Interview with Jay from Arakeye.
Greetings reader. A couple of days ago i caught up with Jay from Aussie band Arakeye. Here’s the interview.
– Hello Jay. Welcome to Metalhealth and thanks for being here.
Hi Greg, thanks for having me man!
– What does good mental health mean to you?
I believe it comes down to having a good balance of every aspect of your life in regards to work, home & family life and your interests. We need to feel a belonging somewhere and not stress too much about things that we cannot change. Having healthy relationships, adequate sleep, the right diet and exercising regularly is also important, without any structure, it can be easy to fall in to some bad habits that can jeopardise your mental health.
– I love the passion in your music and lyrics. Where do you think that comes from?
Thank you!
The lyrics I write, like a lot of songwriters, come from life experiences and observing the world around you. I get a lot of inspiration from society and people in general, we are complex creatures that offer an abundance of interesting issues to write about.
– 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?
We’ve been pretty lucky in Arakeye so far, our gigs are never too far apart and interstate jaunts are treated like weekend getaways & always great fun. We already have some new material in the pipeline after ATMOSFEARS is out there, so that’s exciting. We always make sure we have something to look forward to whether it be a new album, track release, music video, demoing at our drummer’s house (Tyson). We also get together for ‘Arakeye Family Dinners’ which involve our partners and children. We’re a close knit bunch and are happier people for it!
– What motivates you? What keeps you going?
The excitement of people hearing our music and getting something out of it, connecting at some level I suppose. That’s the best part of it for me, people coming up to you and speaking from the heart, it makes you feel like you are contributing and it’s worthwhile. I also like to challenge myself to write very different songs and lyrics to any previous tracks we release, exploring & touching on different genres is something that keeps me motivated to continue writing.
– Are you a positive thinker? How do you stay positive?
I’d say for the most part I’m positive, but we all get those days where the facets of our world are out of balance and the gloom & doubt sets in. My day job of working with people with disabilities can be sad at times but also very uplifting.
But after work I know that I have a wife and two beautiful children to come home to so it’s quite easy for me to get back to positive town!
– Have you experienced any tough times personally that you’d be okay talking about? If so, how are you/did you get through this.
In 2003 I was witness to a horrific car accident where a pedestrian was hit and nearly died, I was first on the scene to comfort her & her 2 year old son, while my Dad phoned an ambulance & also helped out the driver of the car that was involved. Just an unfortunate situation all round, no ones fault, kids will run out onto roads and parents won’t think twice to follow them blindly. Everybody came through it, but I was 19 at the time and it really affected me mentally, I didn’t eat for a few days and so began a downward spiral. I lost three friends in the space of 3 months in a range of circumstances not long after that and I developed Anxiety Disorder, Depression and Agoraphobia. I had to defer my final year of Uni, I was still living at home at the time and couldn’t leave the house for a year without anxiety related problems, but with the help of my family & friends, Buddhism & spirituality, I got through it.
I went back and finished my degree the following year and I’ve just kept moving forward ever since. Performing on stage was so far away back then, I honestly never thought I would perform again because of the crippling panic attacks. But here I am, 12 years later, married with 2 kids, playing 12-15 shows a year and loving life. I really feel for people who go through these tough times and aren’t fortunate enough to have these support structures around them while dealing with mental health issues.
– Geez that’s rough! Congratulations on finishing your degree and getting yourself back onstage. What does making music mean for you? Why do you do it?
Music has been a constant in my life for 15 years, so it’s part of who I am really. It’s very therapeutic to be creative and this is my outlet. It is a stress reliever for me, I enjoy it, have had some success at it and will continue to try and write better songs.
– Congratulations on the release of your new album ATMOSFEARS. I really enjoyed listening to the second single from the album, ‘Isolated Existence’. How was the recording process? Did you bang it down live, or record one instrument at a time etc?
Thanks for the feedback mate!
Recording was a long process that took nearly 12 months. We started 2 years ago demoing every track at Tyson’s home studio to use as a reference while we recorded. Each part was recorded separately at ColourSound Studio & we all had our allotted timeframe to get our parts completed. That allowed a very thorough mixing process, getting the chance to hear 5 or 6 versions of each song from Mat was great. We could hone in and get everything exactly how we wanted it to sound. After all the instrumental parts and vocals were completed, Tyson & Mat set about laying our keys/electronics & ambience on top which I believe gives our album a unique sound along with Hass’ interesting guitar sounds.
– So what are the bands/your future plans? Some more touring or any dates you can mention?
I think we’ll focus on the next stage of writing after the album launch. It’s been a big year, but it’ll be exciting to load up again in 2017. If there’s enough interest in ATMOSFEARS, we’d love to tour it eventually, but time will tell!
– Any other projects musical or otherwise happening?
Arakeye takes up pretty much all the time I have to spare at the moment, but I would love to get back to playing guitar and maybe start a side project in the future.
– Ok, last question! What would you say to fans who are struggling with their mental health, or doing it tough at the moment?
There’s always hope so don’t give up. Push through it, a little at a time. Think positively, make new friends and try new things. Get around your family and friends and take more of an interest in what they are doing to take your mind off yourself for a while. There’s also excellent resources available online such as Headspace & Beyond Blue where anyone can go to chat or find the help they need.
– Thank you for taking the time to talk with us Jay. We wish you safe travels, and congratulations to you and the band on the new record.
– All the best. Greg \Mh/.
Thanks Greg!
Some links to the bands music –
