Page 8 - ION Indie Magazine NovDec 2020

JR: Starting with Stands With Fists, it’s a soundtrack film and music theatrical group,
most famously known for our three-dimensional black light glow show -- a ‘chroma
depth Vision psychedelic blacklight art tribe,’ in our words. Stands With Fists has played
Knotfest, California Metal Fest 5, and we’ve played along some of the biggest names
in the industry. My bandmates are currently Omar Hernandez (guitar), Darrell Gulledge
(guitar), Bobby Hutchinson (bass), Louis Scham (drums), and myself on vocals.

In Lethal Injektion, which currently has been picked up by Curtain Call Records and
started its FM radio airplay as of last week, which we found ourselves turning on the
Billboards. Lethal Injektion popped onto the music scene in early 2016. The first show
came on January 8, 2016, at the historic Rialto Theatre in downtown Tucson. This event
led to over 600 pre-sale tickets and Lethal Injektion made an immediate impact in town.
We immediately started recording with mega producer Matt Good (Asking Alexandria,
Hollywood Undead), and released our 1st EP ‘Sex Is Power’ on March 3, 2016, going
on to hit #8 on iTunes for new releases, #1 on Amazon new releases. Our LP ‘Sex
Money Power’ was released on July 22, 2016, showcasing 13 songs -- including the
single ‘Verbal Warfare,’ that featured Tech N9ne and Twista and reached #4 on iTunes,
and once again, #1 on Amazon, where it stayed for 3 weeks. We began playing much
larger shows, festivals, and short tours while continuing to grow the name and brand.
Lethal Injektion stayed hungry and immediately started writing and recording our
sophomore record in late 2016. We released ‘Judgement Night’ on September 22,
2017, showcasing 16 songs -- including ‘The Crossover’ and ‘Blinding Light,’ peaking
at #2 on iTunes and #1 on Amazon. This album caught the attention of the world-
famous World Star Hip Hop. WSHH premiered the band’s music video ‘The Crossover,’
which generated over 1.4 million views in 2 days on their website. Lethal Injektion has
played with the some of the biggest names, as well as recorded with some of the
biggest names in the industry, including 2 headlining tours, over 3 million views on
YouTube, 2,000,000 Spotify streams, and 3 #1 chart-topping albums independently.
My bandmates for Lethal Injektion are Jacob Ryan (vocals), Jesse Espich (guitars),
Lawrence McIntyre (guitars), Bobby Hutchinson (bass), James Ringstrom (drums), and
myself on vocals.

With Crazy Town, our new album is set to release in the middle of November, and I
believe it will be our best work. Working with Crazy Town is awesome! I connected with
Shifty doing a show and then lethal collab, then started collaborating relations after
doing a certain amount of the Crazy Town album. Shifty touch bases with me and said,
‘Look, we can't have featuring with Jonathan Russell on 7 tracks, so do you want to
complete the album?’ Of course, I said yes, and ended up doing the 20-year
anniversary tour for their ‘Gift of Game’ album tour around the United States. Due to
the coronavirus situation, I'm not sure when that CD is set to release.

MH: Does your work comment on current social or political issues? What is your
motivation?

JR: My motivation comes from heartache, love-break, and friendship bonds. I usually
stay clear away from religion, politics, and currencies. I don't like to date my music, but
the one thing that stands the test of time is love, heartbreak, and passion, and that is
what you'll find in 99.9% of my songs.