Our Story & Team
(Scroll down for Team & News Items)
In 2016, a few musicians in Detroit realized there was something missing for travelers in recovery - resources. Tools for maintenance on the road to recovery.
For those traveling or on tour, schedules change everyday and recovery support is often out of reach or unavailable. For some of us, it can be an overwhelming journey when the search for peace is drowned out by everyday anxieties.
As Passenger has evolved, we've expanded to include all who wish to explore recovery, by creating events that bring our local community together through music and recovery; Much like those in the music industry, people in recovery come from all walks of life, with different struggles. And much like music, recovery can be a great connector, bringing people together to find common ground. Our mission is to support all pathways to recovery, and to provide that connection.
Built from our experiences.
And now we have a solution for you.
We formed Passenger. Our name comes from three sources -- the first step of recovery (surrender), the literal objective of transporting and assisting people to meetings locally, and as a reference to Detroit's rich musical history in the form of the Iggy Pop song "The Passenger".
Our first solution to come along was the 'Clean Green Room' project. We began offering free transportation to meetings for folks passing through our hometown of Detroit, and an in-person space free from the potential triggers of a conventional backstage for artists to utilize before a show. The next exciting step for us was to begin hosting artists such as Lol Tolhurst (The Cure) and Brett Netson (Built To Spill) to perform and share their struggles with addiction and recovery. Our ongoing goal is to connect our traveling music family with our local recovery community, alongside a message of hope and support.
Over the years, we've sought to extend our reach by providing resources for those beyond Detroit. We recently launched Compass - an interactive national meeting database and finder tool for major metropolitan areas. The Compass database currently contains over 17,000 meetings spanning multiple cities across the Midwest and UK. Our database is inclusive of AA and NA, as well as buddhist recovery (Refuge) and mental health support (NAMI).
We now have an online Music and Recovery meeting that gathers every Tuesday at 8am Pacific/11am Eastern/4pm UK. Click our “Online Meeting” page to find more info on the weekly Tuesday meeting, and other online music-based support meetings for those on tour or working remotely.
And if we can't help you find a meeting, we can at the very least provide you with online tools to stay healthy. We maintain a regularly updated page of videos and articles pertaining to recovery and mindfulness - all readily available for download or streaming.
Finding time to talk about anxiety, addiction, and mental health in general is imperative to staying safe and sane. We at Passenger want to keep that dialogue open and evolving.
Our Team
Bio
Chris may be best known for his career as a professional musician and longtime member of the band Electric Six. After 20 years of performing, composing and producing, he’s earned a gold record; been featured on BBC and MTV networks; landed such influential festivals as Glastonbury, Coachella and Lollapalooza; received awards from magazines like Q and Kerrang! and a Best Album nod from the Detroit Music Awards. After working in Los Angeles as a freelance curator for Apple Music, Chris returned to his hometown of Detroit to work for Ascension Brighton Center for Recovery, and later Families Against Narcotics. Sober since 2011, Chris formed Passenger in 2016 after experiencing first-hand the struggles that creatives in recovery face on the road. In 2018, he was awarded "Changemaker for Nonprofit" by Seen Magazine for his work with Passenger. Chris lives in Hamtramck with wife Holly, daughter Clara and two moody pooches.
Bio
Matt is the lead developer for Passenger Recovery, and an independent front-end developer specializing in Wordpress development. He grew up in Elkhart, Indiana, graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston in 2010, has lived in New York, Detroit, and now resides in Barcelona. He enjoys rock climbing, cycling, learning, producing electronic music, djing, and has practiced meditation for 8 years.
Bio
Holly has always had a passion for helping others; When she isn’t populating the Compass, setting up events, or handling our social media content, Holly works at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan in pediatric eye care. She also volunteers with Making It To The Finish Line, a nonprofit that helps to empower young women in our local community through education, mentorship, and support. Being married to a touring musician who is in recovery encouraged her to pursue work with Passenger. Holly moved to the US from the UK in 2018, and has kept her connection to home through populating over 10,000 UK recovery meetings from her home here in Hamtramck. Holly likes to spend her downtime strolling around Belle Isle with her husband Chris and two dogs Dottie and Grace, going to antique stores, or trying to keep her plants alive.
Bio
Bryan is a native of Metro Detroit; after moving to Germany for graduate school, he spent over thirty years living there as a composer, sound engineer, producer, sound artist, keyboard player, and educator. He was Karlheinz Stockhausen's personal sound projection assistant for ten years and completed hundreds of concerts, installations, and sound projects at major venues and festivals all over the world, including the Stuttgart Opera, Royal Albert Hall and Royal Festival Hall London, Cologne Philharmonic Hall, Suntory Hall Tokyo, KKL Lucerne, Cité de la Musique Paris, Warsaw Autumn, and Milan Cathedral among many others. Bryan began his recovery journey after returning to Detroit, and is grateful that he can give back by supporting music and creative professionals in their struggles to maintain sobriety amid the challenges of touring. Bryan is looking forward to developing programs that bring the life-changing power of music-making and active listening to a broader community in Metro Detroit, providing access to the deep interpersonal connections and potential for personal development that musical activities offer.
Bio
Having worked across the international music industry for multiple years, Joanne brings extensive experience of life on the road teamed with her own recovery story which began in 2010, to the Passenger team. Joanne also worked for industry charity, Music Support, and is a social campaigner for LGBTQ+/gender and ethnic minorities in the business through her additional voluntary work with 3T and Girls Rock London.
Bio
Brandon Reddick (aka "BrKilla") is a 31yr old rapper and singer from Detroit Michigan. Through music, Brandon shares his experience in long term recovery, and the struggles that brought him to where he is today. Living a clean and sober lifestyle, he gives back to his community through volunteer work, mentorship, and a deep passion for creating Hip Hop and R&B music. Brandon is a Recovery Tech at SHAR Macomb in Warren, MI.
Bio
Shawn is an addiction counselor in training located in Chicago, IL. Shawn grew up witnessing the effects of addiction and normalized drug culture on the Austin music scene. This, along with firsthand experience, fueled his passion to help those struggling with addiction through counseling, advocacy and volunteer work for Passenger’s Compass. When not devoting his time to recovery efforts, Shawn enjoys walks along the Chicago lakefront and playing keyboards along with grainy 80s Rockpalast recordings.
Bio
Cody is a Passenger volunteer and the Director of Marketing and Technology for the Foundation of the Sacred Stream, a non-profit organization and school for consciousness studies in Berkeley, California.
In addition to his non-profit and volunteer work, he is an accomplished writer, editor, and former journalist. His online music magazine, Making Out Like Bandits, ran from 2009-2016.
Cody lives with his wife, his son, and three crazy dogs in Cincinnati, Ohio. In his spare time, he collects vintage cowboy boots, vinyl, and oddly-specific t-shirts.
Bio
Corey is a clinical social worker and has been in the mental health and substance use fields since 2006. Prior to his career in social work, Corey worked in the Detroit area promoting and booking shows at various clubs including St. Andrews Hall, The Shelter, and The Magic Stick. Sober since 2005, Corey has first hand experience of the challenges people trying to enter recovery face while working in the music business. He has worked at Dawn Farm, Michigan Medicine, and is currently the Behavioral Health Director at Packard Health in Ann Arbor. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his wife and two children.
Bio
Victoria is a rare books and manuscripts librarian and performer from Indianapolis who understands how critically important addiction and mental health services are for touring musicians from years spent on the road herself. Having worked in digital humanities, she has a particular appreciation for the way that the Passenger Compass uses technology to help break down barriers to recovery. Her work with Passenger marries two very different passions--information science and music. She is also a proud member of the Aubrey Beardsley Society and is working on a new album for a project under the name Bride of Dreams.
Bio
Ken is a senior financial analyst for Hewlett Packard Enterprise, originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. Ken lost both of his siblings to substance use disorder and addiction, which has driven his advocacy for recovery-related programs and organizations. He has served on the board of directors of several non-profit organizations, most recently Mile High Disc Golf, where he was the Treasurer for over 10 years. When he's not busy crunching numbers, Ken is an avid cook and enjoys live music and video games. He currently lives in Lakewood, CO with his wife, two children, and Rufus the greyhound.
Bio
Keith is a musician and realtor from the Detroit suburbs. His journey with sobriety and music brought him into the Passenger family. While traveling with Chris as a bandmate for almost a decade, they connected with their similar path. The path where performing on a stage and navigating the difficulties of addiction can be an ongoing struggle.
Grace & Dottie
PMA
Detroit, MI
Links About Passenger
- CBS News Detroit
- The Creative High - Recovery in the Arts Panel & Discussion
- If You Can See It, You Can Be It - Vol. 1 - Joanne Croxford
- Music Support/Passenger/Online Meetings
- Sacred Stream Podcast - Mental Health & the Arts
- Spotify For Artists - Finding Sober Resources On the Road
- Wellness Provisions
- The Guardian - Orgs Supporting Artists in Recovery
- Jennifer Westwood Blog - Hope For Artists
- Shoutout LA
- Nothing in the Rule Book
- The Ties That Bind Us
- Dissonance -- Clean Green Rooms
- SEEN Awards Dinner/Video
- SEEN Awards on Passenger
- SEEN Awards Overview
- Detroit News
- Compass Campaign Video
- WXYZ Detroit
- Fox 2 Detroit
- TV 20 Detroit
- WDET - NPR