The discussion of mental health and wellness in the entertainment industry has increased over the past few years.
But while these conversations are mostly directed at artists themselves, sometimes their families can get lost in the mix.
Backline is an organization that includes families in the dialogue. The nonprofit, which was founded in 2019, connects "music industry professionals and their families with mental health and wellness resources" and strives to build "a safer and more supported music industry by connecting our community with quality mental health care resources that understand this line of work," according to its mission.
Park City Song Summit attendees will get to hear firsthand how this happens when Backline Co-founder and Executive Director Hilary Gleason participates in a lab discussion, "Being the Change" with LP Giobbi, a DJ, music producer, classically trained jazz pianist and founder of Femme House, on Saturday, Aug. 16, at the Park City Library's Jim Santy Auditorium.
"It will be a more in-depth conversation of what we do, as well as activism overall," Gleason said.
Femme House "creates opportunities for women, gender-expansive, BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ creatives in the technical and behind the scenes areas of music," according to its mission.
"LP is a very dear friend of mine, and we've sat down and talked about what we are going to do during this lab," Gleason said.
The two have known each other for about four years, according to Gleason.
"LP's heart for activism and community is what initially drew us together," she said. "I had booked her for a livestream Backline did during the pandemic. We got on that Zoom call and we both were wearing Grateful Dead T-shirts."
During the call Giobbi and Gleason talked about their Deadhead parents and the challenges of establishing and running their respective nonprofits.
"We share so much of our world views in the way we show up, our expectations of other folks and trying to make the world a better place," Gleason said. "I mentioned to her that outside of Backline I do consulting work for nonprofits, so (she) brought me onto Femme House a couple months later."
The soul of Femme House is Giobbi, according to Gleason.
"The work she is doing is incredibly important, and there is the notion that if you can see someone like LP on stage, producing music and living her dream, you might think you can do something, and it doesn't have to be in music," she said. "It is just so inspiring to see a woman with so much confidence bring that message to the world."
Park City Song Summit organizers first invited Gleason and Backline to attend its first event in 2021.
"(Song Summit Founder) Ben Anderson and the folks at Park City Song Summit found us because they have such a focus on mental health and wellness in the music industry, and that's what Backline does best," Gleason said. "We launched with a mission of connecting music industry professionals with great mental health and wellness resources that are appropriate and affordable."
Backline's mission remains the same, but the work has expanded, according to Gleason.
"In many ways, we're here to make sure they don't have to run a Google search on their own, because we've already done the legwork to understand the mental healthcare space in the United States," she said. "We have gone out and found incredible providers in all 50 states who we can refer to. And we have providers of color, queer providers and providers of other specialties."
Those specialties include substance abuse and recovery as well as physical wellness, Gleason said.
"It all comes back to that central mission to make sure people have the care they need and that they have support in navigating the health system," she said. "We work with anyone who comes knocking. If we don't have the resource, we will go out and find it, whatever the need is, because we're going to jump right in and make sure the people who need us will have a good overview of all the resources that exist and the path forward to getting that care."
Backline also helps their clients navigate these resources.
"There are a great number of them, and each serves a little different piece of this pie," Gleason said. "Discovering what resources are out there, what they're eligible for and how to apply for their services are some of the biggest questions, and navigating what insurances will cover as far as care costs is another one. So, Backline takes the guess work out of all of that and gets people plugged in as soon as possible."
Gleason is pleased with how the conversation of mental health and wellness in the music industry has increased throughout the past few years.
"It has certainly crescendoed, and that has given visibility to the issues as well as to organizations such as Backline who are working to provide solutions to those issues," she said. "It's been amazing to see this take center stage in so many ways."
Because of that, more artists are making sure mental health and wellness are baked into their touring cycles and recording cycles, Gleason said.
"We work with several bands to cover the cost of therapy for their members and crews," she said. "(The work) allows bands to use the touring model that they already have and maybe raising money, like one dollar from every ticket sold, for these services."
While the conversation about mental health in the industry is increasing, there is still some stigma about asking for help, Gleason said.
"I think artists are finding it easier to share with their bandmates and families what they are going through and have a great avenue to get started on a healing journey, but that change isn't reflected across every part of the industry, yet," she said. "We're working on that."
Park City Song Summit
Also:
Being the Change — Park City Song Summit Lab with Hilary Gleason and LP Giobbi
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