LOS BANOS, CA (AUGUST 25TH, 2025) — Thirteen years ago, Christopher Buechner was in the depths of addiction. He was pawning off a guitar for drug money, scraping by in the shadows of a small California town. Today, he’s sharing the stage with the man he once tried to sell that guitar to, turning that memory into music. Buechner now goes by The Sober Junkie, and he’s built a career by turning his experiences in to art.
“Today, I’m 13 years clean and sober, sharing the story of addiction and recovery, mental health awareness like PTSD, through social media and music,” he says. “Sobriety has shaped who I am, and it has shaped my music.”
Buechner is from Los Banos. That upbringing isn’t just a detail in his bio, it’s the foundation of his newest project. His upcoming album, a genre-bending country crossover, channels the rhythm of rural life and the pain of personal transformation. He describes it as a full-circle return to the music that raised him.
“Country music is in my soul,” he says. “Growing up in a little agricultural community, it was country living. This is where I wanted to be for a long time.”
The album is being produced under Neechi Bee Records, the independent label run by Buechner’s partner and creative collaborator, Neechi Bee. She’s played a major role in pushing the project forward, encouraging him to move beyond singles and deliver a full body of work. “She said, ‘Hold up, we gotta make a new album,’” Buechner recalls. “I told her, ‘You’re speaking my language.’ And we went straight to work.”
In July, he released a collaborative single, “Please Let Go,” with Isaac Tonasket. The track followed the viral success of “We Do Recover,” which exploded on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, even before it was recorded professionally. Fan response pushed him into a studio in Bellingham, Washington, where he finalized the song and released it across several platforms.
“We weren’t even planning to record it yet, but the post hit the algorithms hard,” he says. “We had to make it real.”
That momentum became the engine behind his current album rollout. While the original release date of August 24 has been delayed, the music is in motion. “This project is for the ones who wanted to see me fail,” Buechner says. “For the people who need to hear that anything is possible.”
He draws comparisons to artists like Jelly Roll, Shaboozey, and Chris Stapleton, blending raspy vocals with country grit and recovery anthems. But it’s more than a sound, it’s a message of perseverance, grit, and recovery.
“This album is for people — all people — to sit back, listen, and be inspired,” he says. “If I’ve helped even one person by sharing my story, I know I’ve done something good.”
Still, no matter how far he travels, Los Banos remains at the center of his story. His lead guitarist, Erik Perez, AKA EP the Smoke, is also from the area. Their history runs deep. In high school, they barely spoke. During Buechner’s lowest point, he tried to sell Perez a guitar. Years later, they reconnected through a mutual musician and now share the stage as collaborators and friends.
“We refer to ourselves as ‘Los Banos boys,’” Buechner says. “We really grew up there. That town shaped us.”
He hopes the next generation of Los Banos kids will hear his music and see what’s possible.
“Stay off drugs, stay sober,” he says. “I want the youth to look at me and say, ‘He did it. He’s clean and sober.’ You can be anything if you put your mind to it.”
The Sober Junkie will perform live at Procreations Brewery in Fresno on August 30, joined by Neechi Bee, Erik Perez, A-Whiz, and Hallow. The event is open to all ages, with tickets available at the door.
“This isn’t just a concert,” he says. “It’s a celebration that we made it.”
The Sober Junkie LIVE
Procreations Brewery, Fresno, CA
August 30, 2025
$10 for ages 16+ | Free for children under 16 with parent or caregiver
Follow @thesoberjunkieofficial on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Music available on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, and YouTube Music.
For bookings: [email protected]
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