The Ties That Bind Us
10 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 MoreScorcher, Sinner, sober: Warner E. Hodges is a man of many hats
Courtesy of Trudi Knight/Bands on Stage It’s been 27 years since Warner E. Hodges threw back a drink, but it wouldn’t be honest to say he didn’t have fun before the booze took over his life. As a founding member of Jason and the Scorchers — which started out as Jason and the Nashville Scorchers,…
Read MoreTriggers & Slips’ Morgan Snow: Passion, purpose the key to overcoming addiction
Courtesy of Patrick Carnahan (Cracked Glass Photography) For Morgan Snow, labels are a nebulous concept. His band, for instance — Triggers & Slips, which releases a new album, “The Stranger,” this week — doesn’t fit into any certain box. There are throwbacks to the band’s 2012 full-length debut that are most definitely honky-tonk in origin,…
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…
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