Getting Heavy: How Parkway Drive turned to therapy to save the band | Australian Story documentary 

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Jia is the epitome of a good bloke, glad he’s being recognised now

Dude… Jia went through it and did it without making his mates, who didn’t appreciate him, feel bad about it. The weight that man carries 🫡

Jia is seriously the nicest musician I’ve ever met. I went to 3 parkway shows in 2 months back in 2016 and the first show I spotted him walking through the venue just before the show, pretty much everyone there was oblivious that he was apart of the band so I make my way to him just to say hi and have a chat as far as I know I was the only one that spoke to him that day in the crowd. Fast forward to the end of the next month I see them again and go to the meet and greet, the band were all really down to earth guys but jia looked at me and remembered talking to me at the show from the month before. I just thought that was the coolest thing that he remembered me and actually remembered our chat, I was kind of nervous to talk to him the first time because I figured he probably dealt with meeting fans constantly and I didn’t want to be a burden but he talked to me like I was a close friend and he treated me the same a month later. I gained a lot of respect for him after that not just as a musician from one of my favorite bands but as a person in general. It’s sad hearing about his partner I couldn’t imagine what he’s been through but I hope he can find comfort and keeps that kind spirit because the world needs more people like him now more than ever.

I shed a tear when I heard Jias story about his partner.

Jia legitimately seems like such a beautiful human being. The story about his partner is heartbreaking.

Obviously it’s all sorted now, but I can’t believe Jia wasn’t an offical member of the band until recently. It’s an interesting insight to the band

You know you're a Parkway fan if you recognise every single track playing in the background. Proud of you Byron boys.

It is crazy that we fans thought for almost 20 years that Jia was a core member of Parkway Drive, though it actually took 17 years for the others for him to be recognized as an official PWD member...

I had the biggest respect for PWD for all the hard work and grinding they put in over the years. I have even more respect for them now. Jia is such an awesome bloke and I'm happy they finally recognized his worth and talent. I love his little cabin in the woods.

Jai’s sacrifice is so great, the guilt Luke must’ve felt when he came to the realisation he was the reason he wasn’t there for his partner must have been crushing also

Sometimes us fans never realise the sacrifices musicians make when they put their music, their band mates, and their fans ahead of their loved ones. We tend to forget they’re human as well.

When Jia said that was the last time he ever saw her, I was in tears. And I (and how it seems, no one) never knew he was no official band member until now. I'm so glad he now get's the recognition he deserves. And I'm glad Parkway still exists. And I hope that one day, Jia can make peace with himself for not being with his partner when she died.

I have mad respect for the band for not just doing group therapy together but also opening up to their fans and the general public about it and the trials and tribulations they've had to endure. I wonder if they realise just how much their music has helped people overcome or deal with difficulties in their lives.

I was close to tears hearing what Jia did for the band. That's just so sad & heartbreaking. I'm sure she's with him every waking moment of his life & everytime he steps on stage. 😭💔

I can’t imagine a world without Parkway Drive. We actually almost lost these guys and that’s something I can’t fathom.

Incredible, just blown away about how bad things really were and how it just goes to show the character it takes to not just deal with your own personal problems but to carry that around with you and effect your mental health and still be able to pull together to kill on stage. Respect to you guys for recognizing the issues and dealing with them head on and can't wait to see you guys again. I was sorry to hear Jia and his partner and the sacrifice he made for his friends, that treated him as an employee. Great to see they did the right thing and made him a partner in the business and band. Top doco parkway 10/10 thank you

I think this is an important Documentary that EVERY band should watch. Lots of pitfalls to avoid here

I needed this documentary. I understand their music and respect the way it was written on a whole different level!

Couldn't stop crying literally. This is so hard to digest when Jia opens up about his girlfriend. I pray for him to find peace with it. Oh my God man...

This was amazing to watch I just finished it. My mates and I were hardcore kids (mostly boys and bmxers)and saw you at the start. I always loved you. We were mindsnare fans and all sorts and seeing it live is the best experience ever and was so good for the boys to get out their rage. Now we are 40 and I see my mates are still stuck in this toxic masculinity from our generation from our troubled pasts. I tried to help my friend and told him to try therapy. I have now lost a friend as he is trapped in this cycle of pretending he has no emotions and bringing down others to being himself up. I approached it wrong I have no idea how to help someone who hides behind false bravado and big ego. But when u r 40 you can’t just go out and get in some fights to realease that pain anymore so I worry about him most. I am so grateful to watch this and see you facing emotions and therapy. Therapy is hard work it isn’t a weak man’s act at all. We were all told to toughen up by boomer parents who were the children of World War Two veterans who drank themselves to death after the war. By making this and showing it you may help a generation or multiple generations of people to take away the stigma of mental health, being emotional beings with a tiny pre frontal cortex for logic. I have learnt so much from therapy. I advocate it for anyone but I know it cannot be forced my mistake there. I wish healing to all men out there who were taught emotions are a bad thing. It is tougher to face them and talk then to punch holes in walls. Well done boys!! I’m proud of you and will always love you music your message, your new message I feel comes from this doco about achieving unity and being open. Just a top band. I literally cry at some of your songs maybe cos I am one who doesn’t want to watch this world burn. A generation born to witness the end of the world!! Thanks boys!! This doco will help people. Top job.

I'm from West Virginia USA and have been a Parkway Drive fan for years. This band, these gentlemen have helped me through so much in my life with their music and to hear their woes and trials they went through to bring me that music just makes me love this band even more. Thank you Parkway Drive.

PWD will always be a part of my heart, the music, the men and the energy will live on forever in my soul

Man, what a moving film. Lots to understand, and appreciate. Really feel for Jia, through all of the breakdowns. He had the ultimate breakdown, for the band when they had not even decided to appoint him a main member. So hard. So glad they are dealing with their demons. 'Darker Still' is such an amazing record, and easily one of my favourite metal albums. Keep going lads. The world needs PD.

I remember watching the first documentaries about Parkway as a band and what was interesting that Jia was the funny and crazy one. He was half of the band's soul. I can picture his face trough the whole DVD how cheerful he was and looking him now, he is exhausted. That just proves that being the funniest guy might be actually an alert. I hope that he already found some common ground and he is treated like a friend, not just as a contractor. Wish all the best to the band, and hope they get back on their feet just as before.

This was an incredible watch. First great job to ABC for putting this together! Second Parkway Drive is my favorite band and to see some of the inner working was incredible. Kudos to the guys for being raw and honest. Jia is an absolute legend.

Jia's story had me in tears. I wish him the best.

I seriously love this band so so much, and the fact they have shared this with the world is simply incredible. Aussie Proud.

Jia you are the band, to see that you were treated as less is a heartbreak from a stranger. Love you all, just give a little to each other, YOU GUYS make a lot of people happy.

Am I understanding this right? For 17 years they didn't give Jia a cut of merch sales? Poor form, guys. Seriously. They've bought houses and started families thanks to the band's success, and absolutely exploited him to do it. I don't care how they rationalize it, who needs enemies when you've got friends like that?

This short documentary was well worth the watch. Parkway will always be in my top rotation.

This documentary should be called Some Kind Of Parkway Drive

PWD without Jia wouldn’t be PWD. That’s some hard truth. Dude is an integral part of the band as far as the fans are concerned ❤

Let’s go boys! Way to share your hard times, bare your emotions and show that it’s a GOOD thing to be vulnerable men because that’s where courage and strength lay. I hope this inspires just one bloke to open up and share his thoughts, feelings and vulnerabilities in freeing himself from the baggage holding him back.

This just puts Parkway Drive in a whole new light and perspective. Everything just became a little clearer. How incredibly heavy, dark, emotional and consuming it has been and perhaps still is. So much has been buried over time, suppressing themselves, sacrifices have been made. When Jia got the opportunity to tell his story, i was shocked and cried. I don't think i can even fathom the *true* weight of how much guilt, anger and grief he held onto and how it weighed him down. mental health will forever be a battle for humanity to deal with, because like anything else or mostly anything else... it will come in different shapes and forms, and emerge in new or old ways. It's just a matter of knowledge, acknowledgement and seeing it for what it really is, even when things grow darker still.

Holy smokes that story about Jia and his partner is gut wrenching. Had no idea the band went thru all this - kudos to them for working things out - long live Parkway Drive!

This might be my favorite movie of 34 minutes. Of this year! Thank you so much for showing us the deepest emotional side of the band as human beings... We love you all from Mexico 🇲🇽

This doco is beautifully shot and edited. Amazing stuff.

This brought tears to my eyes and really helped me to open up, letting your guard down etc. Especially the part about Jia and his partner, broke my heart. Words can not describe, how sorry I feel for him. Thank you for this great documentation!

This was beautiful. The manliest thing that this band did is talk about their feelings and upsets. I really appreciate it. I learned a lot as well from them.

Wanted this to be a full length doco. Much respect Jia!

This is a much needed demonstration of how therapy can help a group or couple. It also shows how we can understand eachother's feelings, thoughts, and concerns if we are willing to talk about them and do the work on ourselves, as well. Great job, Parkway Drive. Fantastic documentary making, film team!

What an amazing doco i was taken in by every second of it wanting it to be abit longer! Thank you PWD for sharing your story and giving us abit of an insight to the inner workings of the band and what yous have gone through I appreciate it so much! Much love to yous all and a special salute to Jia for hanging in there and getting the camaraderie from everyone else that he has earned and deserved. Love the new album guys it is 🔥

Been a big fan for a long time. I am so thankful you guys worked so hard to stay together and to hopefully become even stronger. Finally got to see you guys in Toronto monster of OZ tour for the first time. I couldn't have been happier.

Love these guys so much. Very glad they worked things out, and I hope they're here to stay.

Jia you are a great bass player! I can't believe it took them 17 years to say you were a part of the band. I'm so sorry for the loss of your partner and I hope you guys grow from this and become bigger than ever and love one another more than ever before!

Being a fan for many years ever since. I got in to metal music parkway have always been there. Watching this has really made me appreciate and realise what you all have sacrificed for us all to enjoy. Thank you Tough but humbling documentary

Jef... You became consumed with the idea of perfection, and it really is pure perfection. Thank you all for your work and your art, you are really talented, your music deserves to travel the world.

Wow. One of the best insights to heavy metal and musicianship within a band and all the good and bad times you go through. Love the Parkway boys, been here since 2008. Keep at it. All the love

maaannnnn..how come you treat your buddy like that for 17yrs....he had sacrificed sooo much for the band, gave his heart & soul

Brilliant documentary. Everyone should watch this. Repairing toxic relationships, mental health and understanding how heavy metal music helps normal sensitive people to release frustrations and hurt. Such a great story, congratulations Emmy Mack, and to the members of the band thank you for sharing. 🤗

Thanks for making this program. It's great to see how members of a band that has helped and inspired me feel about things and deal with difficult things themselves

This really moved me to tears thank you guys for not calling it quits and thank you for bringing us a phenomenon album

Great documentary! Still in love with this guys!

Thank you guys for your courage and for making this docu. It made me cry to hear Jia's story.

It got me emotional listening to this I have been supporting Parkway drive since the very beginning of their early days They had a huge success during killing with a smile and horizons. It's absolutely therapeutic to see a vulnerable side of this band I seriously love them so much. Glad to hear their back in full force congrats to Parkway drive Lovely to see Jia get some recognition♥️.

Be proud of yourself parkway,there is nothing like listening to your music in the car on the way to work or after a hard day,puts me at ease and probably alot of your other fans aswell,god bless never give up on what matters most!

I love Parkway!!! you guys have gotten me through 10+ deployments to the middle east, now retired from the military and I still listen to you daily! counseling saved my life

Thank you for sharing this very personal moments with us. I hope this emotional journey has build solid bridges of respect, honesty and appreciaton. Satisfaction is one of the most underrated values in life and i hope you can find it for yourselves. Or to say it in your words: "You never know just what you've got Till it's slipping through your fingers Never know just what you've got Till it's gone with the wind..." Keep fighting for each other - its worth it.

This doku made me cry so hard! Thank you for showing us so much of the inside of the band and members. I feel conected zo the music and the ppl even more than before.

Absolutely speechless. This was so raw. What an insight into the inner workings of the band. Much love to you all and proud of you guys for working it out

Thank you for sharing your story Parkway Drive! I appreciate all the work you do and the epic music you produce! 🤘🏼🎵❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

So sorry for your loss Jia. Heartbreaking…

Jia seems like such a sweet soul.

I’ll love this band till the day I die, thank you to all the boys 🤘🤘

"we're all making a sacrifice financially to include him"...wow...you're too generous...

still crying over this, thank you for telling this story!

I'm so glad they worked through their issues and are continuing to bring joy to peoples lives. Seeing them at Knotfest in Sydney gave me goosebumps. They have no idea how truly loved they are and how much we appreciate their sacrifices. Jia especially ❤

I loved the line “ it all comes down to what are our intentions?” You are a unit you should be equals You all have your own talents you bring to the table but without each other you don’t cut it. You have to be in it for the band Not for your own individual interests or gain! Good doco

this is such a great doco im truely stunned by it i felt really bad for Jia but im glad that hes finally getting his due im glad that theyre all owning up and being mates again and a true band

I had no idea the band was this close to ending. I can’t wait to see them on tour now

Thank you boys for realising the problems and flaws within each one of yous and fixing them not only for the band but more importantly your friendship, you guys have made millions of kids love music and the thanks doesn't come back your way often so cheers boys

I really appreciate on how they jumped over their own shadows in this situation full of business shit and who is who in the band. Getting professional help is something most couples fail to do and they did it with 4 managers and 1 employee - and got to a point where the therapist might have told them that maybe the employee is the only one just doing his job without hurting anyone and keeping the spirits up ... I know parkways music is so important to all of us, so let's keep showing them!!!

I appreciate their most recent album on a whole new level after watching this. I'm an old Parkway fan who wishes they would get back to their roots and their original sound, but watching this really does add so much more value to it for me. If anybody watching hasn't seen their first two self produced documentaries, go watch them. In fact, I just found this documentary because I was searching for those to watch again. Kinda stunned I stumbled on this bombshell of a film. Parkway forever \m/

These guys helped me through a whole heap of ups and downs with their music and dvds, and for that I thank the fellas. I really hope they are all good!

This really hit hard much respect for all of you❤️

Those last minutes literally broke me to tears. Thanks for being open and honest. Hope Parkway will remain for years to come!

Love this so much! Thanks for all the great music, and thanks for sharing your story! Its the love for one another that makes the world’s difference. ❤ 🤘. Please never stop making music!

Definitely a lot to unpack from this documentary... I'm sure we're all either siding or feeling the path Jia had gone through for the last 17 years. Sure, he has his mates which wanted him to join the band in 2005; so naively due to the fun of it all - untrained and unaware. It's like working so hard in your life that it took this long to earn your promotion. I suppose better later than never, but six years was still long enough to realize the dedication, commitment, and sacrifice Jia presented as being "this guy" in the band, unofficially. I'd figure at that point in time, that would be the breaking point. The man didn't want to disappoint his friends whom outside of music saw him as a coworker 9 to 5 type. At the end of the day, the resolution is that the rest of the band members got their act together, matured than ever before and welcomed arguably the best mate they could ask for. I hope the band looks at their bassist as the fifth part of the core and the heart of the band and not just "some musician".

Love these guys. So raw and humble. Rad music and attitudes. Inspirational lads

i saw them on Graspop 2023, Belgium, and they were great. You could feel the energy and they all had a great chemistry together! Well done guys

The love I have for Parkway Drive is unreal. Been listening to them for over a decade now & I couldn't be more grateful for all the good music and good times they've provided & for the chance to watch them grow into the Hardcore titans they are today. Viva the underdogs.

Love you guys! Keep on rocking on! 🤘🏻🖤🤘🏻

Great doco from these guys...the messages are really important. Well done.

Over the past year I’ve become very close friends with Ben. These guys really do care for there fans. I’m a testament to that. We talk every day. When my dad passed away this past July Ben helped me get thru that horrible time. I live in Mn. We live million miles away from each other but he has become one of my best friends.

Wow watching this documentary had me having tears in my eyes. Honesty always wins, Jia O'Connor's story hits me hard... welcome to the band (after 17 years)

Big fan from France here guys, and i just want to say well done for all. Love you guys!

Love you guys! Your honesty is the most bad a** thing I've heard!!! Beautiful. Thank you for the music and knowing the release it gives

Wooohhaa what an intense documentation! Really really got me, and it makes all sense for me, and I felt everybody’s pain/problems! This one goes deep… uff I hope Parkway Drive will climb and rise to the AC/DC- Metallica Level because these are awesome dudes and very talented musicians and worked so hard for it! Love to see u guys live again in Germany 👌 glad u come over it and now be ready to take the next awesome steps!!

JFC I'm chopping onions here. Love this band, learnt so many songs on drums and guitar , They've helped me through some dark times, and I'm so happy they've found someone to help them through their struggles . Love to you guys PWD

EVERYONE IN EVERY BAND SHOULD SHARE EQUALLY IN THE PROFITS OF THE BANDS COLLECTIVE SUCCESS❤❤❤ RAW, EMOTIVE X DEEPLY EYE-OPENING...THANK YOU FOR YOUR COURAGEOUS HONESTY PARKWAY DRIVE🐻🐻‍❄🐨

You guys made it because your fans respect and love what you do!! I’m in all the way!!

I've always wondered what band would be the band of my generation (or at least, for me). Every generation has a band that grows old with you. I think Parkway Drive is this band, we grow old and try to be better, and they're going through the same stuff. I wish you all good health and inspiration to keep doing music, and hopefully, we'll be around enjoying great songs for many years to come.

It's so cool to learn their history!! Currently I sit at home, recovering from head banging my ass off at their show in Irvine at Five Point Amphitheater. Loving Parkway Drive more and more the more I get to experience them live!

Loved this! Can’t wait for the US tour ❤️🤘🏻

Amazing true to life video. Made me cry a few times. Know why my son loves their tunes

This band kept me going through a lot of family loss and depression, ive never got to see you guys live yet but i will eventually ❤

Thanks for being so open and brave . Thanks for the music.thanks for making a metal head surfer cry So sorry for your loss Jia so heavy 🤙🤙

This is amazing... heavy music finally getting the prime time it deserves

Wow this is amazing. Best parkway doco up there with the first dvd.