We caught up with the brilliant and insightful VERN NICKERSON a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

VERN, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I was always a loner as a child. I spent a lot of time in my room listening to records on my Mickey Mouse record player. I would often put a towel on my neck, like a cape. I would pretend to be Elvis. I would sing into my hair brush and pretend to be the one singing when I listened to the Live from Hawaii album.
Even as a small child, I knew I wanted to perform. It took me until High School to have an onstage moment. I always wrote lyrics, even in middle school. High school was the first time I wasn’t afraid to do it in front of people. The first time, I was hooked.

VERN, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Breach the Asylum is part of who I am. I write songs that mean things. I grew up listening to a lot of hair metal and rock songs that were more about the party vibe or getting the girl. I am not closed off to that possibility in writing, but I try to stay more true to who I am now. I look to just expand the amount of ears who hear what I have to say on topics that range from the epidemic of self-harm (“Despair Is My Name”), Gun violence in our schools (“Bullets Over Love”), or even being a true friend when someone is hurting (“Novacain”)
The thing that I want people to know is that the music played by Breach the Asylum is written from the point of view that shows us as all in the same boat. We may not always agree, but we all want the same things. “We Are One”. Topics that may be hard to talk about, like suicide or self-destruction need to be talked about. We are here for you. We can be your sounding board.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Any time there is a connection, I am just overjoyed when I see that someone gets it. It can be the riff, or the words that pulls you in. But to be in the moment, is the thing I love to see.
After a show, I love talking to people that have never seen the band. One time I saw a guy from the stage who was a bigger tough-guy looking type. After our set was over he came up to me and said Thank You with red eyes. We played a song that he “needed to hear tonight.” He had just lost a friend to suicide and the message of the song “Desperate Times” hit home for him.
I love talking to people even if we don’t agree. Politics are so divisive today and I don’t feel like picking a side. I don’t wear a red or blue hat, That does not mean that I don’t see right or wrong in the world today. I do. Name calling and acting like you are better that anyone else, is not the answer. “I Pray” we can get past this. We are better than this.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Our music scene is pretty close knit. We all support each other at shows and it is a great thing to see on a local level. Those who do what I do, create music or perform live, understand that it isn’t about the money for most of us. We do it because we need it. It isn’t what we do as much as it is who we are. So if you are out there at a show… buy the shirt. Put the sticker on your car. Do that extra thing to help all of those who want to keep the juices flowing.
If you agree with the message to a song, or even if you don’t… Art can sometimes change things. I may not be Dylan, Springsteen, or Rage Against the Machine, but I think any artist can and should decide for themselves where they draw a line. If you write a song that may piss people off and you decide to go for it. I support that even if I wouldn’t take that stance myself. That is the beauty of music. There is room for “God Only Knows” and “Killing in the Name” to co-exist.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.breachtheasylum.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breachtheasylum/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breachtheasylum
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BreachTheAsylum
• Other: https://www.reverbnation.com/breachtheasylum

Image Credits

L.C. Photography

+ Laura Nickerson