Intercourse, medication and rock ‘n roll have been a package deal deal for the reason that child boomers had been infants themselves. Rock music wouldn’t be what it’s at this time with out booze-fueled lodge events and piles of medication obtainable round each nook. Nonetheless, if we’ve discovered something from the handfuls of world-class musicians who misplaced their lives to substance abuse, it’s that medication and alcohol aren’t all the time as glamorous as they appear. “My first expertise with punk rock was going to Warped Tour at 14,” Tyler Posey says. “I used to be strolling within the car parking zone with my pal and an older dude was like, ‘Hey, you guys desire a beer?’ I simply chugged the beer and that was my intro to punk rock. I began associating punk rock with getting excessive and getting drunk. Plenty of my time spent at punk reveals was nearly throwing up each time I obtained into the mosh pit as a result of I’d simply chugged, like, 5 beers.”
As Posey obtained older, his use of medication and alcohol developed, each as a method of enjoyment and as a coping mechanism for psychological sickness. He was capable of conceal his habit properly, discovering success each as an actor in MTV’s “Teen Wolf” and as a musician. That’s, till he reached his breaking level whereas engaged on his debut solo album. “This began out as another album with my band 5 North after which midway via, I made a decision to go solo,” Posey says. “This EP known as ‘Medication’ and it’s all about me changing into sober, coping with sobriety, coping with despair with out turning to substance abuse, coping with lacking getting fucked up and beginning this new life.”
Pictures by Dylan Schattman
Posey didn’t got down to make an album about sobriety from the get-go. The concept shaped organically, partially via his relationships with Goldfinger frontman John Feldmann and singer-songwriter Phem. Posey turned near each of them via the writing means of his EP, nonetheless, this wasn’t “formally” their first encounter. “John Feldmann has Christmas events yearly and he has a stage the place Goldfinger performs within the yard,” Posey says. “I performed bass for Goldfinger when their bassist didn’t present up—which is the best factor I can say I’ve ever completed. [Phem] was on the celebration and [Feldmann] introduced her as much as sing the refrain for ‘Superman.’ I simply keep in mind seeing the again of her inexperienced head and that was it. At that time, I used to be actually fucked up, so I used to be joyful we didn’t meet, as a result of I used to be within the worst of my drug binges.”
On the time, Posey had no concept how influential these two would develop into in his life. A number of months after Feldmann’s Christmas celebration, Posey determined to write down his first solo EP and he obtained steering from Feldmann all through the method. “I obtained sober after recording the primary two songs and I used to be actually having points,” Posey says. “I leaned on [Feldmann] and it was onerous to confess I had an issue at first. We didn’t plan on writing songs about sobriety, it’s simply what was prevalent in each of our lives on the time. This album turned out to be one of many heaviest and most weighted albums—I had no concept it was going to be this necessary to me.”
“Medication” is the tip results of a collaborative course of between Posey and Feldmann, with the pair working carefully on lots of the tracks. Feldmann wound up introducing Posey to Phem to assist with writing a number of songs and at this level in his life, he was lastly able to correctly meet her. “That is the primary album that I introduced one other author on and it’s Phem, who’s this unbelievable artist and exquisite woman—she’s my girlfriend,” Posey says. “Feldy was like, ‘Hey, I’m bringing on this artist Phem to assist write,’ and she or he and I wrote very equally. I wrote with one in all my new favourite artists and I’m in love along with her, so there’s lots of specialness to this EP. We have now a music known as ‘Kerosene’ and it goes, ‘making out at a intercourse celebration,’ and that’s the place we first kissed—at some intercourse celebration. I simply tried to throw in little random moments of my life.”
Pictures by Dylan Schattman
Posey’s total life is an open guide on the EP. He holds nothing again as he not solely shares particulars of his newest love and newfound sobriety, but additionally covers how he obtained to this place. Many who take care of substance abuse have a historical past of habit of their household. “‘Don’t Try to Repair Me’ is about my household’s historical past of drug abuse,” Posey says. “I simply tried to inform the entire story of what’s occurring in my life, how I obtained thus far and why [substance abuse is] so prevalent. I used to be simply writing what I knew. The best way I listed the tracks is a full-on story and I believe it’s actually cool that we didn’t have that in thoughts after we began recording.”
Ending the cycle of substance abuse is rarely a simple chore, and through the making of this EP Posey skilled each the highs and lows of getting sober. Not solely does he discover the darkest depths of his withdrawals, he displays on the fantastic thing about sobriety. “In my music ‘Previous Life,’ I provide the entire historical past of why I began utilizing,” Posey says. “It talks about how I felt so alone as a child after which on the finish of the bridge it goes, ‘I really feel fucking every little thing and I wouldn’t commerce it for something.’ It’s very uplifting as a result of not solely does it present you why I obtained addicted, it reveals that sobriety is superior.”
This six-month interval of writing and recording the EP proved to be immensely cathartic. The undertaking is greater than only a pop-punk file followers can scream alongside to, it additionally acts as a useful instrument for coping with sobriety. “I’ve all the time felt deep inside me that I do have a objective, I need to encourage individuals and assist progress humanity—I believe this album actually does fall in step with that,” Posey says. “For some time, I felt misplaced as an artist. I used to be doing pop-punk, nevertheless it wasn’t actually as in style on the time. Changing into sober has positively given me some readability. It simply took away my doubts and taught me to actually observe my instincts.”
Posey has taken the conviction to assist others with music and has infused this newfound objective into each facet of his life—together with his tattoos. During the last 10 years, Posey has curated a group of American conventional items from artists world wide. For probably the most half, these tattoos have been flash designs that don’t carry a private which means, however his journey with sobriety has introduced his newest tattoo—a big portrait of Jesus on his again—into a brand new mild. “Since changing into sober, I’ve develop into extra conscious of wanting to assist individuals and being an inspiration,” Posey says. “Jesus may be very symbolic in American conventional and I’m actually taken by how he sacrificed himself for the higher good. I’m not a vastly spiritual particular person and I’m not evaluating myself to Jesus, however I do need to sacrifice some a part of myself to assist others.”
Tyler Posey could not have supposed to make an EP about sobriety, however via his personal trials and tribulations, he’s crafted his most dynamic work thus far. Posey has confirmed that you just don’t want medication and alcohol to create compelling pop-punk music and thru this discovery, he has opened the door for followers to deal with their very own struggles with substance abuse. The world of rock ‘n roll is altering for the higher and Tyler Posey helps to steer the cost.
Pictures by Dylan Schattman