Why this name?

Well, that's what it said on my birth certificate. I always believe what I read.

Do you play live?

I used to. I haven't really gotten back into that, yet.

How, do you think, does the internet (or mp3) change the music industry?

Despite their kicking and screaming, the major record companies are going to have to come to terms with the fact that they arent' the exclusive channel of distribution anymore. Either that or they're gonna die.

Would you sign a record contract with a major label?

I'm old enough to know better than to think that is an instant guarantee of fame. However, money talks...

Band History:

Hello, I'm Johnny Cash.

I love that. Who the hell needs a bio when you can just walk up to a microphone and say, "Hello, I'm a big, mean so-and-so who's gonna sing you a some songs I wrote about trains and god and murder. So, sit back and shut up and listen, or I'll kick your ass."

Unfortunately, when I say, "Hello, I'm Lester Norton," only a couple folks say, "THE Lester Norton?" So, I have to write a bio (which I'm getting to, just hold your horses).

I was born in the frigid wilderness of Maine. Bangor to be exact. It's smack in the middle of the state, which means it's in the middle of nowhere (as opposed to the coast of nowhere or the southeastern corner of nowhere). While you may have heard it mispronounced by the late, great Roger Miller in his song "King of the Road", it's BangOR, not BangER. (People from Bangor are still pretty sore about that, let me tell you.) When you grow up with that kind of chip on your shoulder, you have to find a creative outlet for it. Otherwise, you'll wind up knocking over a liquor store for quarters to feed your Asteroids obsession or explosively decompressing in the middle of a meeting with clients, and there goes 20 years of hard work as a research assistant for the owner of the largest lobster pound in New England. So, I took up music and formed a band.

Curse you, Roger Miller.

Now, you might think that someone who shared a home town with Stephen King for so many years might be tempted to write songs about vampires and undead cats. But I leave that sort of thing to Jewel. My songs are more akin to those paintings that you see where the artist picks up a pail of whatever's handy and throws it at the wall. There are some pretty nifty patterns that show up when you chuck a bucket and see what sticks. I set my bucket chucking to music is all.

"Like Sailors Do" is my first CD. (At least, it's the first one I can sell without paying royalties to a bunch of other songwriters.) It contains some nifty hooks and some interesting lyrics that will be fun for the whole family. The music comes from years of collecting "whatever's handy" and storing it in my wee brain. So, you'll hear a little Neil Young, some Warren Zevon, Bob Dylan, Bob Seger, a little folk, a little country, a little blues, and of course, a little Johnny "Hello I'm Johnny Cash" Cash. And because my dad taught me how to play the guitar in a half-way decent fashion, you'll hear a lot of that, too. In fact, I played all of the instruments on this record (or "platter" as you kids say).

I currently reside with my wife, two kids and four cats in the middle of Florida, which is almost as nowhere as Maine, just a hell of a lot warmer.

Your influences?

Since I'm currently a solo act, it's pretty easy to slip into Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Johnny Cash modes. I've heard that I sound like "a happy Leonard Cohen" from one of my fans.

Favorite spot?

I'm pretty happy wherever I am. Currently, that's sunny Florida. I travel a lot, and there aren't too many places in this country that are without their own special appeal.

Equipment used:

I record on a Boss BR-64 digital studio with Marshall condenser mics. My guitars include a Les Paul, Guild acoustic, Epiphone classical and a Fender Precision bass.

Anything else...?

Nothing witty comes to mind.

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