Interview with Twisted state of Mind

Greetings everyone.

Here’s an interview i did with U.K. band Twisted state of Mind around 20th September 2016. Thank you lads!

– Hello Twisted state of Mind. Welcome to Metalhealth and thanks for being here. I love your name.

Thanks Greg, happy to be here! Love your name too.

What does good mental health mean for you?

To us, good mental health isn’t just the absence of mental health problems such as depression or anxiety. It’s the presence of positive characteristics, such as being able to cope with life’s challenges, handle stress, build strong relationships, recover from setbacks – and most of all, retaining a positive, resilient mind-set. – Joe

– How is life for you off the road or when you’re not gigging? Especially after a tour or big event, is it difficult to adjust back into life at home after time on the road? If so, how do you adjust/cope?

As we are all still in full time education together, we spend a lot of time studying. This can be difficult at times, because we all want to be out playing music; last year for example the flight from our North-East American tour landed at midnight, but we still had to go into school the same day! Times like these, where there’s such a sudden change between our lifestyle and school, is hard to cope with – but just reinforces our passion for music. – Luke

– What motivates you? What keeps you going?

Often, it is the excitement of playing our music on stage, and actually creating the songs in the first place that motivates us through the week. Also, it is good to know that there are people that we can talk to if we are ever struggling with things in life, and so it keeps us going as we know there is this support. – Joe

– Are you positive thinkers? How do you stay positive?

We would say we all are. No matter how negative the circumstances are, there is always a positive to every situation – which we just like to focus on. Going out of the house and socialising is a great way to retain happiness, but also learning, writing and performing music provides an endless amount of benefits; it’s what works for us – Luke

– Have you experienced any tough times personally that you’d be okay talking about? If so, how are you/did you get through this.

We all have tough times individually – it’s relative to your own personal circumstances, but there’s always a way out of it. We find just talking to each other collectively as a band (and group of friends) really releases emotional tension, and helps us get through our struggles. – Joe

– What does making music mean for you? Why do you do it?

Music is such a huge passion for us as individuals. We all play our instruments and create music in our spare time, but being in a band means that we can create music as a group and put all of our emotion into songs. It is a great way to release any stress, negative feelings and also positive feelings that we may have, and most of all, we love writing and performing music which is why we do it. – Luke

– Enjoyed listening to highlights of your new single on your facebook page. Sounds Killer. Congratulations! How was the recording process? Did you bang it down live, or record an instrument at a time etc?

Sound Greg! For those who don’t know, our new single Set In Stone is out now  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mbJGUVaf6Q
It was a unique experience to say the least… we spent 2 weeks living in a caravan, next to the beach, with cold showers and having to clean the toilet everyday… but we got to record with a grammy nominated producer (Chris Tsangerides) and it was the coolest experience ever. We recorded instrument by instrument, and in the end we came out with a defined raw sound we loved. – Luke

– Yeah, that must’ve been a brilliant experience. So what are your plans with the new album? Some touring or any dates you can mention? Any other projects musical or otherwise on the go?

We’re in the process of booking a tour at the moment and our dual-e.p is due out 22nd October. To celebrate it we’re playing an exclusive intimate hometown show at The Rock Barn in Witney on the day of release. We’re so excited for everyone to hear it – 5 long years of hard work since we were 11 has been put into it! As for current side-projects, me, Luke and Damo have our first gig booked as a jazz experimental project for the 30th September at The Como Lounge. We’re looking forward to it as it’s a different style that we’re really interested in, and we can just rock up to the venue and jam! – Joe

– Wow, you are kicking some arse! Looking forward to the dual E.P. the tour, and the side project. Ok, last question. What would you say to fans who are struggling with their mental health, or doing it tough at the moment?

Speak out to somebody and try not to bottle it up – there’s a silver lining for everybody x

-Thank you Twisted state of mind for taking the time to talk with us. We wish you safe travels, and all the best with the new single, the E.P. and upcoming gigs.

Greg \Mh/

Artist links:

https://www.facebook.com/Twisted-State-Of-Mind-129971743777498/?fref=nf

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsDjrkDCwmSuI4XpoYI5Ttg