You probably know guitarist Davey Lane for his work with legendary Aussie-rock band You Am I. However, this week he takes on a new role as advocate for Hearing Awareness Week.
Lane, 35, has been dealing with tinnitus for the better part of 12 years now, since he was 23. He can even point to the moment he began to notice something was wrong.
“About 12 years ago You Am I played a show on a tiny stage somewhere in Western Australia…. The next week was torturous, and I knew that something had changed which will probably remain for the rest of my life,” Lane recalled.
The guitarist, who now relies on molded earplugs to prevent himself from further damage, spoke about how tinnitus not only damaged his hearing but also his mental wellbeing.
“Tinnitus really screwed with my head, and still does occasionally, though I’ve learnt to deal with and manage it,” he said in a statement. With a noticeable lack of support networks for musicians with hearing loss, Lane is hoping to get the message out there.
“We aren’t aware of the repercussions of being reckless with one’s hearing when we are young, and that’s what makes the work of M4H and other organizations like HEARsmart and Hearservice so critically important,” he said.
Davey Lane will perform at the Musicians 4 Hearing fundraiser alongside Leah Senior (Melbourne Artist) and Walter Kadiki (Auslan poet) being held at the Intimate No Vacancy, amongst the Right Hear, Right Now exhibition.
The funds raised will go towards completing the building of a hearing clinic in the Janakpur region of Nepal. To learn more about M4H’s fundraiser go to the project’s official website.
Musicians 4 Hearing Fundraiser
Saturday, 27th August 2016
No Vacancy Gallery, Melbourne
