This song has been a long time in the making! This is the 'drum play-through' version of the actual tracking, but the song itself was always intended to be used for some content with Rob (so definitely check out that music video link towards the top...!).
Rob first reached out to me ages ago... I can't remember exactly when. I guess I must've written/recorded this in late 2021 or early 2022 (...I think?). Maybe earlier. Then, sometime in 2022, I flew out to Chicago to film a variety of videos with him.
I had an absolute blast with Rob. I stayed at his place during the trip, & both he & his partner Tamara were so incredibly kind & hospitable. Getting to know him in real life has turned into a lovely friendship, & I'm so glad that I got the opportunity to work with him.
Little backstory while I'm at it: A year-or-so after I had filmed in Chicago with him, there was still no word about the videos. I finally sent Rob a message & just said (paraphrasing here): "Hey dude, since I haven't heard much about the videos, I just wanted to let you know that if there's any reason they didn't turn out to your liking & you don't want to use them, please don't feel like you can't tell me! I had a great time with you regardless, & was just happy to work with you in general!"... (that's the gist of what I said, at least). I basically just wanted him to know that I didn't care at all if the videos didn't see the light of day - it was a job that he hired me for, I had a BLAST filming & working with him (wait until ya'll see one of the other videos we filmed... it was SO fun!), & I know that sometimes creative things don't always turn out how we envision them. So if they didn't meet his usual standard, & they never saw the light of day, I wouldn't be upset in the slightest. I just wanted to make sure he knew that we'd be friends regardless.
Well, long story short, that wasn't the case at all. LOL! If you follow Rob, he recently did a video talking about his Bipolar 1 diagnosis. In fact, this song is kind of based on some of that (hence the title!). It wasn't at all that he didn't want to use the footage/material, he was just going through some serious mental health stuff.
As someone who also deals with some mental health issues, Rob talking about this stuff so openly online was quite meaningful to me. In fact, the week that he uploaded that video about his diagnosis, I had just undergone fairly traumatic myself (this was quite recently, actually). I was completely dysregulated & quite a wreck (honestly, I'm still dealing with the mental fallout, but I have since improved a bit). At any rate: One thing I had been doing to try & keep from totally falling apart was just going to the gym & walking several miles on a treadmill everyday. Not running, not lifting - just walking. For a long time. It was a relatively easy way to feel somewhat active, without requiring an immense amount of physical energy. I was on the treadmill walking when I watched Rob's video (about his diagnosis) - with how dysregulated I was, it was so emotionally intense for me (not in a bad way, though). But I had to get off the treadmill & go to my car because I started falling apart at the gym (Lol). I texted Rob, & he ended up calling me immediately.
I don't even know why I'm sharing this, really. I guess it was just like... a weirdly comforting experience. I really connected with Rob when I was with him in Chicago - I could tell there was a lot of emotional depth, & that he was just a truly lovely person. To find out later that during that entire period, he was going through some serious mental health stuff that I had no idea about - it just hit me quite intensely. He's since been very kind & helpful to me as I've gone through some stuff myself, calling & checking up on me regularly.
My point is: Rob's a SICK fuggin' guy. Mental Health is so important, & I respect when people are able to open up about it online. Especially someone in his position. Moreover, knowing what I know now makes this song that much more special to me. I am truly honored to've gotten to work with Rob, & am proud to've made something that holds so much meaning (to him, but myself as well!). Most of all, I'm glad to've made such a quality friend.
So, I hope you all enjoy it! There's a character limit in YT video descriptions & I've nearly reached it (LOL), so I will skip kit-specs for this video. Most of what I used is similar to recent videos, but if you have any questions leave a comment & I'll do my best to answer!
I will finish by thanking Declan White for the drum mix, Rob Ruccia for the overall mix, and Jake Jarvi & Teagan for all video work! Ya'll RULE!
Thanks for watching & stay tuned for more!
Rob first reached out to me ages ago... I can't remember exactly when. I guess I must've written/recorded this in late 2021 or early 2022 (...I think?). Maybe earlier. Then, sometime in 2022, I flew out to Chicago to film a variety of videos with him.
I had an absolute blast with Rob. I stayed at his place during the trip, & both he & his partner Tamara were so incredibly kind & hospitable. Getting to know him in real life has turned into a lovely friendship, & I'm so glad that I got the opportunity to work with him.
Little backstory while I'm at it: A year-or-so after I had filmed in Chicago with him, there was still no word about the videos. I finally sent Rob a message & just said (paraphrasing here): "Hey dude, since I haven't heard much about the videos, I just wanted to let you know that if there's any reason they didn't turn out to your liking & you don't want to use them, please don't feel like you can't tell me! I had a great time with you regardless, & was just happy to work with you in general!"... (that's the gist of what I said, at least). I basically just wanted him to know that I didn't care at all if the videos didn't see the light of day - it was a job that he hired me for, I had a BLAST filming & working with him (wait until ya'll see one of the other videos we filmed... it was SO fun!), & I know that sometimes creative things don't always turn out how we envision them. So if they didn't meet his usual standard, & they never saw the light of day, I wouldn't be upset in the slightest. I just wanted to make sure he knew that we'd be friends regardless.
Well, long story short, that wasn't the case at all. LOL! If you follow Rob, he recently did a video talking about his Bipolar 1 diagnosis. In fact, this song is kind of based on some of that (hence the title!). It wasn't at all that he didn't want to use the footage/material, he was just going through some serious mental health stuff.
As someone who also deals with some mental health issues, Rob talking about this stuff so openly online was quite meaningful to me. In fact, the week that he uploaded that video about his diagnosis, I had just undergone fairly traumatic myself (this was quite recently, actually). I was completely dysregulated & quite a wreck (honestly, I'm still dealing with the mental fallout, but I have since improved a bit). At any rate: One thing I had been doing to try & keep from totally falling apart was just going to the gym & walking several miles on a treadmill everyday. Not running, not lifting - just walking. For a long time. It was a relatively easy way to feel somewhat active, without requiring an immense amount of physical energy. I was on the treadmill walking when I watched Rob's video (about his diagnosis) - with how dysregulated I was, it was so emotionally intense for me (not in a bad way, though). But I had to get off the treadmill & go to my car because I started falling apart at the gym (Lol). I texted Rob, & he ended up calling me immediately.
I don't even know why I'm sharing this, really. I guess it was just like... a weirdly comforting experience. I really connected with Rob when I was with him in Chicago - I could tell there was a lot of emotional depth, & that he was just a truly lovely person. To find out later that during that entire period, he was going through some serious mental health stuff that I had no idea about - it just hit me quite intensely. He's since been very kind & helpful to me as I've gone through some stuff myself, calling & checking up on me regularly.
My point is: Rob's a SICK fuggin' guy. Mental Health is so important, & I respect when people are able to open up about it online. Especially someone in his position. Moreover, knowing what I know now makes this song that much more special to me. I am truly honored to've gotten to work with Rob, & am proud to've made something that holds so much meaning (to him, but myself as well!). Most of all, I'm glad to've made such a quality friend.
So, I hope you all enjoy it! There's a character limit in YT video descriptions & I've nearly reached it (LOL), so I will skip kit-specs for this video. Most of what I used is similar to recent videos, but if you have any questions leave a comment & I'll do my best to answer!
I will finish by thanking Declan White for the drum mix, Rob Ruccia for the overall mix, and Jake Jarvi & Teagan for all video work! Ya'll RULE!
Thanks for watching & stay tuned for more!
PSYCHOSIS (ROB SCALLON & ALEX RUDINGER)
