Mental Health Monday: Def Leppard drummer’s mental health retreat helped Fremont locals address trauma through music, connectedness
(Lander, WY) – Mental Health Monday, the weekly segment on KOVE 1330 AM / 107.7 FM’s Today in the 10, hosted by Vince Tropea, continued today with guests Feike van Dijk, Cherokee Brown and Big Wind Singer member Quinlin, who all recently participated in the Mountain Rhythm Reset in Jackson.
The retreat was put on by the Raven Drum Foundation, which was founded by Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen and his wife Lauren Monroe, a musician and holistic wellness expert, “in an effort to help veterans, first responders and other trauma survivors heal.”
The retreat was designed to bring together a “select group of legendary musicians, innovative change-makers, leading business & health visionaries, and decorated military veterans to inspire personal healing & community impact, all with a focus on addressing mental health.”
The weekend included appearances from musical icons such as Nikki Sixx (from Mötley Crüe), Matt Sorum (from Guns N’ Roses, Velvet Revolver, The Cult), Wally Ingram (Phil Lesh and Bob Weir, Sheryl Crow, Eric Burdon & the Animals, George Clinton, Jackson Browne), and Duane Trucks (Widespread Panic).
Other drummers and speakers included Dan Nevins (Yoga teacher, cancer survivor, double amputee Veteran), Roko Belic and Laura Morton (Award-winning filmmakers), J.R. Martinez (New York Times Best-Selling Author & Dancing with the Stars season 13 winner), Phil Lipof (ABC News anchor), and many more.
van Dijk explained that through past connections from his days as a touring musician, he was approached to attend the Reset to represent some of the locals in the area.
It was also decided shortly before the event that the Foundation wanted to find a local Native drum group, and Cherokee was also soon approached, who then reached out to Quinlin and the Big Wind Singers.
In addition to reflecting on their experiences from the weekend, van Dijk, Brown and Quinlin also courageously shared some of the traumas they have endured, their personal journeys of healing and addressing those traumas, the healing power of music and the connectedness they experienced from coming together at the Reset.
The full Mental Health Monday interview with van Dijk, Brown and Quinlin is below (Editor’s Note: One of the guests accidentally turned the mic off for a five minute portion of the interview. We did the best we could to salvage that portion).
If you would like to support the Raven Drum Foundation and future events while also bidding on instruments from music legends like Ringo Starr, Taylor Swift and Nikki Sixx, click here to learn more.
The main goal of Mental Health Monday is to start an open dialogue about a number of mental health topics, and how folks are being affected on local, state and national levels.
Guests range from psychiatrists, psychologists, school/drug/grief counselors, and any other professionals in the field, as well as testimonials from those affected by mental health issues, such as students, veterans, first responders, and many more.