A Chat with RockCounsellor (03.12.20)
The brainchild of singer-songwriter and addiction therapist Thoby Burton, RockCounsellor is a music project looking for release in classic rock sound. We had a chance to speak with this Camden-based musician about his debut album MusicTherapy, mental health and favourite smells.
OSR: What can you tell us about the album MusicTherapy?
Burton: I got diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2017 and the idea was that making the album would emotionally support me through the treatment process. I was diagnosed early enough that I could avoid chemotherapy, but I had to commit to a three-year course of immunotherapy that involved regular instillations of fluid into my bladder that boosts its immunity to cancer cells. It’s a fairly undignified and uncomfortable procedure so I was dreading it and the fact the treatment was going to take so long was very daunting.
As it goes, just prior to my diagnosis I had sold a Nirvana test-pressing that I had picked up on my musical adventures in my 20s. With the money from this and some that my wife contributed, I funded the first few months of recording. The name for the album came later and seemed like an obvious choice.
OSR: What was the writing and recording process like?
Burton: I had just started writing songs on the piano around the time I began recording the album, so I was really keen to include the best of these on the record. The guitar had been my songwriting instrument since I was 15, but I’d started teaching myself rock piano after seeing Paul McCartney play ‘Hey Jude’ at the 2012 Olympic ceremony. Eight years later, I’m not particularly good at playing the piano, but it helps me compose in a way that the guitar does not, and inspires me to want to learn more about music theory and song construction. It also helped revitalise my love of songwriting.
I wanted to record and produce the album with Richard Campbell who I had recorded with before at his Orpheus Studio in East London. I asked Richard to play bass and drums for me, but he actually ended up doing much more than that contributing guitar, keyboard parts, solos and stuff. He’s a far better musician than me and is a pleasure to work; so creatively generous. We also share a love of classic pop and rock of the 70s and 80s which is obvious when you hear the record as it references sounds, music styles and genres strongly associated with those decades.
As the album progressed, my writing output increased, and eventually, I had songs queuing up to be recorded. We did one day-long session every month for three years and recorded 11 songs. Ten made the vinyl version of the album and an 11th is a bonus song on the digital version of the album.
OSR: You used music as a catharsis to deal with your cancer diagnosis. Has it helped you overcome your emotional challenges during treatment?
Burton: It helped immensely because the three-year album production journey became foremost in my mind and the treatment became, if anything, a bit of a nuisance in the end. ‘Keep Walking Tall’ was the song that I worked really hard on in the early months of my treatment to help me understand my feelings about what I was going through. What I realised from writing it was that the thing I needed most was the love and support of my family and close friends.
OSR: Do you think mental health, particularly as a result of physical conditions, is discussed enough in the music industry?
Burton: I’m not sure about that. I feel like musicians and celebrities are talking more about their mental health, cancers and disabilities and so on. It certainly is a good thing. Songs like ‘Keep Walking Tall’ that describe the experience of being diagnosed with and surviving cancer do send an important message, so I’m proud to be someone trying to get that message out there.
OSR: Do you feel your insight as a therapist influenced MusicTherapy?
Burton: Absolutely. The first song on the album, ‘The Privilege’, is actually about being in the privileged position as a therapist being given insight into other people’s problems and vulnerabilities. A few of the songs on the album are based on problematic patterns of thinking and behaving that I often hear my clients and patients talking about. As you might imagine, there’s plenty of material.
OSR: Do you have a favourite track?
Burton: The song I’m the proudest of writing is the final track ‘If You Could Be Wrong’. You know, many of my favourite classic rock albums have at least one epic-length track that meanders and is a bit of a journey. So, as well as three and a half minute pop songs, I have aspired to write songs like ‘When the Music’s Over’ by The Doors or ‘If There’s Something’ by Roxy Music since I was a kid.
OSR: If you could change anything about the album what would it be?
Burton: I honestly wouldn’t change a thing. Maybe it could be a little more cohesive stylistically, but that reflects me as a songwriter. As much as I have adored the Ramones since I was 12/13, I didn’t want to knock out 12 versions of the same song. Richard and I took such care in making it and we were very lucky to have had the luxury of so much time that we didn’t have to rush anything.
OSR: What is your earliest memory?
Burton: One that’s attached to a feeling is going to the zoo with my dad and realising in the car on the way that I was still wearing my slippers.
OSR: How many hours of sleep do you need and how many do you normally get?
Burton: Oh, don’t get me started on sleep! I have a pretty strict 10 pm bedtime and I almost always wake up around 6 am without an alarm. I need five one and half hour sleep cycles for a good night’s sleep. I worked very hard on my sleep hygiene and sleep schedule a few years back when I started practising as a psychotherapist and I needed to be sharp at 8/8:30 am. My wind-down begins 1.5 hours before bed, which means no bright lights after 8:30 pm (the telly at a distance is okay), but I wear sunglasses when I brush my teeth in the bathroom before bed. Hard to believe I could pull all-nighters in my 20s and 30s and go to work the next day!
OSR: What is your favourite smell?
Burton: Ripe bananas.
OSR: What is the best way, particularly during lockdown, to discover new music?
Burton: Adding music news websites to your social media news feeds and then listening to the new artists and bands they promote on Spotify or YouTube. That is how I discovered BC Camplight earlier this year. Actually, Spotify told me this morning in my 2020 streaming summary that I listened to ‘Cemetery Lifestyle’ before it was streamed 50,000 times. I felt pretty cool about that. I still love discovering new music.
Thanks to Thoby Burton for speaking with us. For more from RockCounsellor check out his Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
