20 lb. Sledge

20 lb Sledge is the brain child of AlfonZo Rachel who is so far best known for his commentaries titled ZoNation Published on PJTV.com He gained a notable viewership starting on MySpace Videos and then grew his viewership in 2008 on youtube with his humor laced social/political observations which lead to his videos being published on PJTV.com
Rachel was teaching martial arts, and after he was done teaching for the evening he would set up a camera and record his self published commentaries. He did this because other bands he played in were not very receptive to him questioning the liberal narrative. They wanted to have music with a collectivist or even a anarcho-liberal point of view which didn't add up to Rachel. So he went about promoting the message on his own, even if that meant just setting up a camera and talking without a band.
So Rachel who was teaching martial arts at the time would close up shop for the evening, set up his camera in the studio and record his observations.
Rachel was also trying to earn extra income working in construction.
He hadn't quite accepted Jesus but respected Him. Rachel Did not feel peace in his life, and was lacking in prosperity and joy, and had concluded that he didn't have the answer to remedy that. Eventually he concluded the answer was in Jesus Christ.
Rachel reflected on the demolition work he was doing and the 10 lb Sledge he was using, and remembered a verse that said destroy this temple and I'll rebuild it in three days.
Rachel applied that to demolishing the wall built buy his ego that kept him from humbling himself to the Way the Truth and the Life embodied in Christ.
Smashing down one's own ego is not easy. It felt like 10 more pounds were added, and 20 lb Sledge became the name that would stick with Rachel, and when he moved to Torrance, CA to take up PJTV's job offer in 2009 he also set out on a mission to find his band.
After about a year of searching the 1st to contact Rachel was K. Martin Wade who had seen that Rachel was posting in social media that he was looking for musicians for his music project, 20 lb Sledge. Wade had picked up on Rachel's videos 1st and was already intrigued by Rachel's videos, so when he found out Rachel was seeking musicians for his band - a bass player being one of which, Wade contacted him.
Rachel said he would keep him in mind for when he found a singer and a guitarist.
That took Another two years.
Rachel Had included in his want ads that he's looking for musicians that don't Hate God and Don't hate America.
In Los Angeles that was a hard search to find the right players meeting that criteria. So about two years after Wade had contacted Rachel, Rachel Met Eli Chatman, and found Shawn Taylor on youtube while looking for guitarists in Los Angeles uploading videos of themselves playing guitar. Rachel Announced on Facebook that he finally found a singer and a guitarist. Wade saw the post and asked Rachel if he still needed a bass player, and Rachel said he's been waiting to Wade's awesome skills to work.
The players learned the music Rachel had composed for the album Divine Battery, and performed their 1st show Sept. 1st. 2012. In late 2014, Eli Chatman had other obligations, and Shawn Taylor said if we can't find another vocalist he'd step in on vocals. Rachel had just started attending a church in Torrance, and the Worship team had a guitarist that Rachel soon connected with, and Corey Michael Hollins was the addition that put 20 lb Sledge back in the game in 2015.
The RUFF ROCK stylings of 20 lb SLEDGE slam like Sonic Body Blows with sophisticated yet steady beefy rhythms marinated in juicy melodies. The vocals bark with a bite of the gospel gone grizzly, with flows sweet like freedom and the grit it takes to keep it. The lyrics bridge the generations from snotty teens to old farts without relying on nasty language. Dirty Sound! Clean Message!