Drummer takes his past, looks toward the future

Hurt will be playing at The Cellar on Tuesday.
By JOHN BENSON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
While going to work with mom or dad as a kid was fun, you get the sense that Hurt drummer Evan Johns, son of rock producer Andy (Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones and more), enjoyed his visits a little more than the rest of us.
One of his strongest memories took place at the age of 8, when he unsuspectingly walked into a great moment of rock 'n' roll history.
"I was there when my dad was writing a song called 'Right Now' with Eddie Van Halen on 'For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge,'" said Johns, calling from Springfield Va. "I just remember my mouth being on the floor in awe of Eddie's talent. The guy is amazing."
It was actually a few years prior when a prepubescent Johns found his calling. His father spent nearly a year in Philadelphia producing Cinderella's bluesy sophomore album "Long Cold Winter" and Johns remembers being really fascinated with the percussive side of music.
"When you're 5 years old, a guitar doesn't seem that fun but drums are just sitting there and you can hit them as much as you want," said Johns.
Still, Johns' father did his best to dissuade his son from entering the family business. However, try telling a teenager to study harder when your job is to play around in the studio all day with rock legends. Eventually Johns hooked up with singer-songwriter J. Loren, who was performing under the moniker Hurt.
Despite the obvious connection to the popular Nine Inch Nails song of the same title, Johns was inspired by the band name.
"In my opinion, it's ballsy to name yourself after such a great song and at the same time it's ballsy to even use a word like hurt," Johns said. "That's what I love about it. Hurt to me is something that everyone feels and once you get hurt, you just hope for light at the end of the tunnel."
Since then
Tortured and cathartic are two appropriate descriptions of the material found on Hurt's guitar-heavy debut album "Vol. 1," which includes lead single "Rapture" and follow-up track "Falls Apart." In addition to receiving attention from radio programmers nationwide, Hurt has been busy on the road growing a fan base one show at a time. Prior to performing on this spring's Jagermeister Tour, which included headliners Staind, Hurt embarked on a late winter club outing that included a memorable Youngstown show.
"I got to give a shout out to The Cellar," Johns said. "I love that place and Youngstown. You get a lot of cities where people just stand there, judge the band and not even give them a chance. And Youngstown is something completely different. People are there to try new things with music and have a good time while doing it."
Perhaps that explains why Hurt is returning so quickly to the same venue with a Tuesday date at The Cellar.
While Johns understands that rock radio currently has many different faces competing for attention, he hopes Hurt stands out for its diversity.
"For me as a listener, I like to listen to things that don't sound the same as other bands," Johns said. "I like to listen to things that try to change a few heads and actually has a message and you can tell people have worked really hard on. I hope to think that's what we get across on our album."