Today we’d like to introduce you to JD McGibney.
Hi JD, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I first fell in love with music when I was fourteen. I was riding in the car with my dad one afternoon when a song came on the radio and it captured my attention completely. The song ended literally as we pulled into the driveway of our home, almost like it was perfectly timed to do so. I turned to my dad as he turned the car off, and I just said, “Dad, I want to learn how to play guitar.” He’d asked my grandparents to dig out his old acoustic guitar that he’d tried learning to play when he was a kid, and a few days later, it was in my hands and I’ve been play guitar almost every single day since then for the past two decades.
I was in and out of bands throughout high school and college, and by the time I graduated, I decided to move to Los Angeles and pursue a career in entertainment full-time. From there, I started doing session work playing guitar for bands, sitting in for recording sessions, playing bass, and even dressing up as a mythical space creature mascot for a metal band for a while (a very unexpected but TOTALLY fun gig).
From there, I moved to Brooklyn for a bit to help a friend build his company in 2019, but then COVID hit and the world shut down. We ended up relocating to Ohio for a while during the pandemic and spent time regrouping and planning, but ultimately ended up deciding to part ways. I decided to move back to Los Angeles with the intent to focus on being an advocate for mental health through what I feel I know best: Music.
Since moving back to LA, I’ve developed an original heavy metal band project with an intricate and elaborate stage show (and have now started the lengthy process of bringing investors onboard). We actually had our live debut at the This Is My Brave mental health fundraiser show in Santa Monica in September 2022. I started a mental health podcast that invites guests to have conversations about their personal experiences dealing with and overcoming mental illness, and I’ve also been able to do more session work (which I totally missed doing)!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I don’t think any life is truly smooth. We are faced with obstacles throughout our lives, both small and large ones at any given point. The most important thing, I feel, in dealing with any kind of obstacle is our perspective and the choices we make to handle them.
For me, my biggest obstacle was dealing with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I’d been living with GAD for as far back as I can remember, yet I didn’t realize it until I was in my 30s. It left me feeling nervous all the time. I second-guessed every decision I ever wanted to make, never felt I was good enough (and if I’m being honest, I still question my abilities every single day), and always had a subtle yet consistent feeling of impending doom.
Music helped me power through the worst of my struggles, especially when I started playing guitar. It very much became my pillar, and even though I didn’t fully understand what I was going through, I did understand that I could rely on music to keep me grounded enough to navigate through life.
Mental illness is something that has a pretty strong presence in my family, going back several generations. Mainly a history of anxiety and depression that I can link back to my great-grandparents. Having done the work to get myself clinical help though a mental health professional and taking the time to conquer my anxiety, I found a new purpose in growing my career in entertainment by using what I felt was my saving grace to give back to others through art, and by literally raising money for mental health charities.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I absolutely love the power of expressing the irrationality of my emotions through the logic and intricate patterns of music. Ever since I first picked up my guitar at fourteen, I’ve always felt that the instrument unlocked a hidden voice within me that I could never fully express through words alone.
I specifically love heavy metal. To me, metal is an ever-expanding genre that is constantly evolving. The music itself, and the overall culture, feel like a safe space for me to fully FEEL my feelings, whatever they may be, without judgment.
When I write, I feel that the intensity of the genre lifts up and highlights the true strength of the confidence that has laid dormant within me for my entire life because anxiety held it under lock and key for so long. Heavy metal came into my life and succeeded in breaking my self-confidence out of jail.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
Reading has always been one of my favorite pastimes, and I’m a total sucker for anything fantasy adventure and sci-fi. I recently finished “Rhythm of War” by Brandon Sanderson. His “Stormlight Archive” series is easily one of my favorites. Stephen King’s “The Dark Tower” series is another one of my favorite stories of all time, as well as Frank Herbert’s “Dune.”
Lately, though, I’ve been on a pretty epic Viking kick. I’m reading a non-fiction book called “The Viking Heart” by Arthur Herman, and I’m contemplating reading some of the historical Viking sagas.
Usually my reading preferences tend to influence the themes of the music I tend to write. Songs like “On the Wings of Dragons,” “The Sleeper Has Awakened,” and “Modern Prometheus.”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://onthewingsofdragons.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jdmcgibney/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jdmcgibney
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/JD_McGibney
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/jdmcgibney
- Other: https://onthewingsofdragons.com/angels-on-the-battlefield/
