Second-Annual Rock to Recovery Show to Help Addicts Sells Out at Fonda Theatre

Rock to Recovery is both a music-therapy program and an all-star rock bandbut its also becoming a movement. Tonight, inside a packed Fonda Theatre, what the Rock to Recovery movements originator predicted would in a voice text he sent me just hours before a historic concert took place would happen at the legendary venue, attendees are reporting is, indeed, unfolding right on cue.

Theres going to be an amazing, rad energy tonight, when you bring that many people in recovery together under one roof in a venue like the Fonda for recovery and you add in the live music element and remembering [Linkin Park singer] Chester Bennington...I wish you were going to be here, Wesley Geer said in the message.

Regrettably I wasnt able to attend. But for those many hundreds who were able to get a ticket, the Rock to Recovery concert featured two bands and a host of musicians who are some of the best known names in metal, punk, grunge and what we used to call alternative music.

Former Korn guitarist and Rock to Recovery founder, Wesley Geer, spoke with me just days before his second-annual concert aimed at raising funds and awareness about America's addiction and mental health crises. A one-time abuser of alcohol and drugs himself the bad-boy-gone-clean-and-sober is now using his rock-God talents and his industry connections to make positive change in the recovery community.

As organizer and erstwhile star of this year's Rock to Recovery benefit concert, happening tonight (Sept. 16) at the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood, which had been sold out for days by the time we speak, Geer blushes at the notion that the momentum his program is now enjoying has anything to do with his star power. Rather, he says, Rock to Recoverys success it's a testament to both the efficacy of its more than 400 weekly music-therapy sessions that take place in treatment centers across the southwest and beyond, as well as the magnitude of the public's craving to put a dent in America's addiction crisis.

As a big rock music and musician myself, I had long been interested in seeing a concert for people in recovery, and suggested to Wes that we partner on an event," said Geer's friend and cohort in the fight to end addiction, Joey Darby, who is also The Canyons Treatment Center business development director.

"I had witnessed the work Rock to Recovery does, and I am huge supporter of the organization," Darby, whose company presented the concert, continued. "So when Wes asked me remember how we talked about doing a concert?' I was immediately on board.

Following is my Q&A with Geer, who it should be noted, places a lot of emphasis on helping veterans with music therapy. It should also be noted, that in a previous interview at HuffPost, we learned that each of the folks Geer and his musician-therapists help to recover experience music therapy the Rock to Recovery way by composing their own, unique song by the time the course is complete.

How many bands total will be playing?

Technically two, Kings of Chaos , and the Rock to Recovery Band , though the guys playing are from a vast number of legendary bands.

Tough, admittedly "trick question:" Keeping in mind that you probably are excited about all of them, if you were forced to say which where your top four acts that you're most excited to have been able to book for the concert, who are they?

Well, we don't book "acts;" we book all star bands. So you know, its a bit different. But selfishly I LOVE booking our Rock to Recovery guys to play, because that was kind of an unforeseen magic that came together, now we have a band! haha And also, having Chester there last year, and Mike Ness, Mark McGrath all these guys, Franky Perez, Steve Stevens are special in my heart, and grew up watching most of them play. But having Corey Taylor and Wayne Kramer there this year with Kings of Chaos guys, Perez, Robert Deleo, and Sorum is such a SICK combo of guys

Why should people care about Rock to Recovery?

Well, we didn't invent using music in treatment, but the way we do it is unique, and special. We also have branded it witch gives us more strength to heal. People know us and our program by name. So, instead of a solo music therapist, people know that if they want the magic that Rock to Recovery has to offer, which is tried an true, they can reach out to us, and chances are we can help! We hear all the time from people who have had success in recovery whether it be a wounded vet, or an addict, or mental health client, that (sometimes) we were the main thing that resonated with them, and gave them hope, and helped them feel that natural high again. We realize we are only one intervention in this world of many magical people that help the whole, but what we do works to help add to the success stories.

How has the project grown this year?

Wow, as the word continues to get out we have more people asking to come support. Before we were selling ourselves a bit more, now the waves of our efforts, and of these rad humans that do 450 sessions a month , which means they reach thousands of struggling people a month, are starting to snowball. This is a movement, and it is really gaining momentum.

What was the hardest thing about organizing this year's concert?

Everything. [laughs] It's tough. You have to book the venue, and just start rolling the dice, reaching out to people and fight with scheduling, and all these challenges to create a great show. but, I have to give it up to the Universe, when we let go, and don't stress so much, things just seem to align how they are supposed to be. But it takes work. Doing and event, is like planning 10 weddings at the same time. Not that I would actually know- never been married, but it sounds good to me.

How has the homeless-youth epidemic coincided with the growth of opioid, meth addictions?

That's a chicken or the egg question. I can only speak to meth and opioid addiction. Its out of control, and of course, leads to homelessness. I know it did for me. When you feel lost in life, why not get high, right? 'everyone does it' -its almost the norm now, that's the scary thing. WE used to freak out at died pink hair, now moms have it. we used to freak out at IV drugs, now kids embrace it. How scary is that? I hate it. But I think it starts with pharma companies. America consumes like 75 percent of all the legal drugs in the world. We let the lobbyists control our government, we let them sell us drugs like no other country on the planet, every ad on TV, we're brainwashed to need a drug for everything. I think we need to change our mindset on drugs 'good' and bad. Rock to recovery is trying to show people that natural high.

Plans for next year?

We just want to grow to reach more and more people. We want to help change more lives, give more hope to more people. So, that means taking this show on the road to other places, to other states. but we dont want to be greedy or hasty. We want to be smart. This is about ego, or size to impress people, its about listening to the plan that appears before us and working hard to keep our message pure, and our core mission in tact.

Anything to add?

We were talking to our Air Force Wounded Warrior family who told us, that they found funding to help Rock to Recovery visit bases around the country whereas other branches of the military have not had that opportunity. Well we know how much we can help the vets, we've seen and heard the stories, so I want to put it out there that if we can start raising a couple hundred thousand dollars a year, we can help save a lot wounded warriors lives. It can be don't, we believe it can, and we are working to make that happen!