Rock musicians in recovery
Johnny Solomon of Communist Daughter is stone-cold sober (literally)
Winter is coming for Johnny Solomon of Communist Daughter, and it’s going to be brutal. That’s not an addiction metaphor, although given Solomon’s past, it might have been, had he not found recovery. But Solomon — Johnny to his friends and to the fans who have adored his band for a decade now; John as…
Read MoreFrom Britpop heights to addiction’s lows, Simon Mason sails on with the Hightown Pirates
It’s criminal, in a sense, just how far below the radar of popular culture that “All of the Above,” the new album by Hightown Pirates, has cruised. If there were any justice in the world of rock ‘n’ roll, Simon Mason and his band of merry recovering misfits would be stomping holes through the wooden…
Read MoreRedlight King’s Mark ‘Kaz’ Kasprzyk: ‘It’s brighter on the other side’
Redlight King is (from left) Brian Weever, Mark “Kaz” Kasprzyk, Mark Goodwin and Julian Tomarin. (Courtesy of Parts + Labor Records) Mark “Kaz” Kasprzyk, the Canadian who found a home in Southern California and fame with his band, Redlight King, never set out to be a role model for addiction recovery. If anything, he told…
Read MoreSurrender to win: Dramarama’s John Easdale quits keeping score
Dramarama, from left: Mike Davis, John Easdale, Tony Snow, Peter Wood and Mark Englert. (Photo courtesy of Amy Martin) There’s a saying in recovery circles that John Easdale, the founder and singing, songwriting force behind the power-pop ensemble Dramarama, clings to all the harder the older he gets: It’s about the journey, not the destination.…
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…
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