Joey Helpish writes, teaches and produces music. To some, Helpish may be better known as Unkle Nancy, from Unkle Nancy and The Family Jewels-- a favorite of the Eugene, Oregon music scene. Since taking a break from Unkle Nancy and The Family Jewels, Helpish has been focused on constructing creative and healthy outlets for those who may be struggling.
Helpish started offering music lessons and established his own studio called Dandlyland. Dandlyland Studios has been operating since 2016 helping numerous people of all ages and intellect speak the language of music. With the help of his partner Kirsten Muir, Helpish developed a unique technique called “Root Motives,” chords that translate to an emotion. While teaching others to play and write their own music the duo discovered they were able to listen to someone’s story and apply their method to translate the story into a song, becoming “song therapy.”
Joey Helpish appeared on my phone-screen with black-framed glasses, large headphones around his neck and a smile on his face. Helpish held a ukulele in his lap. A pencil and pad of paper sat in front of him, almost out of view.
Answers have been edited for clarity purposes.
What should I expect? I’m a little nervous.
We will video chat in messenger (Facebook). You talk and I will translate your thoughts and feelings into a song. The process is pretty painless and easy, we will just chat and a song will happen. At the end of our session I will send you a Soundcloud link of your song and it will be added to an album.
What is song therapy?
Extreme listening and validation through emotional music theory. One of the neat things about song therapy is you don’t have to be musically inclined to reap the benefits of doing a therapy session. No musical skills are necessary.
What is emotional music theory and how did you come up with the idea of song therapy?
One night I was at a show and heard three different bands and all three sang a song of mine. It was an amazing feeling of having your personal thoughts and feelings sung back to you. I wanted to give that feeling to others.
After a conversation about the middle C chord being referred to as the sound of love, it got me thinking. My partner, Kirsten, and I came up with a music theory based on emotion, and call the notes “Root Motives.” We assigned an emotional motive to each chord in a major or minor key. There’s love, longing, sorrow, hope, power, despair and transition. It’s a new way of thinking of music theory. That’s kind of how it got started and we continued to develop the process from there. We did some beta testing and then started promoting it as a service we offer.
What should I talk about? What do other people talk about?
You can talk about whatever you want. Everything is confidential. You can go deep and talk about hard stuff or stuff you have a hard time expressing. Or you can talk about what you’re all about and we can make you a theme song or an anthem. Some people even use song therapy to communicate with their loved ones. I did a couple sessions with clients this year who wanted to give the songs as gifts for Mother’s Day. I’ve also performed a song for a client as an obituary after the passing of his wife.
How long have you been making music?
I have been making music all my life in one way or another. I grew up in Newport (Oregon), my family was poor and couldn’t afford music lessons but I was fortunate enough to have guidance and encouragement from a group of mentors. Many (kids) in that situation don’t, I want to do all I can to change that.
What are you currently doing to change that-- kids not having mentors or life chances?
A few times a year I hold a fundraiser for Dandyland Scholarships. With the proceeds raised I am able to give free music lessons for people who can’t afford it. For every $200 raised we can provide one person with three months of lessons. Money is good, but we also accept other donations.
What kinds of other donations do you accept?
Of course we will take any instruments offered that’s been sitting around collecting dust. We will take laptops, iPads, cell phones… anything that isn’t being used that can be refurbished so I can make a student their own "beat machine." Chances are if they are unable to afford music lessons they are unable to afford an instrument or an electronic device to learn on.
What is your favorite part about being a mentor?
Well, I think it’s really important to create bonds and help facilitate personal growth. I work with kids of all abilities, including kids who are autistic. Being able to help them learn to process their own stories through emotional music theory, and showing others that they have the capabilities of living a happy productive life with the ability to contribute to their community. I am also on the autism spectrum and was diagnosed with Asperger's.
I’ve been working with a student for 4 years. When he came to me he was considered non-verbal and that’s not the case anymore. I worked with him several times a day. He’s very clever, he’s very funny. He is now doing a project called "ZeeToons" and I am starting to feature a ZeeToon on my Wednesday morning podcast every week.
How many projects do you typically have going on at the same time?
I always have projects going on, and lately I’ve been trying to do a better job of not overwhelming myself. There have been a few projects I have lowered the priority on. Right now I have about six solid projects and a handful of others that get worked on more spaced out. Once summer term starts at Dandyland that is top priority when it comes to projects.
Do you still perform live?
Since COVID-19 all my live performances have been online as well as other services. I’ve been managing an online music venue (The ISH, which refers to the last three letters in Helpish) for artists to play their music, share their spoken word, or share stories of encouragement. The performance art community has been severely affected. Hopefully things will be able to open up soon. I think we all miss performing in front of a live crowd, in person, and seeing friendly faces.
At A Glance:
Joey Helpish
Age: 39
Occupation: Musician/Instructor/Producer/Song Therapist/Co-Owner of Dandlyland Studios
Hometown: Eugene, Oregon
Book: “WHAT THE HELPISH Volume one: The brain drippings of a professional amateur"”
Before teaching: Unkle Nancy and The Family Jewels (Band)
Other Interests and Projects: Morning Cup O’ Helpish podcast on Facebook livestream, Managing an online music venue “The ISH”, upcoming album release “Creation is Possible”
Social Media: https://www.picuki.com/profile/joeyhelpish
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