I was fortunate enough to grow up just outside the small town of White Hall, Virginia situated in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. White Hall is just west of Charlottesville, Virginia where my family has had the pleasure to run Wyant's Store there since 1889. It’s a small country store and my Dad has been the owner of the business for the past eighteen years. It’s a great place to hear old tales and reminisce about the past while keeping up on current events. A lot of good old timers have stepped foot in the store and at one time there were dances with old time bluegrass music on the second floor of the original store before it burnt down. My whole life, I’ve always enjoyed listening to music, watching various groups perform and best of all, getting together with some musicians and having fun.Like many musicians, I was first touched by music through Church. I sang in the choir and enjoyed singing and playing guitar with the youth group and touching others. Since then, I’ve always tried to give something back to the community through my music. I began playing guitar at the age of eight with classical lessons from a very talented local of Charlottesville, Virginia named Dean Musser. He helped me get through the trying times of finger stretching, tuning, and the basic concept behind being a guitarist. After three years of lessons I ventured on my own with a couple guitar classes in school and the normal jam sessions with friends and other more experienced musicians. I started playing out and writing on my own about eighteen years ago when I was of age to get into musical establishments. Ever since, I’ve been performing on my own throughout with various groups and solo.The John Wyant Band originated December of 1998 when I was fortunate enough to meet and perform with a great group of guys from a band called American Fly. I had just moved to Oregon in October and was thankful to run into some talented musicians. They were an old time, classic rock band from Dallas, Oregon and we had a good connection right at the start. They needed a singer and enjoyed my original music, adding a taste of their originality and inspiring me even more. We performed for various events and once a year we continue to get together and perform for the following of people who grew to love our sound.I relocated from Oregon to my home in Virginia the end of 2003 and again, I was fortunate enough to run into some musicians at a friend’s 2003 Christmas party. There was some talent there and new friendships were made, but with today’s busy pace, family commitments, and a full-time job, it was almost impossible to keep everyone dedicated as needed. Today there is one member from the original group and myself and three other talented members. Biff McIntyre is our percussionist and is a native of Jamaica and brings much culture to the stage. Brendan Corbett is the lead guitarist and has a unique style with uplifting melodies and island blues riffs. Timothy Polk holds down the bottom end on the bass and is captivating with his smooth groovy style. Chip Bond is our drummer and he brings lots of excitement and technique on the kit. My main role with the group is singer/song writer and I play acoustic/electric guitar. Our unique sound of original music has an uplifting flavor with an island rock style, and a jam band touch that can be enjoyed by all.The John Wyant Band performs at restaurants, taverns, college functions, chili cook-offs, private functions and any benefit event we can help out with.
Some more recent benefits we’ve performed for are:2005 Toy Lift-Charlottesville, VA /
2005 Arthritis Walk-Charlottesville, VA /
2006 Alzheimer’s Memory Walk-Charlottesville, VA /
2006 Charlottesville Downtown Mall’s 30th Anniversary Celebration- Charlottesville, VA /
2007 Summerfest 4th of July Celebration-Crozet, VA /
2007 Sweet Dreams Festival-Stuart's Draft, VA /
2007 Sept 11th Peace Concert-Charlottesville, VA.If you’re interested in a demo package, let us know.Thanks for your support
- Peace
