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Music impacts more on our lives nowadays than it did at any time during history. It is pretty much impossible to escape (should we want to) and the diversity of styles available to us is breathtaking—jazz to classical, rock to dance, hip hop to world and many, many more—we are a veritable ocean of textures, sounds, dynamics and beats.
Adverts use music to court our fancies, TV programmes and films to enhance their message; be it punch-line or climax and, of course, there is the colossal music industry itself which runs itself ragged trying both to dictate and predict what we will/won’t/just might like and to download or buy to appease that nagging urge in our brains that tells us that we must own that particular piece of music. Why? Hmmm…..good question. Now before we open a philosophical nightmare and ask, “But why do we like/need anything?” let’s hold our horses and remember it’s music that we’re talking about here. That’s all. Hang on a minute—that's all??!!
Music, or at least certain genres of it, run a close second to food and water in some peoples’ minds, including mine. The aural stimulation, reassurance and feeling that I am not alone in my angst has helped me through many difficult times when I have been well and truly in the vicious grip of bipolar and psychosis. Not only do I listen to music, I write and perform my own. I find it therapeutic not only for myself, but hopefully for others as my band, Bad Alice's music is all about mental illness and social issues that affect young people.
The reason I learnt to play the guitar is steeped in mental illness. I dropped out of University because of bipolar and bought a extraordinarily cheap guitar off a friend for and found, to my huge relief and delight, that if I spent time teaching myself to play, the bad thoughts and depressive loomings receded. I needed no encouragement to practice! When I was admitted to a hospital, they let me take my guitar with me and my “music therapy” as such became a huge part of my road to recovery.
So, back to Bad Alice…..does world domination await? Hmm, not sure I really fancy that. What’s much more in my game plan is to help and educate young people about mental illness through music as well as offer reassurance to those who are in mental distress.
The songs that I write are reflective, but positive and not advisory—just giving a general insight into my feelings, experiences and thoughts about certain subjects. These subjects include what it is like being depressed, psychotic or self-harming as well as recovery. We also sing about being your own person rather than feeling you have to be as society says you should be and having self-belief in yourself and the aim is that the listeners will find the songs thought-provoking, interesting and, hopefully, reassuring to listen to. Fingers crossed!
Please log onto Bad Alice at www.badalicemusic.com to hear some song ‘snippets,’ to download and to find out more. Happy listening! I also have a website www.thecairn.com that you can check out.