freedom, and the celebratory mood of the final four songs feels even more meaningful when they stand in contrast to the intensity of the previous three acts. ‘The Pale Moonlight’ is much more uptempo, with a signature Cudi hook that wriggles itself into your mind - and it would stay there, were it not for the other multitude of ear-worms that litter this project. ‘4 da Kidz’ underlines Cudi’s symbiotic relationship with his fans, and how their support has sustained him through his troubles, as well as an acknowledgment of the impact he’s had on his listeners - if an uber-successful, world-famous rap-star can struggle with his mental health, then it makes it clear that anyone can. I’m aware that I’ve made this sound like a tragic and intense record, and in many ways it is. But take it from someone who almost exclusively tries to listen to ‘happy music’ - there is plenty of enjoyment to be found amidst the soul-searching of Man on the Moon III. In fact, it is precisely because of the overwhelming sadness that underpins the first three acts, that the final act becomes such a satisfying, full-circle moment. However, as much as I love the music on this album, the coolest thing about Cudi’s latest offering has to be the artwork. Although it’s kind of a cliche, I really do think it epitomises the feel of the project as a whole - dark and ominous, whilst at the same time exploding with colour and vibrancy.
Image source: www.republicrecords.com
Man on the Moon III is available to stream on all platforms now!
“At times i really didn’t show What was wrong with me, wrong with me I told myself i cannot grow Without lovin’ me.”
Photo by James Owen on Unsplash
We’ve all seen the mass debate that goes on surrounding autotune and its heavy use in pop music. It often gets a bad rep as we see successful artists belt out pitchy live performances whilst talented singer after talented singer fails to make it to the big time – leaving us all feeling somewhat duped. More recently though autotune has found its own place in creativity; artists like T-Pain and Lil Yachty have been big advocates for using autotune not to sneakily fix their poor vocals but to gain a specific timbre and feel. It’s become another one of the many electronic instruments in today’s musical arsenal and personally I think it’s great. Music has always been about experimentation and new technology even in the days when the all-singing and dancing piano swept aside the trusty old harpsichord. My question is whether sampling has followed the same arc – can we call it creative or is it a writing shortcut? The most famous example of sampling ever is Clyde Stubblefield’s instantly recognisable solo on James Brown’s ‘Funky Drummer’. Asked by Brown to riff a solo drum beat Clyde himself came up with the catchy fill. The way the song drops away momentarily leaving Clyde's exposed kit made it a dream for samplers over the years. The beat has actually featured in thousands of songs, most notably in hip hop, and can be credited as the hard-hitting start to N.W.A’s ‘Straight Outta Compton’. The problem for me with this side of sampling is that being a lowly instrumentalist in the band fronted by James Brown means that Clyde never really got any credit; I’m sure nearly all of you reading would recognise his drum beat, but not his name. The genius mind behind one of the most iconic drum beats of all time gets his work used on song after song regardless of genre yet he went largely unrecognised until his death – it hardly seems fair. My other issue with the mass use of the famous ‘Funky Drummer’ lick is just how common and recognisable it has become. This is not a slight on the beat itself or its composer, but more how it has been used. To me it smacks of a lack of creativity that over the span of decades the same drum beat has been near enough the staple of chart music. Yes, it’s iconic and it does sound great, so you can’t blame people for wanting to use it – but how hard would it have really been to come up with your own beat? Now that I know about the ‘Funky Drummer’ I find myself tuned into it and almost cringing every time I hear it in a modern pop song – I just can’t help but think, ‘Could you not have just spent a little time thinking up something different?’ This is furthered in today’s chart music. Over the last ten years or so it has been extremely popular to take an iconic riff, lyric or melody from an extremely popular old song and slap it into anywhere it fits. Poor old Robin S. themselves must be fed up of hearing the catchy melody from ‘Show me Love’ (although I’m sure their accountants don’t mind). It just feels like a bit of a cheat to me. Even in the songs where the sample has been used slightly differently, like an instrumental melody becoming the vocal line, it just seems unfair that you could pick out something that you know people love and fill out your song with it. I’d compare it to attempting to write a novel then filling the whole middle section with well-known excerpts from Shakespeare or Stephen King; sure the middle of your book may be amazing but I’m hardly going to give you credit for it. An example in the charts as I write this is ‘Your Love’ which samples ATB’s ‘9 PM’. This is an interesting one in that ATB is also involved in the rework but the point still stands. I must admit I do like the song but using his most famous riff as the centrepiece for a ‘brand new’ song just leaves me feeling conned; has he not come up with anything better since then? It feels like the song has been approached with an ‘if it ain’t broke’ attitude in which when sat in the studio ATB simply dipped into his files and remarked, ‘Well this did the trick last time’. So I'm being a little harsh, maybe a lot harsh. There's still a lot that goes into a song and sampling a small part doesn't mean you don't deserve credit. I mentioned the autotune argument earlier and I could easily write a whole article about it being cheaply used to fix poor vocals, but it would be unfair without touching on the artistry of it. Sampling is no different. Having recently fallen into the addictive trap that is TikTok, I stumbled upon a user named @tracklibofficial. On this channel famous songs (mainly hip hop but not exclusively) are broken down and the origin of the sample is shown before a demonstration of how it has been chopped, edited and re-worked. It absolutely blows my mind how these samples are used. Sure there are some examples where as soon as the original is played the sample becomes obvious, but for most of them you'd have no idea. A great one is the breakdown of Drake’s ‘Started From the Bottom’. The original play through of a classical piano piece leaves you feeling bemused before it is revealed that very particular notes throughout are chopped up, rearranged and repeated to make the famous piano melody that underpins the song. A Tribe Called Quest’s ‘Award Tour’ is an interesting one too, in which three different songs are picked apart to create the backing. It’s hard to comprehend how three songs from different genres that sound nothing alike come together to create one hit. It’s even more interesting when it is a song you know well as you know how it ends up, but seeing how they fit in other songs, how they’re pulled apart and where they come from is so interesting. Although I still stand by my point that samples of longer melodies or entire instrumentals can show a lack of creativity, sampling in this sense is anything but. It really speaks to the vision and talent of some of these producers when they can create something new from something old; especially in examples like ‘Started from the Bottom’. Watching these TikToks, I find myself thinking, ‘Where did they even find that song, and how did they have the vision to pull it apart and come up with a completely separate thing?’ This is even more impressive when you look back before technology was as advanced as it is today; sampling didn’t used to be simple copies and pastes, but involved the physical act of mixing records or actually cutting and sticking together pieces of tape in order to re-work and fragment songs enough to use for something else. I can’t even begin to imagine the skill involved in precisely cutting up bits of tape whilst using them to make a new song. I think sampling has followed the same arc as autotune, and will continue to cause debate. The reality is that, like autotune, it is both an art-form and a shortcut really depending on how it’s used. There are some songs where sampling does feel like a bit of a cheat; where creativity takes a back seat and the same repetitive tune from the 90's hits our radios once more. There are, however, songs where sampling shows creativity and skill at an amazing level. The ability to hear one song and have the vision to manipulate it to make something entirely unrelated is crazy to me, and when you start to see examples where two, three or four songs of entirely different sounds and genres are brought together to create a whole new sound, it’s hard to make any arguments about shortcuts or creativity. I implore anyone who is interested in music at all to look at some of the breakdowns of sampled songs by @tracklibofficial, or go on YouTube and find some yourself. I guarantee it will blow your mind.
Photo by Bruno Araujo on Unsplash
Mental Health Contacts If you need assistance with your mental health please follow the link below to find a list of contacts and organisations that can help you
www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression /mental-health-helplines/
Albums to look out for...
Certified Lover Boy - Drake (TBC) It feels a bit like cheating to just keep putting this album here but the matter of the fact is that it is still not with us! After we were promised the release early in 2021 Drake has kept us waiting and waiting; and with anticipation ever rising and Drake taking his sweet time, surely this project has to deliver, right?
Coming Next Issue Vinyl Therapy Bo Burnham's Inside - A Review
GOOD TIME - Niko Moon (Out August 27th) Niko Moon made his name writing hits for Zac Brown Band, but last year he stepped into his own spotlight with the party-starting anthem, ‘Good Time’. Now he’s dropping his debut album of the same name, and it looks set to continue his slick combination of irresistible Country hooks with Hip-Hop-influenced beats. If you like this, then make sure to also check out Nelly’s Country-crossover album, HEARTLAND, which is out on the same day.
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