In 2019, a man by the name of Kenny Mercer called MHC to discuss the possibility of hosting a fundraiser. Kenny’s close friend, Alex Jamison had recently died by suicide and Kenny had since wanted to host a fundraiser to raise awareness about mental health and suicide prevention. He did his research to find a worthy charity and came across MHC. After a few meetings, Kenny was so impressed by what we do, he committed to giving 100% of the profits from his fundraiser to support MHC and our mission, “It’s amazing traveling state to state for days, hearing the stories, connecting with people who desperately supported and needed TourForLife now more than ever, and performing for large crowds in the name of this cause,” said Kenny. “Almost everyone I speak with commends us for the promo, and confirm that everyone they know have seen our posts or heard about the tour. So, whether they actually came out to the shows or not, we are raising awareness. The atmosphere of the shows is the most supportive, caring environment I’ve ever been in, and my team is phenomenal – from the crew to the performers.” Four years later and the 2023 TourForLife is just around the corner with new and existing artists added to the lineup, one such artist known as “Pheez,” was kind enough to share a bit of his story ahead of performing on August 14th.

When Kenny asked Pheez if he wanted to join the lineup as a performer, he was completely ecstatic. But more important to him was the message behind why he’s performing. Pheez says it’s important to be honest as an artist, “Often times, artists are portrayed as having it altogether but in reality, we are no different than the average person,” Pheez says, “As a person with a disability and someone who has contemplated suicide due to my injury, I think it’s very important that people see someone who is physically different from them who is unafraid to be vulnerable and transparent,” he says.

Pheez says music has helped challenge him to decrease the social stigmas related to people and persons with disabilities, “Often we are discarded, and marginalized because society doesn’t see who we are, they only see what we’ve become,” Pheez explained. Pheez has been paralyzed from the neck down since June 12, 2005, “I’m very optimistic but like many others who are disabled,” he says, “I have my down days”. On rougher days, Pheez explained that he turns to his faith in God for strength and encouragement, “Quite frankly, it isn’t easy dealing with paralysis coupled with being married and raising two rambunctious boys, but I also recognize how blessed I am,” he says. Pheez credits music for helping his well-being in several ways, “It’s a wonderful outlet. I’ve been writing since I was young. It didn’t matter if it was a short story, poem or recording music at the kitchen table with my friends, it has created long-lasting bonds and has allowed me to network with some really dope artists,” he said.

For Pheez, joy is created through taking the ideas in his mind, transferring them into words, and then adding an audio or video production for the world to see. You can join Pheez and other artists at the Tour For Life show in Hamden, CT August 14th, 6 PM to midnight, find tickets and details about all TourForLife shows using the button below.

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Follow along with Tour for Life on social media @FullBlastBooking

You can follow Pheez and support his music here.

The AJJ Foundation started to honor the name of Alex Jamieson and provides instruments and music lessons to kids/teens who are struggling with their mental health or tough times. To learn more about The AJJ Foundation and how you can support their mission, visit https://www.ajjfoundation.org.   

Rest in peace to Alex Jamieson.