By Charlie Maybee
Knoxville based indie rock musician, Shayla McDaniel, honors Mental Health Awareness Month with new single “Here with Me”. Instead of focusing on those afflicted by mental illness, she calls attention to those who act as support systems for loved ones working through tough times. In doing so, she thanks them and puts out a call-to-action for everyone to check on their loved ones.
Ethereal melodic guitars and a driving drum beat move bring an electric, yet calm and contemplative energy to the forefront of the composition. In the more somber verses, we hear McDaniel cycling through various thoughts of depression and anxiety as she seems to tread uneasily in deep waters. But the chorus brings forward a positive energy as she acknowledges the people around her who offer a shoulder to lean on when she is unable to fully support herself. “I know I can do this” she sings in the chorus, “Cause I got you here with me”
“Here with Me” manages to create a lot of space for emotional processing, but the thing that stands out most about it is its emphasis on community. Healing is always time-based process, but the possibility of remission is reinforced when we have a stable foundation to stand upon. This is a songwriter with important things to say. “I feel like I am really finding myself as an artist these days. It’s been such an uplifting journey,” Shayla says. “Music really brings meaning to my life, and it always makes me feel better.”
“Here with Me” is available on major streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and BandCamp. Find this and more great music on the Alchemical Records Multigenre Mixture playlist on Spotify.
Charlie Maybee is a dancer, musician, educator, and writer based in Charleston, South Carolina who currently teaches with the Dance Program at the College of Charleston. His primary work as an artist is with his performing collective, Polymath Performance Project, through which he makes interdisciplinary performance art that centers tap dance as the primary medium of expression and research. He also currently plays rhythm guitar for the Charleston-based punk band, Anergy, and releases music as a solo artist under the name Nox Eterna.
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Alchemical Records is a Washington, D.C. based music publication. We cover the Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Richmond, VA metro area music scenes, including band interviews, articles about your favorite musicians, new music and concert dates.
