The Ties That Bind Us
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 MoreA Sublime dream: Bradley Nowell’s legacy lives on in a house that bears his name
Twenty-four years later, Kellie Nowell still trembles when she recalls the moment she got the news. May 25, 1996: She pulled into the family garage and knew immediately something was amiss. Her mother’s car was parked in front of the house, and her husband met her as she exited the car to deliver the devastating…
Read MoreDehd’s Emily Kempf: Youth is no obstacle to sobriety, music, art or anything else
The Chicago indie rock band Dehd is, from left, Jason Balla, Emily Kempf and Eric McGrady. (Photo courtesy of Alexa Viscius) There’s a saying in the rooms of recovery that has proven to be a blueprint for Emily Kempf’s life. “Lost dreams awaken and new possibilities arise.” As the bassist-vocalist for the Chicago-based lo-fi indie…
Read More‘Joy’ from doing the ‘Deal’: William Russell Wallace finds sobriety fits him well
There aren’t a lot of live performances going on in the time of COVID-19, and that grieves the soul of William Russell Wallace. Wallace — Billy to his friends and family, but who also might introduce himself as Will or Willie on an impish lark that’s a holdover from his desire to get a dopamine…
Read MoreSinger-songwriter Graham Bramblett finds contentment in ‘The Great Inbetween’
At the worst of it, singer-songwriter Graham Bramblett would sit at the bar, staring at the drink in front of him, unable to pick it up because his hands were shaking so bad, hating what he was about to do but knowing it was what his body required. The Texas native, who now lives in…
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