Page 25 - Black Velvet Issue 87

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words for something I’m dealing with.” Bring Change 2 Mind (BC2M) – the latter co- think there’ll be something different. Our goal is
He looks for the quotes himself although founded by Glenn Close, following Ms. Close’s not to compete with what we’ve already done,
says the band all share a very similar outlook on own observations of the battles of mental illness it’s to touch on things that we haven’t touched
life, and so he tries to find things that resonate within her family. On the band’s website one fan on yet.
with all of them and are not just a reflection of wrote ‘I have my Jenny… it is my girlfriend. How So that’s the goal of the album – but finally,
his personal idiosyncrasies per se. “Even though can I help her?’ A member replied to call the US what about the goal of Jonny and the band in
they are personal and they deal with things that National Suicide Prevention Hotline to get some general?
I’m dealing with day-to-day, they still reflect what names of counselors in their area. We ask “I actually just posted a quote today saying
the whole band believes and holds to. I always Jonny if there’s anything a person can do when ‘If you don’t know where you’re going then any
fight to find a balance between the two. I love someone doesn’t want help. road will take you there’. Someone told me that
trying to make people think without making them “No. I don’t think there’s anything you can two nights ago when we were hanging out with
feel like we’re trying to polarize or push our point do if somebody doesn’t want help,” he replies some fans after the show. This lady said that
of view. We’re just trying to push them, while succinctly. and it stopped me for a second because I’d
challenging their own ideas.” been dealing with that lately where sometimes
he band are now due to get to grips to quote one of our lyrics from ‘This Is The Time’,
n ‘Jenny’ Jonny sings ‘medicating will Tworking on the follow-up to their self-ti- ‘We always start with good intentions but lose
Inever heal’. With his sister having strug- tled album. Will they feel any pressure to write a ourselves along the way’. That’s the hardest
gled with an addiction, we ask Jonny if he thinks song that is even more powerful than ‘Jenny’ to thing – always remembering and reconnecting
most people get addicted to drugs because they help people? with the child in you that had that pure goal be-
need to heal or block something out. Jonny says, “I think that in moments of fore it got dirty and covered up and all the weight
“Yeah, I think so,” he replies. “I think it’s just stress and pressure that thought will pop into our of the world started putting pressure on it. So for
some form of a soft spot or a weakness or what minds, almost inevitably, where the little voice in us, when we were younger our goal was to
they view in themselves as a lack or even some your head will start speaking out of fear and start change people in the way that music had
profound insecurity that when you mix drugs in telling you that ‘I don’t know if this is going to be changed us. We just wanted to reverse the
anyone’s life, hard drugs… it doesn’t have to be as good as the last record’, ‘Is this as good as process, because we had all been saved by
drugs for some people, it can be tame activities, that song?’ and I do think that will happen but music in more ways than one and had been so
they can get so stuck in the person’s habits and what I think now and what I hope to, as we go dramatically altered by it that we almost couldn’t
life because those soft spots are very attractive through the process, is that I’m excited to make do anything else, we couldn’t do anything else
to things like that. It’s tough to say because I a better record. It’s not because we’re afraid that in life and be totally fulfilled. I have to do music
think everyone’s different, but most people - it’s it won’t be as good as this one, it’s that we get because it means that much to me. And so to do
a generalization - have some deeper issue that the opportunity to exercise our skills further, and that for other people, that’s kind of the overarch-
doesn’t have to do with the drug itself.” I think at this point, we’re only better songwriters, ing goal. The way in which we do that is always
The band began a #iknowjenny campaign we’re only better with production and with play- a question mark. That may change throughout
to raise awareness for mental health issues, ing our instruments and I’m a better singer than the years but that’s the general goal.”
inviting fans to share their own story – whether I was then. So I don’t see any reason that it To the aware - we’ll see you at the next
they were a ‘Jenny’ or knew someone like won’t be a better record. Life experiences like Nothing More show. To the oblivious, order
‘Jenny’. They partnered with mental health or- losing my mom or my sister, those are pretty big Nothing More’s self-titled album now.
ganisations, To Write Love On Her Arms, Young experiences and you can’t really replace those, Visit www.nothingmore.net for more info.
Minds (a UK organization), The Jed Foundation, so there’s never going to be another ‘Jenny’ or
International Bipolar Foundation (IBPF) and another ‘God Went North’ or ‘I’ll Be OK’ but I Words & Photos By Shari Black Velvet

Nothing More with Issue 85 of Black Velvet

NOTHING MORE