Combining music and mental health
ISSUE 8
Wren Kelly Tom Cary Essie Jain + Vinyl Therapy +The Importance of Not Being Earnest ...and more!
OCTOBER 2021
MINDFUL Melody
NIKO MOON: Spreading joy through music
+ Interviews
Introducing...Us!
3
Vinyl Therapy
4
Interview: Essie Jain - creating healing music for all ages
5
The 90's Country Comeback
8
Review: Bo Burnham's 'INSIDE' - Dark Comedy and Music Combine
10
Interview: Wren Kelly - Tackling Society and Mental Health
12
Top 10 Songs for Concentration
14
Music, Mental Health and Me #8: Maxim - The Importance of Not Being Earnest
16
Cover Interview: Niko Moon - Country Music Trailblazer
18
Music Mental Health and Me #8: Enjoying The Ride
21
Interview: Tom Cary - Ending Country's Heartbreak Streak
23
Quote of the Issue
26
Review: Scotty McCreery paints a moving picture through the eyes of 'The Waiter'
27
Make Yourself a Musical Photo Album
29
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
Photo by Dorien Monnens on Unsplash
When I was growing up music was very much consumed via a CD and a CD player. The cars had CD players, we had CD players in our bedrooms and I was even lucky enough to have a portable player. This has now of course been replaced with USB connections, AUX chords, Bluetooth and streaming. Realistically CDs just aren't that necessary in the modern climate when we have so much available to us on our portable devices. With that in mind, why the hell are vinyl records outselling CDs? I mean let's look at it logically; vinyls are huge, brittle, worse in sound quality, expensive to buy and can only be played on huge record players that you can't take anywhere. Add in there all the skips, scratches and imperfections that come with a vinyl record and it seems that in a world where CDs are pointless vinyls are living with the dodos. So what is it that attracts us so much to vinyl? As I've touched upon, it certainly isn't practicality. In fact you could almost say the fact that vinyls aren't very practical is what makes them so appealing. CDs have a clear sound quality that matches the best that our ears can hear, but what they never will have is character. It's always been an interesting debate because just about everyone seems to agree but no one can quite explain it. Records are romantic; the fuzzy analogue buzz that adds an extra layer of texture to your track; the act of laying the record on the deck and placing the needle; watching the record spin and the gentle and soothing crackles leave the speaker. Something intangible about records makes them so much more appealing than CDs. Their imperfections almost give them a human quality and their analogue nature a relatability that digital perfection could never match. Listening to a record is an experience; life slows for a brief moment as we take the time to read the sleeves, place the needle and wait for the excitement of our call to action when the music ceases and the record needs flipping. Aside from a personal experience perspective there's also the market. As I said before, CDs are pointless and practicality states records are too. However, because of their adulation and popularity, as well as the lauding of all things retro, the market still exists. Over the past few years I've built a habit of buying physical copies of albums I particularly enjoy as almost a keepsake or memento. In instances like this people would much prefer to buy vinyl than CD. The analogue experience adds a new inflection to the music and moving back to that intangible thing, records are just nicer to have. Of course we can't talk markets without talking money. We've seen recently the resurgence of Pokémon trading cards. As people attempt to relive their youth the cards have become more popular, as a result they've become more expensive and the cycle continues. Now these cards are selling for thousands and have become a collectors item for all those that can afford them. Records are following a similar route. Although they may be fairly expensive to buy, vinyls hold their value, at a minimum usually. If you take a look online at some of the first edition prints of classic albums they too can easily fetch thousands. For this reason buying, selling and collecting vinyls has become its own hobby. You can now easily go to car boot sales and buy job lot collections of vinyls for dirt cheap before scouring through to see if you've found yourself a hidden treasure. I can see the appeal, even if you don't end up making a huge profit it's a fun gamble to make and worst case scenario you end up with a huge collection of loads of really cool vinyls. So in reality, it's no surprise that records are outselling CDs. Vinyl is imperfect and impractical and ultimately that's why we love it. I'd say other than live music Vinyl is the best way to experience any record. The analogue warmth, although intangible, is recognised by all and it adds a whole new depth to songs. Plus for me the act of choosing a record, setting it up before sitting back and listening is a great form of home therapy and relaxes you like nothing else. For people who have never used or listened to vinyl it is basically impossible to explain, but the closest I would come is to the bond an owner forms with their horrifically broken, unreliable and smelly old car. In the end you find comfort in the imperfections and stepping into a new car, although practically a much better choice, just wouldn't feel quite as satisfying. It may drive perfectly but what's the fun in that! As an end note to this article I'd like to give a shout out to @vinylfancollector. Our many chats about records inspired me to write this piece so for some great Vinyl content check out their Instagram page and online shop!
You’ve released a number of lullabies, such as your latest single, ‘For Everyone’ and the Until the Light of Morning project. You specify that this is aimed at both children and adults - what drew you to creating this form of music, and what inspired you to aim it not only at children but at adults too? I was a nanny for many years, working as a musician and looking after a bunch of really cool kids when we lived in New York. My friend Anne said to me, "Essie, your voice would be perfect for singing to children.” I think there was a certain softness that had come across in my work that she just felt would be a really good pairing. So it was really inspired by this group of children. All the parents were saying they were driven completely bonkers by children’s music - it seemed so simplistic, in-your-face and sometimes sort of aggressive. I thought, ‘There’s got to be a way to bridge the gap and make it palatable and listenable.’ If you have a lullaby album that’s on repeat in your children’s lives, you don’t want to be driven bananas listening to it! I have full songs for the first part of the record, and then I take it down to instrumentals using a lot of humming work, and then it just falls off the map. The idea of the album was that it would come in sweet and thoughtful, and then it just drifts away. The thinking is that you could step out of the room and leave it playing with your child, then the child would fall asleep after a certain point, and then the rest of the record wouldn’t impact it. Some of the music was quite meditative towards the end of the project, and that sparked the continuing journey that brings us to today. You’ve said previously that your 2020 single, ‘Hold Us’, was written “amidst a wave of rising, changing and uprooting times in the world”. To say the least! During 2020 in particular, people leaned on music more than ever. How has music has helped you, whether through creating or listening? It was an interesting year for me as an artist, because at the end of 2018, before we moved to LA, I had finished the album As I Return, and I had a feeling at the time that that was going to be a little bit of a pause button. It was a really intense album to make. Then I was pregnant with my daughter, and no matter what anybody says about it, that really does take over your life, and it can take over your creativity as well. So I spent more time playing and singing music with her. She’s now old enough where we can be separated more, so I’ve been able to dive back in. I thought the only thing I can really do is a series of singles, before I start work on a new album, so I embarked on that. I think for me, I then leaned on other artists that I loved that were making beautiful work and used that for both my daughter and for me. Our house got filled with music, just as I’m sure my music filled other houses. But things got more live, like you’d sing around the house and do more of that kind of stuff. When listening to some artists’ meditation music, I think it can be quite easy for your mind to wander and get off track, particularly it’s just a repeating tone, for example. I find your music particularly conducive, because there always seems to be a focal point. ‘Opening’, for example, is relaxing, but there’s also a sense of energy and movement about it. Is it a conscious decision to give it this vibrancy, or does it flow naturally out of your songwriting? Being in this field, I also found a lot of music in the healing arts had tipped a little bit too far into background music. I think that was quite conscious to bring more of a journey and an arc, so that it wouldn’t disturb you, but you ride the wave with it. You’d be surfing the wave continuously, you’re not going to get knocked off the board! I’ve had that feeling throughout almost everything I’ve made of some kind of travelling and channeling, I’m always dancing between worlds. I think when you’re a songwriter it’s hard to make flatline music, you’re always trying to bring magic in somehow. Patrick, my husband, plays the guitar and we’ve worked together for about 20 years, so if I have something on the table and invite him in, he’s really seamless about bringing tuneful aspects with his playing that doesn’t interfere. The theme of mothering has been extremely consistent in feedback from adults, families and people who used the music to meditate to. In a sense, it mothers the mother. I’ve had a lot of interesting dialogue with people about feeling like they were comforted in some way or held in a space. I think there’s a big theme of travelling within mental health, of having to deal with change, whether it’s moving house, getting a new job, and so on. As you’re often in that space musically, would you have any advice for getting comfortable with change and being in that space between spaces? I think I’ve learnt in time to see that space as being full of possibilities, because change is always constant, so every moment that’s difficult is replaced in two years or so with the most magical things. You can’t see ahead of you what's happening, but everything is working with you. There’s a presence with you that’s rooting for you even when things are difficult, because then down the line you can look back over that time and realise all the pieces to the jigsaw puzzle that were coming together. I think it’s important to really try to understand the lessons when things are difficult as well, and really feel all of the feelings. I think that’s probably the biggest thing for me, when it is difficult, painful or complex, just to really sit and be still with that, allowing the feelings to move through the body. As a musician, you might fumble around trying to work out how to put a piece together, but then the next day in ten minutes it just arrives. You described your 2018 album, As I Return, as a ‘medicine album’, which I love. As is the case with a lot of your work, you weave therapeutic practices into the music. Could you shed some light on how you do this? I had been starting to get emails from people talking about the way that the music had filtered into their lives, and it got very, very deep. I had emails from nurses on terminal care wards, hospice care workers, people talking about loss they’d experienced - the emails I was getting said how my music completely changed their field. I even had emails about its use in micro-dosing and for PTSD. I remember sitting there, absorbing the type of emails that were coming in, writing back to these people, and engaging in this dialogue. So when I began As I Return, all of those emails struck a chord and gave me permission to get quite 'out there' and be improvisational in the work. I felt a strong presence of four very different energies that came through for the four pieces, and going back to what we were talking about before, the trick is sitting still long enough to allow it all to come in. With that record, I just allowed this spontaneous thing to come down and through, and just began recording. With all those people in mind and all those areas of the healing arts that I knew the music was going into, it gave me this incredible freedom. I knew I was making this for something way bigger than me, I’m merely a human who happened to be able to catch it at the right moment. Some people that read this might be sceptical of practices like reiki and energy medicine. Given your vast experience in a number of the healing arts, if you were going to recommend that someone who is sceptical tries just one, which one practice would you say is the most helpful and accessible? I think I would probably go to the body first, because the body holds everything. It holds experiences in your organs, in your knees, etc., and I think that part of you has to be undone first. I would recommend an energy worker that works strongly with undoing the knots in the physical body. I remember when I started with a friend of mine who did body work on me, and I think that was the beginning of uncovering the journey of things that had been stuck in me. Then I think I started healing as that undid itself. Then after that, you can start to work into the mind and the spirit. You recite the mantra 'namaha' in your song ‘The Blessing’. I’m a big fan of mantras, and I’m fascinated by how there seems to be such power in the combination of sound and words. What would you say distinguishes a mantra from everyday language? Definitely the intention behind it, I think that’s probably the most important part. Anything can be a mantra if it resonates and comes out of you in voice and in thought. Whenever there are voices present, I think it's really important to listen to them. Mantras have started as a thought or idea, and then they’ve been brought together and the repetition of them is what gives them their power, and allows your nervous system and body to absorb them. I think if you’re going through something difficult, sometimes words can just come to you if you’re still enough to listen, and you kind of carry a personal mantra around. I have a friend who sticks them on the fridge, things that have just arrived in her, and maybe they don’t make sense immediately, but then she starts to absorb them. I think she just looks at them, as opposed to trying to express them in any way, but they have that same impact. Sanskrit is really so poetic, it’s a beautiful language, so it’s nice to drift into that and have this mantra, and even though it’s not in English for some reason you’re still absorbing it. That’s the power of language. The titles of your albums As I Return and To Love follow on nicely from one another, to the extent that they could combine to make the phrase ‘As I return to love’. Is this intentional, and when can fans expect a follow-up project? As I Return was titled that way because it was me coming to grips with the fact that I was going to embrace working in this field. It’s all a little bit of a happy accident, because a friend of ours who teaches yoga in New York said, ‘Why don’t you and Patrick come and play some music and we’ll see what happens?' I remember feeling at home there. Everything about it felt right and natural, and my husband felt the same, so we really dug in and made the album To Love, and at the same time carried on playing for yoga classes. So it was kind of like, ‘Oh, whoops, we’re suddenly doing this!’ Then of course the emails had begun and the record got put out, and the journey between the two of those albums was me getting really comfortable with my work and seeing that it was totally cool to come from having an indie background, and to make a jump into this really incredible field. It was much more ‘me’ - I didn’t like playing clubs and going on at 11:30pm, I was always too delicate and sensitive for all of that. It really wore me down. Playing music for live reiki and doing shows at 12pm was just way, way more my vibe! I just embraced who I was and what was happening. I’m currently working on two projects, the first is a series of instrumental works. Then there’s another album which follows on a little bit from As I Return, but it is a bit more mantra-focussed, but done in English. It’s really cool to work on two projects at the same time, when you’re working on instrumental work on the piano and then you’re working on voice-work they complement each other. Are you planning on bringing your new projects out on vinyl? The lullaby album is probably going to do a vinyl print at the same time, so that’s in the works. The albums might arrive digitally first - with vinyl you have to put it all together, you don’t want to be doing it in pieces, so it’s really got to be a moment where the catalogue gathers together and you can do a series of issues. The artist who did the lullaby album has this beautiful, full piece of artwork that opens up, so the idea would be to sell some artwork within the vinyl, which could be put up in a children’s nursery. Finally, a question we ask all our interviewees is to name their top 3 songs with a theme of mental health - what would be yours? 1. Priyagitah - Benjy Wertheimer and Steve Gorn 2. Someone To Watch Over Me - Keith Jarrett 3. Golden Voice - Bhagavan Das Essie's latest single, 'For Everyone', is available on all platforms now!
Essie Jain Maxim talks to the singer-songwriter about getting comfortable with change, creating healing music for all ages, and why she traded in club crowds for live yoga and reiki classes
Photo by Patrick Glynn
Photo by Natalie Johns
When you think of ‘Generation-Z’ - the (often negative) title given to those born from 1997 onwards - what comes to mind? Progressive attitudes towards social issues? A love of Tik-Tok? Cancel culture? I can almost guarantee that what you don’t think of is a deep appreciation for Country music - at all - let alone 90’s Country music. Although I personally love this era of Country, it is known for its stereotypically corny lyrics, its flamboyant dress sense, and - above all - for being definitively, unashamedly uncool. If you want a whistle-stop tour through all the stereotypes of this era of Country music, then have a watch of Alan Jackson’s Chattahoochee music video. But recent Spotify stats show that 90’s Country has become increasingly popular with Gen-Z listeners, and this trend shows no sign of slowing down - in fact, quite the opposite. And if you’re still not convinced of the Retro-Country Revolution, just take a look around. For better or for worse, mullets are back. If your beanie doesn’t have the Carhartt logo - a fashion brand frequently referenced in Country music as being the working man’s clothing choice - then it isn’t trendy. It seems there’s something in the air - but why? Why does Gen-Z like old-school Country culture? As hard (and hilarious) as it might be to picture a collaboration between Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish and Jimmy Buffett, I’m here to argue that, in a weird way, it kind of makes sense. Although, in my view, a lot of modern Country is great, I think it’s still too tainted by the ‘Bro-Country’ wave of the 2010’s, which was labelled by many as aggressively macho and chauvinistic, for it to fit into the woke worldview of Gen-Z. By contrast, 90’s Country music had substance, charm and an underlying respect for women. George Strait’s affable and gentlemanly ‘Check Yes or No’ epitomises this (“Do you love me? Do you wanna be my friend? And if you do, well then don’t be afraid to take me by the hand - if you want to”). But can we really say that this period of Country was more ‘woke’ than modern Country? The 90’s saw the rise of female powerhouses such as Shania Twain, Trisha Yearwood, Reba McEntire, Martina McBride and Faith Hill, to name just a few. But even so, the Country charts were male-dominated, and the often conservative and right-leaning political views of the era’s superstars would hardly fare too well under Gen-Z scrutiny. So I don’t think this is necessarily what makes 90’s Country so alluring. As my name is not Daniel Ek, Tim Cook or Jeff Bezos, I unfortunately don’t have all the streaming stats and figures and algorithms that would help determine the hard, cold facts about the reasons behind Gen-Z’s listening habits. So I have to speak mainly from my own experience as a Country aficionado who would (sometimes begrudgingly, and sometimes willingly) be classified as being part of ‘Gen-Z’. Personally, I love classic Country music for a number of reasons. But a key aspect that draws me to it is the charm of its simplicity. There’s an innocence about the way the artists sing about the complexities of life and love. And this isn’t by any means because they avoid the difficult topics - Country music is renowned for facing up to gritty, real-life struggles concerning grief, ageing, infidelity, and so on. But they tackle these topics with a glint in their eye and a straight-forward, front-porch wisdom that seems to boil down and simplify the issues, assembling them into bitesize, 3-minute-long sermons that you can take with you through your day. It’s like your headphones are giving you a warm, reassuring hug. This is undoubtedly a form of escapism, of losing yourself in another time where everything seemed a little simpler, a little slower and a little easier. Because let’s face it, the world today is complicated, to say the least. Social media, globalisation, 24-hour news telling us all the horrors that humanity is capable of - oh, and that other little-known thorn in our side, Covid. In reality, I’m sure ‘The Good Ole’ Days’ probably weren’t as rosy and easygoing as the image we have of them, and the world had plenty of pressing problems to rival the ones we’re dealing with today. But even if it wasn’t really as great as it’s made out to be, it still seems that way in the music that came from that era. So why can’t we treat it as such, for our own benefit? If anything, the exaggeration of Country culture in the 90’s - the huge Stetsons, the flannel shirts, the Wrangler jeans, and the tales of rodeo men missing their loves at home - only helps to make this feel like a whole other world, which adds to the escapism of it all. In a way, I think the fact that this culture might be considered ‘uncool’, as I mentioned at the start of this article, only makes it more appealing to today’s generation. Being ‘cool’ isn’t really ‘in’ anymore, to the extent that being counterculture and wearing things that are a little out of the ordinary is the new cool. The irony is, when George Strait starting donning the typical cowboy look, it was a time when it was out of fashion to dress like this - Country singers were being encouraged to wear more reserved outfits and leave their snakeskin boots in the past. So this was already uncool, then Strait made it cool, then it became uncool again in the 2010’s, and now it’s still uncool, but that actually means it’s...cool? …Okay, I’ve lost track a little, but you hopefully get the gist! The final point I want to make about 90’s Country is kind of ‘meta’, in that what I’m going to say cuts through all the noise and reduces it down to its basics, much in the same way that the music of that era did itself. I’m going through a massive George Strait phase at the moment, eagerly devouring all of the hits and double-hits and triple-hits that pervade his colossal discography. And if you asked me why I’m really into him at the moment, it’s partially for the reasons I’ve been outlining in this article. But at the heart of it all is a simple truth - at least for me - about these songs. Yes, they have an endearing simplicity and innocence about them. Yes, I think the somehow wacky and eccentric yet at the same time down-home and authentic culture surrounding that period of Country music is fantastic. But above all, at the risk of sounding overly sentimental and nostalgic, it’s just great music. Simple as that. Some of the songs are lyrical gems, telling stories with an unrivalled dexterity and tenderness, like Strait’s ‘So Much Like My Dad’ and Reba’s ‘Fancy’, while others are just plain, good, silly fun, like our old friend, ‘Chattahoochee’ and Buffett’s ‘Margaritaville’. So whether you’re a member of Gen-Z or not, if you want to momentarily get away from the often unnerving, disheartening truths of modern life, then dive headfirst into the weird and wonderful world of 90’s Country music. It’ll get silly, it’ll get emotional, and - take it from me - it’ll probably make you cry. Whether they’re tears of laughter or tears of catharsis depends on whether you’re playfully rejecting rocket scientists and Brad Pitt on Shania’s ‘That Don’t Impress Me Much’, or eavesdropping on an AA meeting in Kenny Chesney’s ‘That’s Why I’m Here’. There also seems to be an deep-rooted sense of admiration and respect in modern Country for the artists that came before - something that isn’t necessarily mirrored in other genres. Today’s Country stars, such as HARDY (‘To Hank’) and Logan Mize (‘George Strait Songs’), to name just a couple, are keeping the old-school Country spirit alive by continuing to tip their baseball caps to the greats of the genre. In the process, they’re encouraging new generations to test out these retro offerings, and judging by the aforementioned Spotify stats, it certainly seems to be working. On a personal level, it was Scotty McCreery’s ‘Damn Strait’, which is full of George Strait references, that sparked my newfound interest in delving into the so-called ‘King of Country’'s repertoire. Given the fact that the 90’s Country resurgence seems to be here to stay, I’d highly recommend you hop onto the Western bandwagon. Otherwise you might be branded as being - heaven forbid - ‘cool’. And we all know how Gen-Z feel about that… Here’s a playlist of some of my favourite classic Country tracks to get you started… Maxim's 90's Country Playlist
The 90's Country Comeback: why cowboy hats and honky-tonks are striking a chord with Gen-Z
Like many people I've had a fairly turbulent last couple of years. I do feel lucky in a sense as I know things have been a lot worse for a lot of people but even those of us that escaped 2020 relatively unscathed still didn't have a good time. The issue I find is that whilst people are losing jobs, their sanity and sometimes even their lives, social media remains a hive of bragging, fake sentiments and ideals. For me this is what was so appealing about the idea of Bo Burnham's Netflix special, 'Inside'. A dark and depressing view of someone slowly losing their mind whilst locked inside is hardly my idea of a pick-me-up, but the refreshing honesty and comforting reminder that it is OK to be going a little stir crazy is frankly quite refreshing. What I find particularly genius about this weird and wonderful feature is the pure creativity on show. The set involves the interior of a small house or flat occupied by Bo. It is unclear whether this is his real living arrangement, but judging on his previous success I'd guess that in reality he lives somewhere a little bigger; but that simply wouldn't fit the show's dynamic. The house becomes increasingly messy as the show goes on with various cables, equipment and technical junk mixed in with random general clutter such as clothes, pots and bed sheets that have found their way onto the floor. I have to assume this was entirely deliberate to underline the increasingly unstable state of Bo's mind (either that or he is an appalling house guest). The premise of the project as a watchable commodity is meta in itself, in that the 'plot' (if you could call it that) is just us watching Bo create the special itself - as if we are observers at the zoo or in some sort of social experiment. The music, however, is where my real admiration lies. A curious mix of short skits, modern comedic classics, show-tune like drama and classic pessimism. 'White Woman's Instagram' for example is just brilliant. Although it doesn't speak much to the climate or his state of mind (as many of the songs actually don't) it perfectly captures the same reason I found the show refreshing in the first place. Satirically picking apart all of the things you tend to see on Instagram such as cute dogs or sunny days out before asking "is this heaven?", Bo picks apart the facade of perfection that is social media bit by bit when he announces it is just a 'White Woman's Instagram'. Not only is it comedy gold but it's a cunning commentary on a world with social media at its centre. 'Unpaid Intern' is similarly hilarious. Sung in an upbeat and jazzy style the song once again takes aim and does serious damage. "Barely people, somehow legal" is the line that epitomises the short feature. Bo clearly takes issue with the way in which young students are put through their paces without getting any reward, whilst feeling more and more that their expensive education was not worthwhile. Delivering such serious and protesting lyrics in such a fun tune makes it just seem more funny and it cracks me up every time. 'How the World Works' is possibly the most scathing of all. Singing in the style of one of those fun and educational tracks presented to many kids, Bo begins by telling the textbook and often idealised version of how the world works, talking about nature and animals and how everything works together to keep the world spinning. He then introduces 'Socko' who after a fun intro begins to sing in the very same tune about genocide, peadophilia, politics and just about everything else that seems to be wrong with how our modern society functions. The way he is able to deliver such a burning assessment whilst also pretending to voice a sock puppet on a children's song is bizarre in itself, and despite the sour message you can't help but chuckle at the delivery. I also have to admire him for coming out with all the criticisms that he does, a lot of accusations are thrown and although I don't know enough to get behind any of them, it's interesting to see someone coming out and being so open with their criticisms in this way. 'Bezos 1' and 'Bezos 2' are just strange. Annoyingly catchy earworms that take the subject of Amazon's extremely wealthy owner, these songs are random and I'm not even sure how or why they are included. Whatever their purpose they are still hilariously funny and you'll be singing them for days after. 'Welcome to the Internet' is one of my favourites. The heavily repeated line "Can I interest you in everything all of the time" for me is an extremely clever commentary on the overload of content and information presented to us online. The song throughout presents an in-depth interpretation of all the weird and wonderful things to be found online whilst also talking about the way it has impacted our society. I find the end the most interesting. Addressed to the latest generation, Bo, speaking as almost a salesperson representing the Internet, as he has been the whole song, sings that this is the generation we have been waiting for. He sings about how they've been handed iPads as toddlers and have almost been handcrafted for a purpose. It is actually, once again, a very clever criticism of technology companies and big online corporations who Bo is making out are extremely excited at the idea of a new generation for whom the world revolves around the Internet. 'All Eyes on Me' is my absolute favourite, partly because it's actually just a good song to listen to. It's extremely atmospheric and catchy and I've spent a couple of car journeys already with it loaded on repeat. If you listen to it via watching the special or on Spotify, listen to the full version and not 'song only' as there is also an endearing, honest and interesting monologue from Bo himself in the middle. He discusses how he had decided to take a break for his mental health and that just as things had improved for him and he was planning to return to gigs Covid struck. It's a situation I'm sure a lot of people can relate to and after hearing a whole special full of not so serious songs and sentiments it was really interesting to hear at the end something which felt so honest and real. 'Inside' for me is probably one of the scariest things on Netflix, in the same way 'Black Mirror' makes for terrifying viewing. There aren't frightening monsters or jump scares but instead we are confronted with realism. A 'worst case' take on what has happened, could happen now or might happen in the distant future. For me, watching the decline of someone's mental state in lockdown, or indeed seeing how technology available to us now could result in our own downfall, is far more terrifying than giant aliens that (as far as I'm aware) don't exist. Whilst watching the special for the first time I must admit I was a little confused, but I couldn't take my eyes off of the screen. It was only after I finished watching that I knew what I'd seen was really amazing. The fact that I felt simultaneously horrified, amused, entertained and bemused is a real credit to Bo's vision. I had this feeling that I'd just been involved in something great. The whole thing, including the music, was all written, produced and recorded by Bo himself and that just adds to my deep admiration for the talent and creativity on show. On top of the feature full of creative shots and lighting is the brilliant soundtrack. Funny enough to make you cry laughing and sad enough to make you just cry; it's a superb piece of art. The way Bo captures a lot of what people were feeling during lockdown (with some exaggeration for comedic affect) is brilliant and I implore you all to give it a watch, or even just to give the soundtrack a listen.
Bo Burnham's 'INSIDE' - Dark Comedy and Music Combine
Hi Wren! Thanks so much for talking to me today! You recently released ‘Game Over’- what was the inspiration behind this song? ‘Game Over’ is about how anxious I can be in regards to creating, and to life in general really; the track is specifically about music but it could be related to anything. I feel like everyone feels a lot of pressure to succeed in whatever they do and it can really strip the joy out of things. It can make things feel like a chore and it’s hard to even celebrate your successes that you do have when you’re constantly waiting for the axe to drop, so to speak. That’s pretty much what ‘Game Over’ is about and just like that general feeling of anxiety and being able to navigate through that. The line in the song ‘secure yourself before the bank’ is a very powerful one and for me is a great commentary on a society that often prioritises success over mental health - how important do you think it is that we take the time to focus on ourselves in an increasingly busy lifestyle? I think that it’s crucial; and that’s where that line comes from. There’s this overwhelming narrative, especially in the last few years, that productivity just relates to getting money; getting as much money as possible and monetising everything, monetising your passions and your hobbies and your existence. It can be really draining and I think that it’s really crucial to take time for your mental health for “self care”, therapy and all of those things. If you don’t do those things success doesn’t really matter because you’re not going to be able to enjoy it, and what’s the point if you don’t enjoy it? Also, if you are accumulating a lot of money but you’re not mentally stable then chances are you’ll spend the money in the wrong ways, unhealthy ways, or you’ll lose it all anyway. In ‘Game Over’ you say ‘one day you’re gonna miss this part that went too fast’ - why do you think it is important that we sometimes re-focus our attention on the present and enjoy the smaller things in life rather than always worrying about the future? I think that it’s important because obviously the future is not guaranteed regardless. If you’re always looking forward to the future it comes back to that question of 'What is the point of it?' If you’re always thinking about the future then when you get to what you’re thinking about today, if I’m then thinking about a month from now, a year from now or five years from now, then when I get to that deadline I’ll be thinking about five years from then. If you don’t stay present your finish line so to speak will always be bumped ahead a few feet, then another few feet. I think, personally, I’ve had a few crazy experiences in my life that so many people would say ‘That must have been great’ or ‘crazy’ or ‘exciting’, and I can’t relate at all because I wasn’t emotionally present and I didn’t appreciate it while I was in it. I feel like I cheated myself out of moments that I was physically there for but wasn’t emotionally participating in. The song tackles some big issues relating to mental health and modern society but is presented in a way that sounds so relaxed and chilled out - with a simple drum beat, smooth vocals and a steady tempo. Was this a deliberate choice, and if so, why did you choose to go this way? It wasn’t deliberate in the sense that I didn’t set out for it to be this way. I don’t write to music, generally speaking. A theme that’s maybe not so apparent but is just there for some reason in the lyrics and the artwork is playing ‘Mario’ on Nintendo 64. I don’t really know where it came from - I wasn’t like, ‘I’m going to write a song that’s influenced by mental health, the music industry and ‘Mario’’. Sonically it’s just about being laidback and that kind of reminds me of playing that game a lot when I was a kid. It kind of goes back to not being present when you’re doing things. I also like the way that it sounds like someone reminiscing and going about your day absent mindedly thinking about those things. It’s not super climactic or anything like that, it’s just for me run of the mill daily thoughts. Mental health is a very individual thing and you’ve been open in the past about living with borderline personality disorder. Can you touch upon what this means to you and how it affects your life? For me, I have pretty intense mood changes and an unstable sense of self. I dissociate quite a bit and I have a lot of ‘all or nothing’ or ‘black and white’ style of thinking. I also have unstable relationships; friendships and otherwise. Historically, before I was diagnosed, it controlled every aspect of my life; I never had a steady group of friends or social circle. I was a very volatile person growing up. I was diagnosed in my early twenties and since then it has gotten a lot better. For me, self-awareness is the most important thing, so while I still suffer from, or deal with as I prefer to say, the black and white thinking for example, before that would impact my decisions and how I react. I can make better decisions now and I’m more aware. Not only that, the mood changes, the unstable sense of self, the impulsivity, once you’re aware that you’re prone to that it’s much easier to not let it affect your day to day life. It will still affect me every day; emotionally I’ll still be impacted, but I think that’s something really important that I’ve learned over the past few years in that we can’t just react based on how we feel, and I think that’s helped me a lot. In the past I’ve written a piece about channelling your mental health into your creativity - do you find that your music helps you with your own mental health? I do think that it can help. I think that writing can help, it’s a good outlet to not only express yourself in the moment but also to look back in hindsight and work through things, to better understand yourself even. I do definitely feel like writing and singing in particular can be really beneficial to your mental health. I wouldn’t recommend to people who struggle with mental health that it’s always a good idea to do music for a living because it’s so stressful and it’s just so much. I think the business side of it can be taxing on your mental health, but music itself in terms of art is definitely beneficial and can be very therapeutic for sure. Music can be a very personal thing - and often we can put so much of ourselves into creative projects. As an artist, can you describe what it is like to release music where you’ve been particularly open and honest, or so much of your heart and soul has gone into its production? It can be kind of odd sometimes, it can be strange. Especially as I change my mind a lot. I can release something and be totally comfortable with it then hear it again once it’s already out and think, ‘Oh, everybody knows that now’. I’d never say I really regret it, but it can be strange in hindsight – that’s definitely one aspect of it I notice. 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. Waiting for the Clouds – Nujabes Ft. Substantial 2. Love Yourz – J. Cole 3. My God - Tianda
Wren Kelly Tackling society and mental health in new single 'Game Over'
"It’s a good outlet to not only express yourself in the moment but also to look back in hindsight and work through things, to better understand yourself. I do definitely feel like writing and the singing in particular can be really beneficial to your mental haealth."
This song is included for very similar reasons to ‘Everybody Loves the Sunshine’. Smooth vocals and cool as they come, funk/soul backing is just a match made in heaven. The song has a bit more lyrical content so watch out for getting caught out singing along! It’s another song perfect for helping you stay relaxed and concentrated, and at the same time by being at the absolute peak of easy listening.
In typical Drake fashion, this song hits the sweet-spot between melancholic and chilled. The gentle vocals are laconic enough to stop your mind racing too far ahead of itself, while the repetitive beat helps you zone in on the task at hand. The lyrics are uncomplicated, and I’m not sure Drake ever actually says the word ‘Passionfruit’, but either way, they wash over you and blend seamlessly into the relaxed backing track. There’s also a humorous introduction from the rap superstar as he modestly advises, “Y’all get some more drinks goin’ on, I’ll sound a whole lot better”, which will bring a welcome dose of levity into both your work and head space.
While this isn’t necessarily a song I’ll turn up when it comes on in the car, it’s nonetheless well-suited for getting you in that elusive ‘zone’. The playful, rhythmic beat is energetic whilst not being so uptempo or irregular that it proves overly distracting. Taylor’s vocals are pointedly reserved, and this adds to the mellow ambience of the song. Perhaps it’s just the warm flannel jacket that Taylor’s wearing in the album artwork, or maybe it’s the imagery of a willow bending in the wind and shedding its leaves, but for some reason this track has an Autumnal feel to it. So as the days grow shorter and the temperature starts to drop, this will serve as the perfect soundtrack to help you ‘rise’ to the occasion this Fall (see what I did there?).
6. Willow Taylor Swift
Despite it’s high lyrical content, Jazz Rap seems to be my go-to focus music at the moment. I think it’s a combination of the smooth beats and the smooth vocals. Even the harder hitting Jazz Rap tunes sound like velvet coming out of the speakers; this is especially true for the geniuses that are A Tribe Called Quest and I could have used this song or a few of their others. ‘Electric Relaxation’ is the perfect example for me though, as despite starting in a more agitated manner the beat settles down into a smooth and chilled vibe, whilst the tone of the vocals is a nice listen but won’t take you away from the task at hand.
9. Everybody Loves The Sunshine Roy Ayers Ubiquity
5. Electric Relaxation A Tribe Called Quest
7. Let's Do It Again The Staple Singers
10. Center Point Road Thomas Rhett ft. Kelsea Ballerini
Photo by Richard Lee on Unsplash
This song is the embodiment of chill. It’s simple melody, lyrics and texture make it the smoothest and easiest listen and I’d enjoy it under any circumstances. The reason it makes such a good song for concentration is that it sits at a great tempo – not being slow enough to bore you but not fast enough to heighten your stress levels. It sits back on a cool and easy andante and because of its simplicity never really presents you with enough to take you too far away from what it is that you’re doing. If you want to relax while you get your work done this has to be your jam.
8. Passionfruit Drake
This might not have the repetitive, focusing beat that some of my other choices have, but regardless, this song always helps me zero in on whatever it is I’m trying to work on. The chorus is so emphatic, with Rhett and Ballerini’s layered vocals twisting into the instrumentation to produce a euphoric euphony. It’s a full-blooded anthem, but the nostalgia and emotion that the Country duo bring gives ‘Center Point Road’ a vulnerability and tenderness that artists sometimes lose in their quest to create a ‘big sound’. When I listen to this song, I can’t help but feel a strange mix of being both wistful and energised, and I find this reflective mindset is always a good starting-point as I turn my concentration to the day’s assignments.
When boredom sets in it's easy for our minds to wander. Here is a list of songs that can keep you entertained but also help you with the task at hand. David & Maxim
3. Treasured Soul Michael Calfan
I love bluegrass, and I also love Luke Combs, so when he announced that he’d recorded an album’s worth of bluegrass music, it’s safe to say I was a tad excited. ‘The Great Divide’ doesn’t disappoint, and in a similar fashion to Taylor’s ‘Willow’, the light-hearted banjo acts as a steady pulse running invigoratingly throughout. Luke’s deep, raspy vocals bring gravitas, while the optimistic, motivational lyrics about bringing people together and loving one another cements ‘The Great Divide’’s status as a feel-good track. I like to think of this as a great ‘morning song’ - it’ll give you a gentle lift as you ease into your work for the day, without being so animated or in-your-face that it makes you feel like you’re forcing anything.
This song is just a great listen from start to finish and a showing of real productive talent. The way the song starts by almost sounding like it is in the background before bringing in a really solid drop is so effective. The song is a bit of an earworm and a toe tapper, but it’s also a really great listen and I find that it sits at the perfect intensity for focus. It’s got enough drive to keep you moving and a solid beat, but not so much so to ruin your work flow. This song is a great addition to any playlist but I recommend you add it to your focus one too!
1. Heat Waves Glass Animals
2. Back of My Mind H.E.R ft. Ty Dolla $ign
This song is one of those summer anthems that gives you a craving for a holiday. It is uplifting, catchy and chilled all at the same time. It’s actually at a slightly quicker tempo than some of the other songs I included, but sometimes you need a bit of a pick-me-up and this can provide it, whilst still not being so fast that smoke will start billowing from your pen. The lack of lyrics means that you can still enjoy the music without it pulling away too much from what you’re trying to do. The only problem is that you may find yourself booking plane tickets to somewhere warm!
4. The Great Divide Luke Combs & Billy Strings
R&B is always a go-to for me when I’m trying to concentrate. There’s something about the hazy, sinuous vocals floating over you, coupled with a deep, muted beat, that continually refocuses your mind. H.E.R is a maestro at creating this kind of sound, and I’d listen to the whole Back of My Mind album on repeat whilst working on my coursework last term. Without doing a disservice to the project, because H.E.R produces this moody, laid-back atmosphere that glues all the tracks together, in a way, all the songs blur into one another. When you want some calming music in the background to help you focus, without it bursting onto centre-stage and eclipsing the task at hand, ‘Back of My Mind’ is ideal. But don’t mistake this cohesiveness for monotony or a lack of variety - this is a great project that is subtle in its flourishes. "It’s a vibe", as the cool kids say.
The Importance of Not Being Earnest
Music, Mental Health and Me #8: Maxim
When John McEnroe famously screamed at a tennis umpire during Wimbledon, “You cannot be serious!”, maybe he had a point. Or at least, he would’ve done if he’d added, “If you want to take care of your mental health…” in front of it. In music at the moment, we seem to place a big emphasis on a project’s authenticity, its vulnerability, its artistry. Last issue, I celebrated The Marfa Tapes for being a great example of ‘pure songwriting’. Apple Music is littered with in-depth artist interviews, which I relish watching. But when Zane Lowe gives someone an hour to break down a 3-minute song about a break-up, it sometimes can’t help but stray into self-indulgence. This is through no fault of the artist or the interviewer, I think it’s simply a side-effect of our modern-day tendency to over-think and over-analyse - and I’m as predisposed to this as anyone. There’s nothing wrong with treating music seriously - in fact, quite the opposite, when an album or project is worthy of such meticulous dissection. But it increasingly feels like our media is geared towards an attitude of earnestness, and this can’t help but rub off on us as consumers. For some reason, we seem to think less of light-hearted, comedic media in comparison to its dramatic counterparts. We enjoy it just as much, but we think it's just good, uncomplicated fun, rather than being serious, ‘deep’ television. But, personally, I think this is entirely the wrong approach to have. A key pillar of Mindful Melody is our belief that media - particularly music, but also TV, Film, Radio, and so on - can have a uniquely formative and therapeutic effect on consumers. More often than not, the reason we enjoy any kind of media is because of the way it can make us feel. Media can make us white-hot with rage, it can make us bawl our eyes out, it can make us erupt with laughter. Perhaps controversially, out of all the possible effects media can have on us, I believe laughter is the most important one. For me, after having watched a twenty minute episode of Schmidt’s hilarious pomposity in New Girl, my whole outlook momentarily seems a little lighter, a little less bogged down. By contrast, after enjoying an hour of chillingly graphic twists and turns as the stars of Criminal Minds try and find a serial killer, it might sound silly, but everything just seems a lot more creepy and foreboding afterwards. I enjoy the plot and story immensely, but it undoubtedly puts you on edge a little. It’s the same with horror films - they’re great fun, but you inevitably feel more easily spooked even after the credits roll. Now, I’m not for one minute suggesting that Max Greenfield somehow has the power to right all of the world’s wrongs and make everything hunky-dory by bringing us a few laughs. Nor should we stop watching horrors and dramas. But I do think we’re in danger of underestimating and disregarding the restorative power that laughter can have on us. There’s a great deal of science behind it, too. Laughter releases endorphins, which in turn make us feel good. It has an anti-inflammatory effect that protects the heart. It reduces stress. It eases anxiety. It boosts the immune system. The power of laughter has even been compared to SSRI antidepressants, because both work by activating the production of serotonin. The great thing about laughter is it is contagious, so if you burst out laughing, the odds are the people around you won’t be able to help but laugh along too. So not only is laughing good for you, it’s a way of helping those around you too. I’m not exactly sure that doctors should start prescribing ‘laughter’ in the place of other treatments (although there does exist an intriguing practice known as ‘laughter yoga’). Nonetheless, we can definitely use laughter’s potency to our advantage. Which brings me back to the title of this article - 'The Importance of NOT being Earnest’. My Instagram feed seems to be increasingly filled up with inspirational quotes and spiritual advice neatly packaged into pithy soundbites. And on the whole, this is great - lifting one another up is certainly as good a use of social media as any. But even so, the more my feed is taken up by self-help wisdom, the more it makes me feel as though every decision, thought and action that I take must be geared towards the goal of self-improvement. I end up giving way too much significance to choices like whether to have a coffee first thing in the morning, whether the added caffeine might make me energised or jittery, or whether, if I forego the coffee, I'll feel sleepy later on and then won’t be able to maximise my enjoyment of the day…you get the picture. Sometimes, it’s just not that deep - and I’m constantly having to remind myself of this. If we give all our attention to introspection and self-analysis, then we’re just going to take ourselves too seriously. While us Brits often take self-deprecation too far, it’s healthy to make fun of yourself from time to time. I realise this is an odd statement for the Co-Founder of a mental health magazine to say, but I really do believe that not everything needs to be about self-help. Sometimes we just need to have a laugh. Ironically, of course, laughing actually is beneficial for our mental health and therefore falls within the boundaries of self-help. I love a good motivational quote and thought-provoking film as much as the next person, but it needs to be in moderation. I just think that, personally, too much of this kind of content leads to me being in my head and treating every choice like it is one of Anya Taylor-Joy’s carefully strategised chess moves, instead of accepting that, more often than not, it probably resembles Ted Lasso’s off-the-cuff football tactics - and that’s okay. So embrace the endorphins and settle down with some serotonin, and enjoy your comedy of choice - maybe it’s not a TV series, but a film, or a podcast, or perhaps even a Lonely Island album. Some of you might be thinking: “You want me to choose the goofy gags of Friends over the critically acclaimed gravitas of The Crown? You must be having a laugh!” Well, you’re absolutely right. In my view, for the good of your mental health, you must indeed be having a laugh.
Photo by Elena Cordery on Unsplash
Photo by Sarah Noltner on Unsplash
"I love making people feel good and making people happy. I feel like my purpose in life is to make that kind of music."
Maxim talks to Country music trailblazer - Niko Moon
Hi Niko! Thanks so much for taking the time to chat today. Your music is jam-packed with optimism, and the new album is so uplifting and energising. You’ve spoken previously about actively choosing positivity even when faced with difficult situations. When you’re feeling overwhelmed or stressed, what do you turn to in order to pull yourself up out of that space? Anxiety has been something I’ve dealt with since I was in high school. I ran track, and sometimes it would get pretty intense and in the middle of a race I’d have to stop running, because I felt like I couldn’t breathe. There’s been times where I’m about to go on stage and I get so much anxiety that I start feeling light-headed. For me personally, I’m always worrying about something that hasn’t happened yet. What if they don’t like me when I go on stage? What if I get booed? It’s always worrying about the future. There’s this one quote I really like that says, “Focusing on the past is depression, focussing on the future is anxiety, but focussing on the now is happiness.” That’s what I made this album for - hopefully it helps people get into the moment, and forget about all that stuff that stresses them out. But being situated in Country music, a genre in which mental health hasn’t always been openly discussed, do you ever worry that it might not be seen as ‘Country’ to talk about these things? You’re right, it’s something that really up until the past year or two hasn’t been talked about, even though it’s something that everybody deals with. But I’m noticing now that a lot more people are talking about it in the Country space. I don’t know if it’s because Country is ‘tough’ and there’s the attitude of ‘pull yourself up by your bootstraps’, ‘get over it’ - that ‘Good Ole Boy’ mentality. But at the end of the day, I think what people are realising now with mental health, is that it’s just like eating healthily and exercising to stay physically healthy. Similarly, you need to do things to stay mentally healthy. Even if you’re not dealing with anxiety and depression, you may just be a little out of shape mentally, just like you can get out of shape physically. You grew up outside Atlanta, so you were in the countryside but also had access to a big city, and your musical combination of Country and Hip Hop captures this perfectly. Because you combine Country with Hip-Hop influenced beats, we get this sense of gratitude for the simple things in life, but we also get an edge to it, which I love. What do you think it is about these two genres that makes them so compatible? That’s a good question, man! You know, I’m really just trying to make music that feels as authentic to me as possible. If my life had a sound, what would it sound like? A lot of the influence from Atlanta really affected the way I think about drums and bass, then the string instruments, the melodies, and the lyrics all take place in the Country. But you summed it up great, this album is about having gratitude for the simple things in life. Life is short, have a good time! For me, the things that bring me the most pleasure are the simple things in life - family, friends, a cold drink, my dog, being out by some water, playing my guitar. Sometimes it's the simple things that are the most powerful and the most meaningful. This album hopefully makes you want to get with the people you care about and that care about you, and just enjoy each other’s company. Sometimes that’s all you need. Your debut single, ‘Good Time’, has been a huge hit, and has now gone platinum. It was quite a way to announce yourself as a solo artist after having been established as a successful songwriter. What made you decide that it was the right time to make that move? It was really nerve-wracking. I think artists in general…we’re insecure creatures, man! It’s such an intimate and vulnerable thing to write a song, and if someone doesn’t like it, it can make you think, ‘Y’all don’t like me if you don’t like the song!’ I grew up in a musical home, both my parents are musicians. I knew it was what I wanted to do in life, but I didn’t know if I was going to be a songwriter or an artist. The songwriting door opened for me, so I’ve been doing that for a long time, helping other artists become the best that they can be. But I always knew in my heart that I’m an artist, and it was just about finding the right time to come out with my own style of Country music. And now is that time! I love people, I love making people feel good and making people happy. I feel like my purpose in life is to make that kind of music. The last song on the album is your own version of Travis Tritt’s ‘It’s a Great Day to Be Alive’. What inspired you to cover this song in particular? I call that song my inspiration track, which is basically an artist and song that inspired me to want to do music. I think I’ll make it a tradition, so that every album I release will have one inspiration track on it. Travis Tritt lives fifteen minutes from where I grew up, and he made the dream real, and made me believe that I could make music for a living. That is my favourite Travis Tritt song - the guy that wrote it, Darrell Scott, is one of my favourite songwriters. The song has so much joy in it. I didn’t want to just carbon copy it, I wanted to reimagine it in my way, but at the same time pay homage to a song that had a major impact on me. You write all your songs with your wife, Anna Moon - it must be such a beautiful and unique thing to get to work in the same creative space as your partner. How important is it to have that support and to be able to be vulnerable with each other in that way, which I’m sure for many people would be daunting? That’s why I chose to make my music with her, because I want it to feel personal. Who better to write a song with than the person who knows me best? She’s so good, man, she’s a phenomenal singer, and a phenomenal songwriter. She’s from where I’m from, so she knew what kind of style of Country music I was going for. It was a natural fit, and I think of it as very homegrown. We made it in our home studio, and it’s like it’s from our family to y’alls. It’s a labour of love from both of us, she’s just as big a part of my music as I am. I love the relaxed, light-hearted feel of tracks such as ‘Paradise to Me’ and ‘Small Town State of Mind’. It feels like you’re not just singing about enjoying yourself, you’re genuinely having a lot of fun in the process. Yeah, man, the whole album is good time vibes front to back! I wanted to make an album that you could put on and not even think twice if it’s going to get too serious or sad. It’s meant for moments when you’re wanting to just have fun. You’ve written a number of songs for Zac Brown Band, including their Avicii collaboration, ‘Broken Arrows’. As well as this, you were part of the genre-defying 'Sir Rosevelt' project with Zac Brown and Ben Simonetti. How do you navigate the line between embracing innovation, whilst at the same time staying true to Country’s roots? It's almost like a recipe - everybody is a recipe, and it’s about finding out what your recipe is. For me, I spent a lot of time before making my record thinking about all the things that have influenced me in my life, from the music my parents were playing when I was a kid, up to when I started listening to my own Country music in my teen years, and then all the way up to what I dig now. I put all that in a pot, I stir it up and I say, ‘Alright, this is me - what does that sound like when I pour it out?’ I’m definitely, in my opinion, a Country artist. But it is its own thing, you know? My dad always told me, ‘Hey, man, just be yourself and you won’t sound like nobody else, you’ll be original,’ and I’ve really tried to focus on that and heed those words. Hopefully people dig it! You also wrote Zac Brown Band’s ’My Old Man’, which is a truly moving song. Was it as emotional writing that song as it is for listeners hearing it? Yeah, I love my dad. I wrote that with Zac and my buddy Ben. We were all thinking about our dads, and we all have great relationships with our dads, so there’s my dad, Zac’s dad and Ben’s dad in there, and different parts of our dads are making up the story. It’s cool because it comes together to create this one dad that we all have in our minds. That’s such a unique, special relationship and we just wanted to write a song about that. On my album, there’s a song that I wrote for my dad that’s called ‘Without Saying a Word’, and it’s fully my take on my dad, just purely from my perspective growing up. We’re looking forward to hopefully seeing you perform in the UK at some point. Do you have plans to come over, COVID-permitting? Absolutely! I’m talking to my booking agent everyday to make sure that he does everything he can can to get me in the upcoming C2C Festival in March. I was over there in London for the 2020 C2C Festival, but then it got cancelled because of COVID. I love the UK, my wife loves the UK, we got married in the UK, so we love spending time over there and we can’t wait to come back. One thing we ask all our interviewees is to name their favourite three songs with a theme of mental health - what would be yours? 1. It’s a Great Day to Be Alive - Travis Tritt 2. Three Little Birds (Don’t Worry About a Thing) - Bob Marley 3. Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond
My dad always told me, ‘Hey, man, just be yourself and you’ll be original,’ and I’ve really tried to heed those words.
It’s a labour of love from both of us, My Wife is just as big a part of my music as I am.
Niko's New Album, 'Good Time' is available on all platforms now!
All photos by Matthew Berinato
Photo by Matt Howard on Unsplash
Enjoying the Ride
Recently we released a ‘Slow Down and Simplify’ issue of Mindful Melody inspired particularly by country music and its message that we should all take some time to appreciate the little things in life. Having based a whole issue of my writing on this theme I’d have thought I’d be a pro by now, but I’m actually quite the opposite. In a modern world where everyone else’s success is constantly broadcast on social media and we are being encouraged to always just want that little bit more, it can seem that we are never going to be happy with where we are at. This isn’t a new thing, and it isn’t a rare thing. We all go through that age in our lives where we go from scoffing at people telling us youth and school days are the best of our lives, to then telling people younger than ourselves. Year after year doubters turn to believers as young people hit their twenties and realise that everyone wasn’t lying to them - only to be laughed at when passing the wisdom to those younger than themselves. Realistically though, what are we supposed to do with that information? It isn’t like I’d have really done things differently, and the highs and lows would have still been highs and lows even if I was accepting of the fact that these were the good days. It seems less to serve us in enjoying the present but more as a warning that it is all downhill from here. Taking a broader look, it just seems that we are all programmed to want something that we can’t have, or at least not now. I find myself in my early twenties with a life of uncertainty in front of me and it is terrifying. I often look at people in their 50's, settled into a house with a nice car and a good job and find myself longing to just skip to a part of my life where I have a similar state of stability. I am sure, however, that people in their 50's often look at those of us in our twenties and envy our freedom, our youth and the fact that we have so many options ahead of us. It really is a cruel part of life that every part of it seems inferior until we get to the next part – then we look back with fondness and envy. As Andy Bernard so eloquently put it in the finale of my favourite show - the American version of ‘The Office’ - "I wish there was a way to know you were in the good old days before you actually left them." It’s such a simple sentiment, yet it strikes a good chord with all of us. Thinking about it realistically, though, it is impossible. The good old days are the good old days because we aren’t living them anymore. All of our problems that seemed so big at the time have probably been and gone by now, so it’s easy to look back and say, ‘Why was I so worried?’ It seems that in the journey of life we are all so focused on the destination, or where we have already been. My envy of people who are settled into the golden years of their lives is simply me worrying about my own destination. I have no idea where my life is going, where I will end up or what I will be doing and that is terrifying to me. So many people my age are so consumed with trying to establish a good career, working for the next promotion, then the next one immediately after that. It seems that we have let our lives become controlled by this idea of a destination and a laser focus on the quickest way to get there. This is why country music is so special, and why I get so much from it. The idea that we should enjoy the ride is a novel one to many of us but it is the key to leading a happy and stable life. If we spend our whole lives looking for the next thing, then the fact of the matter is that we will never get there. Nothing will ever be enough, and the moment we achieve one thing, it will be about accomplishing something else. I myself am guilty of this – constantly birthing big ideas and striving for the next phase. If we want to get some enjoyment from our lives, and, as Andy suggested, enjoy the good old days whilst we are in them, we need to learn to be more appreciative of the journey we are on. There are so many small wonders in our lives that are happening around us all the time. A sunny day, time with family, time with friends, even down to a good cup of coffee. This is the here and now, and if we spend all of it worried about what happens next we will lose it. In terms of mental health too, I often feel like I will never be happy as I have an awful habit of thinking the grass is always greener. I am never settled where I am and put so much pressure on myself to achieve the next thing. If we spend our whole lives being unsettled and unsatisfied with things as they are now, what can we expect for the future? We put this pressure on ourselves that once we achieve the next thing we will be happy, but ultimately once we get onto this hamster wheel it is very hard to get off, and we will then be focused on what is next. I can’t really offer much encouragement or advice on this, seeing as I am extremely guilty of it myself. However, what I have been trying to force myself to do more recently is to take a second and look around. Be thankful for what we have right now and for the things we love in our lives. If we don’t allow ourselves to settle, we may never reach our destination. So, enjoy these days, because it may not feel like it now, but one day they may be your good old days.
Music, Mental Health and Me #8: David
Photo by Shantanu Kulkarni on Unsplash
Tom Cary
David Dawson Hi Tom! Thanks so much for talking to me today! You have a new single on the way - ‘Something in the Whiskey’. Can you tell us a little about writing this song? Yeah sure, I’m super excited about this release - it's probably the most excited I've ever been for a release! It almost seems part and parcel to have a song written about whiskey when you are country singer. But I’ve actually always loved whiskey, single malts and speciality whiskeys from different places around the world, so it was a natural thing really to write a song about it. Being from Cornwall, way down south of the UK, we have a lot of beach barbecues and campfires and the essence of this song comes from falling in love, and if you’ve ever fallen in love with someone intensely, you know you can sometimes feel like you’re drunk or tipsy. Hence where the ‘drunk on your love’ saying comes from and where the idea for this song came from. The song is very positive and upbeat - do you find that writing and performing songs like this has an effect on you as well as the listener? 100%, absolutely. When I sing it, I feel like it gives me an instant energy, it lifts really well in the chorus and I love giving it absolute BEANS when I get to this part in the song! I almost always go back to how I felt when I originally write a song. If I was in a bad place in my life when writing a certain song, then every time I play it, I feel that emotion all over again. There’s a song that I perform from my past ‘Smile” album called ‘Heavy Heart’, I wrote and recorded it when my Mum passed away and I can’t help but get a tear in my eye every single time I perform it, or even play it to myself. So often we hear songs about failed romance, heartbreak and pain. How important do you think it is that we have songs like ‘Something in the Whiskey’ that remind us of the good times - and was this something you considered when writing it? I do think it’s important. I think it’s important because music affects us all emotionally and on an incredibly deep level, like nothing else out there and if all the songs in the world of country music were sad, then it would make us sad all the time as listeners. So yes, I think it’s important that country music is as varied as it is with emotions and energy. We all have those handful of songs that if we feel in a certain way, sad…happy…romantic…that we put on, turn up and get completely lost in. That’s the power of music and especially country music in my eyes. In the song you talk about how things are easier with this person by your side and how it makes you more complete. How important do you think it is in life that we have a strong support network? They say that we have the income of the five closest people to us, right? They say that about income, but I think it’s true about life and who we are as people, we are a mix of the closest people to us. A support system is hugely important and more important to some people than others, everyone has their own ways of dealing with life and the stresses that come with it. It’s important to have good people by your side, people who only want the true best for you and who want you to succeed for real – some people tell you they want that but don’t genuinely mean it, you need to steer well clear of these ones! But also I think it’s very important to be self-sufficient and not have to reply on other people to get you where you want to get. Being a strong enough person in the music industry is massive, yes there are people who can help various aspects of your life, but ultimately, it comes down to you and no one is going to perform on stage for you – you’ve got to get knowledgeable and confident in your own skin, know your weaknesses and your strengths and give it beans when you perform. What do you hope people get from ‘Something in the Whiskey’ when they hear it for the first time? I hope it makes them feel alive and energised. Whiskey is often associated with Country songs, and for me it's associated with friends and family around a campfire down on a beach with sand in your toes and being with the one you love and enjoying those times together, so I hope the songs makes people think of those kinds of happy times and enjoying time with the ones they love. Your song ‘Give a Little’ followed in the nature of its name when you generously donated all the proceeds to the NHS. What inspired you to do this and how did it feel to be able to help in this way? 'Give A Little’ is a song very close to my heart. I got in touch with the local Perranarworthal Community Primary School as I thought it would be great to get some children involved from there and get them on the record! We got 22 of them into the studio and recorded them on the track – it was amazing to know they had that experience that I hope they’ll remember for years to come. Giving the proceeds to the NHS was something that I really didn’t have to think much about, the song is perfect for them and everything they did throughout the lockdowns, and still continue to do to keep us safe whilst doing their jobs day in day out to try and look after the ones affected by the pandemic. I was meant to do a bit of a video to help promote the song to make more money for them, but ironically the CEO of the Hospital put a stop to it. But that topic’s for another day! You’ve worked with some big name artists in the past such as Michael Buble, Paul Young and Newton Faulkner. What did you learn from these artists and how do you apply that to your own music? This is an awesome question and one I’ve never been asked before! I would say each one taught me something completely different. When I worked with Paul Young, I learnt that nothing quite beats experience, and years and years of grafting really does get you comfortable (as it did for him!) to be on stage and perform well. With Newton Faulkner, the first thing I noticed when I sang with him was how raw and natural his pure talent for singing was. He is a great guitarist also, but his voice is so powerful, and he was a very humble man who was just doing his thing and loving every second of it. Finally, when it came to singing with Michael Buble at the NEC, I have to say the number one thing that came across was his professionalism, it was awe-inspiring to watch first hand just how professional that man is. He’s also a really kind man too and was extremely kind towards me and made me feel incredibly welcome and at ease – like me, he also gets very sweaty on stage! Finally, one thing we ask all of our interviewees is to name top three songs that relate to mental health. What would be your top three? Wow – this is getting my brain ticking!... I would say my first song would be ‘Homecoming Queen’ by Kelsea Ballerini. This song is all about not pretending and putting on a front - and that sometimes it’s okay to cry and it’s not a weakness to be sad sometimes. Her voice in the song is haunting and incredibly, intensely intimate and this, alongside the lyrics, brings the song together beautifully. My second song would have to be ‘Humble & Kind’ by Tim McGraw. The song is one of the best songs out there in my opinion and the video just makes it even more awesome – go check it out on YouTube if you haven’t seen it already. The song is about being a better person for yourself and the people around you by being humble and kind in everything you do. I love the motto in this song and it resonates hugely with me, and I think it’s a great way to live. My third song is ‘Letter To Me’ by the one and only Brad Paisley. This song talks about what you would say to your younger-self if you could write a letter to your younger-you back in the day, given all that you’ve learnt along the way since. It opens your mind up to being okay with not knowing everything all of the time, and that you’re going to make mistakes in life and it’s one big learning curve. And ultimately, yes, you’ll make some crap decisions in life, but we’re all doing all we can when we get those choices - and mistakes are inevitable. Keep an eye out for 'Something in the Whiskey' - available to stream November 1st
New Single 'Something in the Whiskey' breaks country music's heartbreak streak
Photos by Kyle Richardson
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Photo by Youssef Naddam on Unsplash
Scotty McCreery paints a picture of grief and unconditional love through the eyes of 'The Waiter'
In this era of one-take, mumble-rapped freestyles and songs being thrown onto streaming platforms before they’ve even been mixed and mastered, it often feels like quality is being sacrificed in the name of sheer quantity. As a result, songs like Scotty McCreery’s ‘The Waiter’ feel even more special. McCreery is perhaps best known for winning American Idol in 2011 and for his 2018 smash hit, ‘This is it’, which endearingly told the story of his proposal to long-term girlfriend, Gabi Dugal. His forte is undoubtedly creating love songs, which makes ‘The Waiter’ half-surprising and half-unsurprising in the sensitivity of its storytelling. The song does revolve around love - I mean, what doesn’t, right? - but it goes way deeper than most in its choice of subject matter. “I set that table up for two/In the same old corner booth/I could set my watch down to the second/He walks through the door.” It tells the story of an elderly man who visits the same restaurant every Friday night, and sits and chats away, despite there not being anyone with him. It’s all from the waiter’s perspective, and McCreery sings about how, “Everybody thinks he’s crazy/That old man done lost his mind/But he ain’t missed a date with her/Since 1959.” The big, lump-in-your-throat moment comes when you realise that the customer is coming to the place where he and his wife would come on their weekly dates. She’s since passed, but he’s continued the tradition, returning each week to remember all the good times they shared. “Sometimes he laughs, sometimes he cries/He’ll sit there every Friday night just reminiscing/But he ain’t talking to himself/He’s talking to Heaven.” As important as it is to give due attention to young people’s mental wellbeing, especially given the various social pressures they face as a result of being a largely digital generation, I think we can sometimes forget that older age-groups have their own struggles with mental health. I can’t think of many things as utterly heartbreaking and unbearable as losing a loved one, let alone your life partner who’s been your entire world for over a decade, as is the case in ‘The Waiter’. “Well, he orders for them both/Then he reaches in his coat/He pulls out a faded Polaroid/Same table, their first date/He always shows it to me/And says, “Ain’t she a beauty?”/I smile and nod my head/And then I turn and walk away/And just let him be.” How do you even get through something like that? I think everyone’s answer to this question is completely unique. I love that this song highlights the fact that, no matter how other people might criticise the way you cope with your pain, as long as it brings you comfort and it’s not destructive, then really, what right do they have to judge? I think the decision to paint the picture from the waiter’s viewpoint is incredibly clever, because he’s both removed from the situation and at the same time an intimate part of the man’s grieving process. So it enables us to step back and see how all the other customers label the man as strange and eccentric, whilst also allowing us to peer through the innermost window into the man’s story, to give us an understanding of why he behaves as he does. The songwriting triumvirate behind ‘The Waiter’ consists of Matthew West, Frank Rogers and, refreshingly, Scotty McCreery himself. The specificity and care that has gone into the lyrical structure is perhaps to be expected, given the fact that Rogers’ and McCreery’s previous songwriting collaborations include the charming and philosophical ‘Five More Minutes’, as well as the aforementioned smash hit, ‘This is it’. Although I felt compelled to write about it, at first I was a little hesitant as to whether ‘The Waiter’ had enough of a mental health theme to warrant a review in Mindful Melody. But aside from the important message it has about older generations’ mental health and not judging other people’s coping mechanisms, when you listen to ‘The Waiter’, you can’t help but feel like pulling your loved ones a little closer and re-appreciating the value of the time we have with them while they’re with us - and, depending on your beliefs, perhaps even after their gone. And any song that makes you feel like that is, in my eyes at least, invaluable to listeners. “He reaches for his wallet/As I clear off the coffee/He looks across the table with a tear and a smile/He says, “Babe, I’ll see you later/And yes, I tipped the waiter”/Staring at an empty booth/He says, “I love you too.” I know we shouldn’t compare across genres, and I know that music is subjective, but when I hear songs like this, I can’t help but wonder whether today’s fashion for off-handedly churning out tracks in a matter of minutes could produce a piece of art this perceptive, intricate and moving. Maybe they could, and I’m being unfair. But either way, ‘The Waiter’ assures me that, more often than not, when it comes to songwriting, there’s no substitute for pouring time and effort into shaping and crafting a story as touching as this one.
Photo by John Shearer
Photo by Jeff Ray
Scotty McCreery's new album, Same Truck is out now!
Photo by Rirri on Unsplash
I find it fascinating the way our minds automatically link things to our memories. With every sense you can be reminded of an occasion from your past; the taste of a childhood snack, the smell of an old car or the feel of a retired Teddy bear. What fascinates me even more is the connection to music. When you think about an artist sat in the studio trying to come up with their latest hit, it seems bonkers to think that a few years down the line that same tune could mean a million different things to a million different people. You could pack a stadium full of people and play them all the exact same song, but everybody would have an almost entirely unique experience based on what kind of a memory that song may have connected with for them. When we think of songs linked with memories we often think of the big moments in our lives that may have been accompanied by some sort of soundtrack. When I hear 'Rather Be', for example, I'm transported back to my graduation where a string quartet performed the piece upon our entry. However, I also love those little moments where music can take you back to something that seems relatively insignificant, and otherwise may have been forgotten. Moments that we would have no need to remember otherwise get stored in our brains simply because of their connection to a song. Since losing my dad I've had numerous moments where music has brought him back to me. These memories that seem small, maybe me simply enjoying the song in question in the car with him or watching telly together, are now pristinely preserved through music, and I have to say would not have been so vividly recollected otherwise. I can't express how important these moments are to me now and how emotionally rewarding it can be to be able to relive them in my head. The simple things are often what people miss the most, and would not usually be so clearly remembered without the intrinsic connection music has with memory. It seems absurd that an arrangement of sound waves put together by a stranger can have such strong implications for us, but that is really the magic of art, and music in particular. With this in mind, I have a new proposal. How often do you find the time to flick through old photo albums? This has become somewhat less of a task in the digital world, but we all know about those cumbersome, dusty and messy collections of printed photographs sat in the cupboard. In our busy lives we often just don't have the time to spend looking through old treasures like these, and for me that's a tragedy. Losing someone so close has made me realise the pricelessness of memories, sentiment and reminiscing, and for me this is something we don't get to do enough. What we all do, however, is listen to music. I spend so much of my life with music on, whether in my headphones whilst I'm busy getting on with gardening, in the car on a long drive or just even at home while I'm chilling out. So why not make the most of it? Although it may be hard on the spot to think of all the songs that bring up memories in this way, especially as often you don't know until you hear them, I suggest that you keep an ear out over the next few months and jot down any music you discover that transports you into the past. With this list, we can essentially create our own musical photo album. Instead of filing through faded pictures and digging around in the cupboards, we can have a simple playlist. Put it on when you want to reminisce or escape and enjoy being whisked away into the past, experiencing in unimaginable realism the people we miss or the simpler times we crave again. The fabulous thing about this is that you can keep adding to it the more you hear and you can listen whenever and wherever. Not only can we keep our memories alive, but through music we can make sure that we enjoy them to the fullest.
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...
= - Ed Sheeran(Out October 29th) It's hard not to get excited about new Ed Sheeran releases these days, and following the singles, this album looks very promising. Giving a listen to this upon its release will essentially be like looking into a crystal ball at all the songs you'll be hearing non stop over the next year or so, therefore there's a lot riding on the quality of the music contained! Knowing Ed, though, he will deliver.
Coming Next Issue Why we love Christmas music Was I right to be optimistic about 2021 - The Conclusion
30 - Adele (Out November 19th) It’s crazy that it’s been five whole years since the Tottenham songsmith stole ownership of the word ‘Hello’ from Lionel Ritchie and graced us with musical gems such as ‘Send My Love (To Your New Lover)’ and ‘When We Were Young’. Given the tumultuous journey she’s been on since ’25’, I’d be deeply surprised if ’30’ doesn’t see Adele returning to the soul-stirring, ballad-heavy territory that she’s been dominating since ’19’. Also, using your age as an album timestamp is genius.
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