“In honor and support of Mental Health Awareness Month, McKagan reveals some of his own personal struggles with mental health on the track.” – American Songwriter “It's a somber, mostly acoustic folk-punk ode, accompanied by a simple, striking music video.” – Revolver “This Is the Song is a country-tinged ballad that tackles McKagan’s struggles with anxiety and depression, and how music helps him cope.” – Guitar.com Duff McKagan is honoring Mental Health Awareness Month with a number of important activities including last week’s acclaimed release of his new EP, This Is The Song. Now McKagan is joining forces with Propeller for a very special campaign encouraging fans to take action for mental health causes. Fans are invited to support these vital causes through actions like taking an online training course in helping someone through a crisis, sharing To Write Love on Her Arms’ “Find Help” tool, or simply making a donation. Exclusive reward incentives include such iconic memorabilia as a Signed Vinyl Gold 5” Duff McKagan Funko Doll, a Signed Guns N’ Roses Use Your Illusions Vinyl Set, and a Signed Guns N’ Roses Duff McKagan II Rock Icons Statue, with an Ultimate Prize of McKagan’s handwritten lyrics for THIS IS THE SONG, the title track and first single from the new EP. For complete information, please visit propeller.la/duff-mckagan. As noted, last week saw the premiere of McKagan’s brand new, three-track EP, This Is The Song, available now at all DSPs and streaming services. Produced by longtime collaborator Martin Feveyear (Mark Lanegan, Brandi Carlile), the EP’s title track, THIS IS THE SONG, is joined by an official companion video streaming now on YouTube.
“THIS IS THE SONG was written in the middle of a panic attack,” Duff McKagan says in a statement about the EP. “I couldn’t breathe and couldn’t see straight, and lately, I have thankfully found my acoustic guitar as a refuge. If I just hold on to that guitar, play chords, and hum melodies, I can start to climb my way out of that hole. For those of you who have never experienced something like this, count yourselves blessed. To those of you who recognize what I am talking about: YOU ARE NOT ALONE!” LISTEN TO THIS IS THE SONG WATCH THIS IS THE SONG OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO READ DUFF MCKAGAN’S THIS IS THE SONG STATEMENT McKagan’s first new solo music in close to four years, This Is The Song follows his critically acclaimed sophomore solo album, 2019’s Tenderness, named by Loudwire as one of that year’s “50 Best Rock Albums” and hailed by Rolling Stone in a three-and-a-half (out of four)-starred rave as “an album full of beauty and heart…It’s music of conscience, heavy songs with a light touch.” In 2019, Duff McKagan moved into his own recording studio, allowing him a long-hoped-for opportunity to “finally explore songs that I may have written the night before or some of those old riffs from years ago. This is a big deal for me.” Along with THIS IS THE SONG, the new EP includes the soulful IT CAN’T COME TOO SOON (featuring guest vocals from Seattle, WA-based singer, songwriter, music educator, and community organizer Shaina Sheperd) and PASS ME BY, the latter inspired by distinctly modern confrontation with a gun-toting horsewoman while on a motorcycle trip through the Cascade Mountains. A founding member of both Guns N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver, Duff McKagan is, at his heart, a songwriter, penning a growing canon of vulnerable, confessional, and authentic material. Produced by 3x GRAMMY® Award-winner Shooter Jennings, Tenderness marked a powerful new chapter for the ever-evolving artist, taking on societal ills and his own personal transgressions against a rich sonic backdrop of Americana-fueled arrangements. Among the album’s many highlights is the volatile rocker, “Chip Away,” which earned extraordinary praise from the Maestro himself, Bob Dylan, who recently declared the song a personal favorite. “There’s a Duff McKagan song called ‘Chip Away’ that has profound meaning for me,” Dylan told The Wall Street Journal. “It’s a graphic song. Chip away, chip away, like Michelangelo, breaking up solid marble stone to discover the form of King David inside. He didn’t build him from the ground up, he chipped away the stone until he discovered the king. It’s like my own songwriting, I overwrite something, then I chip away lines and phrases until I get to the real thing.” Along with his prolific musical efforts, McKagan is the New York Times best-selling author of 2011’s It’s So Easy: And Other Lies and 2015’s How to Be a Man: (And Other Illusions), and the co-host (with Susan Holmes McKagan) of Sirius XM’s popular Three Chords & The Truth radio show on Ozzy’s Boneyard (Ch. 38). McKagan currently serves as a core member of a modern-day “Wrecking Crew” alongside GRAMMY® Award-winning musician/producer, Andrew Watt, and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith, recording and co-writing on such recent albums as Ozzy Osbourne’s Ordinary Man (2020) and 2x GRAMMY® Award-winning Patient No. 9 (2022) and Iggy Pop’s acclaimed Every Loser (2023). What’s more, McKagan – with Watt, Smith, and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Josh Klinghoffer – is part of the recently unveiled Iggy Pop & The Losers lineup, who made a high-profile televised debut earlier this year with an electrifying performance of the feverish “Frenzy” on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! (streaming HERE). This summer will also see Guns N’ Roses traveling on an epic global tour set to touch down in the Middle East, Europe, and North America beginning June 1 in Abu Dhabi, AE. For complete details and remaining ticket availability, please see www.gunsnroses.com/tour. ABOUT PROPELLER: By pairing non-profit organizations with artists, festivals and events, Propeller creates marketing campaigns that incentivize activism by rewarding cause-related actions with free concert tickets, exclusive experiences, access to fans’ favorite musicians, and more. The company has 1.5 million registered users, raised $6 million dollars, has 8.5 million actions, and scored some of its biggest artist tour partnerships to date. Lizzo’s Juneteenth giveback saw her fans take over 100,000 actions on behalf of Planned Parenthood and Black-led grassroots organizations while raising nearly $125,000, and nearly 40,000 of Justin Bieber’s fans took over 200,000 actions in support of his Generosity Fund, NRDC Climate Action, voter actions, and more. Tenacious D’s Voter Registration Campaign mobilized over 40,000 fans to take over 125,000 actions to get out the vote before the November 2022 midterm elections, while Aly & AJ raised over $100,000 for The Trevor Project and To Write Love On Her Arms during their spring headline tour. Propeller also launched a major partnership with Red Rocks for the 2022 and 2023 seasons, with the platform on-site at every show, and offering all performing artists the opportunity to select a non-profit to encourage their fans to support. Attendees take action with the chance to win meet-and-greets, upgraded tickets, side-stage viewing, and access to on-site afterparties with the performers, and the efforts generated almost 300,000 actions and raised nearly $250,000 to date. Propeller is also at the forefront of music festivals this year, featuring activations at fests including Bonnaroo, Outside Lands, Desert Daze and Welcome to Rockville. Offering a wide range of causes artists can support, from Save The Music to Human Rights Campaign to Noise for Now, Propeller ethically shares campaign and engagement data with its partners, resulting in a deep level of fan engagement with both the artists and the issues they support.
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