DRUMS -KEITH GRAMM

GUITAR -DANIAL WILKER

LEAD GUITAR -CAPTAIN LOU

*Musical Influences…..

Guns & Roses and Marilyn Manson are two of C.L.’s strongest over all musical influences. He says Guns & Roses introduced him “to the attitude (and) the lifestyle” of Hard Rock culture in general. But they, as he said, “most importantly…..introduced me to the sound that will echo in my brain forever”. As to Marilyn Mason he said Mason “expanded the idea of what a rock band could be”. Citing the “visceral, unapologetic lyrics” and “the orchestration of music, the way instruments interact with the movie samples and weird digital bits” C.L. told me that Mason showed him how musical ideas can “expand”. Adding to that he said that Manson’s “live show merged it all” and that it was a “revolutionary art form” in itself.  Watching such hard rocking and entertaining stage shows as Mason’s and Guns & Roses helped C.L. to know what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. As a guitarist C.L. was influenced heavily by “Dimebag” Darrell of Pantera and Damageplan. He not only influenced him sound wise, but in his particular style of playing the guitar. C.L. also credits the revolutionary Heavy Metal guitarist, Dimebag, with influencing him as a person, and philosophically, as well, and not just musically. C.L. said Dimebag’s own personal philosophy on life had a big impact on him and that Dimebag influenced him more in his musical pursuits than any other musician.

Captain Lou, as he is known to fans of AMERICAN LESION, has been compared in his playing style to Eric Clapton and Dave Gilmour (of Pink Floyd).  “God didn’t bless me with fast fingers” C.L. says, and refers to his own playing style as being “very bluesy” when doing a solo. I’d say God did bless him just the same, listening to the lead guitar parts in AMERICAN LESION songs will prove it.

*Life Philosophy…..

“I’m a realist” –Captain Lou

C.L. says he has a “pretty broad view” about things in life. He considers himself a “philosopher in the purest sense of the word” and says he tries to look at things from all angles. His is an open-minded individual and is willing to change his mind about anything if he is “given substantial evidence to a fact”. The talented guitarist is as “very spiritual person, but totally against religion”. He tries to love everyone in general and strives to be the best person he can be in his personal life. C.L. is a respectful person as well as very respectable. He is a forgiving person “if someone were to try to reconcile”. He is no push over and believes respect must be earned and realizes it is a two-way street. Captain Lou, like all the men in the band are, is a human being and is more than just a great musician. Musicians are all human beings with their own thoughts, opinions and beliefs. C.L. is as human as the rest of us and is a three dimensional person and not just a guitarist in a rock band. He has is own opinions and is very candid about expressing them. A good example of the Captain’s openness is he is not afraid to tell you that he “stands firmly on the Bill of Rights”. He is opposed to certain U.S. Government foreign policies and believes Americans of all races should “unite in retaliation against (political) Zionism”. As to immigration he states that all immigrants should be allowed to live here, provided they have gone “through the channels” and legal processes. He says he personally does not agree with miscegenation and homosexuality but says each person must make their own moral choices in life. Whatever other people choose to do has “no affect” on his own spirituality, he told me.  He said whatever choices a person makes in their personal lives “are between that person and God” and that “it has nothing to do with me”.

Chatting off-and-on with C.L., I have found him to be a very kind person, with vast interests, and a great sense of humor.  I will end this article with another quote from Captain Lou that sums up his perspective on life and the unknown ideological challenges it throws at us in our lives……

“(I will) chew that food when it gets on my plate.” –Captain Lou

  

LEAD VOCALS -JOHNNY BILL

*Musical Influences…..

Bands that influenced Johnny in general are Guns & Roses, Nirvana, Tool and Queen. These were (and still are) some of his favorite bands that influenced him at the beginning of his own pursuit of music. But this is certainly are not a full and complete list of bands he liked back then, or now.

A couple of specific lead singers that influenced Johnny’s singing and vocal style are Freddie Mercury of Queen and Maynard James Keenan of Tool and A Perfect Circle.

*Life Philosophy…..

“At this point in life I feel like the best thing for me to do is to continue my musical endeavors, and to ignore everything else until it falls apart” –Johnny Bill

Johnny told me that he dislikes, and hates, “many things”. He said that should be “obvious to many through my lyrics”.  Johnny, like many of us, has his own way of looking at life. He is person who has his own views and opinions and likes to express his beliefs through his lyrics and songs.  He is quite blunt about his individualism as a person when he says “I have a personal mission spiritually, that I must protect from outside influence”.

In the years that I have known Johnny I have always known him to be a very dedicated family man who deeply loves his wife and his children. As the lead singer of the band he knows he has his job to do, and he is dedicated to doing it well. His has excitement and enthusiasm for the band in general, and his fellow band members, is always there when he talks to me about the band and what it’s projects are.

Years ago Johnny made a statement to me that had a big influence on my own thoughts about music in general. I would like to share that simple but profound statement with you here. Johnny said “all music is a gift from God”. A simple statement, but it was said to me in a very heartfelt manner by him.  Johnny has a deep passion for music and he also has one for what he believes in. He sees the world around him and he translates it into poetic song lyrics. He couples his lyrics with his very own way of singing that enters the listener’s ears and travels to their hearts and minds.  Johnny has not only a way with words when it comes to lyrical writing, but a way with his singing voice that passionately, yet melodically soothes the soul.  His voice can only be best described, by this writer, as sounding “bluesy, yet grungy”.   His singing style is kind of a cross between a Blues singer and a Grunge Rock singer. Johnny Bill's powerful vocals and lyrics make for a great combination. His vocals and the hard rocking music of the musicians he performs with make up AMERICAN LESION.  

“I will remain as ‘unopposed’ as possible to most ideas, until the procurator of the idea fails, then I will laugh.” –Johnny Bill

BASS -CODY LUNA

*Musical Influence…..

Bands that influenced him in general: Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, White Zombie, Acid Bath, Machine Head, Nine Inch Nails, Cannible Corpse, Old Man’s Child.

Individual musicians that influenced his style of play: Darrel “Dimebag” Abbott, Randy Rhoads. Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield, of Metallica, helped him to learn “things like triplets and palm muting”. He credits Kurt Cobain’s style of playing for a “huge part of (his) rhythm building practice”.  Luna said “I started learning some finger-picking techniques from Eric Clapton, Lindsey Buckingham, and Randy Rhoads”.  Cody learned finger-picking on a 6 string guitar by learning and practicing Beethoven songs.  He started out as a guitar playing musician, but then an ex-roommate gave him a bass guitar. The now accomplished bass player, at that time, began absorbing playing techniques from such skilled bassists as Les Claypool (Primus), Jaco Pastorius (accomplished Jazz and Rock bassist) and Victor Wooten (of the Flecktones). 
Today Cody also enjoys the guitar playing styles of such musicians as Brendan Small (from Dethklok) and Buckethead (Brian Carroll, a very talented guitarist)

*Life Philosophy…..

“I used to hate humans in general, and then I realized I only hated the humans that had not become self-aware. I realized that hating humanity doesn’t accomplish anything constructive” –Cody Luna

Luna, who certainly is no a luna-tic, said that many who had not become self-aware were mostly what he termed “disinterested drones”. He said something to me that was one of my favorite quotes from him and that was: “everyone you know now is going to either watch you die or you will watch them die”. With that statement he added that each of us should prepare ourselves for the death of loved ones, and our own. He further explained his life philosophy by saying “caring about humans is the only way to solve things”. By “things” he means social and political problems, but also personal issues between our selves and others in our personal lives.

Cody said that his own personal life philosophy, that includes self-awareness of one’s own self and purpose, encourages healthy rebelliousness, when appropriate.  His Bass-i-ness told me that he would like to see people be more “rebellious” to authority and more “self-determined” in their lives. He says that self-education is the only key to achieving this rebellious self-determination.  He sees present conditions in this and other countries as partly due to what he calls “mass stupidity”, believing that for the masses to overcome their ignorance each individual must seek out truth, and where possible help spread it. He said we can do this by striving to “experience everything, but believe blindly in nothing”.  He believes that “for anyone to die with regrets is antithetical to human existence”. In noting Luna’s comments to me I couldn’t help but notice that he is just like my self in that he sees free thinking as truly being alive and the definition of life itself.  Luna believes in encouraging people to come to their own conclusions about things, and not just swallowing propaganda. The propaganda he referred to is not just Government propaganda, but religious and cultural propaganda as well. This is a man after my own heart! Cody said he would like to see more use of “reason, rather than emotion” by people. He does not believe governments should interfere with our “individual pursuits of happiness” either.

In the many discussions, and even debates, I have had with Cody concerning diverse subjects, I found him to be a true gentleman. Cody Luna is a very kind, and also a very insightful, intelligent and intellectual person. He is a very knowledgeable science “nerd”, and also very politically and socially astute.  He is well informed and knows his facts. Even if a person disagrees with Cody on a particular topic he is a very open minded and candid person to talk to.  Cody is a dedicated family man who loves his family very much. He also loves his fellow band members and the band’s fans, and is very proud to be a member of AMERICAN LESION.  

“Life is an excellent teacher, but it eventually kills all it’s pupils” –Cody Luna

  

In Summary

AMERICAN LESION describes itself as a Rock slash Grunge band. That is a good way to describe their music's sound. The bluesy sound of the lead vocals with the powerfully pain-filled emotional delivery of the lead singer and the compellingly mysterious lyrics are accompanied by a equally melodic, yet forceful,  "grungy" rock sound.
The drums and drumming have a very clear, and complimentary sound within the songs. The beats of the drumming are catchy, yet aggressively hard driving. The lead guitaring is skillfully done, but not over done as some bands seem to allow to happen. The sounds of the lead guitar sets a particular mood for each of their songs, and carries that mood through till the end of it. The rhythm and bass guitaring is well done and give a fullness of sound to all the songs. The band truly is a band of individual musicians that have their own styles and particular sounds yet play great music together. Not only is the sound and lyrics of AMERICAN LESION songs in a class all of their own, but every one of their songs have a different sound to them. There is no manufactured, monotonous,  plastic sound to this band. In a general sense they can be classified as Hard Rock, yet that does not do their music full justice.  To listen to AMERICAN LESION is to experience AMERICAN LESION!

In the begining.....

Johnny was a teenager with a gift, a gift given him his first birthday, the day he was born. That gift wrapped in genes and D.N.A. was talent, musical talent. Like all youngsters his age group he loved music. He listened to all kinds of music and already had eclectic tastes. His favorite, not surprisingly, was Hard Rock and Heavy Metal. He also listened  heavily to Punk, Hardcore and Grunge. He gained a guitar and learned to play. He also learned to play Bass and even Drums. Yet his favorite instrument was one not  manufactured by man, it can only be be naturally grown. It can not be purchased, and only a gifted and select few learn how to "play" it correctly. No, it is not the "instrument" only males are born with. Matter-a-fact all men and women are born with this instrument. This instrument does have cords, but the tuning process takes a natural gift, and lots of practice to produce the right sound. That corded instrument was his vocal cords.
   
Johnny also was born with the gift for words. This coupled with his own insightful, yet cynical worldview made for a very interesting, and entertaining, outspoken young man. He used is gift with words to write song lyrics. Johnny's lyrical style from it's very beginning was a poetic and enigmatic. Like the encryption machine called the "Enigma" used by  the German Nazis to conceal messages, Johnny's mind produced encoded messages within his lyrics. The only "cipher" to the meanings of his lyrics is inside Johnny's head. Yet a listener to his lyrics can still get their own meaning, and enjoyment from Johnny's poetic wordings.

At the young age of 16 Johnny went into a recording studio, alone. He wrote the music for his lyrics and laid, individually, the tracts for the vocals and instruments. A musical talent little Johnny was.
When all the tracts were mixed songs were produced that had sounds all of their own. Not only did Johnny's music and songs have a distinct sound overall, but every song sounded different from the other.
 This author and music lover has had the distinct privilege to listen, repeatedly to, that cd of songs Johnny made. It was years later that Johnny and I met and talked for the first time. He had become an adult by then. He was and still is married to a pretty and very sweet young lady. He and his wife had already had two very small children by the time he and I came into each others lives.  The music cd he had made years back as a teenager had never been released under a label and was more of a keepsake of memories than much else.
When he burnt me a copy and I took it home and listened to it, I was blown away!

Johnny and I met initially under not so musical terms. Our crossing of paths was due to a connection point in our spiritual journeys he and I were on at the time. You may not believe this at first but Johnny is a very spiritual person in his personal life. Even as two separate individuals, with very different backgrounds, Johnny and I shared some very same social, religious and even political interests.
It was through those shared interests in religious beliefs he and I had in common that we met. You see Johnny and I both are of the same mindset that one's religion or spiritual beliefs, or lack of,  dictate one's view points in society and political philosophies. It is due to that very same theological belief system that we were involved in social and political activism. He and I were involved in political and social activism that was a manifestation of our deeply held religious convictions. It was that combined "theo-political" belief system and it's activism that led up to his and my meeting one another. Yes, Johnny and I both are Christian in our religious faith. Now before you roll your eyes or they glaze over let me assure you he and I are not of the so-called "Conservative,  Judeo-Christian" ilk. Nor are we the "Progressive" Liberal Left-leaning Christian types.  You couldn't label us "Moderates" either, because we don't fit in between the two. No, Johnny and I are not  "somewhere in the middle". We both are of a Christian theology and belief system that stands to itself.  Albeit not only are some of our religious doctrines despised by many but so are some of our political beliefs that stem from that theology.
Mine and Johnny's religious beliefs are sometimes considered, by some, to be "non-Christian". Most denominational  Christians disagree with some of the religious doctrines he and I believe in. Those same doctrines are behind some of the "politically-incorrect" political beliefs we share as well.

Though I write on religious and Biblical topics this blog is not dedicated to those subjects and I do not mean to bore the non-Christian, or even non-religious reader of this blog, with all this talk of religion. I also write a lot about politics and political issues, mainly Government insanity. This blog is not about politics or about political policy either. I write about social issues as well but again this blog is not concerned with that subject matter either, at least not directly. It is about music, specifically the music of one band in particular. That band being AMERICAN LESION. That band has songs with powerful lyrics put together with great music that do have both a social and dare I say political message. 
During Johnny's, shall I say, more politically-active days he had many opportunities to be interviewed by the main-stream corporate media. In one of those more memorable interviews he, at one point during an exchange between he and that particular interviewer, was told something both Johnny and I will never forget. This somewhat well known media personality told Johnny that talking to him was "..... like trying to nail Jello to a wall". I got a good laugh out of that one. Not because Johnny is an evasive personality, on the contrary he and I share the same personality trait of being quite up front and out spoken individuals.
Johnny is just a very intelligent person and he is no push-over, he knew the score when it came to the games media "news" casters play. Big corporate news reporters and news commentators interview people that they believe will never one-up them during a broadcast. It is a "show" after all and the aim is not truth or open dialogue but ratings. Ratings bring in advertisers that pay for commerical or ad spots bring in revenue. The more well-known media "personalities" have egos as well as bank accounts they want to keep large.
Johnny is a very unique personality and sees the world in his own unique way. He also has his very own way of expressing his beliefs and view points. That uniqueness about him translates into some very cryptic lyrics in his song writing.  Even his songs that are somewhat obvious in their subject matter have hidden meanings behind the original concept of the song.

I met Johnny back in 2004. We have been good friends ever since. That friendship has grown close, and though there is an age gap between us, that closeness makes him feel like a younger brother to me. I'm not ashamed at all to say I love him like a little brother. Not that he and I haven't had our differences in the past as well. The lil fucker hurt my feelings a couple of times, but I look back and see it all in perspective now and can even laugh about it. I chock it all up to being  part of his own personal and individual spiritual path he had to walk. Ah hell, we all fuck up from time to time and hurt the ones that care about us. Lord knows I myself sure have. We made our amends and  I look forward not only to the future of our friendship but also of his musical career and of  the band which includes him and his 4 talented musician friends. Together they  make up AMERICAN LESION!!