Sound Mind Festival Centers Mental Health With BØRNS, American Authors Performance
In its seventh year, The Sound Mind Festival continues to break the stigma around mental health while putting on an amazing show
In its seventh year, The Sound Mind Festival breaks the silence on mental health while giving attendees a great show.
Sound Mind Festival at Brooklyn Paramount
Sun, May 18, 2025 at 6:00-10:30 PM
Tickets Still Available Here
Touring is a grueling, challenging endeavor, which any artist will tell you if you ask. Unfortunately we don’t normally ask - assuming it’s all fun and parties. Even those bands that reach rarified airs of plane or luxury bus travel struggle with the pace and demands of touring.
But the reality is most artists are “sleeping in a sweaty RV and not having enough time to reset after shows," according to Chris Bullard, executive direct and founder of the Sound Mind Live, an organization that combines live music with discussions about mental health.
Bullard himself a touring musician, encountered a lot of mental health challenges while on the road and realized he was not alone.
“The impetus for the organization was the band I was in broke up and I was dealing with [being diagnosed] with bipolar disorder and stress,” Bullard says. He innately understood that what he was dealing with afflicted many others.
Partially inspired by Willie Nelson’s dedication to shows that combine a good time with a good message like Farm Aid, Bullard created the Sound Mind Festival, which focuses on the important topic of mental health - for the benefit of bands and fans alike.
“Sound Mind grew out of that need I thought about - artists and communities coming together to discuss mental health,” Bullard says.
The festival has grown from its first year at Brooklyn’s Rough Trade to a 5,000-person street festival to its current incarnation at Brooklyn Paramount, starring BØRNS and American Authors.
While Bullard wants to center the concert on mental health, he calls it “ the medicine in the applesauce,” with the latter being an enjoyable show.
“It can feel heavy to discuss mental health. We want to make it an immersive experience, where you [watch a great show] but also see artists talk about mental health,” Bullard says.
Bullard hopes Sound Mind normalizes the act of talking about mental health more frequently; not just in therapy.
"It can be part of an everyday experience," Bullard says. "Talking with several people at the event last year," more felt comfortable talking "about mental health because the artists they know and love open up to it."
The event also opens up pathways with similarly minded organizations. From Time Out New York:
Bullard says representatives from Northwell Health attended last year and started a program to help with therapy with people in the music industry.
This year's headliner, BØRNS, reached out to the organizers because he was interested in the mission. Bullard says more and more artists are expressing interest in getting involved.
It's mutually beneficial.
"We have seen them talk about their own lived experienced with mental health and we thought we could be a conduit for," further discussion, Bullard says. He added that some artists have seen it a healing experience for them, alongside the attendees.
And the mission extends beyond this festival. The organizations has opened The Sound Mind Center, a 200-capacity substance-free wellness venue. Immersive experiences with The Gaia Music Collective and other likeminded organizations will only extend the mission.
But the immediate goal is to throw a great show this Sunday and continue facilitating discussions about mental health for the benefit of those on stage and those in attendance.