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Atlanta is both an incubator for this bastard child of heavy rock and Hip
Hop, being the birthplace of pioneering bands Stuck Mojo and Follow For Now,
and one of rap/rock's greatest current hotbeds. This year's Atlantis Music
Conference in July showcased label-ready local acts including Heavy Mojo and
Crazy Anglos. And now this city is about to see the unveiling of Dead
Gospel, the latest musical exploration of Bonz (pronounced bones), the
vocalist who started out rapping in the back of a local Pizza Hut restaurant
and went on to record and tour with Stuck Mojo for most of a decade. After
the folding of Mojo and his other project 420 Monks, Bonz has hand-picked a
group of musicians to lay down the perfect heavy groove in accompaniment to
his topical and forceful flows.
"The key is everybody being on the same page," said Bonz of what he was
looking for when he put Dead Gospel together. "Stuck Mojo was four different
entities from four different corners of the world. We had zero in common. So
it became a machine; It got soulless at one point. It started out great but
then it ended kind of sour because you didn't reap the fruits of your labor
[and] at the same time your love for one another died."
Dead Gospel is actually comprised of an unlikely mix of four individuals.
Guitarist Dewey Dobbs, who has mixed Native American heritage, is a veteran
of two country outfits in addition to local rock bands Apparition and Wicked
Chemistry. Bassist Mahlon Pedrito James is a Jamaican-born world traveler
who has lived with British family in Newcastle and lived in New York City
before attending Sprayberry High School in East Cobb and eventually playing
football at Georgia Southern. And drummer J Phoenix is a scruffy, scrappy
white boy of undisclosed origin who manages Taurean Rehearsal Studios where
the band formed, and elbowed his way into the band after listening to a
string of drummers audition.
"J's ear was to the door it seemed like at every audition," said Bonz. "He
was like, 'Let me straighten out some shit and I've got something for you.'
And I guess he'd had enough and he said, 'I'm going to have my drums up here
Monday. I can't listen to any more of these guys come in here and maul
[your] music.' He could hear what we were trying to do, so he pretty much
came in here and set it off."
Bonz had been collaborating with Dobbs for a period of seven months while
the two searched for a rhythm section. With Phoenix onboard, Bonz
immediately tapped James.
"We scouted him in another band called Code Atom." said Bonz. "I knew
[Phoenix] and Mahlon would be a good match, so Mahlon came in and we
[tried] it a couple days. We stepped to him and he was pretty much, 'Ding!
Ding! Ring the bell, I'm in!'"
Bonz is himself a military brat born in Okinawa, Japan, as well as an Air
Force veteran and former English teacher.
"That's why I have such an articulate style," said Bonz in a professorial
tone. "My verbiage has to be proper."
The varied backgrounds make for interesting band chemistry, with James, the
band's jokester, and Phoenix taking constant digs at one another. Dobbs is
more laid back while Bonz is businesslike and serious. The common
denominator of the band is given away by the lone poster in their rehearsal
room which pictures Bob Marley rolling a joint. This source of kinship is
reflected in original songs including "My 420," which is as classic a stoner
anthem as Human Rights' "Who's Got the Herb" (popularized by 311's cover),
and "420 Angel," an ode to friendly hookups.
"It's about somebody that always comes through when you least expect it and
shines a brightness in your world," said Bonz. Having left on less than
ideal terms with his previous two bands, Bonz seems to have placed an
emphasis on finding people he feels he can get along with long term.
"My whole thought process was this," said Bonz. "Even though these guys, I'm
just now meeting them for the first time and playing with them for the last
8-10 weeks, at the same time I have to generally like you, and you have to
generally like me. Not just respect. I want somebody to like me because
we're going to be in the gutter, we're going to be in some dark times.
Shit's going to be good, shit's going to be bad.
"You've got to like [who you play with] in order to get over the hump in
this business 'cause it's the worst, it's the dirtiest, it's the slimiest,
it's the fastest. It can [also] be the slowest. So your patience will be
tested, your loyalty will be tested, your trust will be tested to the E-N-D.
And if you can survive all that, success will come your way. I don't want
this to be a flash in the pan so I went a little younger with people that
are actually in the scene and are influential and have respect within their
own right."
The results have been spectacular, with the new group cranking out seven
original songs in seven weeks. In addition to the aforementioned party
tracks, Bonz' lyrics range from the political to the personal. In "War on
What?" Bonz talks about the conspicuous lack of success in the War on Drugs
during the Bush brothers' terms as governors of Florida and Texas, two of
America's busiest entry points for illicit drugs.
"Big business is drugs when you're a border guard," said Bonz, referring to
the sitting president. "He should have an iron palm as far as letting things
through. In my opinion the war on drugs has been a joke. Domestically, our
asses are out in the wind."
Asked if he thought his political commentary might have cost him
opportunities in the industry in the past, Bonz stated his determination to
lay his views out for all to see.
"My lyrics are challenging a lot of people," said Bonz. "If you're wrong,
you're wrong. You're going to call me out if I'm wrong, right? I'm just
reporting on what I see."
"Return of the Real" is a very forthcoming confessional about Bonz'
struggles with drugs and relationships.
"The lyrics are all about things I've been through lately," said Bonz. "I'm
drawing on my past transgressions and life experiences. The rumor mill beat
me up and I beat myself up, so I just put it out there. I can't be a punk
about it... It's not me."
The band has decided to make its first public performance a free 21+ show
Friday at the Last Great Watering Hole in Tucker, in part to say thanks to
the Watering Hole's Jimmy James, who formerly ran the Wrek Room.
"He showed Mojo love back in the day and we want to showcase for him, let
him hear what we've been working on and show him that we appreciate it,"
said Bonz
Joining Dead Gospel on the bill are Threat 13, a pretty good punk band which
has made a career out of playing at the Hole, and local grunge rockers
eSTRANGEd.
[Full disclosure: Buddy Grizzard is the drum tech for eSTRANGEd drummer J-Bugg.]
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