Rock musicians in recovery
On ‘CONSUME,’ The JAB weaponizes rock against stigma, suffering
Courtesy of Karen Rettig Beloved broadcaster Paul Harvey once regaled millions of listeners with his touching, poignant tales of humanity, delivered in the measured cadence of his soothing Midwestern drawl. Often, key parts of his stories were withheld until the end of the broadcast, at which point Harvey would sign off with the signature phrase…
Read More10 Years vet Ryan ‘Tater’ Johnson gets high on life, music, God
J-Birds: Kris Watkins (drums), Aaron Zecchini (guitars/sax) Ryan “Tater” Johnson (guitars/vocals), Cody Hensley (keys, trumpet) and Steve J. Young (guitars/vocals). Don’t try to tell Ryan “Tater” Johnson that God isn’t real. He might not fight you over it, but he’ll certainly laugh in your face. The man upstairs, after all, has been looking out for…
Read MoreArt Alexakis of Everclear: ‘The ability to be present and aware … is the best drug I ever had’
Everclear is, from left, Dave French, Art Alexakis and Freddy Herrera. (Not pictured: drummer Brian Nolan.) Photo courtesy of Paul Brown. Dope had its hooks in Art Alexakis’ life long before he became an addict. As the founder and frontman of Everclear, a band whose ’90s heyday produced several staples of alternative radio, he found…
Read MoreTommy Vext of Bad Wolves: Recovery is the road map out of the mouth of madness
Courtesy of Josh Adams It’s mid-afternoon on the West Coast, and Bad Wolves frontman Tommy Vext is hurting. He’s just left Gold’s Gym, where his personal trainer put him through the ringer. The trainer, Vext tells The Ties That Bind Us, is the same guy who helped actor Josh Brolin get into shape for his…
Read MoreChristopher Tait of Electric Six uses sobriety as a springboard to recovery activism
Electric Six, chilling poolside. Keyboardist Christopher “Tait Nucleus?” Tait, far right, joined in 2003 and got sober eight years later. When Christopher Tait came to after an Electric Six show at Nashville’s Exit/In, the willingness to do something about a problem that was about to cost him his band lasted roughly three days. Tait had…
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