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Ok so here’s the deal: John, Dave, and Norm all moved to Detroit from different parts of the country for their first jobs out of college. They all met each other through mutual friends while out partying one night at a bar that had live music. It just so happened that aforementioned bar had a contest that night that allowed people from the audience to come on stage and play an instrument during a song with the band. John, being his usual drunken self screamed “Hey let me play guitar” and so he did - in fact he won the contest for the evening.
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So while basking in their short-lived adoration John began talking to Norm and Dave about their respective musical pasts. As it turned out Norm played guitar (but was thinking about switching to bass) and Dave played drums. So in their drunken stupor it was decided that they should all form a band. But what about a singer? Well another friend knew a guy who knew a girl that worked for the same company that had performed an acoustic song for him during a yuppie-type get-together so he said he would ask her to contact John.
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Long story short, the 4 of them began playing cover songs at parties which eventually led to original songs at local bars under the moniker “Native Rage” . John and Cindy began dating. They recorded, they played, they drank. John and Cindy broke up but they still partied-on-Garth until one day John was involved in a horrendous car accident (although rumors went around that John’s booze-filled life had led to the incident which was anything but an accident). While John was laid up in the hospital for several weeks he had time to think about things and he and Cindy decided that they couldn’t be in the band together anymore. So John eventually healed, Cindy parted ways, and the band decided to find a new singer.
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As it turned out, the wife of drummer Dave had a long time friend named Rebecca who was actually a trained singer so they asked her if she would like to audition for the part. She did, they said “Yes!” and Native Rage began playing and recording once again with new material. This time they had their proverbial shit together and began getting good reviews, good gigs, and even a nomination in the local Detroit Music Awards. However, behind the scenes there was the usual turmoil: Rebecca, who was an unhappily married woman and John began getting closer and closer - as songwriting pairs will often do. Things came to a beaten head just as the band was traveling to play some overseas gigs in Germany - and they actually broke up the band on the plane ride there.
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So as the band broke apart, John and Rebecca (Bex) began getting more and more involved with dangerous substance-fueled activities. They eventually married and then began a decade-long bender the likes of which had not been seen since Sid and Nancy whirled across the plains.
They moved to Salt Lake City to get away from their demons but the demons happily followed along. They stopped making, and even listening to, music until they ran into the rock at the bottom of their nightmare. During this timeframe however, the beings from the divine realm stepped in and decided to remind them of their obligations to this world. They had long-forgotten these burdens, as those of us in the physical realm are apt to do. But even if they were ignored they would not be forgotten. But these are tales for another day. What is important for this story is the regaining of the desire to make music once again. And so that is what Bex and John (Bex ‘n John...Bex ‘n J...Bex NJ...Bexenjay) have set their sights on for the time being. The time just before the end. The end that is really a beginning. And so it is...
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