GOOSE AND DAWES HELP THEIR PEERS FOCUS ON MENTAL HEALTH AT UTAH FEST: The annual Park City Song Summit prioritized well-being over business, but also made time for some ferocious live sets.
Fresh off an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon last week and the surprise drop of their fifth studio album, Chain Yer Dragon, jam-band juggernaut Goose headlined the Park City Song Summit in Utah this past weekend.
Established in 2019 as a conduit to create and cultivate dialogue about the state of mental/physical health and wellness in the music industry, the PCSS has become a beacon of not only hope and compassion, but one of positive, tangible change.
“There’s a mindset, an energy, and a spirit that you can take away from here,” says Ben Anderson, PCSS founder. “That’s really hard to get in your average run-of-the-mill event. If somebody can leave here and apply that, and live even 10-percent happier? Then, that’s a success for us.”
“It really all boils down to communication,” Goose lead singer Rick Mitarotonda tells Rolling Stone when asked about honing in on the health of a rock band. “When things are getting weird, the vibe’s off, and people are going through stuff, the ability to communicate with each other, understand each other, it means everything.”
Along with Goose, the fifth installment of PCSS included appearances by Dawes, Greensky Bluegrass, Holly Bowling, Marcus King, Nicki Bluhm, Eric Krasno, Jennifer Hartswick, Duane Betts & Palmetto Motel, Anders Osborne, Adam MacDougall, Cimafunk, and LP Giobbi.
“As I get older, I have to think about how to navigate the [music] industry in a healthy way, physically and mentally,” says Krasno, the renowned guitarist who made his fourth trip to PCSS. “It’s great to have a place and a festival that nurtures that side of things. For many years, there wasn’t a lot of attention given to how to be a musician or to be in the business, but also maintain a healthy life.”
The weekend kicked off Thursday evening with a dinner at the Summit Supper Club hosted by celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern. Teaming up with Marcus King, Zimmern tailored the menu to dishes from King’s native South Carolina (think oysters, barbecue, crab cakes). The men have become friends as of late, bonding through a love of music.
“What’s really fun and challenging, for us as food people, is to pay homage to a human being, their music, and the piece of land that they’re from,” Zimmern says. “And to translate that into food, and hope that you experience that at the same time.”
King serenaded the guests, who, following the meal, walked in unison with the Trombone Shorty Foundation Alumni Band up Main Street to the Marquis, where King hit the stage alongside Krasno and Betts. For Betts, the ethos of the PCSS is something he deeply aligns with: He’s been proudly sober for several years. Read the full article on Rolling Stone HERE.