World Mental Health Day 2021: "I can honestly say I'm Happy to see the Happy back in your Eyes"

In the last two weeks I bought a ticket to Andy Grammer’s The Art of Joy Tour, Old Dominion released Time Tequila & Therapy, and I went to more consecutive shows and DJ nights than I have in 18 months. The calendar was more packed than I was expecting and I was thriving because of it. A good friend of mine pointed out that I have a lot of little things that lift me up. When I was extra excited to play my signed copy of Time Tequila Therapy on the stereo this weekend I realized he was right. After a week of activity I wanted to take the time to remember that fact, remember the songs and events that kept me on this high, and try to hold onto that euphoria for the upcoming week.

Our passions and what brings us joy are just that, ours. Don’t let anyone take that away from you. Before Andy Grammer’s new tour announcement he always embodied this message and even more so in his newest release Damn it Feels Good To Be Me.. You’re only shining when you act yourself. You are not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, so love your own flavor and let the rest go. If you want to see an electric, infectious show full of love and light get your tickets now to the Art of Joy Tour! Beacon Theatre NYC show February 11th.

Another very true to herself artist who shoots straight from the hip in her songwriting and on stage is Ingrid Andress, who just brought the Feelings Things Tour to Webster Hall in NYC. Her album Lady Like is full of specific and honest sad songs that come to a rocking life with a full band. I’ll probably die on the hill saying that sad songs can still bring me the most joy depending on the delivery, and Ingrid knows how to deliver. She wrote the song Feelings Things pre pandemic, I don’t wanna go out, there’s so much on my mind/I like feeling good but there’s only so much that a night out can do, ironic now 18 months later because I must say especially now multiple nights out feeling all the things can do wonders for your mental health. So if you need to dance out your feelings, go see Ingrid live, who promised the next record and chapter of her life will still have sad songs, but will also include love. She performed two of these new ones at the show, Blue and Feel Like This (co-written with Julia Michaels). Sleeping next to someone is just as warm as the gaslight is my favorite cynical line, but leave it to Julia and Ingrid to switch gears and end the verses with how they think love is supposed to taste like security and stability. Video cred: @dascotty.

Sad or happy delivery is equally important in getting a feeling across in a certain way. Old Dominion brought their lyrical A game when they delivered Time Tequila & Therapy to the world last Friday.

Trying to find the greener grass or get a sweeter piece of aspiration or an oyster with a pearl.

A yard with a cat and a dog named Blue a couple rugrats singing “Buckle My Shoe”

Daddy and Mama, Johnny had June even that dish ran away with the spoon

I feel you like music/count on you like change /I lost you like car keys then found you like faith/ you trip me like shoe strings you fit me like blue jeans

These are just a fraction of the lyrics from Old Dominion’s 4th studio album this week that bring me so much joy and a smile to my face when I sing along. The talent to string together such unique lyrics in such a different and fun way, but yet sound so true to who Old Dominion is as a band is the art of these guys. They have the army of fans behind them not only for the art they produce, but because of their genuineness. It comes back to being who you are because that’s what people will respond to, and this goes for everybody, not just the artist/fan relationship. They went to Asheville, NC to record the album they wanted to create, not write the hits they felt they needed to create. They wrote and recorded an album so true to themselves in three weeks and because of that you hear the joy in each song, even the ones about a breakup. I am still not over such an up tempo song leaving me in my feels to end the album in Aint Nothing Wrong With Love. But that’s what Old Dominion does, ties in all the feels in just under 40 minutes flat and 13 tracks.

Fitting as I was wrapping this up I noticed online it is world mental health day. Music is my universal medicine, going to shows, dissecting the lyrics of a new album, dancing in my living room, 1.2 stepping to reggaetón (well trying my best to take his lead and keep count), or vibing in the club (@djjonnylaz you killed it these last two weekends in NYC!). Photo and video cred: @rockinroxpromo

Music in all these forms is what I identify with, my mental health is at its peak when all these avenues align. Find your joy and master the art of unapologetically feeling all the highs that come with that, and don’t let anyone tread on that or make it not fun anymore. And remember this discovery of “your thing”, your joy, your passion has its flows of ups and downs and is cyclical and more often than not pretty fickle. Sometimes we have mental blocks where we forget we know who we are and other times we need some time, tequila, and therapy to live in those tough feelings until there’s no hard feelings about who we are, what and who we love, and how we hold on to those things. Here’s to those joys on this year's very important #worldmentalhealthday. Love Rox