Celtic Rock Band Apsylon Takes on the Issue of Relationship Abuse

In additon to creating mesmerizing and unique music, Celtic rock band Apsylon is working to raise awareness about the many forms of relationship abuse and to promote respectful, safe relationships.

In conjunction with the April 1, 2010 release of their debut album "Dreaming of Yesterday," Celtic-rock band Apsylon is teaming up with the National Domestic Violence Hotline (www.ndvh.org) and loveisrespect, National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline (www.loveisrespect.org) to raise awareness about the many forms of relationship abuse. The band will donate ten percent from each of their album sales to these organizations to promote respectful, safe relationships.

CommitmentNow.com:  How did you decide to team up with the National Domestic Violence Hotline and the National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline to raise awareness about relationship abuse?

Apsylon:  Throughout the process of producing our album, we always knew that beyond making enjoyable music for our listeners, we wanted our album to work for the greater good. We had written a song for our album that focused on domestic abuse awareness, and thought that this might be the cause that we could help promote with our music, if we could find the right organization to work with. We soon realized that many different organizations exist whose mission is to bring the cause to the public, on national, state, and local levels.  The National Domestic Violence Hotline, which is part of the Texas Council on Family Violence, stood out as a leading force in the fight against abuse in the home and in relationships.  In reading about their work, we felt that they shared our values of mutual respect, acceptance, and reaching out to those in need. We also believe in the power of preventive education, and that's how working with loveisrespect, National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline came about, which happens to be a sister organization of the NDVH. 

CommitmentNow.com:  Does domestic violence often affect teens?

Apsylon:  Unfortunately, yes. A lot of research has been conducted on this issue, which we came across during the development of our project.  Although we are not experts in this field, we understand that this is a serious problem that everyone should be aware of.  For facts and resources on how to get involved, teens, parents, and educators can go to www.loveisrepect.org. In terms of the frequency of domestic violence affecting teens on a statistical level, below is some information that we found compelling:

• 1 in 5 teens who have been in a serious relationship report being hit, slapped or pushed by a partner.
• 1 in 4 teens who have been in a serious relationship say that a boyfriend or girlfriend has tried to prevent them from spending time with friends or family; the same number have been pressured to only spend time with their partner.
• Nearly 1 in 4 girls who have been in a relationship (23%) reported going further sexually than they wanted to as a result of pressure.
(source: National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline)

CommitmentNow.com:  The song "Lena" tells a harrowing tale of domestic abuse and ends with a plea to end the stigma and shame that accompanies domestic violence. Is this a personal issue for you?

Apsylon:  While none of us have been direct victims of domestic violence, we do have friends who have been abused. Their stories became the foundation of our song "Lena". During the song-writing process, we researched the issue of domestic abuse extensively, and came to understand its widespread existence and serious indirect effects.  Domestic abuse is an underrated problem that one way or another affects all of our lives.

We found that one in every four women will experience some form of domestic abuse in her lifetime. This includes abuse among married couples, teenagers, even kids as young as 11 years old in relationships being controlled, being verbally, emotionally and often times physically abused.

We know it's easy to say, "Hey, this problem doesn't affect me," or, "My kids have a good home and a loving family."  But the problem is that so many unfortunate kids are not growing up under loving and respectful conditions, and these same kids are more likely to continue the abusive pattern as teens, and later as adults. You could be dating one of them. Or if you are a parent, your child's boyfriend or girlfriend could have grown up in an abusive household, and doesn't know how to treat a partner with respect. That's why we all need to take this issue seriously, and why we've tried to convey these themes in our song "Lena".

CommitmentNow.com:  There are six member of Apsylon.  Does every member bring something different to the band?  How did all of you come together?

Apsylon:  Actually, there are four core members and two additional musicians who are featured on our album. Each one of us does come from a different background, and therefore contributes his or her own personal touch to the music and album as a whole.  The founder of the band is Tedy Mädl, who comes from a disciplined background in percussion that includes studying under Ivan Nesztor, one of Europe's well respected jazz drummers and teachers. In addition to his background as a drummer, Mädl also learned to play the guitar, and started composing music at a young age.  His multi-instrumental experience and his interest in a wide variety of musical styles created the foundation for Apsylon's music.

Mädl met Jenny Brooks while playing classical music together in the Ventura County Concert Band. He realized that as a flutist, Brooks possessed an expressive tone and approached her to ask if she'd like to come down to his studio for a recording session to see how their musical styles meshed. Their experiment was mutually enjoyable and productive, and when it came time to record flute tracks for Dreaming of Yesterday, Brooks seemed perfect for the job. 

As the project grew, it was apparent that more musicians were going to be needed to round out the eclectic musical voices in the album.  One of those voices was the cello.  We were searching to find someone with the competence to perform some of the more challenging sections of the album, while also having the ability to interpret Mädl's musical vision through the intricate characteristics of the cello. Peggy  Baldwin's abundant professional experience that includes principle chair with the Fresno Philharmonic, brought the enforcement needed to the foundation of Apsylon's music.

Baldwin has worked with a wide spectrum of artists, ranging from Dionne Warwick, Henry Mancini, and Yanni to ELO, Rod Stewart, Stevie Wonder, and Brian Wilson. She has done numerous recording sessions for movies and has performed on several albums, including those of Kiss, Maroon 5, and George Harrison. She has also had the privilege of appearing on a few T.V. shows, some of which include The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Ellen DeGeneres, Sharon Osborne, The Dick Clark New Year's Eve Countdown, VH1 Storytellers, and American Idol.

Last but certainly not least, the project was needing a human voice to communicate our musical expressions to the listener. We needed someone who could relay the emotions of our songs with power and compassion, while maintaining an "edge" that can be easily recognized as our unique tone. After some trial and error, we came to know Marissa Mendenhall, who started her career in the entertainment industry as a child actress at the young age of two. She appeared in many popular television shows such as "Hunter" and "The Facts of Life", as well as in several "Disney Sunday Movie" episodes, along with over 75 local and nationwide commercials.  Her passion to perform led her to start singing and to eventually form her own band. Mendenhall's blues-driven style and unique tone carried her to many places including the prestigious Reno Blues Festival that brought such names as Gladys Knight, Mavis Staples, Betty Wright, and many other great blues legends to its stage.  Her credits also include the release of a solo album that was produced by Marc Ford, long time guitarist of the band The Black Crowes.  Mendenhall's musical creativity and passion for expression help make Apsylon's music at once both powerful and personal.

CommitmentNow.com:  You cite rock, jazz, classical music and Celtic folk songs as musical influences.  How would you describe your music?

Apsylon:  Some of those are musical styles that the individual band members have played previously; others are genres that we enjoy listening to. The baroque era has produced composers such as Vivaldi, Bach, and gave us music that stood the test of time for hundreds of years. Other artists we drew inspiration from, such as Lorena McKennitt, showed us how to blend storytelling with music. In addition, growing up in Hungary, Mädl was exposed to Europien folk music as well as the underground scene of the western Rock revolution. After adding in some blues and a powerful voice, "Dreaming of Yesterday" became a musical journey filled with an acoustic blend of inviting melodies, intricate rhythms, and expressive lyrics.

CommitmentNow.com:  Where can we learn more about Apsylon?

Apsylon:  We are currently offering our debut album as a freely priced, high quality download on our web site. This means that a person can decide how much s/he wants to pay for the album. The price named determines the amount that gets donated to the National Domestic Violence Hotline and loveisrespect, National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline. Visit:  www.apsylon.com.  Thanks in advance for checking us out!

Founded in 2006 by multi-instrumentalist Tedy Mädl, Apsylon began as a studio project based on songs Mädl had written the year before. Utilizing guitar, cello, flute, harp, drums and vocals, Apsylon has crafted a mesmerizing and unique sound that demands the listener's full attention.