Mt. Sterling native John Looney counts at least five friends lost to the opioid epidemic. John himself escaped eight years of addiction by leaving the town in which he grew up. Rehab in Jackson, Mississippi, gave him time to play guitar with the same focus that has helped him stay clean. He taught his creative and romantic partner Anna Kline that “you have to slow down to speed up” when it comes to learning music. The two made a leap of faith together and became full-time musicians, starting a journey that brought John back to his hometown a different man than when he left.