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 –
Interview with Stuart Wood from the Giants. March 2018
Today i had the pleasure of interviewing Giants lead singer Stuart Wood. Stu is an Australian music legend and is about to embark on a tour of the north of Australia with the Repeat Offenders.
– G’day Stu. Welcome to Metal Health and thanks for being here.
– What does good mental health mean to you?
I guess just being able to cope with everyday life and all it throws at you both good and bad .
– How is life for you off the road or when you’re not gigging? Espe-cially 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?
There is always a come down period after touring, especially re adjusting to home after touring overseas. Friends and family are the best asset we have in this case.
– What motivates you? What keeps you going?
My love of music has always kept me going, I knew from a very early age that I was different, growing up in a country town where everything revolved around sport, I tried to conform and played footy and basketball but I knew deep inside that my heart just wasn’t in it , music however could take me to that special place where only I and other like minded musicians could go, and still does to this day!
– Are you a positive thinker? How do you stay positive?
Most definitely a positive thinker lol , in my line of work you have to be! Mainly because my band has existed for 36 years, made 16 Albums, 4 DVDs , spent 5 years touring the USA, 15 years touring Europe and all of this was created by me personally, no agents, no publicists, no management at all, and its still that way to this day !
– That’s an incredible track record!
Have you experienced any tough times personally that you’d be okay talking about? If so, how are you/how did you get through this.
Ha ha I could write a book about tough times lol , born illegitimate the day after my mothers 18th birthday , mistreated by my stepfather , taken away from my mother for my own safety and raised by my grand parents ! And that’s just the tip of the iceberg lol .Music played a very big role in my early teenage years and looking back probably saved me from a life of crime lol, I joined an outlaw motor-cycle club for 9 years as a substitute for family, but music took me away from that cos of its stronger pull. Lucky for me! Lol. As I said I could write a book on tough times but in the end you have to just be tough and work through it.
– What does making music mean to you? Why do you do it?
Music is my life, I cant imagine living without it, the places it has taken me and the friends I have made because of it is just awesome.
– When did you start making music? 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?
Started out playing covers like most people do , then Wayne Burt (ex Daddy Cool , Jo Jo Zep , Black Sorrows) joined my band and he already was a renowned songwriter , he showed me the way in my learning curve about expressing myself thru songwriting. When we became an original band writing our own songs the world opened its doors for us .
– 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?
The hardest thing to find in Australia is a rhythm section that works together lol , in the USA especially in Nashville Tn , where incidently we had the main street Broadway shut down so we could perform there , the drums and bass are like one holding the groove of the song together . The secret of the Nashville sound was revealed to me from Bruce Bossert (Nashville PA and Stage) when he told me in a live mix situation the hi-hats and and Acoustic guitar sits dead centre in the the mix and everything works off them! For me a song is a story , guitar solos compliment the story for a short time , but its all about the story and how well the singer puts it across.
– Some great insight right there. How was the recording process for your last record? Did you bang it down live, or record an instrument at a time etc?
Lol we just finished one recorded in my garage put down basically live.
– Cool! Look forward to hearing it. So what are your plans? Some more touring or any dates you can mention? I know you’re about to tour with the Repeat Offenders. You and the fans must be looking forward to that!
We go north every year to the NT , to get outa Melbournes winter lol and yes we look forward to that
– Any other projects musical or otherwise happening?
Not really. Australia is just full on tribute band country now and I want to travel back to europe again to catch up with my musical mates there before I get too old lol, maybe next year!
– Ok, last question! What would you say to fans who are struggling with their mental health, or doing it tough at the moment?
My brother Bruce took his own life 12 years ago, I lived 5 mins from him, he didn’t call for help, destroyed my mother and his family, he was gone, only left pain, broken hearts and sadness and anger behind, so TALK TO SOMEONE !!
– Thanks for taking the time to talk with us Stu. Wishing you safe travels, and all the best with the upcoming shows. Greg \Mh/.
Look out for Stu’s latest album ‘Songs from Mataranka homestead 2.
Links to band http://www.thegiants.com.au
https://www.facebook.com/The-Giants-86734061377/
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
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 with Adam Agius of Levitation Hex. September 2017
Greetings friends. Hope you’re good.
I went to Australia’s capital Canberra on Sunday September 3rd and met with local metal music legend Adam Argius. Adam was very generous to give me his time especially on such short notice. He was front man for Aussie metal band Alchemist, and now fronts Levitation Hex. Follow the link below to the podcast of our chat. Take it easy. Greg \MH/
The Levitation Hex Music page links:
https://www.facebook.com/The-Levitation-Hex-170038509738897/
Cool Quotes for today
Some quotes for today –
“Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.”
– Anne Frank.
“Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.”
– Marcus Aurelius
“You were given life; it is your duty (and also your entitlement as a human being) to find something beautiful within life, no matter how slight.”
– Elizabeth Gilbert
And from The Samurai Musashi in the year 1645. –
Musashi, the greatest samurai, later a deeply feeling student of the Buddha, and much later the subject of the awesome Samurai Trilogy starring Toshiro Mifune…set down 21 Rules to Live by. Here they are.
1. Accept everything just the way it is.
2. Do not seek pleasure for its own sake.
3. Do not, under any circumstances, depend on a partial feeling.
4. Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world.
5. Be detached from desire your whole life long.
6. Do not regret what you have done.
7. Never be jealous.
8. Never let yourself be saddened by a separation.
9. Resentment and complaint are appropriate neither for oneself nor others.
10. Do not let yourself be guided by the feeling of lust or love.
11. In all things have no preferences.
12. Be indifferent to where you live.
13. Do not pursue the taste of good food.
14. Do not hold on to possessions you no longer need.
15. Do not act following customary beliefs.
16. Do not collect weapons or practice with weapons beyond what is useful.
17. Do not fear death.
18. Do not seek to possess either goods or fiefs for your old age.
19. Respect Buddha and the gods without counting on their help.
20. You may abandon your own body but you must preserve your honour.
21. Never stray from the Way.”
~ Miyamoto Musashi
Be well reader. Greg \MH/
Thunder Spell. Metal from Brazil! Interview January 2017.
– Hello Thunder Spell. Welcome to Metalhealth and thanks for being here.
– What does good mental health mean to you?
That to say this of well with the life and to itself, to seek to balance the good things of the life, health and leisure are the excential in this chemistry, to practice sport, to have a healthy life, and very good, to listen to very heavy metal also helps, that leaves the Healthy mind, you can be sure.
– How is life for you off the road or when you’re not gigging? Especially after a tour or big gig/event, is it difficult to adjust back into life at home after time on the road? If so, how do you adjust/cope?
Outside the road and the shows we live a very normal life, we have our professions outside the life of heavy metal musician, we work to maintain a good life, among other things, family, friends, etc. No, before we travel, we leave everything ready for our absence, we try to anticipate our tasks as much as possible, so that when we return we have not delayed much and neither prejudiced our tasks during our trips.
– What motivates you? What keeps you going?
Many things, but I think the main motivation is to be able to show our work to other people, meet new people, and meet people who like our music, our band, that’s priceless. We continue for this reason and the will will crazy and eternal will play heavy metal, this keeps the band. This ideal, we fight for it, to keep the flame of the metal burning.
– Are you a positive thinker? How do you stay positive?
Yes. As I say, forward ball that comes back people eating hot dog, I always think of the future, entrepreneurial vision, expand with new ideas, new horizons. You always have to think about the solution and not the problem, I think to be optimistic This is it, problems will always exist, it is up to you to let them be defeated by them or not, I do not let them defeat me.
– Have you experienced any tough times personally that you’d be okay talking about? If so, how are you/did you get through this.
I believe that even for those who have everything, it becomes difficult not to have difficulties, which ends up becoming a difficulty. We are not different from anyone, we have gone through many difficulties, but always trying to solve the best way possible. As I said before, always thinking of the solution, if you give in to the problems when they arise you are already born defeated, dead, we are born To win, we will not surrender, surrender for anything, alias we will not surrender for nothing, metal to death, this is philosophy of life, win, aim for victory and persist in their goals, their achievements, until the world Become small for them.
– What does making music mean to you? Why do you do it?
It represents a personal satisfaction in being able to show people what you love, to make music and to play them is very rewarding, to know that people like what you did, to have the satisfaction of having done something special. Because it’s what we like to do, we only think about composing, playing heavy metal, every day, it’s our addiction, our poison, it leaves us poisonous too, always wanting to do more and more, playing heavy metal is everything, we do not think Stop
– You have a new album coming out called Battle Scream. Do you have a release date for the album? How was the recording process for this record? Did you bang it down live, or record one instrument at a time etc?
In fact we have already released it, we are now releasing this album and doing shows to show our new work, and this has been very gratifying, because the recording process was quite long, we recorded in two studios, but in the end it came out as wanted agent , Well worth the wait. We recorded each instrument and voice one at a time, we had some unforeseen ones too, so it was time consuming.
– Congratulations! So what are your plans with Battle Scream? Some more touring or any dates you can mention? I see you have some big shows coming up. Any other projects musical or otherwise happening?
Currently we are doing shows here in our country, but soon we hope to play in other countries, including in Europe because at the moment, we are not much time to make a great tour, but we are playing in major festivals here in Brazil, such as Maniacs metal Meeting, one of the biggest festivals in the south of the country, we had the honor of playing it, but we are organizing to do a very nice tour. yes, we are in a tribute to the English Raven band, with the music Fire Power, and now we are going Participate in a tribute to the Motorhead with the song one night stand, this for us was a special step for the band.
– Ok, last question. What would you say to fans who are struggling with their mental health, or doing it tough at the moment?
Do not let them down, try always to give your best in everything, always try to overcome each day, more and more, seeking the good vibes that heavy metal and other things can give you, do not grieve your heart , Metal is for the strong, if you listen and identify with that sound, you are a strong person, you are a winner, even if you do not know, seek the warrior that sleeps inside you, wake the beast, make him shout to Everyone hear, and know that you are a winner. Do not give up on your dreams, do not give up on heavy metal, it will never give up on you, heavy metal will never die.
– Thank you Thunder Spell for taking the time to talk with us. Let’s hope we can see you in Australia soon! Safe travels, and all the best with the album and your future plans.
Greg \MH/.
Band links –
https://www.facebook.com/thunderspellmetal/
https://www.youtube.com/shared?ci=f0NHOTinyqA
https://www.youtube.com/shared?ci=8yLMEmeOVtc
https://www.youtube.com/shared?ci=okCM7lGoks8