by Melanie Bryan
Sundressed is an emo indie-punk band from Tempe, AZ that tackles tough topics in a lighthearted way. No stranger to addiction and mental health struggles, frontman Trevor Hedges sat down to chat with me recently about his journey, maintaining his mental health while being in the music industry, and what’s next for Sundressed.
Their latest single, “Fuck It Up (feat. Have Mercy)” launched today and you can check it out here:
MSM:
Hi! So I did want to tell you, I was really excited about this because I didn’t know all of your songs, but I’ve been addicted to “So Poetic” for quite a while.
TREVOR:
Oh my gosh, that’s awesome. Thank you so much.
MSM:
So, you just released your latest single, “Bad Drugs”, and that has a bit of an upbeat spin about your journey, but it sounds like it was definitely a hard one as well. Is there anything you’d like to share about that?
TREVOR:
I feel like that’s kind of our motto, like sing about tough topics but make it sound upbeat and fun. But the song was kind of about how after being sober for so long and realizing that that wasn’t the cause of a lot of my issues, and a lot of ’em were, you know, anxiety and depression based and going through the journey of not only getting on medication, but also being a sober person, like exploring, taking drugs, essentially, again. And I am happily on a medication that works a lot better for me now, and it’s kind of like, I never thought I could have been this calm, I didn’t even know it was possible, you know? So it’s kinda about just that journey and kind of that realization that it’s okay to ask for help and you don’t have to listen to every kind of stigma around medication and or not taking medication.
MSM:
Yeah. I feel like asking for help itself is one of the bravest things you can do.
TREVOR:
Totally. Absolutely.
MSM:
So, for anyone who may be struggling with mental health issues, what advice would you give to someone that may be looking for ways to cope?
TREVOR:
I think it’s just really important to be honest and have a really good support system, whether it’s friends or family that you can talk to about needing help and looking at the right avenues to do that without overly stressing. Cuz it can be very difficult to just start searching for doctors online. And yeah, making those calls are really difficult for an anxious person. So I think that having someone with you to support you, whether it’s a friend who’s been through it or a family member that’s supportive could be really helpful with just making those initial calls. You’re making sure you make those appointments. I think that was a big part for me, for sure.
MSM:
Yeah. Okay. So, how do you hope that your music can help people who are struggling?
TREVOR:
You know, for me, when I was a kid, just being able to relate to a song was such a big deal to me that was kind of what made me fall in love with wanting to write music. Relating to it, feeling less alone, and kind of feeling like our shows are somewhere where people can come and just forget about difficult things, but also kind of know that other people in the crowd have been through certain things and kind of find like a community vibe through that. I feel like that kind of runs through a lot of different scenes of like, diy and pop punk and emo and stuff like that. Cause you know, most kids who get into this kind of music, they’re looking for an outlet of some sort, you know?
MSM:
Definitely. And have you gotten reactions, you know, that people are relating to it?
TREVOR:
Oh, absolutely. Definitely. I’ve always been pretty vocal about my issues with addiction and stuff, and I’ve had multiple people tell me that they’re like six months sober or a year sober, and they’ve been listening to the music through that. So those are always really cool conversations to have.
MSM:
Awesome. So, is there anything in particular that you do to connect with your fans, either on stage or off stage?
TREVOR:
I always just try to be myself. I’m definitely not the most energetic, like “let’s go” type of frontman. I try to just be my normal self on stage and off stage, and I think that makes me hopefully a little more approachable. And I also try to vocalize that, hey, we will be at the table after merch because we want to talk to you. You know? Cuz I feel like my wife actually pointed out that a lot of people who want to might also be anxious and nervous and want to hear that permission, you know? So I think just trying to be myself and just being as open and available as possible. It’s because of them we get to travel around the country and play music, so it’s not too much to ask.
MSM:
Yeah. I think also, sometimes we hear that and we think maybe a band may not really want to, so to hear that, you know, we think, “hey, they actually really wanna talk to us”, I think that really makes a difference. I mean, instead of viewing it as an obligation or something, but to hear that probably eases their mind a bit and definitely makes them wanna reach out and chat.
TREVOR:
Totally. Yeah.
MSM:
Yeah. So how do you take care of your own mental health while also working in the music industry?
TREVOR:
I do online therapy. And my wife and I are also always doing research on each other’s mental illnesses and stuff, and we have very open communication about that. So I think that between that and going to therapy and taking medication, those are the main things. And then, of course, like the writing music is a huge part of it.
MSM:
I’m sure that’s a therapy all in itself.
TREVOR:
Yeah, absolutely. And then I have the anxiety of waiting to release it for so long cuz everything takes so long.
MSM:
Yeah. Do you have any favorite lyrics that you’ve written that maybe you relate to more than others?
TREVOR:
I’d have to say just kind of our whole song, “Something Good”, off our first record is kind of like a coming of age song for me that I relate to really well. But it’s just about like feeling like you kind of never were enough, or maybe life was a little harder for one for you than it seems like for other people. But yeah, that, that’s one of my favorite ones for sure.
MSM:
Okay, great. So how do you balance individual creative input with collaboration within the band?
TREVOR:
I guess it’s pretty streamlined at this point because I wrote the words and the melody and I’m not much of a guitar player, so I will write that on an acoustic guitar. Then I give it to AJ, our guitar player, and Max, our drummer, and they kind of put their stamp on it with their instruments and make it into a rock song. But we do start from scratch and we’ve been doing more writing sessions where we all sit together and it’s been really fun, but I think we just kind of know each other well enough that we know, like, I’m so trusting of AJ that I kind of gave him my songs and I wasn’t even there when they made the guitars for the last album because I had to be home working. But yeah, I’ve definitely always never been the type of songwriter that’s like, it has to be this way. I really like to see how cool it can get with other people’s ideas.
MSM:
Yeah. Absolutely.
TREVOR:
Not to say that we don’t argue occasionally, but most of the time we kind of play to our strengths and are good at talking to each other.
MSM:
Okay. So, what does success mean to you personally?
TREVOR:
Honestly, the fact that I’m in my thirties and I still get to do this, I feel pretty dang successful. I’m happy I’ married, have an awesome life, and we still get to go put on a new record and do this. I’d love to be at the point where it was a little financially easier to do so, but every tour it gets there, you know, so, yeah.
MSM:
Yeah. And I’m sure it’ll continue to do so.
TREVOR:
I hope so. Yeah, we have a lot of new music this year I’m really excited about.
MSM:
That would be another question I was gonna ask is, what we can look forward to?
TREVOR:
Yeah. So we do have a new record done. I don’t think I’m allowed to say the exact release date, but it’ll be out this summer. And we’re gonna have another single out on April 21st.
MSM:
Okay.
TREVOR:
So yeah, and then we’re gonna pretty much have a single up until then, so new music from now until then, which is really exciting.
MSM:
How has music shaped who you are as a person? Is it a big part of you?
TREVOR:
Oh, absolutely. So when I got clean and stuff, I was 22 and I had just kind of dabbled with instruments and writing at that point, but I really connected to writing songs when I was kind of going through that. That was what kind of convinced me to start a band before going back to school or anything because of how much I connected to it when I was going through that healing process. And I’m still doing it ever since.
MSM:
You feel like maybe you just kinda you felt like you had something to say and you were just connecting to music in that way?
TREVOR:
Yeah, it was definitely a big part. I’ve never been a big speaker or very eloquent with my words, but I feel like I can be when I write it into a song as opposed to, you know, public speaking. It kind of seemed like a more comfortable and more “Trevor-like” avenue of telling my story. And it kind of has always fallen into place in some way over the years to it like that.
MSM:
Okay. So, what else are you passionate about besides music?
TREVOR:
Oh, man. I am a big coffee person. I worked in coffee on and off. I love roasted coffee. I can be a complete dork about coffee. Me and my band mate, AJ, are both really into coffee. Coffee, music, skateboarding…I’m pretty much a typical Southern California kid.
MSM:
Do you have a motto or good advice that you live by? Whether it’s related to the music industry or just life in general, something that helps you?
TREVOR:
I have always just said to just be honest. Be honest, be Yourself has always been the best advice, I think.
MSM:
Okay. Do you ever sing karaoke?
TREVOR:
I do. I enjoy karaoke.
MSM:
Do you have a go-to song?
TREVOR:
Yes, I have two. It’s either “Teenage DirtBag” by Wheatus or “Inside Out” by Eve 6, the Heart and the Bun song.
MSM:
Great choices!
TREVOR:
Yes. Nineties all the Way.
MSM:
Yeah! So, what was the first concert that you ever attended?
TREVOR:
I believe the first actual concert I intended was Weird Al Yankovic when I was in like third or fourth grade. But I also remember the first punk show I went to was Anti-Flag, Newfound Glory, and I think Less Than Jake was on the bill, too. That was nice. That was the first time I saw a show that you’re actually standing in a club watching, not seated, was when I was kind of in my punk rock, middle school skateboarding phase. So I was completely in love with bands like Anti-Flag and MXPX at the time.
MSM:
Certainly a different atmosphere.
TREVOR:
Exactly, yeah. Definitely shaped me at the time. I was like, this is cool. I want to do this.
MSM:
How long have you been playing music?
TREVOR:
I’ve been playing music for, I guess, about 15, 16 years now.
MSM:
What all can you play, instrument-wise?
TREVOR:
Mostly just guitar and anything with strings like a guitar. I’ve really kind of focused mostly on songwriting, and I just sing in the band now. So, not a huge instrument guy.
MSM:
And the writing, though. That’s a huge part.
TREVOR:
Yeah. Writing is my part.
MSM:
And you’re really good at it. You definitely have some great lyrics.
TREVOR:
Thank you.
MSM:
So, if someone wrote a biography about you, what would you say the title would be?
TREVOR:
Oh gosh. About me, particularly?
MSM:
About you, about your life.
TREVOR:
Oh gosh, I don’t know. That’s a hard one. What would the title be?
MSM:
Yeah.
TREVOR:
Something about being stubborn and not giving up, for sure. Yeah. Like our latest song “Winner”. “I just wanna know what it’s like to be a winner”.
MSM:
Okay. Because
TREVOR:
We don’t give up, no matter what. We’ve been doing this for so dang long. That’s kinda what that song’s about. Just wanting to be remembered, you know?
MSM:
Awesome. I already asked you if you could ta talk about any releases or projects coming up. What about any tours coming up? Would that be a project this year?
TREVOR:
Yeah, we have a tour starting in the end of April, actually the end of this month, we’re going out with Telltale, who is also a band on Rude Records. And it’s going all over the country.
MSM:
Okay. So I’m gonna have to check that out.
TREVOR:
Yeah. Tons of dates.
MSM:
Do you know if you’re coming to North Carolina?
TREVOR:
We are playing in Raleigh.
MSM:
Okay. I will check that out.
TREVOR:
Yeah. Let us know.
MSM:
Yeah.
TREVOR:
It’s our first time over to that side of the country in a long time, so I’m excited. Yeah.
MSM:
So it’s great. Okay. And then my last question for you is, do you have any messages that you would like to give to your fans?
TREVOR:
Sure. Just thank you so much for sticking around all these years and this new record is the coolest record we’ve ever made, and I can’t wait for everyone to hear it.
MSM:
Okay. Likewise. All right. Thanks for chatting.
TREVOR:
No problem. Thanks a lot. See you, Melanie.
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