World mental health day Oct 10, 2018.
Hello friends,
It’s mental health week and today October 10 is World mental health day. So take some time out for yourself and be kind to YOU.
Greg \MH/
Interview with Genevieve Rodda from Temtris. March 2018
I had a yap yesterday with lead singer Genevieve Rodda of Australian metal band Temtris. When you listen to Genevieve sing, she is such a powerhouse and strong life force. As you will discover here, music is a huge part of who she is.
G’day Genevieve. Welcome to Metal Health and thanks for being here.
No problem at all 🙂
What does good mental health mean to you?
For me it is all about a balanced life. I like to keep fit and i train Krav Maga once a week which is a street smart self defense system. I run at least twice a week to de-stress. I feel good when i eat well and try to follow a healthy diet 5 days a week but let myself relax on the weekends. I like to work hard but i like to party hard too and let loose with my friends at a show with a few vodkas.
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?
I love gigging but it is stressful leaving my kids so when i am home i try to make the most of that time. We recently have had a break from shows and i am missing not singing live. We would all love to be able to live the touring scene but the reality is most musicians need a day job to survive. I work at a special needs school and it really gives you a good perspective on how awesome my life is when you see disadvantaged kids day after day.
What motivates you? What keeps you going?
I am not very good at sitting still, i am a doer. But i do like to set goals and move forward and push myself in most things and i do not like to quit. If someone said i couldn’t do it that would make me chase it even more. My love for the metal scene keeps me striving and moving forward. Music is a great way to get anyone motivated even when you are having a bad day.
There have been times when i wondered if i should stop creating music and gigging but i think i would feel like some of my soul would be missing if i did that.
Are you a positive thinker? How do you stay positive?
Yes i am. We all get down at times. I do believe things happen for a reason within reason and i always wait to see what the outcome is before i let it get to me or i will put on some metal and sing my lungs out, it always helps.
Have you experienced any tough times personally that you’d be okay talking about? If so, how are you/did you get through this.
Been through my share like most people. I have had to part with so called friends who have treated me badly and abused my friendship. They thought that this was ok, It was not easy at the time to remove long term friends from my life and it helped to have a close friends i could talk to. Remembering that it won’t be like this forever and trying to focus on things to move forward and appreciating the good things in our life helps.
What does making music mean to you? Why do you do it?
I like to write about life experiences and quite a few of our albums have been concept albums so we have themes we can write too. But it is the creation of the album including artwork, songs and the whole story coming together that i enjoy.
When did you start making music individually and as a band? Was it like finding some buried treasure that you didn’t know you had, and how did making music fit in with the rest of your life?
I have been writing music from about 13 years of age when i started learning guitar. I use to like sitting in my room just playing guitar and putting together songs. I joined my first band at 14 and did my first gig then also. I decided after that first show that this was what i wanted to do and had a goal to be known as an Australian female metal singer in a professional band. After 4 albums and a fifth one on the way it has not always been easy continuing while raising two children and working but when your doing something that you love nothing can stand in your way, even time lol
How important is it for the bass guitar and drums to be tight, and where do you see guitar and voice fitting in the groove.
A band should be tight and work as a team. We work really hard on our song structure to make the vocals work with the guitars. The song needs emotion to be able to convey to an audience
i was just listening to Awakening from your first album, and Enter the asylum from the 4th record. I love your vocal approach. You convey a strong sense of purpose and really project the lyric.
Why do you sing? Is it simply the opportunity for self expression?
I want to be strong , i train to be strong and i guess i want be seen as a strong female in the metal scene so when i sing, i sing with conviction because i mean it.
How was the recording process for your last record? Did you bang it down live, or record an instrument at a time etc?
Drums and vocals were recording in Main Street studios Wollongong. The guitars were recorded in the guitarists own studios.
So what are your plans? Some more touring or any dates you can mention? I believe album number 5 is coming out soon?
Next gig is the 5th May at The Bald Faced Stag Sydney. Our album Launch for the 5th album is set for later in the year if all goes as planned.
Any other projects musical or otherwise happening?
All my focus is always on Temtris and always has been.
Ok, last question. What would you say to fans who are struggling with their mental health, or doing it tough at the moment?
Talk to someone, find something you enjoy doing and focus on that. Surround yourself with positive people and don’t feel guilty about looking after yourself and saying NO!
Smile and remember tomorrow, things can get better.
Thanks for taking the time to talk with us Genevieve. Wishing you safe travels, and all the best with the upcoming shows. Greg \Mh/.
Been great chatting with you and thanks \m/
Look out for album # 5 and upcoming shows. Links to band pages –
Heavy metal is good for our mental health
Greetings everyone,
We know metal is good for us, and here’s a news story from Australia’s ABC news supporting this. Well done to Liam Frost-Camilleri for organising the Beyond black gig in Ballarat, Australia which saw bands raise money for the mental health organisation Beyond blue. Here’s the link to the story – Greg \MH/
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-19/heavy-metal-helps-soothe-the-soul/9450576
Welcome 2018!
Hello reader. Happy new year! I hope it’s a healthy one for ya. Some quotes from a couple of artists to kick things off…..
- “Stupidity can win for a moment, but it can never really succeed because the nature of humans is to seek freedom. Rulers can delay that freedom, but they cannot stop it.”
Ai Weiwei - “I was always doing my own things. I always wondered why there are books, with photographs of all the artists of that period, and I was only in one! I thought: where was I? But I never was there. I was somewhere else.”
Cy Twombly - “I tell young people that the greatest paintings in museums are made with minerals mixed in oil schmeared on cloth with the hair from the back of a pig’s ear. It’s that simple.”
James Rosenquist
Take it easy out there. Greg \MH/
Matt and Greg talk on the subject of “Inclusion”
Greetings friends,
Here is a 20 minute or so podcast conversation on the topic of “inclusion” i had with my mate Matt. We explore a little about what it means for people and a community.
Mental health in our schools
Greetings friends,
Mental health in our schools. What’s happening? Here is a report from Australia’s ABC news mentioning rising instances of anxiety, depression, cyber bullying with our school kids, and it’s showing up in primary schools in kids as young as 10.
Senior psychologist Beth Matters sees the unique challenges for teens first-hand in her work at the public high school in Canberra’s north. She said cyber bullying and stress, particularly regarding exams, were a major concern for students. And she said while anxiety and depression had increased in the past five years, there had been a decrease in some behavioural disturbances such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Ms Matters said mental health was “everyone’s business” beyond the final classroom bell.”
World Mental Health day 10th. October
Greetings friend,
Hope all’s well with you. It’s Mental health awareness week in Australia, along with World Mental health day on October 10th every year. Here’s a podcast i did late September 2017 with my mate Matt where we talk a little about good mental health, and the week ahead.
Interview – Within These Walls. June 2017.
Greetings reader. I had a nice yap to Within these Walls from Tasmania, Australia earlier today. See below –
METAL HEALTH INTERVIEW with Within these Walls. June 2017.
– Hello Kelly, vocalist from Australian band Within these Walls, Welcome to Metal health and thanks for being here.
“Hey Greg, glad to be here, thank you for taking the time to chat.”
– What does good mental health mean to you?
“Good mental health means a lot to both myself and the band. We have all had ups and downs in our lives, (as have a lot of people) so we really understand the importance of hanging onto that good mindset, or mentality. Remembering that it can often be hard at times, yes. But also remembering that with the right people around you and the right mindset, you can overcome almost any obstacle.”
– 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?
“I think its always hard coming out of a show and sitting back down to work or study. And that doesn’t really just apply for travel sometimes. even after a local show we will all be really hyped up for the afternoon and we will hang out and what not, but then that first day back at work/study afterwards is so daunting. Mainly because you just wish you were out there doing it again!”
– What motivates you? What keeps you going?
“For a lot of us in the band i feel its the enjoyment of it all. When we play we all have fun, we all enjoy being in the studio and we all love getting together for practice all for that one reason. We enjoy it. And i think it’s that passion for music we all share that really holds the band together.”
– Are you a positive thinker? How do you stay positive?
“I’d like to think that i am a positive sort of guy, yeah. And i guess the way i do it is by attempting to hold onto the little things that keep you smiling, and i mean that could be anything. It could even change from day to day, but there is always something there to swing me into a good mood!”
– Have you experienced any tough times personally that you’d be okay talking about? If so, how are you/did you get through this.
“Yeah of course, all of us in the band at some stage have experienced some rough times. Be that loss of loved ones or loss of self value. However we all managed to overcome that by keeping our heads up, finding a family member or friend and remember that things get better. Always”
– What does making music mean for you? Why do you do it?
“For me personally its both Therapeutic and enjoyable, being able to create stories lyrically or lay my thoughts out on paper is great and hearing it come together in a mix is even better. But i know for all of us it is just a great feeling to look at, and listen to something that you and 4 of your best mates created. Its always a great time.”
– I Enjoyed listening to the track ‘Conformity’, from your upcoming album ‘Life’. A real solid straight ahead track, and loved your vocals. How was the recording process for this record (and album)? Did you bang it down live, or record an instrument at a time etc?
“Thanks, Greg. Glad you enjoyed the track! Well, for Conformity, myself and our Guitarist Stephan, tracked all the guitar, bass and vocal parts to the drum file that our Drummer, Malikye, had programmed. After this I took it away and began mixing until I arrived at the product you hear today! As far as the LP goes, however, we will be re-tracking mixing and mastering that track when we reach it in the studio.”
So what are your plans? Some more touring or any dates you can mention? I see on your FB page you have a launch on July 20th at the Royal Oak in Launceston for ‘Conformity’. Any other projects musical or otherwise happening?
“Outside of the upcoming Oak show, we are currently hoping to win a support slot for a show with Deez Nuts, Alpha Wolf and Majula, which we are all really excited about. And we have a few other things brewing behind the scenes in regards to live shows. We are also hoping to release another single from our upcoming LP which we have been working on in the background. So keep an eye out for those!”
– Ok, last question! What would you say to fans who are struggling with their mental health, or doing it tough at the moment?
“It gets better. Just remember that no matter how bad things get, there is always someone out there who loves you and is willing to help you through what you are dealing with. And with their support and your strong mind you will make the best of this life, we all can”
– Thanks Kelly for taking the time to talk with us. Wishing you safe travels, and all the best with the album. Greg \Mh/.
“Thank you very much for having us, Greg. It was a pleasure”
Thanks again to the Kelly and the band. below are some links to the bands music. Enjoy!
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/WithinTheseWallsTas/
You tube –