Tag: Support Life And Music

  • Pat Ranieri of Hellwitch

    Pat Ranieri of Hellwitch

    Pat Ranieri founded Thrash/Death Metal pioneers, Hellwitch, in 1984, giving him over 40 years in the music life. He’s also your go-to for bootleg tapes (Are we going to get him into trouble for mentioning that??) He’s proven to be a wealth of experience, passionate fandom, and intense music. He spoke with Jack Mangan backstage at a 2024 gig.
    https://hellwitch.com/

    Pat Ranieri: If I could go back in the time machine to my old self: “Do less bong hits and write more song.” (laughs) That would have probably been the best thing I could have done, because I wasn’t very aggressive with composing music, just was aggressive with playing and practicing and whatever. I’m motivated now more than ever to write, I think, than I ever have been. I see now that’s a big part of it, because the more stuff you have, the greater your chances of success – – and not even success, just getting your sound out and sharing your ideas with the world, and hopefully more people like it and you get noticed – – and lives are enriched from your creativity.

  • Dobber Beverly and Cammie Beverly of Oceans of Slumber

    Dobber Beverly and Cammie Beverly of Oceans of Slumber

    https://www.oceansofslumber.com

    It’s an honor to have Dobber and Cammie Beverly of Oceans of Slumber as Support Life And Music’s very first official artist testimonials. They’re a Houston, TX-based band whose music is heavy, deep, emotional, beautiful, dark, intelligent, intricate, challenging, soulful, and intensely original, self-described as “Southern Sonic Storytellers.” How many bands can say all that? Add off-the-charts musicianship and one of the best voices in the world, and you have something truly special. What follows is an interview excerpt from summer 2024, when I spoke with Dobber and Cammie about their latest album, “Where Gods Fear to Speak.”

    Jack Mangan: I want to tell a quick story. The first time I met you guys, you had just finished a trip across the California desert in the middle of summer in a bus where the A/C had broken, and you guys and Insomnium were just suffering. So the Rock n’ Roll/music life is hard. You guys are veterans. What would you tell young artists, or if you could go back in time to young Dobber and young Cammie, what advice would you give? 

    Dobber Beverly: Don’t. (laughs)

    Cammie Beverly: I wouldn’t change anything and I wouldn’t not do it. For me, I have a very unique experience. Everything I’ve done is intertwined with loving him (Dobber), and so I can’t speak to separating the two from an impactful relationship that I have, so I’m a little bit more embedded than other people (laughs). It’s a part of our dynamic, it’s a part of our relationship. I’ve never been in another band that did anything to this caliber that didn’t involve him. So obviously it works for us, and it makes it very special and it makes it less painful and less stressful. But it’s hard. Prepare yourself for anything and know that your biggest fight is gonna be with yourself. There’s no predictions, there’s no knowing where this goes. Technology is going to ruin everyone’s lives.  

    Dobber Beverly: I would tell myself to get over thinking you’re going to change how things work. Going into the thing, I thought I was gonna find a way to revolutionize something or bring an element into a world that would benefit and extend what’s possible. You know, I thought that it was gonna be impactful in that kinda way. Once you get in a room with everybody, you kinda realize that there’s nothing you can do to make the status quo change. 

    ~

  • The Mission

    The Mission

    My mission changed the world.

    Support Life And Music has a multi-faceted strategy to improve the quality of life for today’s working musicians. Like any organization, we have lots of daydreams, ideas, wishes, and far-future plans for “someday.” As S.L.A.M. continues to grow, we will expand and diversify our services. What follows is a list of our attainable short-term plans for the early days of the organization. Some of these services will be available from day 1, others are intended to come online in the near future. 

    Guidance from the pros. Through S.L.A.M., industry superstars and professionals will share stories, wisdom, advice, and insights on navigating the pitfalls and struggles of the music life, with no holds barred, no topic off-limits, with a focus on: finances, family, friendships, friends, music industry red flags, and so on. S.L.A.M. will publish these stories and anecdotes through: 

    • Blogposts
    • Articles
    • Podcast episodes 
    • Videos
    • Live Q&A. 
    • Moderated Livestreams and AMA-style events will be scheduled with reputable industry professionals to respond to questions in realtime. 

    Altruist recognition. Support Life And Music will acknowledge and celebrate the individuals whose actions benefit the lives of working artists, whether through S.L.A.M., their own, or other avenues. Support Life And Music will recognize the top altruists at the end of each calendar year. 

    Musicians’ Network. Support Life And Music will establish a musicians’ network, available 24/7, where musicians in need can reach out to the community and get assistance in a timely fashion, whether they’re in need of mechanical help for their broken down tour bus, a friendly ear to listen to frustrations, answers to questions about confusing legal wordings, etc. etc. This would conduct a community message and support center, similar to what Stack Overflow (stackoverflow.com) provides for software users and developers. 

    Musicians’ Help Line. Industry professionals and veterans – – musicians, executives, management, etc. – – and/or Support Life And Music staff will respond directly to specific questions or requests for assistance, in as timely a manner as possible. 

    • Response time will be dependent upon resources. The intention is for this service to eventually be able to respond immediately.
    • If any person or persons contacts S.L.A.M. with questions or comments that require professional help, then connections to the appropriate professional partners will be made as quickly as possible, whether there is a mental health crisis, a financial question, or anything else. (Untrained personnel will not attempt to resolve crisis situations. These scenarios will immediately be turned over to partners with applicable training.)

    Awareness Initiatives for the general public. As part of the Backstage Pass  program, Support Life And Music will utilize the same methods as Guidance from the pros to help dispel some of the commonly-held public beliefs and misconceptions about the music lifestyle. We will try to get to this as soon as we’re done counting the giant stacks of money bags in the backs of our limousines. Spreading awareness, empathy, and understanding is critical to build the infrastructure to protect and assist struggling artists.
    This information will be provided using data, as well as testimonials and stories from industry professionals. S.L.A.M. will publish these stories and anecdotes through: 

    Research. Support Life And Music will conduct studies to provide relevant data on the financial and mental health hardships of working musicians and their effects. This data will be published via 

    • Blogposts
    • Articles
    • Podcast episodes 
    • Videos