Shawn and I had tickets for Jonny last night at the Atlanta botanical Garden and we got a call that the concert was cancelled, online review revealed that his wife had given birth the day before. The man turned his life around.
...but, i thought his music went south after the first album...the one with lie to me...
no surprise, such a young prodigy...blues way beyond his years, he had a very seasoned band with him in those days and i always thought they were there to protect him as much as help in his development...great voice, great guitar playing...
JL: I started smoking when I was 11. I joined my first band when I was 13, and shortly thereafter started drinking and smoking pot—the gateway drug. From there I just started drinking more and more, until it got the point where I was definitely an alcoholic. I couldn't not drink. I had to wake up and drink. I was smoking two packs of cigarettes a day, and then I just started getting into all sorts of other kinds of drugs. I was partying pretty hard, and, you know, loving it. I loved doing that stuff. I never got to the point where I thought, Oh, I have to stop.So did you ever have a 'rock bottom' experience?Lang I don't think I really ever gave myself enough time to be in reality to know that I was at rock bottom. Any time I'd think, Oh, there's reality, I'd just go over here and smoke this or snort that, you know. I just tried to keep reality at bay as best I could.What got me off of that stuff was this one moment when God touched my life.
Most young guitarists are long on flash and gimmicks. The high drama of Hendrix and the spidery inventions of Stevie Ray Vaughan are the most familiar models, but Lang pulled from the old school, tailoring his playing to the song and never overstaying his welcome on the bandstand. The soulful chops of Albert Collins and Luther Allison make up his template, a refreshing approach informed by a humility of purpose that draws other great musicians to Lang.
...didn't know he needed a turn around...
ReplyDelete...but, i thought his music went south after the first album...the one with lie to me...
no surprise, such a young prodigy...blues way beyond his years, he had a very seasoned band with him in those days and i always thought they were there to protect him as much as help in his development...great voice, great guitar playing...
JL:
ReplyDeleteI started smoking when I was 11. I joined my first band when I was 13, and shortly thereafter started drinking and smoking pot—the gateway drug. From there I just started drinking more and more, until it got the point where I was definitely an alcoholic. I couldn't not drink. I had to wake up and drink. I was smoking two packs of cigarettes a day, and then I just started getting into all sorts of other kinds of drugs. I was partying pretty hard, and, you know, loving it. I loved doing that stuff. I never got to the point where I thought, Oh, I have to stop.So did you ever have a 'rock bottom' experience?Lang I don't think I really ever gave myself enough time to be in reality to know that I was at rock bottom. Any time I'd think, Oh, there's reality, I'd just go over here and smoke this or snort that, you know. I just tried to keep reality at bay as best I could.What got me off of that stuff was this one moment when God touched my life.
Most young guitarists are long on flash and gimmicks. The high drama of Hendrix and the spidery inventions of Stevie Ray Vaughan are the most familiar models, but Lang pulled from the old school, tailoring his playing to the song and never overstaying his welcome on the bandstand. The soulful chops of Albert Collins and Luther Allison make up his template, a refreshing approach informed by a humility of purpose that draws other great musicians to Lang.