Piss in Public and On the Road to Wellness | Matt Connarton Unleashed

Welcome to Matt Connerton Unleashed

0:00 Speaker 1: Welcome back, everybody. We have entered our number three Numero Trace of Matt Connerton Unleashed, and we are live from the studios of WMNH 95.3 FM in glorious Manchester, New Hampshire. And of course, you can stream the show from anywhere. Go to my website, mattconnerton.com, for all of your live streaming options, social media links, contact info, show archives, et cetera, et cetera. Today is a Saturday, August 29, 2026. And

Introducing PIP: The Band with a Provocative Name

0:27 Speaker 1: so we've got a band here in studio with us. Let me get those mics on. But we have an interesting conundrum because we can't really... It's funny. We were talking about it, too, with Kyle Heavey, host of Off the Mark Sports before the show. Probably can't really say the name of the band on the air on a Saturday morning here on WMNH because we don't want to run afoul of the FCC or really we just don't want to make the boss mad.

0:51 Speaker 2: But.

0:52 Speaker 1: So, but we can talk around it and put across what the name of the band is. So, you know, you might call it PIP for the initials, or you could say P in public, except the first word is not P. It's something else that starts with a P, but it rhymes with kiss. So there you go. So that's how we can get there. But welcome. It's nice to have the three of you here. Let's start with you in the middle, if you could. Tell us who you are and what you do in the band.

1:20 Speaker 3: My name is Serena. I am the front ferret of the band. I just scream and jump around and try to keep people going.

1:28 Speaker 4: Okay.

1:28 Speaker 1: Okay. Excellent. Excellent. And you?

1:31 Speaker 5: Hey, I'm Ariana Monez.

1:33 Speaker 2: I'm actually not playing with the band, but I work with On the Road to Wellness.

1:37 Speaker 1: Oh, excellent. Excellent. Okay. I'm very glad you're here.

1:40 Speaker 4: And you, sir? I'm Tom. I play guitar for being public.

1:45 Speaker 1: Okay.

1:47 Speaker 4: Excellent.

1:48 Speaker 1: Excellent. And, um, all right, well, let's, let's, since we've been talking about the name, let me ask the obvious question. Where does the name come from? Who came up with the name?

1:56 Speaker 6: I came up with the name.

1:57 Speaker 5: Okay.

1:58 Speaker 4: And we all do it.

2:00 Speaker 1: You gotta be careful though.

2:01 Speaker 6: Yeah.

2:03 Speaker 1: Like if you, because if you get caught, you, did you know, I'm sure you've had this conversation. I'm not going to tell you anything you don't, you haven't already heard, but did you know, if you get caught peeing in public, you can end up on the sex offender registry.

2:15 Speaker 6: You got to have a wall of friends in front of you, you know?

2:19 Speaker 1: Yeah. But if you have a shy bladder, then you just, then what do you do?

2:23 Speaker 4: It's within consideration, you know?

2:27 Speaker 1: I guess. But, so who came up with the name? Where does the name come from?

2:32 Speaker 6: I just came up with the name.

2:33 Speaker 1: Yeah.

2:34 Speaker 6: I just thought it was hilarious.

2:35 Speaker 1: Yeah.

2:35 Speaker 2: Yeah.

2:35 Speaker 5: Yeah.

The Origins and Sound of PIP

2:36 Speaker 1: Well, cause we were talking off air. I'm pretty sure it was Volley who was here with us on the show who, um, mentioned you and i i forget exactly uh which member of volley brought up your band and how exactly they put the name across um but um but yeah so that was the first time i heard it i remember saying to him i was like oh that's a cool name i like that i appreciate it i like that that's fun yeah so how do you describe the band and you know we're gonna play a studio track in a minute but how do you describe it what you do Um, more of.

3:03 Speaker 3: The basis off of like crust punk and hardcore, but it has like some of that stoner and like black metal sound to it too.

3:12 Speaker 1: Okay.

3:12 Speaker 6: So we just, we kind of try to vary in.

3:15 Speaker 1: Can you, I'm sorry, can you pull that mic over just so, yeah, just so you're talking straight into it. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. I just want to make sure we don't, we don't miss anything you're saying. Um, so explain a crust punk. What does that mean?

3:27 Speaker 3: Uh, crust punk is just very, um, It's like dirty and slow and sludgy, but it also can speed up and be really fast, like kind of thrashy.

3:36 Speaker 1: Okay.

3:36 Speaker 4: Okay.

3:37 Speaker 1: Yeah. So, yeah, because I didn't know until I was looking up, you guys, I didn't know that term. And then I think, oh, when Sunset Electric was here, I think because I mentioned your band and one of the guys said, oh, Crust Punk, because you're from Nashua, correct?

3:56 Speaker 4: Correct.

3:57 Speaker 6: Yeah, around that area.

3:58 Speaker 1: Around there, yeah.

3:59 Speaker 6: Southern New Hampshire, yeah.

4:01 Speaker 1: And they're actually playing a show later in Nashua. And I think when I mentioned you... Yeah, one of the guys said Crestpunk. You know, they were familiar. So what... Part of why we're here today, because you're kind of a last-minute guest, but I'm going to be playing a big show at Terminus Underground. And, of course, we're big fans around here of Terminus Underground, the great venue in Nashua. And Eleanor and Andre, I've known them forever. And Jenny and I are going to be attending the show, of course.

4:31 Speaker 1: And I had it in front of me, and now I can't find it. But Ariana? Yeah. Um, you're, you're from, you probably have all the details in your head because you're from the, and I do want to know more about the organization. Actually, go ahead and tell us about the organization that, uh.

4:47 Speaker 5: Yeah, absolutely.

On the Road to Wellness: A Local Mental Health Resource

4:48 Speaker 1: That you're from.

4:48 Speaker 2: On the Road to Wellness is a local New Hampshire nonprofit. We have locations in Manchester, New Hampshire and Derry, New Hampshire. We offer free peer led mental health support to adults, mostly throughout Southern New Hampshire, but anyone can access us. Yeah. It all comes at no cost. There's no insurance, no referral. There's absolutely nothing required.

5:12 Speaker 1: That's amazing. Yeah. See, I wasn't even aware of the organization. And then I looked it up and I saw you have an office right on South Willow Street.

5:17 Speaker 6: We do.

5:18 Speaker 2: Yeah.

5:18 Speaker 5: Right next door neighbors to the DMV actually.

5:21 Speaker 1: Yeah.

5:21 Speaker 4: Yeah.

5:22 Speaker 1: So it's good to know it's, it's something that's so important. You know, I, I know some of that, some of that struggle, I, you know, I, myself, I've have depression, and I have probably since I was a teenager. So I deal with it. I manage it as best I can. But I feel like there's a lot of stigma that comes with it. And I think that a lot of people who desperately need help, whether it's depression or any kind of mental health struggle or challenge, there's probably a lot of people out there who don't even know about organizations like yours because they don't even.

5:59 Speaker 1: They assume that they just have to suffer or they're too embarrassed because of– I think the stigma has gotten better over the years. There was a time where I would try to hide my depression and now I'm just very open about it. Like, yeah, it's something I have. What are you going to do? You know, it's just a part of me, but, um, but I, I think it's great. So can you tell me like, how did you get involved? Like, did you start the organization or did you?

6:23 Speaker 5: No, no, it's an interesting story.

6:25 Speaker 2: So the organization itself has been around since 1988.

6:30 Speaker 5: Okay.

6:30 Speaker 2: So how I ended up there was really just an opportunity to grow my career and peer support. And I started doing operations there and now I'm serving as the executive director.

6:42 Speaker 1: Outstanding. Outstanding. How long have you been there?

6:46 Speaker 5: Just shy of two years.

6:47 Speaker 1: Yeah.

6:47 Speaker 5: Maybe a little over a year and a half.

6:49 Speaker 1: Now, when you say, when you use the term, because not everyone's going to know what that means, peer support. What do you mean when you say that?

6:54 Speaker 5: Yeah, definitely. I'd love to talk about that.

6:56 Speaker 2: What a peer support specialist is, it's someone with lived experience of mental health and or substance misuse. So it's a non-clinical approach. However, what we do at On the Road to Wellness, we're not anti-clinical.

7:08 Speaker 1: Okay.

7:08 Speaker 2: I like to describe us as being partners with clinical care. So your typical outpatient therapy, whatever, really whatever looks right for you and your recovery journey.

7:21 Speaker 1: Yeah. Okay.

7:22 Speaker 5: Okay.

7:23 Speaker 4: Outstanding.

7:24 Speaker 1: I found the post here.

The Mental Health Benefits Show at Terminus Underground

7:25 Speaker 1: So the show that we're talking about, Mental Health Benefits Show on the Road to Wellness, this is going to be Saturday, September 26th at Terminus Underground. Actually, I'll read the whole post here. So it says, the Terminus Underground community is coming together for a special night of music, connection, and support benefiting on the road to wellness in Manchester, New Hampshire. Mental health is something that touches every community. Sometimes the most important thing we can do is simply show up for one another on create a safe place to connect and remind people that they don't have to face difficult moments alone, which, you know, we were just talking about that.

8:01 Speaker 1: You know, some people just, they think they have to suffer, suffer in silence and by themselves. But so, and then here's the lineup. Oh, by the way, this is an all ages night and all ages show. That's very important. Phantasm, Witch Spire, Graboid, Lobotomobile, whom I've, I've never seen live, but I've heard a lot about them. And of course, P in public or PIP says, this isn't just another show. It's an opportunity for our music community to come together for something bigger than ourselves, to support an organization doing meaningful work and help keep the conversation around mental health going.

8:37 Speaker 1: Whether you're coming to support a friend, see your favorite band, discover something new, or simply spend an evening surrounded by good people, there is a place for you here. Let's take care of each other, support our community together. and use the power of music and art to remind someone that they matter. And of course, you can get tickets at newhampshireunderground.org. And I believe they're 15 in advance. So it's obviously for a fantastic, fantastic cost. So how did you come to work with Eleanor and Andre at Terminus Underground on this?

9:08 Speaker 1: How did that connection happen?

9:09 Speaker 5: Oh, that was really all through.

9:10 Speaker 1: Oh, okay. That was okay.

9:12 Speaker 5: Yeah.

9:13 Speaker 1: Well, all right. So let's toss it to you. How did that happen?

9:16 Speaker 3: Um, so I had performed before at terminus and, um, I was reaching out to try to find different venues for this mental health benefit. And, um, She had reached out to me and she was like, yeah, let's do that here. So we'd just been working on dates and then we fell on September 26th.

9:33 Speaker 5: Okay.

9:33 Speaker 4: Yeah.

9:34 Speaker 3: And then I told her to get in contact with Ariana also just so we could all kind of work together with it.

9:39 Speaker 1: Okay. Okay. Outstanding. When you had played there before, was it with this band? Yes.

9:44 Speaker 5: Okay. Okay.

9:45 Speaker 1: Excellent. That's probably, wait, was Volley on that show?

9:49 Speaker 4: Yes.

9:50 Speaker 1: Okay. Now it all makes sense. Now it all makes sense. Very good. By the way, so we were talking off air too, since we mentioned Volley. You've got two shows with them this weekend.

9:59 Speaker 6: Is that right? Yeah, today, actually, and tomorrow.

10:02 Speaker 4: Okay.

10:02 Speaker 6: Yeah.

10:04 Speaker 3: Tonight, it's more like a private event. It's like a punk campout at a friend's house in Bradford, New Hampshire. And then tomorrow is Bad Burger in Manchester.

10:15 Speaker 4: Okay.

10:15 Speaker 1: Oh, very good.

10:16 Speaker 5: Very good.

10:17 Speaker 1: Who else is on those shows other than Volley? Do you know offhand?

10:22 Speaker 6: What is it?

10:23 Speaker 3: First pick and... Dig Revel or Dig a Revel, I think. I've never heard of them, but I'm excited to meet everybody.

10:31 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah. No doubt, no doubt. So why did you make this connection? Why was this important to you?

10:38 Speaker 3: I've been talking about this for probably over a year ago where I feel like it's really hard for nonprofit organizations to keep things going because we help out a lot of people.

10:49 Speaker 6: I also work for them per DM.

10:51 Speaker 1: Oh, you do? Okay, excellent.

10:53 Speaker 3: Yeah, and they've just been super, understanding and accommodating and just seeing like day to day in the centers and working with it. I just see how much help they do and how like important it is to keep organizations like theirs to keep going.

11:06 Speaker 4: Right.

11:07 Speaker 1: Yeah.

11:08 Speaker 3: So, um, Yeah, so I've been talking about this for probably a year ago and then trying to find venues. And I think it's just very important to have the community come together.

11:19 Speaker 6: And the punk and metal community, we are.

11:21 Speaker 3: Just so there for each other that I feel like it was a good cause.

11:27 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah.

11:28 Speaker 6: And we understand mental health a lot, too.

11:30 Speaker 4: Right, right.

11:33 Speaker 1: When you say we understand mental health a lot, do you mean just like the punk and metal community?

11:37 Speaker 3: Yeah, the punk and metal community and just also the organization.

11:42 Speaker 1: Well, yeah, of course, yeah. Absolutely, absolutely. No, I think

PIP's Musical Journey and Lineup Changes

11:48 Speaker 1: that's wonderful. So how long has the band been around?

11:50 Speaker 6: The band has been together for about a year.

11:53 Speaker 1: Okay. So it's relatively new.

11:55 Speaker 3: It's relatively new. I went through a bunch of different changes, but it's very exciting where it's at now.

12:00 Speaker 1: Okay, okay. And when you say it's been through a bunch of changes, because it's only been a year. Yeah.

12:08 Speaker 6: Completely different members.

12:09 Speaker 1: No kidding.

12:10 Speaker 6: Yeah.

12:10 Speaker 3: From how it started to where it's at now, just all different members. And a whole different sound.

12:16 Speaker 1: Are you the only original member?

12:17 Speaker 6: I am the only original, yes.

12:18 Speaker 1: Okay.

12:20 Speaker 5: Okay.

12:21 Speaker 1: Why was it hard to keep the original lineup together? Is it hard to, you know... Because I assume if you're the only original member, I assume the band kind of centers around your vision for what it should be? Yeah.

12:35 Speaker 4: Just a lot of different personal member differences.

12:40 Speaker 6: Yeah.

12:41 Speaker 1: Yeah.

12:41 Speaker 6: Life changes. Life path changes.

12:44 Speaker 1: Okay.

12:44 Speaker 6: Essentially.

12:45 Speaker 3: Other people in other bands and other friendships had falling outs.

12:49 Speaker 6: And stuff like that.

12:50 Speaker 5: Yeah.

12:51 Speaker 4: Band drama.

12:53 Speaker 1: Band drama. I'm always looking for the dirt. So if you want to spill any, but go ahead.

12:59 Speaker 5: Okay. Okay.

13:00 Speaker 4: Okay.

13:00 Speaker 1: So I will.

13:01 Speaker 3: So the original members was one of my best friends and he was in, he was doing bass and he had like a mental health crisis basically.

13:09 Speaker 6: And he's like, I had to take a step away.

13:11 Speaker 3: The other, the starting guitarist was a partner of mine no longer. And then the drummer was in like five different other bands. So that was kind of hard to make work.

13:25 Speaker 1: The drummer thing is funny to me because- It's so cliche. This comes up all the time, especially in the last five years, at least. Every drummer is in so many different bands because it's so hard. And I have a theory about why this is too with drummers. My theory is that when you're a kid, when you're growing up and you first get interested in playing music, And you decide you want to pick up your first instrument. When you go to have that conversation with mom and dad, I want to play an instrument.

13:56 Speaker 1: If it's either drums or probably the tuba would be the other one. They're going to try to talk you out of it. They're going to say, oh, you want to play an instrument? Okay, maybe something a little quieter that's not going to get our neighbors calling the police on us.

14:10 Speaker 4: Anything but the drums.

14:11 Speaker 1: Anything but the drums, yeah. So that's always been my theory about why it seems like there's so few drummers. And every, I swear to God, every drummer who comes on the show, they're all in multiple bands. I almost never meet a drummer at this point. Like, almost never. They'll say, oh, no, I'm just committed to this band. And if they tell me that, it's like, no, you're lying. You've got at least two other side projects.

14:33 Speaker 4: You do. Our drummer actually is in just one band.

14:36 Speaker 1: That you know. Now our drummer is, yes. I don't know. You might want to hire a private investigator to follow him around or something. I bet he's got another. No, I'm kidding.

14:46 Speaker 4: I still haven't seen that drum kit of his.

14:48 Speaker 6: Yeah, right.

14:49 Speaker 5: Oh, yeah.

14:51 Speaker 1: Well, I don't know, but yeah, it's, it's, it's, it's very difficult with drummers, but do you, so, but obviously the, so the lineup that you have now.

15:00 Speaker 6: Is so solid.

15:01 Speaker 1: That's good.

15:02 Speaker 6: So solid.

15:02 Speaker 1: That's good. Yeah.

15:03 Speaker 5: Yeah.

15:04 Speaker 1: Well, I think we should play.

Pick Apart: PIP's Debut Studio Track

15:05 Speaker 1: So you do have, and again, so it's a relatively new project. So you just have the one studio track, but let's, let's give this a listen. This is called Pick Apart. And what should we know about this before we play it?

15:16 Speaker 3: Um, this was the first track that we all wrote together. Okay.

15:21 Speaker 6: It was like our first jam with all new members together.

15:23 Speaker 5: Okay.

15:24 Speaker 6: Essentially. So it's kind of like, uh, what's that term? The child.

15:28 Speaker 4: Yeah. Uh, the brainchild. Brainchild.

15:30 Speaker 6: Okay.

15:31 Speaker 5: Okay.

15:32 Speaker 1: Very good. Very good. Um, and what's it about? Is it about, uh, is there a story behind it?

15:38 Speaker 6: Kind of.

15:38 Speaker 3: It's kind of just through like processing your pain and like not giving up when you are absolutely in the trenches.

15:46 Speaker 1: Okay. Okay. I like that. I like that. Empowering. All right. Let's give this a spin. This is called Pick Apart. The band is PIP or P in public. If you're just joining us, it's not P. It's another word that rhymes with kiss. I just don't want to get in trouble, but it is a great name.

16:03 Speaker 5: All right.

16:03 Speaker 1: And the track is called Pick Apart. Let's give this a spin and then we'll come back and talk with these good people some more.

16:27 Speaker 6: Thank you for watching.

17:17 Speaker 1: Yeah. This is what I'm talking about I love it. That is pick apart PIP here with us in the studio. And I love the way the guitars sound on that. I, um, I often complain about how, uh, guitars sound in a lot of, uh, modern, uh, punk and metal, you know, they don't sound, they don't sound big enough, but I like the, The crunchiness, for lack of a better way of putting it.

20:24 Speaker 4: I really appreciate that.

20:25 Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely. No, everything on that sounds really good. So we've got members of the band. How many members are there in the band total?

20:33 Speaker 6: There's four members.

20:34 Speaker 1: There are four. Okay. Okay.

20:36 Speaker 6: There's two other boys that are not here.

20:38 Speaker 1: Oh, okay. Do you want to make up a fun story about why they're not here? I encourage that.

20:42 Speaker 4: They're both kissing right now.

20:44 Speaker 1: Okay.

20:44 Speaker 4: Really hard.

20:45 Speaker 1: That's good. All right. Good for them. I mean, hey.

20:48 Speaker 4: No judgment. It's 2026.

20:49 Speaker 2: Yeah.

20:51 Speaker 1: It's all good.

20:55 Speaker 4: Kissing in public, if you will.

20:59 Speaker 1: Well played. Well played. Kissing in public. Absolutely.

Ariana's Work with On the Road to Wellness

21:03 Speaker 1: And we also have Ariana from On the Road to Wellness here with us. What else do you want people to know about the organization that we didn't talk about?

21:11 Speaker 5: That's a great question. We have a lot going on.

21:15 Speaker 2: So why don't I touch on Step Up, Step Down, which is our residential program. It's a 90-day peer-led residential home, also in Manchester, New Hampshire. I like to describe it as being like sober living, but for mental health. However, it's not a housing solution, so you are receiving... programming during your 90 days there. And the goal is to lead towards sustained recovery, independent living, really a 90 day focused period and supportive environment to accomplish whatever mental health goals you have.

21:50 Speaker 2: And then something else I'd love to touch on is that our Derry, New Hampshire location, we have a holistic wellness program. It's been operating for maybe seven or eight months or so, and it's really taken off very, very well. We've seen very positive engagement with it. We offer a wide variety of different wellness services, ear acupuncture, Reiki, and that all is at no cost.

22:16 Speaker 6: Oh, wow.

22:17 Speaker 5: Okay.

22:18 Speaker 1: Outstanding. Outstanding. Do you have a hypnotherapist?

22:21 Speaker 5: What's that?

22:22 Speaker 1: Do you have a hypnotherapist that you work at?

22:24 Speaker 5: No, but I was told that you yourself are a hypnotherapist.

22:28 Speaker 1: I am. It is true. It is true. No, that's... So you've got the Manchester office, the Derry office, and then are there any others or?

22:38 Speaker 4: No.

22:38 Speaker 1: No.

22:38 Speaker 2: No. Yeah.

22:39 Speaker 5: Manchester, Derry, New Hampshire, and then the residential home in Manchester.

22:42 Speaker 1: Gotcha. Gotcha. But obviously, I mean, I assume you probably talk like you probably get people from around the state, I would imagine, right?

22:51 Speaker 5: Oh, yeah.

22:52 Speaker 2: Yeah.

22:52 Speaker 5: Statewide and really anywhere. I mean, you could. fly in from Australia and walk through our doors and it's no questions asked.

22:59 Speaker 1: Wow.

23:00 Speaker 2: We don't even check ID, require ID. You can truly walk in and out as you please.

23:05 Speaker 1: Yeah.

23:06 Speaker 2: There's not even a requirement to participate in our services that we offer. The bulk of what we offer at the walk-in centers is support groups.

23:13 Speaker 1: Yeah.

23:14 Speaker 2: All health primary support groups. There's not even a requirement to participate in those. You can use the space however you need for that day. Okay. So long as you're respecting yourself and others, of course. If you want to come in and just be in a safe environment, be with yourself type of thing, take some space, it's absolutely okay.

23:31 Speaker 1: Okay. Wow. No, that's amazing. That's outstanding. Do you do a lot of, do you get involved in a lot of events like the one coming up at Terminus or is this kind of a new adventure?

23:44 Speaker 2: Yeah, no, this is new in the sense that we've definitely never done a show.

23:48 Speaker 1: Okay.

23:49 Speaker 5: And so I'm very, very excited.

23:51 Speaker 2: I think most people in this world, music is important to them, whatever that looks like. And so, of course, it's important for me. It was very important in my own mental health recovery journey.

24:03 Speaker 5: It still is. So I'm very excited.

24:05 Speaker 2: We collaborate in a lot of different ways with other organizations, other local businesses.

24:11 Speaker 6: Yeah.

24:12 Speaker 5: Being a benefactor of a show. It's definitely new and exciting.

24:16 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah. No, that's awesome. For people who are just joining us, let me give you the rundown again. So we're talking about the Mental Health Benefits Show that's going to be coming up, Mental Health Benefits Show on the Road to Wellness. It's going to be at Terminus Underground in Nashua on Saturday, September 26th. So just about a month away, a little less than a month away. The Terminus Underground community coming together for a special night of music connection and support benefiting On the Road to Wellness in Manchester, New Hampshire.

24:46 Speaker 1: Mental health is something that touches every community. Sometimes the most important thing we can do is simply show up for one another, create a safe space to connect, remind all the people, and remind people that they don't have to face difficult moments alone. And the All Ages lineup, we've got Phantasm, Witch Spire, Graboid, Lobotomobile. I don't know why I always stumble on that. It's such a fun word to say, and yet I can't say it on the first time. Lobotomobile. And of course, PIP, or P in public, or P, but rhymes with kiss.

25:18 Speaker 1: They're here in studio with us. And this is going to be a fantastic event. I think it's going to be really successful. And it's wonderful to... To get to talk with you all about it today. In the band, you've got, so how many songs do you have at this point as a band? Because it's, again, it's only been, you said what, about a year? Yeah. That the band's even been around? Yeah.

25:40 Speaker 6: Yeah.

25:41 Speaker 3: So with this new lineup, we probably have about six or seven songs. We have like three that we're working on too.

25:49 Speaker 1: Okay. And then are there plans to, I mean, obviously you're, you're working on a lot of new music. Are there plans to record more in the near future?

25:56 Speaker 2: Yeah.

25:57 Speaker 4: So we, we, uh, we just recorded pick apart, uh, about two weeks ago.

26:02 Speaker 1: Oh, so that's very new.

26:04 Speaker 4: Uh, our friend Jerry Garcia and circadian rhythm studios of, um, Baldwinville and Fitchburg mass. Uh, he works with my other band pit wolves a lot. Okay. Really great dude. Um, but we're working on a few more, uh, recordings right now. I think we're going to do some self recording and then go to the studio possibly after.

26:30 Speaker 1: Excellent. Excellent. Yeah. What's the other band that you're in?

26:34 Speaker 4: Uh, pit wolves.

26:34 Speaker 1: That's a cool name.

26:36 Speaker 4: Thank you.

26:36 Speaker 1: What kind of band is that?

26:37 Speaker 4: That's a new metal mix, death core, metal core. We call it mutt core kind of branding ourselves with that.

26:44 Speaker 1: Yeah.

26:45 Speaker 4: Really high energy pit focused, uh, shows.

26:50 Speaker 5: Yeah. Yeah.

26:51 Speaker 4: Really trying to exemplify, exemplify breakdowns and really get the crowd moving and involved emotionally.

26:58 Speaker 1: Yeah. Oh, that's cool. That's cool. Um, what kind of, what kind of things do you, um, what kind of things do you write about in your, I mean, we talked a.

27:12 Speaker 3: Yeah, Pick Apart is just about, like, struggle and, like, pulling yourself out of, like, the trenches of, like, darkness.

27:20 Speaker 6: We have a lot of songs. They vary.

27:25 Speaker 3: Some I have had, like, more, like, old Nordic folklore-y type lyrics to it.

27:31 Speaker 1: Really?

27:31 Speaker 3: Some are about witches. One we're working on is called P-Jug.

27:37 Speaker 6: Oh, P-Jug. And that one is just about.

27:42 Speaker 3: You know, a bunch of jugs you store everywhere that just fall over and it's stinky.

27:48 Speaker 1: Right, right.

27:53 Speaker 3: Then we have like vampire sex dungeon. We're working on that one.

27:58 Speaker 4: What?

27:58 Speaker 1: Vampire sex dungeon?

27:59 Speaker 6: Yes.

28:01 Speaker 3: We have maggot mastication. That's just about eating a bowl of maggots like a little special treat.

28:06 Speaker 4: Okay. Okay.

28:08 Speaker 6: Yeah, it's just.

28:09 Speaker 4: Corpse envy.

28:10 Speaker 6: Corpse envy, yeah. You know, just, you know, significant.

28:16 Speaker 4: Really powerful lyric.

28:17 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So some of it, obviously, is sort of tongue-in-cheek. Yeah. Yeah.

28:23 Speaker 3: A lot of it can be, like, definitely, like, inner turmoil or just kind of, like, silly or really grotesque.

28:30 Speaker 1: Yeah.

28:30 Speaker 4: Yeah.

Music as Therapy and Overcoming Addiction

28:31 Speaker 1: Now, songs that are about inner turmoil, do you feel like those are... Because I always... And this is a subject that comes up a lot on the show, too. is using music as sort of a form of therapy.

28:44 Speaker 6: Oh, God, yeah.

28:45 Speaker 1: Yeah, because I always say, if you are talking about anything that bothers you, whether it's trauma, could be addiction, could be anything, if you create music, and music is art, so if you're creating art, any kind of art, whether it's music or a painting or whatever it is, anything that sort of helps you process that and work through it, is great because not only does it help you, but if other people can relate to it, then it helps them too. So when you create art, it can almost be a way of helping yourself, but also helping others.

29:14 Speaker 1: And you will probably never even know that you've helped others by doing that, unless they come up to you at a show and tell you, which is obviously very gratifying. But it's such a way of not only helping yourself, but potentially helping others to heal.

29:30 Speaker 3: Yeah, that would be the goal. I mean, personally, I'm nine years sober off of heroin.

29:35 Speaker 1: Excellent.

29:35 Speaker 3: So like music for me has been like a huge journey in itself of like finding myself also.

29:41 Speaker 1: Yeah.

29:41 Speaker 3: And like being very authentic and real with myself and just being able to like reclaim my own power back.

29:47 Speaker 6: And just be myself also.

29:49 Speaker 1: Yeah.

29:50 Speaker 3: So it's, um, and it's, it's just such a great outlet and just being around, um, other people that are involved, like musicians or vendors or just community in general, just really like puts it all together and doesn't make you feel so like alone in that sense.

30:05 Speaker 1: Right.

30:05 Speaker 2: Right.

30:06 Speaker 1: Um, Before the heroin, were you a creative person or did you have to kind of become that?

30:14 Speaker 6: I was very depressed.

30:15 Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah. Well, you can be depressed and creative though.

30:18 Speaker 5: Yes.

30:19 Speaker 6: I mean, I've always loved to draw stuff like that.

30:21 Speaker 1: Okay.

30:22 Speaker 3: But when I was in active addiction, that was my whole life.

30:28 Speaker 4: Yeah.

30:28 Speaker 3: And you lose so much of your identity when your life is being taken up by something else.

30:34 Speaker 1: Yeah.

30:34 Speaker 3: So and then my sobriety and then I'm also a mom, too. So like it's very hard not to like you don't want to lose your identity like a parent.

30:41 Speaker 1: Right.

30:42 Speaker 6: So it's just mostly reclaiming that back for myself.

30:46 Speaker 1: How did you find your way back from that? Because a lot of people, you know, and we all know, I mean, you know, because you see it, you know, a lot of people fall through the cracks.

30:55 Speaker 3: Oh, man, I fell through the cracks so many times. So, honestly, support is a huge one. If I had known about, like, peer support when I was in addiction, I probably would have not been addicted for so long, you know? A lot of it was, like, being extremely isolated and not knowing I had any help.

31:11 Speaker 1: Yeah.

31:11 Speaker 6: So, yeah.

31:13 Speaker 3: Um, but coming out of it, like you, you have to really want it. You have to get so tired of it and almost get angry about it to want change.

31:20 Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. I feel like there's, um, there's so much stigma around addiction, especially that kind of addiction. And I, I feel like, um, You know, there's a lot of people who just look at anyone struggling with that and just kind of write them off or, you know, don't even want to, you know, or even make fun of it or whatever. Yeah.

31:46 Speaker 6: Or even see you as human.

31:48 Speaker 4: Right. Yeah.

31:49 Speaker 1: Yeah. I mean, you look at social media and, you know, you see some of the attitudes that people have. You know, I mean, you see it locally here in Manchester, to be honest with you. Some of the things I see on social media, some really cruel people.

32:04 Speaker 2: Oh, yeah.

32:05 Speaker 4: Oh, yeah.

32:06 Speaker 1: And it's very unfortunate. And, you know, and I think, you know, ultimately, I think addiction has to be, you know, treated like a disease, right?

32:15 Speaker 6: It totally changes your brain, yeah.

32:17 Speaker 1: It does, yeah, absolutely. And that's something I think a lot of people just don't understand and can't grasp, or maybe they just don't want to. But yeah, it absolutely does. The way the receptors in your brain respond to things, and it does, and it truly is a disease. But then some people, it's like you say that to them and they... you know, they act like you're trying to find a way to justify it or rationalize it. And it's like, no, we're trying to find ways to deal with it that don't involve just, you know, writing people off, letting them be homeless, just assuming they want that or, or putting them in prison or, you know, cause we, in this country, we love to lock up addicts, you know, and it's, it's not the right way to do it.

33:00 Speaker 5: Yeah.

33:01 Speaker 3: And sometimes like, um, they'll only use like the evidence-based practices when like, I think it case to case, like a 12 step program may not work for everybody.

33:09 Speaker 1: Right.

33:10 Speaker 6: You know?

33:10 Speaker 5: Right.

33:11 Speaker 1: Yeah. Everybody's different and then different, different things work for different people. But, um, what are Ariana? I'm curious, like what are, what are some of the, the misconceptions or stigmas that you run into that you have to kind of fight against every day with what you're, cause I'm sure there's, I'm sure there are some that you have to, where you have to really kind of educate people, you know, just misunderstandings people have about, um, what people go through who come for your, your services.

33:35 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's an interesting question because most of the time when people are accessing our services, they have an understanding that they are struggling. They're open to receiving mental health support. So it's not something I fortunately deal with super directly in a day-to-day basis, but indirectly, like we're talking about, we see it.

33:55 Speaker 5: All the time in the media or even in.

34:00 Speaker 2: Professionals, professional type conversations I've had coming to discover someone is of that mind. And we have done better and we're getting better with mental health stigma. But like we're talking about the substance use really, I think it still is a long way to go.

34:15 Speaker 4: Yeah.

34:16 Speaker 2: There's really a lack of understanding that substance use does not discriminate.

34:20 Speaker 4: Right.

34:21 Speaker 2: And there are just so many individuals that are still of that mind where they believe someone with a substance use disorder, misusing substances only is looks and operates one way and it's just really not the case.

34:34 Speaker 4: Right.

34:34 Speaker 2: It could be sitting here in front of you right now and have a substance use disorder. So it just really doesn't discriminate. And regardless of what it looks like to Serena's point, until that person is ready, what's going to happen in between?

34:48 Speaker 1: Right.

34:48 Speaker 2: Because you can't help someone if they're dead.

34:51 Speaker 4: Right. Right.

34:51 Speaker 2: So let's keep people alive. And I think the big key thing is we need to accept and love those people.

34:57 Speaker 1: Yes.

34:57 Speaker 5: That's it. That is the bare minimum of what we should be doing is acceptance and love.

35:03 Speaker 1: Right.

35:03 Speaker 2: And that alone is going to more quickly lead people to a decision of, I want to get better. And I want to actually be a part of this love. Right.

35:12 Speaker 5: That I'm not able to fully connect with right now.

35:14 Speaker 1: Right. Right. Yeah. It's far too easy for people to kind of give up on themselves when everybody else has given up on them. Yeah. Right.

35:25 Speaker 4: Yeah.

35:26 Speaker 1: So I like the way you put that, though. I absolutely agree. So before we begin to run out of time, what else should we know about what you do in the organization that we didn't talk about? Is there anything that you want to make sure our listeners are aware of?

35:50 Speaker 5: Why don't I... pass it over to you and ask you that question.

35:53 Speaker 2: What would you like to share about your experience on, on the road to wellness more from a boots on the ground standpoint?

35:59 Speaker 1: Oh yeah.

36:00 Speaker 6: Oh yeah.

36:00 Speaker 1: Yeah. Absolutely.

36:01 Speaker 2: Yeah.

36:03 Speaker 3: You guys have helped me so much and so much like in any crises, like I've could walk in crying and they just would have someone right away to like work with you. I've also been there and helped other people in crises during there.

36:14 Speaker 2: Yeah.

36:14 Speaker 3: So it's really, um, accommodating to whatever, whatever you're going through, you know, and, um, Sometimes, like, if you're just feeling isolated and just being out, it helps. But you don't really have to interact also. They have, like, a great, like, table and art thing. So, like, you can kind of, like, busy your mind if you want. And then they have someone to talk to you if you want. Or if you, like, want to tag in groups. And their groups are very much, very intentional.

36:41 Speaker 1: Yeah.

36:42 Speaker 6: And can be.

36:43 Speaker 3: Heavy, but it will just help itch your mind in a way to want that change.

36:48 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah.

36:49 Speaker 5: And again, it's centered in that lived experience, right?

36:53 Speaker 2: So knowing who is in front of you has gone through something to some degree that can relate and is able to maybe share some of that with you, but in an intentional manner. So really peer support is founded very much in mutuality and understanding that multiple truths can be true at once. So it's just a different type of experience, again, versus going to meet with your therapist or their clinical provider.

37:20 Speaker 5: Which is very important. Absolutely has a place.

37:23 Speaker 2: But yeah, I guess I would define a lot of everything that we are on the road to wellness is concerned with creating a sense of community and belonging.

37:32 Speaker 1: Outstanding. Absolutely. Well, before we, as we do approach the

Wrapping Up and Upcoming Events

37:37 Speaker 1: top of the hour, so for our listeners who are listening live on Saturday, we should mention again, because you've got shows this weekend with, with volley. In fact, let's remind people what you got this weekend. And then we'll kind of circle back and remind people about the show in September, too, at Terminus. But what do you have this weekend?

37:55 Speaker 3: Oh, so tonight it's a private event, but it's like a punk campout in Bradford. We'll be with Volley, First Pick, Graboid, basically three of the bands that are on that flyer.

38:08 Speaker 6: And then we have, like, Ascom and. I don't know.

38:14 Speaker 3: It's the girl that runs Street Trash.

38:17 Speaker 1: Okay.

38:17 Speaker 6: That band.

38:18 Speaker 3: And then tomorrow we have Bad Burger. And that starts at like 7.30. And that's us and First Pick, Volley, and what is it?

38:31 Speaker 6: Dig a Revel? Dig a Revel.

38:34 Speaker 1: Okay.

38:34 Speaker 5: Okay.

38:36 Speaker 1: All right. Very good.

38:38 Speaker 4: We also have another show coming up in November with Primer 55 at the Jewel. Oh, we have tickets for if you want to go to pitwolvesma.com to buy tickets. You can do that for cheaper than they will be at the door.

38:53 Speaker 1: Oh, excellent.

38:55 Speaker 4: Yes.

38:55 Speaker 1: Excellent.

38:56 Speaker 6: All right.

38:57 Speaker 1: And that's going to be in November at Jewel?

38:58 Speaker 2: Yep.

38:59 Speaker 6: November 20th, I think. 21st.

39:02 Speaker 4: 21st.

39:02 Speaker 1: Okay. Outstanding. Well, very good. Very good. And we'll remind people one more time too about the Mental Health Benefits Show on the Road to Wellness, Saturday the 26th at Terminus Underground in Nashua. And of course, a shout out to them. We love Eleanor and Andre. Phantasm, Witchspire, Graboid, Lobotomobile. I said it that time. And of course, PN Public or PIP. And where should people go? Well, if we can figure out how to put this across, as I ask every guest, where should people go online to keep up with everything that you're doing as a band?

39:35 Speaker 6: Oh, so we have a Facebook page and we have an Instagram.

39:39 Speaker 4: And we're working on a website currently and a merch store and everything else under the sun for an artist. Okay, okay.

39:48 Speaker 1: But yeah, you're on Facebook and Instagram and excellent. Okay. And Ariana, where should people go for On the Road to Wellness online? Where should people check you out?

40:00 Speaker 5: You can find On the Road to Wellness at www.otrtw.org.

40:07 Speaker 1: Very good. Very good. Well, this has been wonderful. I want to thank all three of you. And again, I know this was kind of last minute. Thank you for having us. Absolutely. I'm glad we were able to make this happen. And again, really looking forward to that show in September at Terminus. And I think the work that you do is wonderful, very important. So I appreciate all three of you being here.