From Broadway World Magazine: (7/12/18)

Portugal. The Man Bring Mental Health Advocacy On Tour This Summer Across Oregon

Portland, Oregon-based chart-topping Grammy winners, Portugal. The Man have announced that they will be bringing the Keep Oregon Well: Mental Health Matters movement on tour this summer at all of their Oregon shows and events.

“Mental Health is personal for our whole band,” Portugal. The Man’s John Gourley continued, “We all have days where we feel happy and well, and days where we don’t – and, contrary to popular belief, this is actually a completely normal part of the human experience. As touring musicians, self-care can quickly become make it or break it on the road. By partnering with Logan Lynn and the Keep Oregon Well Street Team at these shows, our goal is to inspire everybody to make mental health a priority, too.”

Keep Oregon Well is a public advocacy campaign and social movement co-founded by fellow Portland-based musician Logan Lynn and Trillium Group CEO Kim Scott, designed to reduce stigma surrounding mental and behavioral health, build a trauma-informed community, and give people the opportunity to learn more about mental health while standing with those who may be struggling with theirs.

“We are thrilled that Portugal. The Man has adopted this cause as their own,” said Kim Scott, Trillium Group CEO and Keep Oregon Well Co-Founder. “Trillium is deeply committed to meeting community where they are at, and this partnership — the information, awareness, connection and hope it will bring to people across Oregon — is a critical component in building resilience and, ultimately, saving a life.

Nationwide, 1 in 5 people will experience a mental health crisis in their lifetime. In Oregon, that statistic is 1 in 4. Keep Oregon Well aims to change that! Now in its 4th year, the movement has a long-running Concert Series that has featured bands and artists that range from Bleachers, Walk Off The Earth and Charli XCX, to Desiigner, Flo Rida, Graham Nash and Alice Cooper.

“As a suicide survivor myself, I know how important not feeling isolated is,” Portland musician and Keep Oregon Well Co-Founder Logan Lynn continued, “We all have trauma, and we all have the ability to bounce back – forward, even – from those experiences. Stigma exists because people have been made to feel like mental and behavioral health challenges are personal character flaws, versus being like any other medical condition. If you break your arm tomorrow, would you feel shame? Or would you just go to the doctor immediately and then have people sign your cast? I won’t stop doing this work until every last bit of the shame that prevents people like me from seeking help in the first place, is gone. I’m super excited about this tour and can’t wait to see you all at these shows!”

Take the Keep Oregon Well Pledge to fight stigma and end discrimination now at www.KeepOregonWell.com or stop by the Mental Health Matters booth at any of Portugal. The Man’s Oregon shows this summer!

Catch Keep Oregon Well on tour with Portugal. The Man on the following dates, to start:

August 24th – Portland, Oregon (McMenimans Edgefield) – SOLD OUT!

August 25th – Portland, Oregon (McMenimans Edgefield) – SOLD OUT!

August 30th – Jacksonville, Oregon (Britt Pavilion)

August 31st – Bend, Oregon (Les Schwab Amphitheater) Read the rest of this entry »

Here I am chatting with Pottstown School District for Pennsylvania’s Building Community Resilience efforts in schools. Thanks to Superintendent Stephen Rodriguez for inviting me to be part of this incredibly important work.

It’s an honor to somehow be of use, and I love watching this Mental Health Matters movement grow!

I’m super excited to be the guest on my darling Jay Mohr‘s Podcast “Mohr Stories” this week! We recorded the episode while I was staying with him in the Pacific Palisades the week after the Grammy Awards.

On the show, Jay and I chat for over an hour about everything from music and mental health advocacy, to overcoming trauma and persistent suicidal ideation. We go deep.

Subscribe now at JayMohr.com
to tune in. The episode first premiered Monday, March 6th.

Here’s a 10 minute video clip from the taping:

You can listen to the full episode HERE, or click on the image below:

It’s been over a decade since I added a songwriter to my life’s soundtrack — the music that plays when I’m by myself; songs that become the vehicle for my own feelings and melodies to emerge — but Mitski‘s entire catalog made the cut last year.

This talented human is unflinching in her willingness to march bravely inward, and unmatched by her peers in her relentless pursuit of truth as a songwriter.  In short: Mitski Miyawaki is the real deal.  

Watch Mitski’s “Happy” Video:

I caught up with Mitski this week in advance of her upcoming Portland show at Wonder Ballroom.  We talked about music, self-care, mental health and more.  Read our chat below.

Logan Lynn: Hi Mitski! Thanks so much for taking the time to chat. I know you are in the midst of a super busy tour right now. How long are you on the road for this round of shows?

Mitski: I can’t really tell anymore. This west coast tour is two weeks long, but I have tours back to back after it, so I won’t be “off the road” until August. I used to think of my life on the road as somehow separate from my life off the road, as if tour was this thing I had to get through in order to get to my “real” life off the road. But now that I’m on the road more than not, I’ve had to shift my thinking away from looking at my life in chunks of time – it’s unhealthy to think of 9 months out of a year as “not the real part.” So now I just focus on what I’m doing each day. Read the rest of this entry »