JMR Music

JMR was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on April 14, 1978. His family relocated to Rochester, New York when he was a year old. JMR began playing the piano at age 5, but switched the guitar at age 9 after seeing his cousin playing in a local Top 40 band. He received a 1/2 size Harmony acoustic 2 years earlier for Christmas. JMR’s cousin Johnny, bassist for the band “Perfect Strangers” would be the defining catalyst for JMR’s obsession with the guitar. His fascination with music began when he was old enough to operate a record player. JMR was enamored with the mellifluous sounds coming from his parent’s stereo. After four months of hounding his parents for an electric guitar, they caved and bought him a Kramer ZX10 and a Gorilla practice amp for his birthday. Six months had passed and JMR was playing full solos including Edward Van Halen’s “Eruption”. By, the time a year had passed, JMR’s chops exceeded those beyond his years. He began practicing relentlessly, sometimes 8 hours a day or more, learning Steve Vai and Joe Satriani solos. At age 10, JMR was playing shows around his community. His peers and instructors considered him a virtuoso.By his mid-teens, JMR joined high school jazz band and immersed himself in music such as John Coltrane, Tribal Tech and “futuristic-fusionist” Allan Holdsworth. Around that time, JMR began music theory lessons with a popular instructor named Craig Snyder. Craig molded his playing into a refined product that consisted of a smooth legato technique and a strong sense of melody. JMR was also playing one-man shows, armed with a four-track chock-full of self-produced music.Upon graduating high school, JMR became in demand for many local bands. He spent the next 4 years honing his craft doing sessions, radio and TV commercials, performing with bands of every genre, and teaching lessons during the day. In 2003, JMR was named “Rochester’s Best Guitarist” by Guitar Center and was featured on the Vans Warped tour with his rock band “Thatcher”, which he fronted on guitar and vocals.Over the years, he has made great strides. JMR has been involved in projects, and shared the stage with many guitar legends including, Greg Howe, Frank Gambale, Richie Kotzen, and Chris Poland. JMR is currently working on many projects including a Neo-Soul/ Funk-Rock record, featuring him on guitar and vocals, and producing various artists. He is also a popular guitar/bass instructor with 40+ students and clinician.