Posts by Steve Wildsmith
Remembering those who fell: A Memorial Day playlist
There’s often a lot of confusion between Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day, at least among civilians. The men and women who wear the uniform understand, however. Oh, they bear our misguided salutes on the former and don’t mind at all if we honor the dead on the latter, but for the sake of clarification: Memorial…
Read MoreGood Riddance to destructive habits: The sobriety journey of punk provocateur Russ Rankin
Courtesy of Lindsey McGuire | Lindsey Lu Photography It’s not surprising that Russ Rankin got clean and sober — after all, a lot of his peers found that doing so was a lot more preferable than the alternative, he told The Ties That Bind Us recently. “As time goes on, people who are kind of…
Read MoreDuane Betts: ‘It’s really all about love, and spreading love instead of fear’
With his old man’s surname and a first name taken from a guy considered one of the greatest guitarists of all time, you couldn’t be faulted for thinking that of course Duane Betts is in recovery from addiction. After all, his father is Dickey Betts — the iconic voice of “Ramblin’ Man” and a founding…
Read MoreThanks to recovery, REM ONE grinds on that hip-hop hustle
Want proof that recovery provides for miracles? Look no further than Frank Morgan, the hip-hop artist known as REM ONE. By all accounts, Morgan should be somewhere in a Baltimore graveyard, dead from an overdose or the violence that often accompanies addiction. Or, worse, he could still be shuffling in and out of jails and…
Read MoreSongwriter, guitarist Kyle LaLone finds serenity ‘Somewhere in Between’
Middle of the night, sometime last year: Kyle LaLone awakens with a single lyric in his head: “I hate the way you look at me when you say that you still love me / I know it’s true, but I don’t want it to be / You’re a thousand miles away with no plans of…
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