Elliot Lee Review: Bubble Gum Pop

Elliot Lee

Shore Fire Media

@jocronin65

Photo taken by Shervin Lainz

Editorial

This month I have focused on musicians who are passionate about mental health. If I could give a megaphone to them, they’d all speak strongly in these subjects that they believe in.

The first week I wrote about Sarabean. Sarah is a 16-year-old musician from Florida, and has been open about her struggle with depression and loneliness in her music. She wants to make music that other people her age and/or are lonely too, and let them know they are not alone.

The second week I wrote about Trish Discord. After Trish graduated from college with a degree in psychology, she integrated her love in psychology and music by making songs that talk about mental disorders. She did this by writing about what people with a certain mental diagnosis go through both symptomatically and emotionally. She did this as a way to raise awareness for those disorders.

Last week I wrote about Seepeoples. After Will Bradford and the band decided to halt their music journey in 2011, Will went into rehab because he was struggling with addiction. When he came out of rehab and decided to return from Seepeople’s hiatus, the band continued to be a voice for their fans who have very different opinions and views than most of the society. The band stood for something that others are afraid to stand for, just like how so many who struggle with mental health are afraid to stand up for themselves.

This week I am writing about Elliot Lee. Elliot stands for a lot. She stands for mental health, stigmas, and much more. If you browse through her Instagram, she has been very vocal about standing with the Black Lives Matter movement too. Her music is for the masses as she says in her song Dirt, and if I could give the megaphone to anyone of these musicians I’ve mentioned above.

I wouldn’t hesitate to give it to her.

Table of Contents

  • Editorial
  • Who is Elliot Lee?
  • Inspiration Behind Elliot Lee’s Music
  • What’s Next for Elliot Lee?
  • Thank You Notes
  • Conclusion

Who is Elliot Lee?

Music has always been a huge part of Elliot‘s life for as far back as she can remember. “My earliest memory is of laying in a red flyer wagon & listening to music on my portable CD player while my mom pulled me around the parking lot on a warm, humid night in Hawaii,” she tells me.

As a child she had to move on from many homes and friends who were her people/things to lean on. At one point she found it hard to open up to people and kept everything bottled up inside her. According to American Songwriter, Elliot said that “I started listening to music that really spoke to me and I realized that I could use music as an outlet for myself”. As a result, she pulled out her ukulele and put her thoughts and feelings on paper as she played various chords.

Today Elliot doesn’t only have music to help her with her baggage, she also has fan base that is like a family. “It feels like life put us through so much & one of our rewards for surviving so long is this comfortable little community of fellow misfits, a place where we can finally feel understood & safe. That’s what it is for me, at least. I hope others feel the same,” Elliot says about her fan base.

(At one point) I went through a really dark time in my life, music felt like the only friend I could turn to. I started using songwriting as a means of venting & coping with my experiences. Since then, creating music has kind of become a survival tactic for me.

Elliot Lee (8/5/2020)

Inspiration Behind Elliot Lee’s Music

There are many people in society that struggle to keep a smile on their face without masking their emotions. There are also many people in society who don’t struggle to keep a smile on their face without masking their emotions. But what music does for everyone rather they like it or not is so powerful. Music finds that happy medium.

Elliot explains that Upside Down is “a deep dive into what it feels like to go through hardships & continually struggle to get out of bed while grappling with all the ‘what if’s’. What if l didn’t care so much about others’ opinions? What if l didn’t always feel inadequate? If I didn’t struggle with all of this, maybe 8 would be strong enough to lead my bubblegum soldiers to the top of the world, but for now I’m content with keeping them company down here. :)”

Music like hers is why so many people like myself consider music as an essential piece of their life, if there was no music then there is no coping strategies, no meaning to life, no purpose to share our thoughts or opinions, etc. This is why I admire her so much, and even the word “admires” doesn’t do the justice of how much her music means to me and so many others.

Four years ago I saw so few reasons to live. I felt like my voice wasn’t worth being heard, so I kept everything behind a closed door. But since finding this outlet, I’ve been able to help people, and that alone is my new reason to live…. I want people to hear my music & know that they deserve to be heard too.

Elliot Lee

What’s Next for Elliot Lee?

Elliot wants to continue making music that allows her listeners to have a safe space, but she also wants to try new things as well. “I sort of just plan to go in whatever direction feels fun & true to who I am as a person!” she says.

But for now, the pandemic is quite literally putting a pause to everything. She wants to meet her fans, but right now she’ll have to wait. However, that is not stopping her from writing and other creative things.

I implore everyone who enjoy her work as much as I do to click on the links below, and keep an eye on them for more content in the future!

Thank You Notes

Not to make Elliot feel bad, but this article literally took over a year to prepare. The reason why it took so long was because Elliot had a lot of moving pieces happening within that year. Long story short, I eventually tracked her down through her record label (Photo Finish Records). Who may I say are very nice and professional people! At the end of the day, everyone including myself is happy, and I wouldn’t of had it any other way.

Elliot Lee’s links:

Photo Finish Records:

Unedited Music Blog’s Links:

Conclusion

Have a wonderful week, and remember to respect other people and to stay safe. If you feel sick then stay home until a doctor or medical professional clears you. If you have to go into public also remember to wear a mask.

GoodBadUgly by Elliot Lee (2020)

Trish Discord Review: Educational Rock

Trish Discord

Independent

@jocronin65

Editorial

One of Trish‘s favorite bands is Green Day, not that there newest music is great… Because it definitely isn’t. They definitely are notable for their amazing debut album Dookie. If you listen to a lot of their most famous tunes like Basket Case, Longview, Brain Stew, and Welcome to Paradise talks about something on the lines of what Billie Joe Armstrong opened up about when he was 20.

According to many sources who quoted Billie directly, he felt a form of mid-life crisis were he genuinely thought he was going to die at an early age. That thought process has been in his head ever since.

So as a result, he made music that reflected his thought process. One could even make a case that he was making music about something that he was about, because most of the time that’s all he thought about for a good period of time in his life.

That’s exactly what Trish Discord did when writing her debut album Is This my Mental Breakdown. She took two of her passions, psychology and music, and combined them into a hybrid.

Table of Contents

  1. Editorial
  2. Who is Trish Discord?
  3. Inspiration Behind Is This My Mental Breakdown?
  4. What’s Next for Trish Discord?
  5. Thank You Notes
  6. Links
  7. Conclusion

Who is Trish Discord?

In the beginning Trish started to write music in order to release emotions and connect with other people. After studying psychology in college she realized she had a unique opportunity that allowed her to intertwine the world of mental health into her music.

So quite literally she took the mother f***ing DSM V and made songs about some of the most commonly known diagnosis.

Trish has garnered (my new favorite word) a large audience of musicians and 90’s rock fans to, because afterall Trish‘s music does sound like something the Cranberries would make back in the day.

I started to write songs as a way to release my emotions and decided I could connect with others. I also knew I had a unique background having studied psych so I could write songs about that.

Trish Discord (8/1/2020)

Inspiration Behind Is This My Mental Breakdown?

Although Trish says it wasn’t hard too hard to use the DSM as a reference to make the songs on her first album, “it was actually hard to get the emotional part correct with each song because I knew it had to be realistic and also factual.” As a result she leaned on most of her friends who have struggled with some of these diagnosis in the past.

The human mind is a fascinating thing, especially to a large majority of people who decide to make a living out of helping people just like Trish and I. I definitely applaud her for taking her passions and molding it into a new way of raising awareness for a subject that has been stigmatized for way too long.

I, myself, have already shared about my struggles with anxiety, a horrible terrible beast that can sneak up on someone at any point in their day or life. Now I could give you the definition of anxiety according to the DSM, but lets be honest… No one wants me to because everyone genuinely knows what anxiety is. However, as common as it is, anxiety is just as stigmatized as every other mental disorder.

People who do not fully understand anxiety think it’s not an actual medical illness, even though it is a common diagnosis given by a doctor or professional.

People also think that people with anxiety can just snap out of it if they want to. However, I doubt a person having an anxiety attack can just snap out of it they want to.

I find that the DSM can be very misleading if you are trying to look for answers on why you behave the way you do. I’m not saying that people with depression are depressed because the DSM told them they were. What I’m saying is… That’s not what it’s there for.

In my personal opinion, the DSM is there for two things… 1. For medical personal who are required to diagnose DMH clients, and 2. to show that other people in the world also suffer from these symptoms in more or less the same way.

So while Trish Discord’s album is a great way to raise awareness for mental health, I highly suggest that people stay away from diagnosing themselves for various reasons that can lead to various thinking patterns.

Social is about depression and the stigma that people with it face from their close circle and society.

Trish Discord

What’s Next for Trish Discord?

So what is next for Trish Discord? “I want it to stay indie and if I could achieve something where I could live off my music or make a profit while connecting with a fan base that would be the dream,” Trish tells me. 

While that’s a basic goal for a lot of musicians, it quite honestly isn’t a goal that is often achieved. For that reason, she is pushing as hard as she can to get her music as much exposure as it can get.

She is also aiming to continue raising awareness for mental health in her music. Trish plans to release in the near future another album talking about how the 2016 election had affected people and herself personally.

While she is trying to save up to produce and record this album, you can follow the links below to stay up to date on the progress she is making towards this next album.

Thank You Notes

I would like to thank Trish Discord for keeping in touch with me up, she is a great person, and I am looking forward to working with her in the future.

Trish Discord links:

Unedited Music Blog links:

Conclusion

Have a wonderful week ahead, and remember to respect each other no matter your differences. When you go out wear a mask, and if you’re sick then stay home… You know the rest, I’ve said it many times before!

Is This My Mental Breakdown? (2020) by Trish Discord