Ayron Jones Rocks the Musical Firmament

 Album: “Child of the State” Label: Big Machine/Varvatos Records 

“You’ll see my hands all over this record, really for the first time.” - Ayron Jones on the evolution of his recording process from his first indie album to the major label release of his third album “Child of the State.”

Seattle-born rocker (ne chess nut, ultimate frisbee champion, physics nerd) Ayron Jones wears his musical influences on his axe, unleashing a potent and penetrating major label debut with “Child of the State,” an autobiographical tour de force and clarion call announcing the singer-songwriting guitarist’s arrival on the international stage. Writing on all of the tracks, Jones’ “Child…” is a full-throated blues-rocking sonic experience, showcasing the artist’s volcanic vocal range with soul-stirring howls (from a son whose mother left him), raspy-scratchy vocal tonality and effortless arpeggios. Front and center on “Child…” is the self-taught multi-instrumentalist’s Stratocaster, through which Jones flexes his formidable guitar gawd chops and lightning licks, anchored by huge, head-banging production dynamics that make you feel this record, while the rocker says it with his chest.

Rice’s work ethic is the stuff of NFL legend, but at 58, Rice is still in remarkable shape. When he was in the league, regularly putting up hall of fame stats, along with his daily golf playing, and football practice, he would head to Edgewood Park near his home and run up an incline now known to locals as, Jerry Rice Hill. He says, ” The hill is around two and half miles long, and the last eight hundred yard is straight up hill. A lot of guys (including New England Patriots future Hall of Famer Julian Edelman) would throw up on that last 800. That was part of my regimen three days, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and it was more for endurance. I think that is the reason why, like in the 4th quarter, I was always at my best.” His marathon-like endurance was something that not only motivated his teammates, but may have been something that intimidated his opponents? He replies, "Yeah. That's it. I’m bouncing around, and they’re looking at me like I’m crazy. They’re like, how can that guy still have all of that energy? But it was about the way I trained.” Elaborating, he says, “Okay, this is how strange I was. If I went to the stadium, and I had a target weight of, say I was 189, that was my target weight, that’s where I wanted to be when I stepped on the football field. If I went there and I was 192, and we had a game that day, I would go to the stadium early, weigh myself, and if I’m a couple of pounds over, I would work out before the actual game.

So when my teammates would get to the stadium, they would look at me and be like Jerry, what are you doing? I’m soaking wet; I'm sweating like crazy, but I just had to lose those extra pounds to get down to the weight I wanted to be at. Then I felt like I was ready to go. Then I’d go out there, and I’d play the entire game, and I’m not tired. So everything about me was about my conditioning, and I think that’s why I was able to play football for over 20 years.”

His famous work ethic, which drove him to NFL excellence, also helped him weather the Covid 19 pandemic. Things became real for many Americans, when the NBA canceled the 2020 basketball season. He says, “I remember looking at that, and they had some teams that were getting ready to play. They were warming up; they were getting ready, and then all of a sudden; it was over. They pulled them off the court and I was like oh my God; this thing is really, really serious.” When the plague hit, Rice had just married his longtime girlfriend.

Latisha Pelayo. He says, “My wife and I, we had just gotten married, and so this was really gonna test us! If we’re able to survive this, we’re gonna be together for the rest of our lives.” To remain in shape during the lockdown, Rice began working out on a Pellaton. His wife is also known to be a workout warrior, and when asked if they fought over the exercise bike, Rice says, “No, you know what, you know what? How I dealt with that, I bought two. She has her own, and I got my own!” While Rice may cringe when someone asks him if he believes he’s the GOAT, in 2010 NFL.com said he was. Today there’s little doubt he’s still as motivated and competitive as ever, but is he the greatest player of all time? Everyone has an opinion about that, but one thing’s for sure, even in today’s pass-happy NFL, it is unlikely anyone will eclipse the records, and reputation, of Jerry Rice.

For more on Jerry Rice visit www.jerryricefootball.com

At the time, Henderson, was a Seabee, which is a world renown combat construction force, in the US Naval reserves. He says, “I actually joined the band while I was still in the service. I was in the reserves, and played with 3 Doors Down for a number of years.” He continues, “so what happened, is when the band got signed, I went to my command, and I was like, hey, you know, my band got signed. I'm going to have to leave. I won't be able to drill because I'm going to go on the road.” The Naval reserves are an all-volunteer force, and depending upon the type of contract you signed; it is possible to resign. Continuing, he says, “I put in a request chit (a special request form) to separate (from the service)." A few days later, “they approved me to separate and to pursue a career in rock and roll. The Navy was good to me, and I’m very blessed.”

Even before Henderson joined the band they were well on their way to stardom. They had recorded Kryptonite, as a demo, and a local radio station began playing it. After it became the stations' most-requested song, the band took its show on the road, where they eventually played at the world-famous New York City nightclub CBGB’s. Lots of bands, like Blondie, The Ramones, and The Police, became famous there. After their appearance, 3 Doors Down was signed by Republic Records and, to date, have as many number-one hits as the legendary Beach Boys, and have sold nearly as many records as Blondie.

Like many performers, success hasn’t been easy for Henderson. There is no manual explaining how deal with sudden fame, and living the rock and roll lifestyle led to substance abuse, and alcohol issues. He explains, “It's like every day is Friday, and it's not like you’ve got to go to work on Monday morning. You can just do it every single day all day, and that's what a lot of people do. You can’t survive like that.” Continuing, he says, “your body is not equipped to handle that, and eventually it starts showing up. It starts with hangovers, and then the hangover’s lead to being dehydrated all the time.” That leads to not eating right so, "basically, you're chasing a feeling, and because you don't want to feel bad you start all over again.” Suddenly, you’re doing it twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week and "your body just can't take it. So you know, thank God, I realized that, and one day (in 2010) I gave it up, and everyone else (in the band) has too.”