Though social media certainly has it’s faults, the greatest thing about it is the interaction fans have with artists. Without social media we wouldn’t hear the stories of how Strange Music has changed lives.

Those stories allow everyone here at Strange to take a step back and remember just why it is the Snake & Bat is so important and why Technicians are the most passionate fans in music. Personally, there’s no greater joy I get than seeing these stories, so I can only imagine how great it is for the artist who actually make the music.

Tweets like this are exactly what I’m talking about

@KrizzKaliko I work in drug @ alcohol counseling we do music therapy 1x a week its amazin how your songs help these guys thank u god bless

— Jeremy (@j2deuce) July 10, 2017

We reached out to Jeremy to get the whole story on how Strange Music played a role in his work in drug and alcohol counseling for what turned into a very powerful interview.

Before we get into your work as a drug and alcohol counselor, when did you become a Strange fan? 

I’ve been going to the shows since 2002. My first Strange Music song was “Einstein Tech N9ne“

Favorite song? Favorite album?

“Alone” by Tech N9ne and my favorite album is Anghellic.

Definitely a good pick! So moving on, first, how did you get into alcohol counseling as a profession?

I’m state licensed dependency and addiction counselor. I’ve been doing it for a while. I actually had a problem myself. I went through it and I noticed a lot of the counselors didn’t know how to relate and didn’t go through it so you couldn’t respect what they were saying.

That’s why I switched from mental health to drug and alcohol counseling. We try to get into their heads because a lot of times they feel trapped. 

How does music play a role in the therapy?

I do music therapy the last day of the week. With music, it just relates.

You can have somebody sitting there who thinks they are the only person like that in the world and when they hear something it gets them to open up and start talking about whats going on in their head.

That’s a cool thing, to see the music unlock somebody. 

What are some of the Strange Music songs you use?

I’ve used other music too but honestly, I’d say it’s about 75% Strange Music.

“The Noose” I use a lot. Sometimes I just play the first verse and the hook and it gets people to open up. I played “Fear” and I had a 69 year old man say that’s exactly how he felt. “Angels In The Playground,” “One Foot In The Grave,” and  “Scars” as well. 

Krizz Kaliko is who I use the most, he’s got so many songs that fit this feeling of being trapped in your head and trying to get out. “Proof of God” and “Stop the World.” “Hello Walls” is another. It’s one of the first ones I’ve ever used. 

Is there a memorable reaction from a patient you remember?

There was patient that overdosed three times and was brought back. He was court ordered and didn’t want to be there. Well, we played “Withdrawl” and he didn’t say much, but he admitted that was how he felt.

Well, this guy he came up to me about a month ago, he said, “I have not used anything since I heard that song. It unlocked my head and got me to think and realize that I need to get out and do what I need to do.”  It’s been a year and a half. That song was what made it click for him. 

That’s amazing! Thanks for sharing your story. Anything else you want to add?

Thank you. Thanks to Strange for helping me. Strange helped me, it saved myself, so I knew it could help other people. I just want to say thank you to the artist for helping me and making new stuff to help other people. 

SAMHSA National Substance Abuse Hotline – 1-800-662-HELP