Welcome to the Hope 2 Hustle podcast! I'm your host Cheree Ashley and I converse with others to share stories of Uncut Gems. In this episode enjoy my sit-down with the inspirational and talented Wes Geer.
Wesley Geer is a professional guitar player, songwriter, recording artist, and producer, and the founder of the band (Hed) P.E. Wes toured the world for nearly a decade, and the band sold over 1 million records worldwide. Later a touring member of Korn and is currently in Hu3m3n.
What many didn’t know at the time was while he was masterminding, and leading his band to the member’s first-ever record deal, Wes was a full-blown drug addict, using alcohol, methamphetamines, and other drugs, daily, for years. As a progressive disease, no matter the efforts to quell his addiction and control it, things continually got worse. Wes’ life was imploding, and he finally left in 2003, for a ‘lifestyle change’ that ultimately ended him up in rehab in 2004.
In rehab, he learned tools for recovery and latched onto the stories of others who had overcome their addictions, stories of people being so far down in a deadly hole, but somehow not only got sober but achieved great things.
In 2010, Wes decided he wanted to get back into music and started praying and meditating on what that would look like. Not long after, and only because he was sober, Geer was offered the gig as a guitarist with the legendary rock band Korn.
Geer then founded Rock to Recovery (R2R), a non-profit organization created on 12/12/12 to provide those in various types of treatment and recovery programs the cathartic, uplifting, healing experience of connectivity through playing music.
Rock to Recovery, with Geer and his staff of 15 fellow sober musicians now partners with over 100 treatment programs across LA, Orange, and San Diego counties, Nashville, and Portland providing more than 500 sessions each month to people struggling with addiction, mental health, eating disorders, at-risk youth and the Wounded Warriors.
Each year Wes and Rock to Recovery have a concert fundraiser which the org touts as the ‘coolest sober event around’. The event honors celebrated musicians/artists who have overcome their own challenges with addiction. The honorees share their stories of recovery and perform. Past honorees include Mike Ness (Social Distortion), Moby, Katey Segal, and Corey Taylor to name a few.
In Wes’ own words, ‘No gig has been more enjoyable, no high better, than the work we get to do with Rock to Recovery!
‘Music is the Medicine’
Wes Geer and I discuss the following and more:
Intro 00:00
Why does Wes share his recovery journey so openly? 02:49
How did Wes' substance abuse and the stardom of hed PE coincide? 10:37
What was Wes' upbringing and youth like and how did it play into his addiction? 19:02
Why does Wes view his time in addiction recovery treatment as a gift that more suffering addicts need to embrace? 30:00
What is the origin and inspiration behind Rock To Recovery? 32:58
We answer these questions and more in this insightful episode of Hope 2 Hustle, Uncut Gems.
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For more on Wes Geer:
Wesgeer.com
For More on Bright Future Recovery:
https://www.brightfuturerecovery.com/
