For 5 Borough Bagels owner, music is expression of trauma
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Toney Chem. Photo: Courtesy of Chem
Toney Chem has been rehearsing for his biggest music set yet in an unlikely place: his car.
- He's been practicing while driving back and forth to visit his wife, Sarah, who's spent the past month hospitalized with a severe lung infection and plans to watch his Panda Fest performance over FaceTime.
Why it matters: Chem, who co-owns 5 Borough Bagels with Sarah, says music has been his anchor through the hardest moments of his life, and this is one of them.
- "Every time there's any kind of traumatic event in my life, music is always the lifesaver," he says.
State of play: Sarah has been at MercyOne downtown for a month after her pneumonia developed into empyema, resulting in lung surgery, chest tubes and weeks in the ICU.
- She has since moved out of intensive care, and Chem says his family hopes she can go home next week.
How it started: Chem released his first album in 2003 at 16 years old.
- At 18, Chem, a Pella native and Cambodian American, moved to New York City, where he pursued his creative passions, but also faced living in "survival mode" after the death of his mother and suffering from alcoholism.
- He met Sarah and they decided to move to Iowa in 2013, opening 5 Borough Bagels in Clive three years later.
- Even then, he was still dealing with alcoholism, but for the last five years he's become sober, which is also when "music started speaking" to him again. He released his second album last year.
- "I was able to heal," he says. "I was suppressing all these emotions."
Zoom in: Chem describes his style as "dramatic" and "high energy." He's done country ballads and pop-dance tracks, donning overalls and feeding pigs for one music video.
- The humor is deliberate. Chem, a Cancer, says he feels things deeply, and his songs are how he packages those emotions "in the happiest way," so listeners know there's still something to look forward to.
What they're saying: The last two years have been "non-stop" for his family as he's pursued music and grown 5 Borough Bagels, which may supply the Des Moines airport next year.
- This month has made him rethink that pace, however.
- "I'm realizing God is kind of telling me to slow down," he says. "Don't always say yes to everything."
The bottom line: Chem wants the weekend to be fun, whether that means someone smiling, laughing or dancing along. He plans to perform dressed as a panda.
- "I also want to showcase to people that no matter what life brings you, you still got to do the things you love," he says. "To be able to keep going and show that there's beautiful life still after trauma after trauma."
If you go: Chem performs at Pandafest at 6pm Friday, 4:10pm Saturday and 11am Sunday.