i'm John Calo, a songwriter and multi-musician (guitar, bass, drums, keys, percussion, trumpet) who lives right outside of downtown Lansing, MI via New Buffalo, MI via Chicago, IL.i have exhausted myself to get where i am as a person, and as a reward, I get to live out my dreams every day. in addition to being a national booking agent, i am in a touring band myself. ///
CLICK ON THIS SHIT TO CHECK OUT MY BAND music is my "uno amor", so naturally it is my career choice. my life revolves around it. music is my passion and i wear everything on my sleeve from my intentions to my influences.i am constantly finding myself pulled in two directions, as i live multiple lives. on one hand, i am a career music biz insider; booking full tours for many bands on major record labels. throughout my years of doing this, i have gained working relationships with nearly every crucial agency and venue within the metal and rock genres. it is here i get to experience all the harsh realities, challenges and great compensations of the music industry. i truly enjoy the trade of being a professional businessman.on the other hand, i also witness the other side of the industry by being in an underground metal band that has toured all over the country through perseverance and a D.I.Y. attitude. it is here that i get to experience all of the “struggles†and triumphs of being a recording artist. i love the road. i have met a lot of amazing people and shared the stage with countless jaw-dropping bands along the journey, the “pursuit of fame†if you will. the friendships and love from fans i have encountered from being in a band are priceless, thoughts of which will forever soothe my soul in troubling times. as you can imagine, both of my careers give me insight as what to expect from the other. i feel i have attained a balance in life by having familiarity with the external (performance) and internal (business) sides of music. ///i spend most of my moments playing bass with my friends in metal, Toilsome. we kept a packed schedule the last year and achieved much progress as a band in 2007. we embarked on a major, month-long tour (everything between New York and Chicago) as well as three additional out-of-state mini tours. to much acclaim, we released our debut full-length album on the heels of three prior EP's and one live disc. although we consider ourselves primarily a live band, we put an immense amount of focus and energy into the record - to create the most accurate representation of ourselves we could have made. we are still excited with how the album turned out, as it will be a permanent reminder of this time period in our lives. the disc, aptly titled "The Point of Exhaustion" (Aug 2, 2007), has sold out of numerous prints and we are currently awaiting the next pressing. we produced, recorded, mixed, and released it ourselves, a feat we are very proud of considering the professional quality of the CD. our guitarist - and resident audio production major - just recently re-mastered it and, most likely the band will issue a re-release just before our next major tour with West Virginia’s Ashes of Serenity in March.playing in this band is exciting! since our first single ever, "why am i" began getting airplay on 88.9FM The Impact in 2006, we have been lucky enough to receive support from many other indie stations in the Midwest (IL, WI, MI, OH) as well as Florida and the country of Chile, and also numerous internet radio programs around the world. our first single from the new album, the charging piano-driven "the grand declaration" is the latest song of ours to hit the airwaves. there's nothing like being on the radio regularly! we have been interviewed on-air on both Q106 and WDBM. our last rapid-selling EP, "Constant Comfort" (May 5, 2006) has moved hundreds of copies. throughout my tenure in the band, we've played hundreds of shows, including a couple of Ticketmaster events and opening slots for National acts. we've been selected out of hundreds of bands to compete in the 2006 and 2007 Q106 Homegrown Throwdownsin 2006, as well as receiving the honor to play in the WKLQ Heavyweights. we've won a Battle of the Bands. our fanbase has continued to grow beyond the borders of the midwest to reach international status. we have had a feature article in NOISE magazine. august of 2007 marked a further shift in momentum, we went on our first major tour and had the time of our lives, all while reaching out to new fanbases we never knew we had. this band Toilsome has becoming more than just a local metal band. we are on the verge of making this a valid career, and i couldn't be more satisfied that i chose to seriously pursue my dream of being a full-time musician. ///i was born to perform. i feel at home on stage and most anything else i do outside of band shit has little merit, significance, or meaning to me - with the exception of my family, my friends, and HM Touring (more on that in a paragraph). i'm a writer - i have always been a writer. my side projects (and i stress side) include working on three screamo/punk albums for a band under the alias Deposit Bank. i also write my own solo alt-grunge and acoustic songs under the name The Poets of Zeeland. when it's time to release the first of seven planned P.O.Z. albums, i plan to play all the instruments on them. whenever i get free time, i produce beats for southwest Mich. rapper Sligga. i have been in 5 bands since i was 15. i was once the bassist of Untamed, drummer of Deeper Point Given and also drummed in indie faves Ant Beat The Ox for awhile. i play on the Ballast Water CD. i have also had a lot of fun onstage by being a fill-in on bass for Of Decay and Nostromo. over the years, i have also helped produce bands, but I’m no Rick Rubin. i try to be as involved as i can with all things music related. in addition to playing, i assume the duties of managing Toilsome. i am also the primary booking agent and run the business affairs of our merchandise business; which, in addition to our heavy gigging schedule, makes me a very busy person. ///i work for HM Management & Concerts, by being an agent for the newly formed HM Touring.
i book tours for our roster of bands. i am responsible for:EPICUREAN (Metal Blade Records)THE BURNING SEASON (Eulogy Records)FOREVER IN TERROR (Metal Blade Records)LAST CHANCE TO REASON (Tribunal Records)DEARESTAZAZEL (One Eleven Records)I'll update this section more tomorrow. Lots of news from my new career... ///between all things Toilsome and my work at HM, i also am a full-time bartender and server downtown. i don't have much time to relax and i kinda like it that way. i'm a workaholic. but, I do enjoy the “slower†moments in life, including the following activities:i have a lot of endurance. i run marathons (seven 26.2-milers so far!) and road races. i stay up late. i love to dabble in painting and photography as additional hobbies. i tend to be very creative when motivated. i party like motley crue, only without the assortment of drugs (my house is nicknamed "The Riot House" afterall). i love fish - i built a pond in my backyard and have two large freshwater tanks. i collect imported and microbrewed beers from all over the world (nearing 400 count!). i also like disc golf, camping, basketball, interior design, going to the zoo, and hanging with my true friends. I am an avid gardener, and am getting damn good at it. i support the local music scene. i currently work as a bartender at the coolest bar downtown, The Nuthouse, to pay some bills. i'm always busy, it seems. for the most part, i've got an athletic body (6x all-state, 3x state champion runner in high school) and a metal/emo/punk style. i have six piercings. i have 10 tattoos... and counting, as i am working on sleeving out both arms.i am goal-driven, talented, and artistic. i live in a house and rent out my rooms to my best friends. i have a fat ass cat named Delila. i plan to move back to Chicago within a few years, with probably a detour through Cleveland to be closer to my HM home base. i was a journalist for five years, working as a news correspondent for three respectable newspapers (a city, county, and regional). if i ever go back to college, (providing the whole "rock star thing" doesn't work out) i will finish my associates degree in elementary education. i also aspire to coach cross-country and track at the high school level for a few years. then, when i decide to move out west, i'll specialize in animal rescue and rehabilitation with an emphasis on aviary (particularly waterfowl). i love owls, by the way. i am a published poet, and I was nominated as Poet of the Year 2006 by the AALP. eventually, i plan to publish my six books that include all of my 500+ song poems. i am also currently writing an autobiography. ///ralph waldo emerson once said, "the greatest gift is a portion of yourself." i am a naturally introverted poet, but i am usually not too reluctant to go against that nature and open myself up to others. so, if you ever wanna know anything - although i pretty much just wrote it all - hit me up here, and don't be shy to leave me a message or comment on my page! ///
