BETHLEHEM, Pa. — In the two years the Lehigh Valley-based podcast “Your Next Favorite Band” has presented its annual Listen to the Dissonance concert, host Phillip Reese said the reaction has kept it going.
Reese said the event, which offers “songs and conversation about mental health,” has spurred action by both artists and audiences.
“I’ve heard from some people that after attending, they acknowledged their own areas of need, started seeing a therapist and was open to taking medication for the first time to manage their mental health,” Reese said.
“The main reason that we continue to do it is that the response has been so powerful.”
Tickets, at $12.51, are available at the Eventbrite ticket site or at the door. All proceeds will go to the musicians and the organizations to be spotlighted.
Listen to the Dissonance
Listen to the Dissonance will return for a third year at 7 p.m. Friday Feb. 27 (doors open at 6 p.m.) at Charles A. Brown Ice House at 56 River St., Bethlehem.
Performers will be vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Judah Kim, singer-songwriter Clover, songwriter-producer Barney Cortez and Nashville-based songwriter Patty PerShayla.
Tickets, at $12.51, are available at the Eventbrite ticket site
or at the door. All proceeds will go to the musicians and the organizations to be spotlighted.
‘Powerful force of encouragement’
Reese quoted one audience member as telling him, “The staging, the presentation, the conversations were all comfortable, even though you were talking about at times very uncomfortable things to talk about in public like that.
“But it was good to see that kind of stuff brought forward so that there’s some light given to those kind of things.”
Similarly, reaction from the performers “has been a powerful force of encouragement,” Reese said.
“To hear these similarities in another musician’s journey, and that it’s not only ‘OK to not be OK,’ it’s OK to fall and know that there’s hope and another chance. Another attempt. Just need to get back up.”
“Your Next Favorite Band” podcaster Philip Reese
“I think the stories shared resonate even that much more with fellow artists,” he said. “The effort to create and put your art out in the world is anxiety-ridden, especially with the now instant ‘results’ of post likes and stream counts.
“Not to mention the lifestyle of touring, being away from family, away from support systems and around vices that perhaps are only a temptation away from shattering hours, days and years of progress.
“To hear these similarities in another musician’s journey, and that it’s not only ‘OK to not be OK,’ it’s OK to fall and know that there’s hope and another chance. Another attempt. Just need to get back up.
“One of my favorite mantras is the Japanese phrase ‘Fall down seven, get up eight.’”
‘Honored and humbled’
But as it has in past years, the third Listen to the Dissonance will seek “to create a safe space for brave stories and powerful music honoring mental health struggle,” Reese said.
Performers are “all united by their courage in sharing stories that matter,” a release for the show said.
“Each artist will perform solo sets interwoven with moderated conversations exploring mental health, resilience, creativity and connection through music.”
“Another reason we continue to do this is more and more people who come on the show continue to share, and so the more we normalize these conversations it helps destigmatize these words, phrases and conversations.”
“Your Next Favorite Band” podcaster Philip Reese
Reese said, “I’m honored and humbled by all of the musicians’ trust and faith in me during an interview to share an element of their story that includes a mental health struggle or dark times.
“And even more so when they agree to join the Listen to the Dissonance line-up to help build an evening that is still about music discovery, but for a much deeper and important reason.
“And so another reason we continue to do this is more and more people who come on the show continue to share, and so the more we normalize these conversations it helps destigmatize these words, phrases and conversations.
But “as incredible as these stories are and this feedback is, we’re never looking to do anything more than create a safe space for these conversations and songs to be played without fear of judgment,” Reese said.
“I’d never want anyone to feel like this is an evening of expectation or ‘fixing things.’ We’re all just broken people looking to feel less alone, and honoring the power that music can play in that.”
About the lineup
Performers at Listen to the Dissonance will be:
CLOVER, a singer-songwriter from Frenchtown, New Jersey, who blends folk, pop and soul music.
Inspired by acts such as Lake Street Dive, Maggie Rogers and Carole King, CLOVER strives for the energy of the 1960s and ’70s in conversation with contemporary music.
Judah Kim’s indie/alternative rock music ranges from intimate and introspective to playful.
Barney Cortez, of Philadelphia, along with Nick Bockrath of Cage The Elephant, founded the band Nicos Gun and was its sole singer/songwriter.
He went solo in 2018 with his debut EP “Pretty Thin” and its pop-rock sensibilities. He has released four EPs and several singles and toured Europe, and recently released his debut album, “Hullabaloo.”
Patty PerShayla is a Nashville-based rock singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist originally from Michigan. As frontwoman for Patty PerShayla & The Mayhaps and a member of the rock band YYNOT, she blends blues, rock and folk influences.
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