BOSTON – On a chilly fall day, Grammy-nominated blues musician Marcus King and his band ventured out to a gym near the city’s South End during their “Mood Swings The World Tour.”
They were with 1 Million Strong, an initiative that unites artists, fans, and the music industry to support people in addiction recovery. King had taken 1 Million Strong on tour to inspire others to prioritize mental health and support sober touring musicians and fans.
That night, they had a show at The House of Blues Boston, but they wanted a workout — and what better place than The Phoenix, where the members, like King, are committed to sobriety?
The singer-songwriter from South Carolina — who donned a backward baseball cap, black shorts, and a crewneck sweatshirt — has a lot in common with The Phoenix, which happens to be a part of 1 Million Strong.
The Phoenix is a national sober active community that helps people address substance use by connecting them with others facing similar journeys. King is all about that; he strives to inspire a community of musicians and fans dedicated to creating a sober-supportive environment.
King even carves out sober spaces at some of his shows. He and The Phoenix have the same goal: to show that when people facing addiction have support and don’t feel stigmatized, they have the power to live their best lives.
King is on his own sober journey
It’s a personal issue for King, who started playing at bars and got paid in beer when he was just a teen, leading to substance use as he tried to cope with his anxiety and depression. He now works out regularly as part of his recovery, even traveling with a Peloton.
At The Phoenix, King said working out with his band felt like being on stage.
“You want to push yourself a little bit more and you want to outdo yourself from the night before,” King said, “and it's the same with working out.”
The Phoenix is showing people a different path
Chris Spallina, The Phoenix’s senior regional manager, greeted King and his band when they entered the large, warehouse-like gym, where you can see Beantown’s skyline.
Spallina, like many who work out with The Phoenix across the country, says the organization has shown him how he can live a fulfilling life without substance use.
“I get to go to concerts, I get to go to the gym, I get to travel, I get to do all these cool things,” said Spallina, who walked King and his bandmates through some ideas for a low-intensity community workout. “When I was using, I couldn't do all those things. All I was doing was using and trying to figure out money to use.”
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King: The Phoenix is where ‘all walks of sobriety are welcome’
The Phoenix doesn’t require membership or payment; you just need 48 hours of sobriety under your belt. From there, new members can choose from classes, open gym sessions, or a mix of both at locations across the country. The Phoenix also offers other activities like meditation, book clubs, lunch clubs, knitting, and more to help those who want to be sober and stay sober.
It’s working, too: 8 in 10 active members remain sober after three months.
King said what attracted him to The Phoenix was its inclusivity.
“Other organizations ... even if you were on prescription medication for psychosomatic things, they didn't want you to come to their club, which I always felt was pretty exclusionary towards people like myself who have mental health issues,” King said.
“It really turned me off from the sober journey as a whole for a long time,” King added. “So, it's nice to be in such an inclusive environment, where all walks of life and all walks of sobriety are welcome."
King, The Phoenix, and 1 Million Strong want to spread a community approach to addiction recovery
The Phoenix, King, and 1 Million Strong are working collaboratively to transform how people think about and approach addiction, both in life and at music events. King’s 1 Million Strong tour partnership has helped emphasize the power of community by bringing sustainable recovery solutions to his fans and the music industry.
That means supporting sober touring musicians and fans with 1 Million Strong lounges and wellness spaces at many of his concerts and featuring tasty mocktails at his shows. The Phoenix was even on-site at some of King’s 1 Million Strong shows.
The Phoenix founder Scott Strode also has a personal reason for his passion in helping others find sobriety. Nearly 30 years ago, he fought his way out of addiction with the help of powerful relationships at a boxing gym, where the transformation he saw in himself inspired him to start The Phoenix. Strode’s latest endeavor, a memoir, is coming out in January. It’s called “Rise. Recover. Thrive.”
The journey continues
After pumping dumbbells and heartily riding a stationary bike, King and his band headed back to the House of Blues to perform.
They had discovered what Strode hopes all members of The Phoenix will find — a new way to connect with those around them and strengthen bonds to help them on their own recovery journeys.
“We break bread together, we work out together, and we get on stage together,” King said. “It’s a marriage in a lot of ways, so staying active together is a great way to stay healthy mentally.”
Marcus King is the first artist to take 1 Million Strong on tour. 1 Million Strong is an initiative created by The Phoenix, Stand Together Foundation, and Stand Together Music that seeks to transform the way people think about and approach addiction and recovery.
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