Chris Mills (Harm's Way)

Chris Mills is the drummer for Harm’s Way - and he’s also a clinical social worker for an addiction and mental health residential program. Many folks who are touring most of the year piece together random part-time jobs or have their hands in a few different pieces of the music industry (management, booking, merchandise, etc.). Chris, however, is a highly trained professional in an extremely difficult field. We dig into music nerd stuff about how Harm’s Way writes songs - and how they think about the roll of “heaviness” and “rhythm” in their songs. And Chris also explains why he thinks that many of the models that we use to think about addiction are outdated - and what he prefers instead.

Check out more from Chris and Harm’s Way here:

Instagram: @harmsway13
Bandcamp: Harm’s Way

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Show Notes:

[01:08] Getting into nu-metal as an adult – and how that influenced the process of writing music
[08:31] Harms Way’s change in sound was more “organic” in that the new riffs that they were writing started to sound different. And, how songs can be “heavy” without just focusing on the “breakdown.”
[15:15] The album writing process: trying to create a cohesive work – and writing through jamming, building songs in practice, and grinding it out.
[26:02] The crappy practice space that Like Rats and Harm’s way share.
[29:08] Working as a social worker in a residential program in the field of addiction and mental health. How does Chris prioritize what clients work on in terms of their biggest priorities in treatment?
[37:44] What’s the difference between the 12 step model, the disease model of addiction, and a more behavior-based model? What framework does Chris prefer for treating his patients?
[45:42] Differentiating psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers – and understanding what is usually the biggest obstacle to creating lasting behavioral change?
[54:14] Harm’s Way’s history as a straight edge band, and how Chris thinks about playing in a band that often focuses on negative emotion in its art through the lens of a social worker.
[58:14] Harms Way’s upcoming touring plans

Links and Resources Mentioned

Nu metal
Slipknot
Korn
Max Cavalera
Sepultura – Chaos A.D.
Sepultura – Roots
Sepultura
The Dillinger Escape Plan
Cryptopsy
Andy Nelson
Slipknot – All Hope Is Gone
New York hardcore
Biohazard
Cro-Mags
Snapcase
Vision of Disorder
Like Rats
Hate Force
Bob Marley
Bob Marley Posters
Gateway Foundation
Twelve-step program
Cognitive behavioral therapy
Ghostemane
The Devil Wears Prada
Every Time I Die