Jon Lewis

Part2 “I love the social aspect of pinball, but there’s one facet of social pinball culture that I don’t get anywhere else. I love having very detailed discussions about playfields and rules and strategies. There’s so much to learn from each other, so many different ways to think about each game. I love just listening to someone go on and on about their approach to a game, their interaction with the rules and the relationship THAT person has with THAT game. There’s so much subjectivity to be had under that glass where much of it is objective. Mostly everything is screwed down. The rules are finite (when the code is done). I could walk into a conversation thinking I know all there is to know about Medieval Madness and somehow walk away from the conversation having a completely different understanding of how to play it. Each game means something different to each person. I want to hear that story. I want to have that conversation 500 times. When someone “outside of the loop” finds out I’m in a band, and that I’ve toured the world and done a lot of things that a “real” band has done, that person is incredulous, curious, and confused all at once. The majority of the planet has never heard of The Dopamines. I get the same reaction when I tell someone that pinball is an important hobby in my life. All pinball players experience this same moment, where someone just doesn’t quite get it. It makes you feel like you’re in on a secret that’s right there in plain sight. And then of course you get to bore that person to tears rambling about it. Then there’s also the therapy. When I come up for air after locking in on a few machines for 2-3 hours, a lot of those stressful mountains in my mind start to look more like the mole hills that they truly are. I have struggled with mental health for a lot of my life, pinball is one of the few outlets that help me efficiently and logically organize my brain, which sounds contradictory because pinball can be complicated to the point of exhaustion at times. I’m not going to question it, just give me a Borg and a beer and I’ll find a way to come out happier than when I went in. #humansofpinball #pinball #pinballlife

Part1 “On tour, when you’re waiting around all day at a shitty dive bar, finding a pinball machine was a good way to soak up the time and boredom. Then slowly it evolved into HOPE that a bar would have a pinball machine. Then it turned into walking a few blocks searching for one. Now, part of my tour prep is building out a spreadsheet that lists the closest location with a decent lineup of machines, the distance from the club we’re playing, and their operating hours. I’m always on the hunt for a game. It’s been a fun progressive evolution of my relationship with pinball. I’m in an amazing league in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area (NKY Pinball League!), it’s competitive but also super fucking casual. Equal parts pinball and good hangs. I try to play as much as I can but I’m a busy dude so I tend to squeeze it in here and there as opposed to it being a constant in my day to day. My wife and son will play with me on occasion which is fun in its own way because they’re not as into it as I am so the game ends up being secondary to the hang. The conversations are different than when we’re eating dinner or hanging on the porch or the couch. Probably a more fun change of scenery for me than it is for them, but I really appreciate that they support my addiction. I have to say White Water because It’s the first ruleset I learned after that “a-ha!” moment when I realized there’s more to pinball than just flailing and keeping the ball in play. Currently I gravitate toward a lot of the Spike 2 games because we’re living in this new golden age (IMHO) where rule designers and coders get to really stretch their legs, the technology has opened the floodgates for deeply creative rule design. I’m OBSESSED with the D&D game based on the rules alone. There is so much attention to detail, I’m really enjoying the story, modes and how the game progresses. I’m going to end up with a Fizmo’s tattoo if I’m not careful 😂” #humansofpinball #pinball #pinballlife

New blog series on our website! @theechucker shares his pinball story with us.

Downtime on tour can be boring…unless you play pinball. Shoutout to all the amazing places with games nearby the venues! 1.) Louie’s 10th St. Lounge & Laundromat (Topeka, KS. Michael here in photo becoming addicted to Wick) 2.) @thrashersbar (Colorado Springs) 3.) @surfside_7 (Ft. Collins, CO. Thanks @jakenstein.funicide for pulling up to the pinball challenge!!!) 4.) @arcadelaradise (Laramie, WI congrats on the new D&D!) 5.) @beercade2 @beercade (Omaha, NE, totally fixed the Bulbasaur drain issue during soundcheck!!! #goated) 6.) @sternpinball (thanks MXV! @thepunkvault ) 7.) @blueberryhillstl (STL, pretty sure I left my tab open) Lastly, my quest to spread the cult of pyramid was thwarted by USPS, in defiance I poorly photoshopped my slammer into a few shots. next time 🔺@dirtypoolpinball @bradalbright LACE UP YOUR CHUCKS AND GO PLAY PINBALL.

We all are We’re all the same We’re just public domain Epic hangs with @thedopaminesohio playing to a hometown crowd. Opening for @teenagebottlerocket on The 10th Annual Brandon’s Birthday Bash Tour. 📍 @bogartsshows A few moments I was privelaged to capture. 🙏🏻 #teenagebottlerocket #thedopamines #bogarts #punkmusic #radgirlfriendrecords

The Dopamines dot the “i” with “Cincinnati Harmony” (from the 2010 “Expect the Worst” album) during the Ohio band’s set Wednesday night in Green Bay, Wisconsin. @thedopaminesohio @theechucker @radgirlfriendrecords @evanthewolff #thedopamines #radgirlfriendrecords #concertphotographer #concertvideo #punk

The Dopamines perform “Business Papers” (from the 2017 “Tales of Interest” album) during their all-killer-no-filler set Wednesday night in Green Bay, Wisconsin. @thedopaminesohio @theechucker @radgirlfriendrecords @evanthewolff #thedopamines #radgirlfriendrecords #concertphotographer #concertvideo #punk

Friday Flashback … The Dopamines perform “Public Domain” (from the 2010 “Expect the Worst” album) during their headliner set 6/13/2025 at the High Noon in Madison, Wisconsin. Car Catch the Cincinnati band on tour with Teenage Bottlerocket and Sam Russo, and check out their full catalog (including 5 LPs and a bunch of EPs/compilations/singles) wherever you buy and access your vinyl and digital music. @thedopaminesohio @theechucker @evanthewolff @radgirlfriendrecords @fat_wreck #thedopamines #concertphotographer #concertvideo #punkshow #punk

If you own a dopamines LP, then you’ve seen the center label. It’s the same on every record because I think shit like that is cool. What you may not know is that it’s a knock out image of an actual photo. On one of our first weekend runs ever we played with The Jetty Boys in Sheboygan, WI at their practice space. We had a stencil that I made up to mark all of our gear like a real band would do. Not surprisingly, we all got wasted and started tagging each other. The center label on the US version of 80/20 features this original photo. EU/UK do too, just slightly altered. Pictured is myself (chucker) and Bunz from Jetty boys. Later that night we stenciled his butthole and it burned real bad rest of the night, and I blacked out on a couch wearing a hockey mask. Started a long and chaotic friendship with those dudes and this is probably the most tame Dopamines/Jetty Boys story on record 😬. #throwbackFriDaY

Punk portraiture … Jon Lewis, lead singer and guitarist of The Dopamines. Pic snapped during a sesh after the Cincinnati band’s June 2025 gig in Madison, Wisconsin. @theechucker #jonlewis @thedopaminesohio #thedopamines @radgirlfriendrecords #radgirlfriendrecords #punkportrait #punkphotography #punkphotographer #concertphotographer #concertphotography #fatwreck #fatwreckchords #hopelessrecords #punkscene #punkmusic #punkrock #punk #hardcorepunk #cincinnatiharmony

Oooooohhhhhhpe! Back to back bangers with humans that we are stoked to share a stage with. Come hang, it’s gonna rip. #thefestfl

Less than a week away from this banger lineup. Fog Juice Shots for everyone #thefestfl