Bonus Episode - Spotlight on CAOHC, with Terry Tyson

This special episode of Talking Ears focuses on the work of CAOHC, the Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation. Now in the 50th year of its current form, the organization’s history is inspiring and carries a heavy responsibility. With its roots in interdisciplinary education and advocacy reaching back to 1965, CAOHC’s mission is to “advance best practices in occupational hearing conservation worldwide through credentialing, standards, education, and advocacy.” The Council’s vision is, “a world without occupational hearing loss.” 

Talking Architectural Acoustics, and Southern Rock

Our guest Terry Tyson is an architectural acoustician and guitar player in the southern rock tribute band, High Noon. He also serves on the CAOHC council representing INCE (The Institute of Noise Control Engineering of the USA) a non-profit professional organization with the mission to “promote engineering solutions to environmental, product, machinery, industrial and other noise problems”. In this episode, Terry describes hearing loss prevention as, “... a subject that is near and dear to my heart”, a sentiment we certainly share as audiologists and fellow musicians. This appreciation of hearing and sound seamlessly sets his role up as the new chair of the CAOHC Noise Committee. We discuss his early career in chemical engineering within industrial settings where he experienced first-hand the potential of injury from noise exposure. Terry’s work focuses on both the hearing health and well-being of every person, going above and beyond the scope of regulations. 

We invite you to listen to the full episode of Talking Ears featuring Terry Tyson to hear more about his musical life, thoughts on acoustical architectural design, and which guitar from his extensive collection is his favorite (hint, it isn’t one of the ones he regularly plays one stage).

Talking CAOHC and Hearing Loss Prevention

As Audiologists, CAOHC’s vision and mission resonate with Talking Ear’s co-hosts, Frank and Juan. Noise-induced hearing loss and associated disorders are considered 100% preventable, however we are inundated with cases and outcomes which could have been avoided with the right combination of education, motivation, and intervention. In an effort to put the horse in front of the cart, so to speak, we both serve as course directors for the namesake Occupational Hearing Conservationist (OHC) credentialing programs - training clinicians on the best practices in this vital field. Additionally, Frank is proud to have recently joined the council as a representative of the American Academy of Audiology. 

As CAOHC course directors, the opportunity to collaborate with other professionals in various fields of occupational health adds strength to the message of hearing loss prevention worldwide. There is great value in interdisciplinary clinical training to address hearing loss prevention. With such a wide range of occupational settings - each with their own challenges and opportunities - the best defense is a well-informed and motivated OHC. Considering that we train hundred of OHCs each year, when we zoom out to include the hundreds to thousands of workers each OHC is directly serving, the full scope of our training impact is both an awe-inspiring privilege and a weighty responsibility. For this reason, creating and delivering a high quality and uncompromising educational experience is our first priority.

Terry Tyson - talking CAOHC, Architectural Acoustics, and Southern Rock

Our guest Terry Tyson is a principal acoustician at Acentech and serves on the CAOHC (Council for Accreditation of Occupational Hearing Conservation) council as the representative of INCE (Institute of Noise Control Engineering). We'll unravel all those acronyms, and use those threads to connect his musical life playing guitar in the premier southern rock tribute band, High Noon. Terry is the perfect example of someone who is thinking of sound from multiple perspectives and his insights alone are worth the price of admission.

In this episode, we'll be hearing selections from live and studio recordings of High Noon.

Peter Dankelson - talking guitar, hearing loss, music as therapy, and more guitar

What’s WHO got to do with it?

The World Health Organization celebrates World Hearing Day every year on March 3rd. The 2024 theme is “Changing mindsets: Let’s make ear and hearing care a reality for all!”

To celebrate the WHO World Hearing Day, it felt only appropriate to release an episode with a guest who embodies not only true admiration of music, but a force for change - the theme for World Hearing Day 2024!

Today’s Special Guest: Peter Dankelson!

Peter Dankelson, rocking the Gibson SG, Cochlea Baha, and a too-cool-for-school leather jacket. Photo Credit Alex Dale WCE Creations

Our guest, Peter Dankelson’s life and story is certainly one to appreciate. Despite having a vast medical journey and managing hearing differences, he has been able to confront any barrier he has faced because of a wonderful support system and his infectious positive attitude. As an author and motivational speaker he emphasizes the power of being a difference maker. Having learned early on that something as simple as respect can speak volumes and set a course for good, Peter embraced the notion that our differences can actually help bring us together. He practices positive thinking in all avenues of his life, which translates to an inspirational passion. It isn't going too far to say that his words and actions define “confidence” and serve as a model for how we can make a difference in the lives of ourselves and others. 

So Much Guitar!

Then there is the guitar. Somehow his mastery of the instrument is equally inspiring. His approach to music-making and live performance is reminiscent of rock-and-roll days long passed. Peter and his bandmates manage to transport the listener on a rockstar romp and for even at least a moment, be able to experience absolute joy and freedom; a testament to the power and wonder of music and the impact it can make.  

Peter’s voice and passion for our universal language known as music will certainly continue to inspire people to pursue their dreams and journey through life with happiness and respect for all. With sincere respect and gratitude, we thank Peter Dankelson for giving us the opportunity to speak with him.

Talking ears, and music, and more guitar

In this episode of Talking Ears, we focused on his music life and barely scratched the surface of his amazing medical journey which set the stage for the conversation. We also get to hear music by his band, Pete's Diary as well as live performances featuring Peter Dankelson with the likes of Buckcherry, Jerry James Nichols, and Dirty Honey. Pete's Diary is set to release their first full-length album, so be sure to watch this space!

Alumni Magazine feature

It is a specific honor [and a strange marker of the passage of time] to see your story featured in an undergraduate alumni magazine! PULSE, the Purchase College magazine, was kind enough to ask me to share my journey from the artsy music-focused college incubator setting to my current Music Audiology practice. For the piece, the writers went beyond the simple chronologic story and took the time to ask about my approach to working with my patient’s ears and careers:

“A common concern from performers is that earplugs, for example, make it harder to perform due to a lack of perceived connection,” he says. “I work with my patients on understanding how earplugs can enhance their work. The loudness of loud settings can actually hinder your listening and creativity.”

I also appreciate their call-to-action and information on how to schedule televisits, especially for those who may be eligible for MusiCares benefits:

“I can go beyond the Philadelphia area now to help people all over the world,” says Wartinger. Today he offers his services nationally and internationally through the MusiCares program (www.tunedcare.com).

To read the full article, use the magazine above link or click here to download the PDF.

Autumn Leaves (Remix) - Let's talk about leaf blowers for a minute

The right to bear tools seems to be the harmless, modern, only slightly-evolved ethos of the suburbia-dweller. Power tools in general and, since we're in the pumpkin-spiced season, leaf blower specifically, are ubiquitous. And who exactly are we hurting when we wield a pressure washer against deck grime, a nail gun against stubborn siding, or a leaf blower against the floating harbingers of winter?

The peace and quiet of the neighborhood. Sorry to quickly answer my own rhetorical question, but that's the answer. That's the who/what we're hurting. The noise from leaf blowers is having a direct and irrefutably negative effect on the serenity of our outdoor spaces as well as the quality of the air (in the case of gas tools… more on that distinction soon). And it is potentially hurting those tiny little friends which dwell in our inner ears: the cochlear hair cells. 

A brief detour: one of those reasons, the one about the air, is the primary push for a recent and growing trend in local laws banning small gas-powered tools such as leaf blowers. In the Fall of 2023, a half dozen cities and the state of California have cited staggering air pollution statistics as well as noise pollution issues in their decision to ban sales of the tools. To avoid redundancy and let the real journalists cover the journalisticallities (real word, trust me… don’t look it up), here is a recent and thorough rundown of the current state of affairs: https://grist.org/solutions/leaf-blower-bans-air-pollution-noise/

I'll drone on with the noise implications. (Drone on? Get it? Ok. Sorry not sorry.) The noise symphony these tools conduct is part byproduct of power/work, and part waste energy. More efficient tools, such as the hi-tech, low-emission, battery powered variety, are still noisy but waste significantly less energy in the form of sound as compared to their gas powered ancestors.

So that's what I use: an overpowered electric cordless leaf blower that cost more than my first guitar. You know, since you brought it up, let's compare the leaf blower to my first guitar. 

• Both were overkill in the cool factor

• Both carry an anticipated life-span of 1 to questionmark years

• Neither impressed bystanders the way I would have hoped if I was being honest with myself

• Only one of them annoyed the neighbors. Use the context clues above to guess which!

A friend recently pointed out to me that the leaf blower, even my adored electric-type (hidden pokemon joke my daughters might laugh at) is special in the lineup of yard tools since it's titular job can be easily supplanted by one of the simplest tools in existence: the humble rake. I argue back, defiantly rolling up my mortgage statement into a makeshift megaphone so my headstrong rantings carry the proper financial angst, that the leaf blower reduces user effort and increases time efficiency. Which are true points, by the way. Now, if we're being fully honest, it is just plain fun and nearly indulgent-feeling to command a small turbine-fueled tornado and sic the airy violence upon a smattering of hapless tree feathers. That satisfaction of “more power” (a dated but palpable reference for at least a few readers, but definitely not one my daughters will laugh at) is notably absent when one bends at the elbows and works up a sweat while waddling around the yard with the ancient, simple, [read: dumb] rake.

Typically, I would stop here and feel righteous, but this all came to a head last week when I was blissfully spiriting-away the deciduous detritus from my driveway. My 7 year old was toiling away tirelessly with a toy-tool rake some 20 feet upwind, and in the sweetest voice she inquired politely if I would stop and pick up a rake instead. With the wisdom of decades in my voice I replied “Nah, I'm good. See, I got this cool tool that goes vrrooooommm.” It wasn’t more than a few minutes later, however dear reader, when she unplugged my vindication with the words “you know, the rake is quieter.”

And there's the rub. It's more work to rake, and the end result is the same when you look at the lawn, but the effect the useless noise has and those close by it's just that: noise. useless. replaceable.

Surley, my electric leaf blower, outputting some 83dBA from 5 ft away and a measly 55 dBA to my neighbor, is not disturbing the peace. It is not the gas-powered, air-show-level turbulence that shatters the tranquility of so many sunny fall mornings, but it still remains useless replaceable noise. Like all tools in my life, I plan to continue to use it when the job calls for it, but I’ll try to switch it off when those around me, particularly those with smaller ears and wiser brains, remind me that the noise is annoying and can often be replaced by good old fashioned elbow grease and the humble (dumb) rake.

"Hear from the Audiologists" MusiCares and Tuned panel!

In celebration of National Protect Your Hearing Month, MusiCares and Tuned put together a panel of audiologists to reflect on the first year of tele-audiology service delivery and help an audience of professional musicians learn more about the ways they can receive hearing health support year-round. Heather Malyuk, the Head of Audiology at Tuned, expertly lead the panel which included audiologists Lisa Tannenbaum, Laura Sinnott, Shannon Switzer, and Frank Wartinger, all of whom have been active on the platform since the beginning.

Besides the intended audience of musicians, this discussion will be of particular value to anyone in the audiology field who may be interested in 1) what the sub-specialty of music audiology entails, and 2) how the Tuned tele-audiology platform functions.

https://youtu.be/qGHSYemp-64?si=FXnzNAPnnimrxOc8

I'm honored to work alongside this incredible group of trail-blazing audiologists. I was also overjoyed to produce this video, and excited to have this discussion available to a wide audience! Please be on the lookout for a companion piece on the Talking Ears podcast featuring Juan Vasquez's responses to all of Heather's fantastic questions.

Kicking off Season 2 of Talking Ears with a conversation with audiologist and musician Brendan Fitzgerald!

With over a dozen special conversations, taking a moment to think on the importance and the impact of those people’s voices and their music sounds like the most appropriate thing to do. This time, a reflection of someone that we had thought of having a discussion with since the beginning of Talking Ears: Brendan Fitzgerald. A friend, musician, and audiologist, he tapped us into a conversation about his creative methods and the reason why music continues to mean so much to him. 

With a strong emphasis on artistic collaboration with the people he gets to make music and embracing experimental rhythmic and harmonic complexity, the music of Brendan Fitzgerald and his bands Wooden Cities and f-f-f-f-Faulty Tower brings forth a realm of acoustic energy that can be described as unpredictable, intriguing, structured chaos, and thought-provoking. Through democratic exploration of both traditional and unconventional means in creating new sound, the tonality and substance of their art challenges the listener to search inward, focus on what the music is doing, brace for the unexpected, and take in a truly awe-inspiring aural experience. 

In a seemingly effortless way, Brendan produces a transcendental art form which, (particularly now in an era bursting with trending, capital-driven, and attention-seeking stimulation) pushes what creativity can be and the possibilities of where it can take our minds. All this makes their music one of the most refreshingly original artistic experiences that we’ve had the privilege to encounter. 

Talking Ears is beyond honored to present this conversation with Brendan; especially with a new understanding that it’s the people that he gets to play music with that makes the process unique and worth continuing; a feeling that we certainly share.

Stay tuned for the continuation of Season 2 of Talking ears! We have a very exciting batch of episodes coming out in the coming months!

2022 recap and Talking Ears featured in the NHCA "Spectrum" publication

2022 brought about many changes for Earmark Hearing Conservation, including the launch of my music audiology interview podcast, “Talking Ears”. The show provides space for guests to share their stories and views on what is arguably the most important issue in the music industry: hearing health. The formula is rather simple - long-form interviews provide nuance and breadth, while the artist’s own music provides context.

As the host, I try to stay out of the way as much as possible and let the guests’ words and music do the talking. However, this show has marked a significant shift in the way I share my own personal story as an individual who experienced hearing damage and tinnitus due to music exposures from a young age. Though it is a vulnerable feeling and not always comfortable to do so, this relates directly to the philosophy that sparked the show in the first place: dialog and transparency are the bricks that pave the path to better hearing health awareness.

View Article

Click here to download the full NHCA Spectrum article.

One of those instances where I spoke about myself was when past National Hearing Conservation Association president Merlyn Lubiens interviewed me for the recent issue of “Spectrum”, the official NHCA publication. Feel free to read the article through the above link, admire the masterwork writing, and chuckle at the endearing use of a dad-joke to wrap up an otherwise buttoned-up piece. If you listen close, you’ll likely hear me blushing through the pages.

But this isn’t about me. Along with producers Juan Vasquez, AuD, and Mary Kim, AuD, we’ve interviewed Grammy winners, touring musicians, audio engineers, researchers, psychologists, educators, and some of the most renown music audiologists in the world. Their words and music is what we are collecting. And the more personal stories we share, the greater the chance a listener will see their own experiences and attitudes reflected back. The subject remains loosely the same (it is called “Talking Ears” after all) but the views and connections are always refreshing and inspiring to our team.

This is a labor of love, and boy howdy is a labor. From top to tail, each episode takes between 10 to 16 hours for our team to produce. Luckily, the overwhelming response shows that this is a worthwhile endeavor and one we will continue with gusto into the new year.

None of this would be possible without the support of Juan and Mary. The show would be nothing without countless hours spent planning and scheduling guests, listening to interviews, and providing edit suggestions and feedback.

We have incredible things planned in 2023, exciting upcoming announcements, and sincere hopes the future of the show. Your continued listenership means the world to us, and we welcome your thoughts, feedback, criticism, and suggestions. Some would say… we’re all ears.

Best, Frank

Eric Heveron-Smith - Talking Bass, Jazz, and Acoustic Music

Bassist and producer Eric Heveron-Smith (Postmodern Jukebox, Einstein's Dreams) joins Frank to talk about his work in jazz and other acoustic music genres. We get into hearing, monitoring, and other health considerations important for professional musicians to ensure career longevity, and get philosophical about the role of music in the world.

Music heard in this episode features performances by Eric Heveron-Smith with various groups including Moonshine Rhythm Club, The Capitalist Youth, Gunsling Birds, and a sneak peek at the upcoming album "Flight Manifest" by Einstein's Dreams. For more information about Eric's many many projects, visit https://www.eric-hs.com/

Feel free to reach out talkingears@earmarkhc.com to discuss this episode and hearing wellness in general. We look forward to hearing from you!

Ben Runyan - talking habituation and identity

Ben Runyan (City Rain) joins Frank to talk about habituation, identity, and prevention through his own experience developing tinnitus and his path to recovery. This episode features music by Ben Runyan.

Michael Lawrence - talking SPL and concert safety

Michael Lawrence (co-host of the Signal To Noise Podcast), joins us to talk about SPL, loudness, and the audio engineer's responsibility when it comes to exposure risk at live sound events. Expressed through his work as a system engineer and senior instructor at Rational Acoustics, he brings humanity to the technical aspects and numbers when balancing a concert's perceived loudness and safety of all involved.

This episode features music by Audiologist and Talking Ears producer, Juan Vasquez and his band The Absolute Threshold.

Heather Malyuk - talking fiddle and music audiology

Our special guest this week is Dr. Heather Malyuk, a fiddle player, lifelong musician, and celebrated music audiology expert. She shares her musical upbringing and how she fell in love with her instrument from a young age. As a professional musician herself, she brings realism and empathy to her work as a music audiologist.

"This is one of those things we talk with patients about... wear your hearing protection... [But] sometimes you get to the gig and you can't hear right, and work comes first."

The risk of acquired hearing loss and tinnitus are known and now widely discussed in the music community, but she takes this time to share her personal story of diplacusis - a less common music-induced hearing disorder which results in distorted pitch perception. We also dive into the emotional and physical demands of a musician's life, which can strain one's overall health and wellbeing.

"Everyone hurts, so you think it's supposed to hurt..."

Heather points out that music is a language that provides a unique medium for self-expression, as well as invaluable connection to your fellow musicians. Throughout this episode we'll be hearing music featuring Heather Malyuk to give better context to the relationship between her musical career and her career as a celebrated music audiology expert.

In a special bonus episode of Talking Ears, Heather and Frank will be diving deep into the clinical side of music audiology, so keep tuned for more from Heather! If you would like to book a private virtual appointment with a music audiologist, both Dr. Heather Malyuk and Dr. Frank Wartinger are now on the Tuned platform. Simply follow the below links to view available appointment times, sign up for a consultation, or inquire further. We look forward to caring for you and your ears.

Schedule a tele-audiology consultation with Heather Malyuk

Schedule a tele-audiology consultation with Frank Wartinger

Joey Di Camillo - talking hyperacusis and tinnitus

Joey Di Camillo is perhaps best described as someone who is a natural born musician. At an early age he was around music and had dreamt about being in a rock n roll band since age 9. He discusses his musical journey from the moment he heard the guitar riff that made him realize he knew he wanted to be a rockstar, to the moment he knew being on stage performing for an audience was what he was born to do:

“The stage is my home…it’s how I express myself and tell my story”.

After years of loudness, Joey discovered a difference with his ears that put his musical journey to a halt:

“…I never wore earplugs…all the gigs I’ve played, hours of practice, never wore a shred of hearing protection…I didn’t think it would be a problem”.

Joey opens up about the development and evolution of the music-induced hearing disorders he experiences, and we discuss how isolating and disconnecting it can feel to be a musician who can no longer play music. He also shared how all of this was put into perspective when faced with other serious life events.

Feel free to reach out talkingears@earmarkhc.com to discuss this episode and hearing wellness in general. We look forward to hearing from you!

Rickie Mazzotta - talking drums, whiplash, and tinnitus

Rickie Mazzotta joins us to discuss his career as the drummer and founding member of the Philadelphia-based indie rock band mewithoutYou. As the band embarks on their farewell tour after over 20 years making music together, Rickie generously gave his time to check in about the status of his ears and offer some sage advice to concert goers and young musicians.

Content Warning: this episode contains discussion of mental health and suicide.

Rickie is, by any measure, a loud and energetic drummer, and his approach to the drum set is one of the driving forces behind mewithoutYou’s exciting albums and live shows. In 2019, Rickie experienced what he refers to as “the bomb”. This is when he was first diagnosed with whiplash, which was attributed to his stage movements and the energy he puts into his performances. Did we mention he is an energetic drummer? As it turns out, energy and loudness go hand-in-hand, and his “bomb” was also characterized by onset of debilitating chronic tinnitus, which he described most uniquely:

“Its just like a fairy screaming… a tiny fairy but with this massive weird magical power screaming.”

Coming off tour, he took a full pause on his music career and tried everything to improve his situation and resolve the spiral of tinnitus and anxiety. As it turns out, it was the strategic use of isolating in-ear monitors, awareness of exposure levels, and the careful and intentional return to the stage that did the most good.

Now, Rickie shares his general optimism, and knowledge that he can continue his music career safely while still having the capacity to continue performing with same energy:

“I got a hearing test fairly recently, and its almost line for line the test we did two years ago. So just that alone gives me incredible peace of mind - I can do this thing without further doing more damage to my ears.”

After listening, you can read more of Rickie’s thoughts in our January, 2020 Sound Profiles interview.

Feel free to reach out talkingears@earmarkhc.com to discuss this episode and hearing wellness in general. We look forward to hearing from you. And stay tuned for future episodes, with a hopeful release every couple weeks.

Thanks for listening!

- Frank

Special Thanks

Additionally, I would like to acknowledge everyone who helped with the development of Talking Ears: Scott Hallam, Mary Kim, Juan Vasquez, Brian Heveron-Smith, and Meaghan Strickland - thank you for your time, thoughtful notes, and most of all your patience with me. This wouldn’t be anything without each of you.

Introducing... Talking Ears!

I am excited to announce the start of a new project, a podcast called Talking Ears. In this show, I’ll be interviewing music creators about the often overlooked topic of auditory wellness and hearing healthcare for music industry professionals. Through guests’ stories, candid advice, and their own music, I hope to give context to the role their hearing plays in their lives and careers.

With so many musicians developing career-threatening hearing injuries, and sparse training for aspiring musicians and engineers, I feel an urgency to this discussion. The first episode will be released soon, and features in-depth discussion with Rickie Mazzotta, drummer and founding member the band mewithoutYou. In January, 2020, we featured Rickie in a Sound Profile interview, and he was kind enough to check in and give us an update on his ears and life. Now, he is embarking on mewithoutYou’s farewell tour.

Stay tuned!

- Frank

Big Milestone for the Primary Care Perspectives Podcast

Congratulations to Dr. Lockwood on reaching 100 episodes of her groundbreaking podcast, Primary Care Perspectives!

Dr. Katie Lockwood hosts an informative and approachable podcast discussing pediatric health topics from the perspective of an empathetic pediatrician. Years ago, Dr. Lockwood approached Frank Wartinger for technical audio engineering support of her yet-to-be-released podcast. As a means of time-stamping, the first episode revolved around a hot topic, a virus that had the world worried: Zika.

Taking no credit but feeling all of the duly allotted pride, I’m happy to share her 100th episode with you all! Happy listening!

Virtual CAOHC Certification Courses: A Success!

Earmark has been offering CAOHC approved occupational hearing conservation courses for years, but the shift to virtual courses was not an easy one. This change required approval from the CAOHC advisory board, an entirely new course structure, and rigorous development and testing of virtual solutions to replace the keystone section of the in-person certification course: the hands-on practicum. I believe all these changes have made the course stronger and more valuable for students.

Now that we have conducted several successful courses in 2021, and have many more on the schedule, I wanted to take a moment to look at what students are saying about their virtual course experience:

Excellent course and the instructor was great!

I loved the class.

Great course. Thank you for offering virtually!

We have also heard the request for students to have access to written material during the courses. That is why we have made it a priority to ship each student a full CAOHC Hearing Conservation Manual (5th Edition) and official CAOHC Study Guide ($92 value total) ahead of the courses. In addition, we are shipping a generous selection hearing protection devices to each student in order to improve the virtual hands-on learning aspects of the course.

It was a great course w/flexible learning options for its students.

I was not real excited about the virtual course, since I am a hands on person, but it was not as bad as I expected!

Online continuing education is new for all of us, and I want to take a moment to thank each of my past students for their attention and diligence during the courses. For all my future students, I would like to promise you that I will continue to improve and expand the course offerings.

To view the current course schedule and access the registration pages, visit the CAOHC Course information page here.

I look forward to seeing you in the next course!

Sincerely, Frank

(CAOHC Course Director ID #496199)

Ongoing Musicians' Tinnitus and Hearing Supports

Tinnitus and Hearing Supports

We are facing a strange and unsettling situation across all walks of life - this is all too true for the music industry. Many musicians and tour professionals face cancelled tours, postponed sessions, and awkward band conversations. Suddenly, so many of us find ourselves shuttered up at home in quiet rooms, seemingly steeping in the anxiety the news cycle serves. I have heard from many that this is an unhelpful situation for their ongoing tinnitus and hearing concerns. I have heard the request for more support.

Virtual Tinnitus Support Group

We are hosting free virtual meeting groups for musicians and music industry professionals who are experiencing tinnitus and hearing problems, but cannot get out to get the needed support. If interested, please contact us for further details and to sign up for a group.

Televisit Care

We have expanded our Televisit offerings at temporarily discounted rates. Televisits can be tailored to your needs, completed over the phone or video chat, and booked for time slots from 30 to 60 minutes. Even if you're shut in, you don't need to be shut off. If you find that tinnitus or hearing concerns are some of your constants in this uncertain time, I am here to help.

Moving Forward Together

While I cannot address many of the shared anxieties we are all facing, we can work together to alleviate those which are related to your sound, your music, and your ears. If financial considerations are preventing you from reaching out for care, please contact me to discuss alternative arrangements.

Trust we will get through this together,

Frank

Televisit Appointments available for your tinnitus and hearing needs

Here at Earmark, we are not virologists, or epidemiologist, or journalists, or chemists. We are Audiologists. While it seems the world has changed overnight, some things remain constant. You still are a musician. You still have ears. You still have plans and dreams and projects and an audience.

If you find that some of your constants are tinnitus or hearing concerns, I am here to help. While I cannot address many of the shared anxieties we are all facing, we can work together to alleviate those which are related to your sound and your ears.

To address this need, we have expanded our Televisit offerings (telephone or video calls) at greatly discounted rates. Even if you're shut in, you don't need to be shut off. Please reach out!

Sincerely,

Frank Wartinger

Rickie Mazzotta - Sound Profile Interview

Rickie Mazzotta

Drummer and founding member of the explosive and influential band mewithoutYou.

As the group is entering their final year touring, Rickie shares advice and opens up about his recent experiences with Tinnitus and hearing loss: “It is life altering. It happens without warning. It is something to take as seriously as you take your craft.”

Photo credit: Nick Karp

Earmark: What (or who) first drew you towards music making?

Rickie: I got into listening to and subsequently attempting to play music when I was in about sixth or seventh grade. I was a pre-teen when the grunge explosion hit in 92-93 and as an avid MTV watcher, I was a ripe candidate for being the target audience. I was largely influenced by that type of “alternative” rock music and had an uncle who would get me records and take me to concerts as well as a best friend who shared in the same interests. For its time, it was fresh and unique, deviating from the L.A. glam scene that dominated the mainstream. I wasn’t sure how I fit in with all my classmates at school so it seemed like a natural pairing - grunge was about just wearing whatever you wanted and writing songs however you wanted. It also appeared to me that anybody could do it, you didn’t need costumes or even that much skill to get going.

My parents got me a boombox for my 13th birthday alongside Nirvana’s “In Utero” and the Smashing Pumpkins “Siamese Dream” on CD. A year later I would get a drum kit and start to play along to all types of LPs that my Dad had laying around. One particular performance left an impression on me; Nirvana in December of 93 on MTV’s Live and Loud. Dave Grohl was playing so hard and the whole vibe of the performance kind of stuck a chord with me and really put the idea in my head that I wanted to be a drummer; It didn’t hurt that my main boy at the time got a guitar for Christmas. But all in all, growing up in the Lollapalooza era with so many great bands was what set me on the course of being a musician.

Is there someone who inspires you, musically?

This is always one of the hardest questions to answer, it never really is just one musician or album that inspired/inspires me but the sum of many parts fusing together. When I started taking drums seriously, Jimmy Chamberlain was my go to guru, Dave Grohl too. I ripped so many things from their playing, heck, all the people I am about to mention I took all I could from. With how they presented their art, there was never anything that felt too impossible to emulate even though, at times, it was fairly technical, especially being a self taught drummer. As I progressed and got older, Abe Cunningham from the Deftones really pushed me to play harder and be dedicated to keeping a certain level of intensity while performing. Brendan Canty of Fugazi introduced me to elements of rhythm I was not familiar with that added many volumes to my musical knowledge. My Dad always use to tell me that whenever I was around somebody who knew more than me that I was to “pick their brains” and using music as my primary form of entertainment, I always soaked as much as I could when I listened. As of now, being almost 40, every day it changes. It could be Jerry Garcia on a Friday and then Kim Deal come Monday morning with so many other artists and genres in-between. I really do not have any boundaries of where I pull from (even though I am have almost exclusively been talking about “rock music”). If it is audible and makes me feel something, it is fair game to drive my creativity.

What is your current monitoring setup used when performing and rehearsing?

This current tour, with Thrice, I was forced to make the jump to custom molded in ear monitors, using Westone ES30 earphones. Prior to that, the past year and a half I was using generic in ears that were my introduction into the “in ear world”. And before all of that, I was using a standard stage monitor, almost exclusively on my left side. I would say foolishly but I truly didn’t know any other way to do it. My reason for waiting so long probably had something to do with the initial cost it takes to get an IEM set up and just being a creature of “whatever is easiest” habit. Looking back now, with what I know and now feel, it would have been worth it from day one. I do understand however that it is not necessarily practical for people starting out.

Hearing Conservation is a general term that means "maintaining one’s current hearing health by reducing the risk of acquiring hearing damage from noise/music exposure." How do you think Hearing Conservation plays into your career and life?

Hearing Conservation right now in my life is as important as having a pair of drumsticks on stage with me. Without going into too much detail, over the past six months, I have had several health issues that called into question whether or not I could ever perform on a stage again. The ones that pertain most to the job that I do with mewithoutYou are moderate hearing loss and the development of Tinnitus. I guess I thought it was dorky to wear ear plugs on stage or that the show’s energy wouldn’t be the same. I used to think that I couldn’t feel the music when we were all playing together. I had a litany of excuses as to why I wasn’t blessing my future self with the gift of pure silence. What is the old saying about hindsight? Had I only gotten used to protecting my ears whenever I practiced, that may have translated over to the live show and potentially, I wouldn’t have gotten myself mixed up with the never ending ringing that is now in my ears/brain. Things changed almost on a dime with my entire way of living and how I treat myself and what I put in my body. The conservation and preservation of what I am left to work with physically, here on earth, is paramount to my well being. So please, if you are reading this, take all aspects of your health seriously - you never know when the bottom may drop out on you.

You've been performing with the dynamic, eclectic, and energetic band mewithoutYou for close to 2 decades now. Has your approach to performance changed as you have grown increasingly aware of your hearing health?

Well, being that this is the first tour since my hearing has changed, I am at the infantile stages of how my approach is morphing. For starters, I am using the custom molds as well as shotgun style ear muffs over top of my outer ears; it could be overkill but it's worth my peace of mind. I used to hit as hard as I could - that is no longer happening. I am giving what I think is enough to serve the music. Also, overall, I believe it is making us a better band. I am not flying through songs at a break-neck speed but rather trying to be more true to the original album tempos. That alone has reigned in how loud I am playing and I know the rest of the band appreciates it. On stage, it still feels like I am moving with a purpose even though I am not thrashing around and beating the hell out of my drums the way I used to. It feels good to embrace change, I have no other choice. Luckily, the little tweaks that I am making aren’t totally deviant from my “former self” so I would put this down on paper, strangely, as a win.

Is there anything you would like to impress upon your younger self, or someone just starting down the path of a touring musician?

Yes, yes and yes, this is the main reason I am taking the time to write these responses. Screw talking about bands I love or how I got into playing music, none of that matters compared to the conservation aspect of one’s auditory health. I wish that when I was 17 somebody would have steered me down the right path of always practicing my instrument with ear protection. Even more so, when I started touring, that there had been an old head who was suffering from Tinnitus to impart their learned wisdom upon me. You hear about things like hearing loss and Tinnitus, they may seem abstract or distant or like it can’t happen to you but HEAR ME NOW, nothing can prepare you for the actual physical feelings and distress that you may experience if you are unfortunate enough to catch either. It is life altering. It happens without warning. It is something to take as seriously as you take your craft. If you are playing live music and doing it fairly regularly, there is a good chance you will develop T - I call it T because I hate giving it a name - if I could call it Gollum I would but that would be giving it too much power 😎. It took me months to actual wrap my brain around what was happening inside of me. The developments of said conditions were directly related to the work I do and the habits I developed. It took me a crazy amount of money and a ton of visits to indifferent doctors and specialists to start to even figure it out. It wasn’t until I met Frank [Wartinger] at Earmark Hearing Conservation that I began to become “okay” with the crystal sounds that perpetually meet me when I wake in the morning, lay down for bed at night and those that visit me all the moments in between. As I understand it, there is no cure; you may search high and low in a state of panic but will be met with no magic pills or procedures to disarm the hissing. You may take on a feeling of hopelessness if you let it eat you alive; it does have the power to consume your every thought if you let it. Granted, T has many ranges and forms, it is possible to adjust over time, just takes a lot of patience, discipline and the rewiring of your daily activities and habits. Is that the position you want to put yourself in?

Please really take what I am saying to heart. While you have the ability to correct the bad form of not protecting your ears (at practice, at concerts, at the movies, at sporting events, loud parties, etc), change your ways while it is still possible. Your future self will appreciate it more than you could ever imagine.

Though this may seem morbid, it’s not, I am doing alright. I was issued the warning shot. It could be much worse and I acknowledge that. Thankfully, in my current state, doing all that I can to be health conscious and having Frank help me cope and understand the changes in my body. He has provided me with a road map of tools and techniques so that I am able to continue doing what I love with a gang of friends that I love. In 2020 I am 100 percent committed to closing out the final year of my tenure in mewithoutYou with a bang! Not a loud one of course 😉. If you made it this far, thanks for reading and remember one thing - take care of your ears, people!

Sound Profile are a series interviews focusing on the key element at the heart of Music Audiology: the musician. Frank Wartinger, Au.D., and Earmark Hearing Conservation are dedicated to improving the hearing health of all musicians throughout and the Philadelphia region.