If Dayton Ohio is known for one thing, it isn’t stoner rock. Well, that is until now as the trio of Marijuana Johnson makes its way to change that narrative. The band’s deserty rock is felt within the confines of the band’s most recent album Gem City Kush, released earlier this year. The album is filled with heavy riffs, balls-to-the-walls anthems, with a scent of the good ol’ Mary Jane following the band everywhere they go.

The band shares the video for “Smoke Signals,” a tongue-in-cheek romp through Nepal, filled with stock video images that shows even though the band can hit heavier than most, they can’t always take themselves too seriously.

“Gem City Kush is unique because we gave ourselves the room to tap into musical influences that we all love, even if they don’t fit in the normal stoner rock mold,” says bassist Matt Clark. “Our hometown of Dayton, Ohio, is well-known as the funk capital of the world and we tried to blend some of that sound into this album.”

“This record has kind of a ‘back for the first time’ mentality. We put our first full-length record out so long ago and had some lineup changes, but we got better and started writing the kind of songs we always wanted,” says drummer Elliott Harrell. “Marijuana Johnson have always seen ourselves as kind of a crossover band. We’re just three punk rock dudes dipping into our love for bands like ZZ Top, Motörhead, Sabbath, as well as ’90s/current heavy stoner shit like Sleep, Bongzilla, and Boris. This record is our best attempt so far at melding those styles into one cohesive sound.”