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!!