The discussion
We are pleased to share this inspirational discussion that took place on 1st November 2022, as part of Addiction Awareness Week.
Music Support’s Senior Learning and Development Specialist, Norman Beecher, welcomed special guests Jack Fawdry (musician with rock band Tova and recovering addict), Rachel Parsons (musician and Youth Programmes Manager for More Music) and Suzi Green (Tour Manager) where they shared their experiences of Addiction and Supporting recovery in the Music Industry.
Topics discussed included to what extent there is an issue with addiction in the industry, how we (as individuals and an industry) can support those who are living with it and what we can do to challenge stigmas attached to it.
The panel also discussed Music Support’s Addiction and Recovery Awareness workshop which, thanks to funding, is available for anyone who works in music and live events to attend for FREE. Click here to find out more about this engaging four-hour session (delivered on Zoom) and to apply.
HOST - Norman Beecher
Music Support’s Senior Learning and Development Specialist who has extensive experience in working in the fields of Addiction and Mental Health and the professional development of practitioners in the field. Norman is also in recovery from his own addiction and is resolute in his belief that within every individual is the ability to heal and grow with the appropriate guidance and support
The panel
Jack Fawdry
Frontman and guitarist of rock/alternative band TOVA. “I knew I was an addict from the first time I got drunk, from 16 to 26 its the only thing I really cared about, being five and a half years sober, I’m finally starting to feel clarity and understand what took me into such a dark place and how I’ve been able to keep myself away from returning into active addiction in an industry full of daily temptations.” www.tovaband.com
Rachel Parsons
Rachel works for More Music, the music and education charity based in Morecombe, as Youth Programmes Manager where she develops pathways into music, employment, education and the industry. She runs the Youth leadership programme, working with young people to develop skills, knowledge and real life experiences in creative industries, More Music’s Girls Can initiative and supports young musicians, technicians and creatives in the early stages of their careers. As a drummer, Rachel has 20 years’ experience of performing, recording and touring, playing with Lancaster punk rock band Angelica for nine years. She works as a project manager, event producer, music leader, is a qualified Youth and Community Worker, FE lecturer and Mental Health first aider. www.moremusic.org.uk
Suzi Green
Tour Manager with a career in the music industry spanning 25 years working with artists including PJ Harvey, Grace Jones, The Chemical Brothers and Clean Bandit. After experiencing burn out, Suzi left the industry and retrained as a Naturopathic Nutritionist and having returned to the business, uses her skills on tour, to the benefit of artists and crew. Passionate about wellbeing, Suzi’s aim is to help bring awareness to our industry around both physical and mental health. During COVID shutdown, she founded a peer zoom group ’The Back Lounge’ as a way for live music professionals to connect and support each other in and 2 years later the group is a community with over 2,000 members. She has since won TPI ‘Unsung Hero Award’, Pollstar’s Inaugural Impact International List for UK/Europe and Women In Live Music’s Tour Manager of the Year, for her work in the industry. https://healthy-touring.com/
,%20Rachel%20Parsons%20(musician%20and%20Youth%20Programmes%20Manager%20for%20More%20Music)%20and%20Suzi%20Green%20(Tour%20Manager)%20where%20they%20shared%20their%20experiences%20of%20Addiction%20and%20Supporting%20recovery%20in%20the%20Music%20Industry./phttps://youtu.be/S-3sj0OcSsApTopics%20discussed%20included%20to%20what%20extent%20there%20is%20an%20issue%20with%20addiction%20in%20the%20industry,%20how%20we%20(as%20individuals%20and%20an%20industry)%20can%20support%20those%20who%20are%20living%20with%20it%20and%20what%20we%20can%20do%20to%20challenge%20stigmas%20attached%20to%20it./ppThe%20panel%20also%20discussed%20Music%20Support's%20Addiction%20and%20Recovery%20Awareness%20workshop%20which,%20thanks%20to%20funding,%20is%20available%20for%20anyone%20who%20works%20in%20music%20and%20live%20events%20to%20attend%20for%20FREE.%20Click a%20href=https://www.musicsupport.org/addiction-and-recovery-workshop/%20target=_blank%20rel=noopenerhere/a to%20find%20out%20more%20about%20this%20engaging%20four-hour%20session%20(delivered%20on%20Zoom)%20and%20to%20apply. /pimg%20width=150%20height=150%20src=https://www.musicsupport.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Norman-Beecher-Learning-and-Development-Specialist-1-150x150.jpg%20alt=Norman%20Beecher's%20Headshot%20loading=lazy%20srcset=https://www.musicsupport.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Norman-Beecher-Learning-and-Development-Specialist-1-150x150.jpg%20150w,%20https://www.musicsupport.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Norman-Beecher-Learning-and-Development-Specialist-1-300x300.jpg%20300w,%20https://www.musicsupport.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Norman-Beecher-Learning-and-Development-Specialist-1-1024x1024.jpg%201024w,%20https://www.musicsupport.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Norman-Beecher-Learning-and-Development-Specialist-1-768x768.jpg%20768w,%20https://www.musicsupport.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Norman-Beecher-Learning-and-Development-Specialist-1.jpg%201092w%20sizes=(max-width:%20150px)%20100vw,%20150px%20/h4HOST%20-%20Norman%20Beecher%20/h4pMusic%20Support's%20Senior%20Learning%20and%20Development%20Specialist%20who%20has%20extensive%20experience%20in%20working%20in%20the%20fields%20of%20Addiction%20and%20Mental%20Health%20and%20the%20professional%20development%20of%20practitioners%20in%20the%20field.%20Norman%20is%20also%20in%20recovery%20from%20his%20own%20addiction%20and%20is%20resolute%20in%20his%20belief%20that%20within%20every%20individual%20is%20the%20ability%20to%20heal%20and%20grow%20with%20the%20appropriate%20guidance%20and%20support/ph2The%20panel/h2img%20width=150%20height=150%20src=https://www.musicsupport.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/jack-live-shot-150x150.jpg%20alt=%20loading=lazy%20/h4Jack%20Fawdry%20/h4pFrontman%20and%20guitarist%20of%20rock/alternative%20band%20TOVA. emI%20knew%20I%20was%20an%20addict%20from%20the%20first%20time%20I%20got%20drunk,%20from%2016%20to%2026%20its%20the%20only%20thing%20I%20really%20cared%20about,%20being%20five%20and%20a%20half%20years%20sober,%20I'm%20finally%20starting%20to%20feel%20clarity%20and%20understand%20what%20took%20me%20into%20such%20a%20dark%20place%20and%20how%20I've%20been%20able%20to%20keep%20myself%20away%20from%20returning%20into%20active%20addiction%20in%20an%20industry%20full%20of%20daily%20temptations./em a%20href=https://tovaband.com/%20target=_blank%20rel=nofollow%20noopener%20noreferrerwww.tovaband.com/a/pimg%20width=150%20height=150%20src=https://www.musicsupport.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Rachel-Parsons-150x150.jpg%20alt=%20loading=lazy%20/h4Rachel%20Parsons/h4pRachel%20works%20for%20More%20Music,%20the%20music%20and%20education%20charity%20based%20in%20Morecombe,%20as%20Youth%20Programmes%20Manager%20where%20she%20develops%20pathways%20into%20music,%20employment,%20education%20and%20the%20industry.%20She%20runs%20the%20Youth%20leadership%20programme,%20working%20with%20young%20people%20to%20develop%20skills,%20knowledge%20and%20real%20life%20experiences%20in%20creative%20industries,%20More%20Music’s%20Girls%20Can%20initiative%20and%20supports%20young%20musicians,%20technicians%20and%20creatives%20in%20the%20early%20stages%20of%20their%20careers.%20As%20a%20drummer,%20Rachel%20has%2020%20years’%20experience%20of%20performing,%20recording%20and%20touring,%20playing%20with%20Lancaster%20punk%20rock%20band%20Angelica%20for%20nine%20years.%20She%20works%20as%20a%20project%20manager,%20event%20producer,%20music%20leader,%20is%20a%20qualified%20Youth%20and%20Community%20Worker,%20FE%20lecturer%20and%20Mental%20Health%20first%20aider. a%20href=https://moremusic.org.uk/%20target=_blank%20rel=nofollow%20noopener%20noreferrerwww.moremusic.org.uk/a/pimg%20width=150%20height=150%20src=https://www.musicsupport.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Suzi-Green-head-shot-150x150.jpeg%20alt=%20loading=lazy%20/h4Suzi%20Green/h4p%20style=font-weight:%20400;Tour%20Manager%20with%20a%20career%20in%20the%20music%20industry%20spanning%2025%20years%20working%20with%20artists%20including%20PJ%20Harvey,%20Grace%20Jones,%20The%20Chemical%20Brothers%20and%20Clean%20Bandit.%20After%20experiencing%20burn%20out,%20Suzi%20left%20the%20industry%20and%20retrained%20as%20a%20Naturopathic%20Nutritionist%20and%20having%20returned%20to%20the%20business,%20uses%20her%20skills%20on%20tour,%20to%20the%20benefit%20of%20artists%20and%20crew.%20Passionate%20about%20wellbeing,%20Suzi’s%20aim%20is%20to%20help%20bring%20awareness%20to%20our%20industry%20around%20both%20physical%20and%20mental%20health.%20During%20COVID%20shutdown,%20she%20founded%20a%20peer%20zoom%20group%20’The%20Back%20Lounge'%20as%20a%20way%20for%20live%20music%20professionals%20to%20connect%20and%20support%20each%20other%20in%20and%202%20years%20later%20the%20group%20is%20a%20community%20with%20over%202,000%20members.%20She%20has%20since%20won%20TPI%20‘Unsung%20Hero%20Award’,%20Pollstar’s%20Inaugural%20Impact%20International%20List%20for%20UK/Europe%20and%20Women%20In%20Live%20Music’s%20Tour%20Manager%20of%20the%20Year,%20for%20her%20work%20in%20the%20industry.%20a%20href=https://healthy-touring.com/%20data-saferedirecturl=https://www.google.com/url?q=https://healthy-touring.com/&source=gmail&ust=1668252761503000&usg=AOvVaw08OtJvEvUOddU3xrs9LO_Xhttps://healthy-touring.com//a /pimg%20width=750%20height=422%20src=https://www.musicsupport.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Addiction-Awareness-week-1024x576.png%20alt=Addiction%20Awareness%20Week%202022%20poster%20loading=lazy%20srcset=https://www.musicsupport.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Addiction-Awareness-week-1024x576.png%201024w,%20https://www.musicsupport.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Addiction-Awareness-week-300x169.png%20300w,%20https://www.musicsupport.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Addiction-Awareness-week-768x432.png%20768w,%20https://www.musicsupport.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Addiction-Awareness-week-1536x864.png%201536w,%20https://www.musicsupport.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Addiction-Awareness-week.png%201600w%20sizes=(max-width:%20750px)%20100vw,%20750px%20/){kind=link}