Southern Californias quartet, The Johns are the gritty side of rock and roll. Featuring members of Die Hunns, The Pushers, The Grabbers, The Bleeders, The Crowd and the Adz, it is no surprise these guys have been called one the most refreshingly new sounds to come out of Southern California in years, bringing a blend of punk rock & roll to your ears.
from Happy Magazine:
Rob-"Hey Mike whats up? Im returning your call from 13 weeks ago."
Mike-"Hey Rob, I forgot what I needed. How you doing?"
Rob-"I just got home from tour and I want to hang myself."
That was the genesis of The Johns. At a crossroads musically and looking for something different, All of us have played in bands in the same area for a long time but I have never played with these guys in the same band.
Mike-"Once we had a direction things happened pretty fast. Reaction has been overwhelming, zero compromise with this band, it is exactly what we intended it to be and more!"
Exploding on the scene with their 2005 release of a 5 song EP, the band has garnered fans from San Francisco to Phoenix. Lars Frederickson got a copy of the EP and immediately put it in rotation on Rancid Radio-XM. Their energetic live show has kept the band busy, sharing the stage with acts Social Distortion, X, TSOL, The Street Dogs, Manic Hispanic, The Adolescents, Youth Brigade, Cadillac Tramps, & The Stitches at venues as diverse as Alexs Bar Long Beach, CA and The Fillmore San Francisco, CA.
The EP found its way to Anko Records, a newly formed label out of Orange County, CA. The label quickly signed The Johns and released a 3 song 7 that has been described as a reflection of todays dysfunctional love and yesterdays drug addiction. The Johns quickly entered AEG Studios with producer Paul Miner (Thrice-Atreyu-Confession-New Found Glory) to record their full length "Preacher" (out September 12th) and enlisted special guest Greg Kuehn (Bob Dylan-TSOL) on keyboards. Guitarist Rob states, "The influences of the Sex Pistols and Stones cut through in our music. Sham 69, The Stooges and X are also there. The music for this record was all written in the living room on an old 4 track then brought to rehearsal to finish. I wanted this record to sound as raw and as real as possible." "Something to achieve the energy of our live performance," says singer Tommy. He adds, "When writing lyrics, I try to touch on an issue, situation or an event that has happened at some time in my life, or someone I know."
Preacher is 12 songs The Johns have nailed, this record is a life story of sex, drugs, morally corrupt love and of course, rock & roll. From Crack City a song that delves into the highs and lows of drug use, Going Down a life spiraling out of control, Political is about the system, its lies and peoples acceptance of conformity, to the title track Preacher and talks about deviation, sexual awakening and being lead down the wrong path, this record gets around the block.
In general, to sum up the band: Rob creates great sounds with tones you can melt a marshmallow with. Always having tasty riffs up his sleeves, seasoned and well rounded. His roots run deep. Mike is a character that is never dull. Mike's the guy that makes things happen, gets things done and a great bass player. Joel is a flamboyant, hard-hitting drummer that demands your attention and always the prankster of the band. Tommy fronts all this with the charisma of an evangelical preacher tending to the sinners at a roadside tent revival. The Johns are about Four guys coming together to commit the perfect crime.
