Americana-Folk artist Johnny Ironsights of Arizona has teamed up with Grammy winning producer, musician and singer-songwriter, Chance McCoy (Old Crow Medicine Show) to record and release ten new singles over the course of the next year that will form Ironsights’ upcoming album, Sandbox of Sin. Chance McCoy produced, recorded and performed on the album, which was recorded in his studio in Appalachia.
The first single, “Devil’s On My Back”, features Chance McCoy on fiddle, Lars Swanson on upright bass, Paul Bidanset on drums, and Johnny on acoustic guitar and vocals. It debuts on Friday, June 7th.
“Devil’s On My Back” is a deeply personal song about methamphetamine addiction in Johnny’s family. Reflecting on the songwriting process, Johnny shares, “This is an old tune that I began writing when I was in high school following a visit to Palm Springs to see a family member. He was high on meth and claimed that the CIA was watching him and that an evil spirit was in the attic. It was incredibly sad and scary to see what that drug had done to him. He disappeared for a while, got clean, and had several years of sobriety before passing of cancer last year.”
Johnny’s diverse family background is present throughout his songwriting. His mother was born in Hawaii and is of indigenous Filipino descent and his late father was a French-Canadian immigrant. Johnny’s storytelling is honest and gritty, dealing with themes of drug and gambling additions and grief, as well as the struggles of the American working class.
Johnny Ironsights
