Jonny Rice's exterior may be what you expect from a Midwest gentleman. He is a hard worker, respectful and has the other qualities that make him a prize to bring home to Momma. What you do not expect from Mr. Rice is the gumbo fusion of musical styles within him. Rice’s taste for music is without borders. The “One Love” tattoo on his knuckles instantly gives away his inspiration from Bob Marley; he also adds Macklemore, Ben Harper, and 50 Cent as sources for creativity. Not to leave out, he was in first grade rocking to Polka. His palate for music is across the board. That diversity is what we heard when listening to his single “Love Is A Gamble.” Get to know Jonny Rice!
Creativity Comes from the Ex … I really had this thing for this girl. I was in love with her for at least two years; I was holding on to something that was not there. Because she was not going to change her feelings for me and we were best friends. Finally one day I had this moment when I realized if I never let go something is not going to change. I can’t fall in love with someone else. I wrote “Love Is A Gamble” to show you can get messed up because love is a gamble. You never know, and if you never let go of something you’re not going to have, you will stay stagnant. You will not be able to pursue any love interest.
The Bass Was My First… I actually picked up the bass guitar when I was thirteen years old. We had a little shop in my church and they had a bass guitar in there, and the guy who was selling it just came out and gave it to me. I played that for a minute, and after a month my mom realized I was playing the lead guitar on the bass. So she bought me a little electric guitar and I kept getting different ones from there.
Man’s Take On Average Dudes… I made the song "Average Man" because I am not really the average man. I’m a little bit different. The whole song is about how being different is okay. I don’t watch football, and I have not been much of a sports guy. I am in the studio more than I am watching a game. I kind of get laughed at a bit because my whole crew is basketball fans. I am just now coming up to speed so most of the time we are watching a game I will go to the studio. I am not really the average man, but I am OK with that; I’m happy about that because it makes me different.
Polka Style… I don’t really draw inspiration from polka, but I always tell the story of when I was a kid. My mom would have different radio stations on, and for some reason one of the radio stations she would like to put on Saturday mornings would play polka. As a kid, I would always tell her to leave it on because I liked it and I liked the beats. Now when I listen to polka, I can't listen to it for more than about fifteen minutes. I was one of the only five year olds I know that listened to swing music and polka.
A Justified Position… Anybody who says they're not happy about the fact they can make a lot of money in the music game is lying because that is a great benefit. The best way I can put it is if I didn’t have a label, if I was working a normal nine to five like everybody else, I would still be sitting in my room making music. I really can’t stop making music, it is more about actually making music and giving people something they can listen to that might be able to help them and give them a few good songs they can sit with and let their care go away for a minute.
Meaning of a Long Nail… The fingernails on my right hand are really long. I always get people asking “Why don’t you clip your fingernails?” I don’t want people to think I’m nasty. I don’t use guitar picks because they get in my way [and] my fingers fumble. It is just not as easy to use guitar picks as my finger nails. So I grew my finger nails out to play the guitar. My left hand is nice, trimmed and clean. The right hand is clean but just a little bit long.
