High Notes

Produced by Haulix.com, High Notes is a recovery podcast set in the music industry.

Join host James Shotwell as he shares the recovery journeys of artists and music professionals as only they can tell it.

Previous guests include Morgan Wade, Andy Biersack (Black Veil Brides), Art Alexakis (Everclear), and Brian "Head" Welch (of KORN).

This season of High Notes is brought to you by Haulix, the music industry’s leading promotional distribution platform. Start your one-month free trial today and gain instant access to the same promotional tools used by BMG, Concord, Rise Records, Pure Noise Records, and hundreds more. Visit http://haulix.com/signup for details.

Ryan Williams rose to international attention with his band Red Sun Rising, but the group’s success came at a cost that went unpaid for far too long. Now, Williams is beginning again with Monarch, an exciting new project built from the ground up with a sober mind and a lifetime of experiences. Williams’ appearance on the show details the dizzying times that led him to get sober, as well as how recovery impacts creativity.

High Notes is hosted by James Shotwell and edited by Landon Defever. Laura Haggard handles additional production. The theme song was written and performed by the band You, Me, And Everyone We know. Nick Ferran created the High Notes logo.

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, please seek help. The entire High Notes team is rooting for you, and we can help connect you with people and resources that can assist you on your recovery journey.

You can learn more about the show by finding @HighNotesPod on Twitter and Instagram.

This season of High Notes is brought to you by Haulix, the music industry’s leading promotional distribution platform. Start your one-month free trial today and gain instant access to the same promotional tools used by BMG, Concord, Rise Records, Pure Noise Records, and hundreds more. Visit http://haulix.com/signup for details.

Morgan Wade is the future of country music. A singer/songwriter who has lived more life than most can fit into her years, Wade brings a mature perspective to life in the modern age. Her appearance on the show takes listeners back to a blurry New York night that found Wade waking up face down in a parking lot. That night, coupled with several contributing factors, served as a much-needed wake-up call for the songwriter who was still barely in her twenties. Wade recounts her decision to make a change and everything she gained with her new lifestyle.

High Notes is hosted by James Shotwell and edited by Laura Haggard. The theme song was written and performed by the band You, Me, And Everyone We know. Nick Ferran created the High Notes logo.

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, please seek help. The entire High Notes team is rooting for you, and we can help connect you with people and resources that can assist you on your recovery journey.

You can learn more about the show by finding @HighNotesPod on Twitter and Instagram.

This season of High Notes is brought to you by Haulix, the music industry’s leading promotional distribution platform. Start your one-month free trial today and gain instant access to the same promotional tools used by BMG, Concord, Rise Records, Pure Noise Records, and hundreds more. Visit http://haulix.com/signup for details.

Michael Hansen, known to friends as Mike, began his life in and around music as a member of the straight edge community. Through a litany of experiences and personal revelations, Mike decided to break edge and experiment with various substances, each offering him a different lesson on life. It was fun until it wasn’t, and that’s when Mike turned to his wife for support. Together, the two found a new lifestyle that fits their needs, which Mike details in this episode.

High Notes is hosted by James Shotwell and edited by Laura Haggard. The theme song was written and performed by the band You, Me, And Everyone We know. Nick Ferran created the High Notes logo.

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, please seek help. The entire High Notes team is rooting for you, and we can help connect you with people and resources that can assist you on your recovery journey.

You can learn more about the show by finding @HighNotesPod on Twitter and Instagram.

This season of High Notes is brought to you by Haulix, the music industry’s leading promotional distribution platform. Start your one-month free trial today and gain instant access to the same promotional tools used by BMG, Concord, Rise Records, Pure Noise Records, and hundreds more. Visit http://haulix.com/signup for details.

Andy Biersack, otherwise known as Andy Black, is recognized worldwide as the face of modern alternative music. Black and his band, Black Veil Brides, have played everywhere and sold more records than many of their genre peers, all while learning harsh lessons about life in the fast lane. Black’s appearance on the show focuses largely on a tumultuous time for the band in the early 2010s and how industry pressures can lead young talent astray. It’s a story that Black expands on in his autobiography, They Don’t Need To Understand, which is available now wherever you purchase books.

High Notes is hosted by James Shotwell and edited by Laura Haggard. The theme song was written and performed by the band You, Me, And Everyone We know. Nick Ferran created the High Notes logo.

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, please seek help. The entire High Notes team is rooting for you, and we can help connect you with people and resources that can assist you on your recovery journey.

You can learn more about the show by finding @HighNotesPod on Twitter and Instagram.

This season of High Notes is brought to you by Haulix, the music industry's leading promotional distribution platform. Start your one-month free trial today and gain instant access to the same promotional tools used by BMG, Concord, Rise Records, Pure Noise Records, and hundreds more. Visit http://haulix.com/signup for details.

Art Alexakis is a modern rock icon. For nearly three decades, Art and his bandmates in Everclear have been writing the great American songbook, greatly informed by Art's personal experiences. His appearance on this episode details his life before Everclear, back when he was living in San Francisco with his first wife. Art recounts an event that changed his life trajectory and the temptations he continues to wrestle with today.

High Notes is hosted by James Shotwell and edited by Laura Haggard. Our programming consultant is Laura Haggard. The theme song was written and performed by the band You, Me, And Everyone We know. Nick Ferran created the High Notes logo.

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, please seek help. The entire High Notes team is rooting for you, and we can help connect you with people and resources that can assist you on your recovery journey.

You can learn more about the show by finding @HighNotesPod on Twitter and Instagram.

This season of High Notes is brought to you by Haulix, the music industry’s leading promotional distribution platform. Start your one-month free trial today and gain instant access to the same promotional tools used by BMG, Concord, Rise Records, Pure Noise Records, and hundreds more. Visit http://haulix.com/signup for details.

Kevin Patrick Sullivans writes music to soothe his heart and soul when life gets tough. The fact it does anything for others is something of a miracle, but then again, that’s true for every artist. Kevin’s deeply personal lyricism recounts the highs and lows of figuring out life and who you are in it. His time on High Notes maintains similar energy by further pulling back the curtains on Kevin’s struggles to quit drinking and (in time) smoking as only he can.

High Notes is hosted by James Shotwell and edited by Landon Defever. Our programming consultant is Laura Haggard. The theme song was written and performed by the band You, Me, And Everyone We know. Nick Ferran created the High Notes logo.

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, please seek help. The entire High Notes team is rooting for you, and we can help connect you with people and resources that can assist you on your recovery journey.

You can learn more about the show by finding @HighNotesPod on Twitter and Instagram.

This season of High Notes is brought to you by Haulix, the music industry’s leading promotional distribution platform. Start your one-month free trial today and gain instant access to the same promotional tools used by BMG, Concord, Rise Records, Pure Noise Records, and hundreds more. Visit http://haulix.com/signup for details.

Heidi Shepherd’s life before and after forming the band Butcher Babies could not be less alike. Her life before music revolved around cocaine and poor decisions, both support by a community of people that did not have her best interests at heart. But then, Heidi found music, and with the help of her bandmates, she has become one of the most recognizable people in metal today. Her time on High Notes celebrates the radical ways our lives can change when we free ourselves from the shackles of addiction.

High Notes is hosted by James Shotwell and edited by Landon Defever. Our programming consultant is Laura Haggard. The theme song was written and performed by the band You, Me, And Everyone We know. Nick Ferran created the High Notes logo.

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, please seek help. The entire High Notes team is rooting for you, and we can help connect you with people and resources that can assist you on your recovery journey.

You can learn more about the show by finding @HighNotesPod on Twitter and Instagram.

This season of High Notes is brought to you by Haulix, the music industry’s leading promotional distribution platform. Start your one-month free trial today and gain instant access to the same promotional tools used by BMG, Concord, Rise Records, Pure Noise Records, and hundreds more. Visit http://haulix.com/signup for details.

Before he found an audience on TikTok and caught the attention of major labels, Jack Kays was a lost kid in Southern Ohio addicted to Xanax and selling drugs to feed his addiction. Jack uses his time on High Notes to retrace his steps from rock bottom to today, and along the way, we gain a greater appreciation for how our passions often save us from ourselves. We also learn about the importance of family, relationships, and being there for the people who support you. 

High Notes is hosted by James Shotwell and edited by Landon Defever. Our programming consultant is Laura Haggard. The theme song was written and performed by the band You, Me, And Everyone We know. Nick Ferran created the High Notes logo.

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, please seek help. The entire High Notes team is rooting for you, and we can help connect you with people and resources that can assist you on your recovery journey.

You can learn more about the show by finding @HighNotesPod on Twitter and Instagram.

This season of High Notes is brought to you by Haulix, the music industry’s leading promotional distribution platform. Start your one-month free trial today and gain instant access to the same promotional tools used by BMG, Concord, Rise Records, Pure Noise Records, and hundreds more. Visit http://haulix.com/signup for details.

Anyone obsessed with TikTok knows ppcocaine’s voice. For the majority of 2020, while the world was living in isolation, people around the globe heard her signature “Trap Bunny Bubbles” introduction on several of the video-sharing app’s most popular sounds. That viral notoriety got the attention of Columbia Records and the rest — as they say — is history.

…Or is it? In this episode, Ms. Cocaine tells us about the wild year that preceded her internet popularity and how her partner, NextYoungin, helped save her life. If you ever needed proof of love's immense power to inspire positive change, look no further than this conversation. 

High Notes is hosted by James Shotwell and edited by Landon Defever. Our programming consultant is Laura Haggard. The theme song was written and performed by the band You, Me, And Everyone We know. Nick Ferran created the High Notes logo.

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, please seek help. The entire High Notes team is rooting for you, and we can help connect you with people and resources that can assist you on your recovery journey.

You can learn more about the show by finding @HighNotesPod on Twitter and Instagram.