Hello,
My name’s JD Weaver and I am a 19 year olddisabled musician from Cheshire, United Kingdom.
I suffer from a condition calledDuchene Muscular Dystrophy, a muscle wasting condition that leads to eventualdegeneration of muscle tissue.
This affects a lot ofmy day to day activities and already I’m wheelchair bound, with every dayfeeling more lethargic than the last, but it’s life I still live it as well asI can but it’s wrong for me to tell people everything’s fine, I want tomaintain an honest relationship with my possible audience and I feel if I’mhonest about my disability then that gives me an integrity, sort of a code ofhonor to live by.
Unfortunately I amlabeled ‘disabled’ but as a human I will be defined and that’s one thing I tryto fight, for me the real difficulty still is realizing that no matter what Ido I can’t fix my health, every day is still a struggle but one which I fightfrequently.
AfterI was diagnosed (end of 2005-2006) I had to find a way of expressing myself or Iwould have gone crazy. I decided to start writing music and I have been playingfor 12 years, but I have really been consistently writing for 5 years workingon small ideas I had noted down in my younger, more innocent years.
Ihave always been surrounded by great music, fortunately. I was raised on bandslike the Scorpions, Def Leppard, Styx, Thin Lizzy and many more great stalwartsof the rock scene and if you’d ask me what I’d love to have done with my lifeat 6-8 it would have been to be singing on stage with Joe Elliot (lead singerof Def Lepp).
AsI got older and possibly, due to life experiences, had visited every area ofthe emotional spectrum, I sought after music that possibly was more diversethan the testosterone filled, heavy sitting sound of rock and I wantedsomething deeper.
That’swhen my deep love for the blues developed, also helped by the fact that myAunty Josie (who lives in Missouri) was a huge blues fan and often went to someof the most prestigious house in places like Nashville.
Asmy life progressed and my condition did I began to dedicate the last 4-5 yearslistening to some of the best folk/acoustic musicians out there like KTTunstall, Joni Mitchell, John Martyn and Joan Baez. My music is definitely anamalgamation of all the styles that influence me from an early age, I am luckythat music like that is there for me.
This dream was their 6-7years ago, but really the last 4 years have been such a massive overhaul for mein terms of health that I have sat up and take proactive steps to make a dreamcome true.
I had to buildconfidence through home recorded demos but now I feel like I’m there and I havesomething to share if people give me that chance.
I have createdan EP (entitled ‘Where Eagle’s Fly), which explores my feelings, through anative character who I feel represents what intolerance can do to people. Wehave so many native people who have been targeted (Maori, AboriginalAustralians, Native American etc) and attacked unfairly solely on this basisthat they are somehow different, which I can relate to. I am in a minority thatoften is targeted as being weak and insubordinate to society. If we allrealised that human’s share indifference and that we all are part of a greatrace, the Human race, then maybe just maybe we could have a world to be proudof and one that has little room for improvement.
For me, I feel a close bond to native people and I am hugely interested intheir history and culture. I woke up one day and my whole life changed, I wentfrom someone who was accepted by society and now I feel like someone who isshunned by society and the bottom of the pecking order. That's why I made it aconcept EP because well I wanted to not talk about my disability as it wouldalienate audiences who weren't disabled, and my music is about bringing people(all people) together regardless of ability, gender, race/creed etc.
I wanted to widen the net, metaphorically speaking. I can make a widersocial statement, which is: ‘A lot of people of often treated unfairly solelyon the basis of the fact they are deemed different’.
Can I be honest? ; My lifeis very tedious at the moment. It seems my existence is confined to four wallsand a roof. I at the moment feel as if I am falling into a stereotype, everyday I feel my body get weaker and because all my friends have either moved onwith their lives or are at University/have employment I have little interactionwith people. Although it’s not a life id wish on anyone, it is what it is andso I have to keep going.
I have to managemyself because if I didn’t jealousy could set in. Music is my life, and thatsounds cliché, but it’s all I get up every day for, I put every ounce of mybeing into music and I will fight Tooth and Nail to make me fulfilled as aperson.
I don’t want to soundlike I’ve been hard done to, but the facts are that the majority of venues justaren’t accommodating for wheelchair user or people(s) with mobilityimpairments. Even in the ones deemed accessible, a venues idea of disabledfacilities is far from what actual I would envisage as accessible.
For me online and radio hasgiven me a lease of life and I hope it will allow to find management who canset me up with regular gigs.
The struggles I am facing make me deeply concerned about society and the potential next generation of disabled people, and so I see it as my duty as a disabled musician to raise awarenss on the wrongs towards disabled people in society today.
I wanted tocontact some of my favourite personalities to see if any would possibly endorsemy message and possibly have a collaboration of some sorts.
I am always looking for people who can help me meet or just gain some contact with people I look up to and whom I could collaborate with . I really want to get in touch with creators who have a wide audience who could help and was wondering as someone on the platform if you could be in touch with YouTubers or if you'd like to help. The ultimate goal would be to contact Felix (Pewds) and see if he'd like to endorse Me or give me some coverage, but I doubt that could happen as I'll admit I'm a bit of a nobody.
I know it'd be different from what a lot of collaborations but it acts as a wider statement by giving coverage to my story and my music then they could help raise awareness on disability within the community which isn't their currently. I can’t tell you how much I want this to happen it could really help the disabled community out and also give me some promo, as a lot of people don’t take me and a lot of disabled people seriously.
I know that some may see this as attention seeking and possibly using my health as a means to contact our inspiration Pewdiepie, but its not honestly. I am just sick of feeling the way I do and seeing how people like myself have so much going against them in society from a young age. Having someone of importance support the campaign may help give me/others that chance and I invite anyone in this forum who wants to help to get in touch I'd appreciate anything
Cheers, and hopefully hear from you soon
JD Weaver
Twitter @jdweavermusic
Soundcloud: JD Weaver | Free Listening on SoundCloud
Email: [email protected]
My name’s JD Weaver and I am a 19 year olddisabled musician from Cheshire, United Kingdom.
I suffer from a condition calledDuchene Muscular Dystrophy, a muscle wasting condition that leads to eventualdegeneration of muscle tissue.
This affects a lot ofmy day to day activities and already I’m wheelchair bound, with every dayfeeling more lethargic than the last, but it’s life I still live it as well asI can but it’s wrong for me to tell people everything’s fine, I want tomaintain an honest relationship with my possible audience and I feel if I’mhonest about my disability then that gives me an integrity, sort of a code ofhonor to live by.
Unfortunately I amlabeled ‘disabled’ but as a human I will be defined and that’s one thing I tryto fight, for me the real difficulty still is realizing that no matter what Ido I can’t fix my health, every day is still a struggle but one which I fightfrequently.
AfterI was diagnosed (end of 2005-2006) I had to find a way of expressing myself or Iwould have gone crazy. I decided to start writing music and I have been playingfor 12 years, but I have really been consistently writing for 5 years workingon small ideas I had noted down in my younger, more innocent years.
Ihave always been surrounded by great music, fortunately. I was raised on bandslike the Scorpions, Def Leppard, Styx, Thin Lizzy and many more great stalwartsof the rock scene and if you’d ask me what I’d love to have done with my lifeat 6-8 it would have been to be singing on stage with Joe Elliot (lead singerof Def Lepp).
AsI got older and possibly, due to life experiences, had visited every area ofthe emotional spectrum, I sought after music that possibly was more diversethan the testosterone filled, heavy sitting sound of rock and I wantedsomething deeper.
That’swhen my deep love for the blues developed, also helped by the fact that myAunty Josie (who lives in Missouri) was a huge blues fan and often went to someof the most prestigious house in places like Nashville.
Asmy life progressed and my condition did I began to dedicate the last 4-5 yearslistening to some of the best folk/acoustic musicians out there like KTTunstall, Joni Mitchell, John Martyn and Joan Baez. My music is definitely anamalgamation of all the styles that influence me from an early age, I am luckythat music like that is there for me.
This dream was their 6-7years ago, but really the last 4 years have been such a massive overhaul for mein terms of health that I have sat up and take proactive steps to make a dreamcome true.
I had to buildconfidence through home recorded demos but now I feel like I’m there and I havesomething to share if people give me that chance.
I have createdan EP (entitled ‘Where Eagle’s Fly), which explores my feelings, through anative character who I feel represents what intolerance can do to people. Wehave so many native people who have been targeted (Maori, AboriginalAustralians, Native American etc) and attacked unfairly solely on this basisthat they are somehow different, which I can relate to. I am in a minority thatoften is targeted as being weak and insubordinate to society. If we allrealised that human’s share indifference and that we all are part of a greatrace, the Human race, then maybe just maybe we could have a world to be proudof and one that has little room for improvement.
For me, I feel a close bond to native people and I am hugely interested intheir history and culture. I woke up one day and my whole life changed, I wentfrom someone who was accepted by society and now I feel like someone who isshunned by society and the bottom of the pecking order. That's why I made it aconcept EP because well I wanted to not talk about my disability as it wouldalienate audiences who weren't disabled, and my music is about bringing people(all people) together regardless of ability, gender, race/creed etc.
I wanted to widen the net, metaphorically speaking. I can make a widersocial statement, which is: ‘A lot of people of often treated unfairly solelyon the basis of the fact they are deemed different’.
Can I be honest? ; My lifeis very tedious at the moment. It seems my existence is confined to four wallsand a roof. I at the moment feel as if I am falling into a stereotype, everyday I feel my body get weaker and because all my friends have either moved onwith their lives or are at University/have employment I have little interactionwith people. Although it’s not a life id wish on anyone, it is what it is andso I have to keep going.
I have to managemyself because if I didn’t jealousy could set in. Music is my life, and thatsounds cliché, but it’s all I get up every day for, I put every ounce of mybeing into music and I will fight Tooth and Nail to make me fulfilled as aperson.
I don’t want to soundlike I’ve been hard done to, but the facts are that the majority of venues justaren’t accommodating for wheelchair user or people(s) with mobilityimpairments. Even in the ones deemed accessible, a venues idea of disabledfacilities is far from what actual I would envisage as accessible.
For me online and radio hasgiven me a lease of life and I hope it will allow to find management who canset me up with regular gigs.
The struggles I am facing make me deeply concerned about society and the potential next generation of disabled people, and so I see it as my duty as a disabled musician to raise awarenss on the wrongs towards disabled people in society today.
I wanted tocontact some of my favourite personalities to see if any would possibly endorsemy message and possibly have a collaboration of some sorts.
I am always looking for people who can help me meet or just gain some contact with people I look up to and whom I could collaborate with . I really want to get in touch with creators who have a wide audience who could help and was wondering as someone on the platform if you could be in touch with YouTubers or if you'd like to help. The ultimate goal would be to contact Felix (Pewds) and see if he'd like to endorse Me or give me some coverage, but I doubt that could happen as I'll admit I'm a bit of a nobody.
I know it'd be different from what a lot of collaborations but it acts as a wider statement by giving coverage to my story and my music then they could help raise awareness on disability within the community which isn't their currently. I can’t tell you how much I want this to happen it could really help the disabled community out and also give me some promo, as a lot of people don’t take me and a lot of disabled people seriously.
I know that some may see this as attention seeking and possibly using my health as a means to contact our inspiration Pewdiepie, but its not honestly. I am just sick of feeling the way I do and seeing how people like myself have so much going against them in society from a young age. Having someone of importance support the campaign may help give me/others that chance and I invite anyone in this forum who wants to help to get in touch I'd appreciate anything
Cheers, and hopefully hear from you soon
JD Weaver
Twitter @jdweavermusic
Soundcloud: JD Weaver | Free Listening on SoundCloud
Email: [email protected]