The world’s first recovery podcast set in the music business, High Notes, returns with ten new episodes available today worldwide.
Today – Tuesday, December 15th – Haulix.com, in partnership with heartsupport and the Global Recovery Initiatives Foundation, has released HIGH NOTES, a podcast about addiction and recovery in the music industry. The full 10-episode second season debuts today on all podcast platforms. Listen and subscribe https://linktr.ee/highnotes.
“At Haulix, in addition to taking care of our customers, we take pride in using our industry reach to educate and shine a light on topics less heard about, like addiction and recovery,” says company founder and CEO Matt Brown. “Our High Notes series lets us tap into real-world experiences spoken by the artists themselves.”
The second season of HIGH NOTES features exclusive, in-depth conversations with rock and alternative musicians in various recovery stages. Guests include Shannon Larkin of Godsmack, Craig Mabbitt of Escape The Fate, Eric Christopher of Hospital Bracelet, Ben Liebsch of You, Me, And Everyone We Know, Clint Lowery of Sevendust, Amanda Lyberg of Eva Under Fire, Donovan Melero of Hail The Sun, singer/songwriter Janet Devlin, Trevor Hedges of Sundressed, and indie newcomer Kat Hamilton. Each episode delves into a different guest’s journey to sobriety and the role the music business played in helping (or hurting) their recovery.
“We believe in the power of conversation,” says host James Shotwell. “The second season of our show looks at addiction and recovery from a variety of fresh perspectives. The discussions we have can be tough to hear at times, but we always emphasize hope. We want everyone listening to know that there are always people who love and believe in them no matter how bad things appear. Our team and our guests want to cheer on our audience the same way they cheer for their favorite musicians.”
The first season of HIGH NOTES premiered in July of 2020. The 8-episode season featured Brian “Head” Welch of KoRn, Tommy Vext of Bad Wolves, Bert McCracken of The Used, Anthony Green of Circa Survive, Haley Butters of Absinthe Father, Nick Martin of Sleeping With Sirens, Ronnie Winter of The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, and Justin Furstenfeld of Blue October.
HIGH NOTES’ entire second season is available starting today, July 28. https://linktr.ee/highnotes.
Episode descriptions:
2.1 Eric Christopher (Hospital Bracelet)
A recent star of the indie punk scene, Eric Christopher of Hospital Bracelet, discusses the relapse that led them to reconnect with music and launch their career. They also share the importance of mantras, finding a supportive community, and sharing your journey.
Hospital Bracelet’s debut album, South Loop Summer, arrives in 2021 through Counter Intuitive Records.
2.2 Ben Liebsch (You, Me, And Everyone We Know)
For Ben Liebsch, a lifetime spent trying to outrun childhood traumas inevitably led to years of drug and alcohol abuse. His problems reached a boiling point in the spring of 2011 when every member of his band quit, leaving Ben to sift through the things he’d worked so hard to avoid. Ben tells us how confronting his past allows him to live in the present and how processing his experiences ultimately led him back to making music.
2.3 Amanda Lyberg (Eva Under Fire)
Amanda Lyberg has known the destructive power of addiction her entire life. Raised by addicts, Amanda spent years trying to understand their struggles, which eventually led to a career in clinical psychology. In this episode, Amanda shares her pivotal life experiences and how she works to make the world a better, more understanding place both in and out of music.
2.4. Clint Lowery (Sevendust)
Clint Lowery is a modern rock icon. He’s done everything a rockstar can, but he realized many years ago that the version of stardom found in movies and television shows is no way to live. Here, Clint recounts the day he chose to change his life and details how the Serenity Prayer’s lessons changed him for the better.
2.5. Donovan Melero (Hail The Sun)
Once a shy teen with dreams of making a living in entertainment, Donovan Melero saw drugs and alcohol as a way to escape his insecurities. Over time, however, he realized that running away from your problems never leads to peace. Here, Donovan tells us how opening up about his difficulties helped him find a community that supported him on the path to recovery.
2.6 Trevor Hedges (Sundressed)
Sundressed vocalist and founding member Trevor Hedges knew he had to make a change after a run-in with law enforcement nearly derailed his life. Thankfully, he found purpose in making music to help others, and his devotion to developing his talent has kept Trevor on the path to recovery for over a decade.
2.7 Janet Devlin
Fame is difficult for anyone to handle, but it’s perhaps hardest on young people. After gaining international attention through reality TV at the age of 16, Janet Devlin fell into addictive behaviors while feeling isolated from the outside world. She uses her time on High Notes to tell us how a combination of recovery groups and therapy saved her life on more than one occasion. It’s a darkly funny look at the work involved in getting betting, but it’s as honest as any conversation we’ve shared.
2.8 Craig Mabbitt (Escape The Fate)
When Craig Mabbitt joined Escape The Fate, his image was a hard-partying rockstar with a look and attitude similar to Motley Crue in their prime. That lifestyle was fun for a while, but deep down, Craig knew it could never last. Fast-forward to 2020, and Craig is in his first year of sobriety, which has unfolded amid a global pandemic.
2.9 Shannon Larkin (Godsmack, Apocalypse Blues Revival)
Shannon Larkin is music royalty. Best known as the drummer of Godsmack and The Apocalypse Blues Revival, Larkin has contributed to some of the most influential rock records of all-time. He’s been everywhere and done everything that musicians dream of achieving, but his most significant accomplishment happened just four years ago when a motorcycle accident pushed him to get sober.
2.10 Kat Hamilton
Kat Hamilton is a fast-rising musician who channels the years she spent dealing with intense addiction and trauma into her songwriting. Kat uses her time on the show to discuss the therapeutic qualities of sharing your truth and lessons learned in recovery.
