John's initial interest in music came at an early age playing the trumpet and other brass instruments in grade school. The drums were next. "In Jr. High there was a drum set in the corner of the band room and every morning Id arrive at school an hour before everyone else and beat the hell out of those things and taught myself to play". John became proficient quickly and joined his first band, but not as a drummer, rather a singer.Thus began 15 years and countless bands playing the drums. "Drums are very cool and fun to play and I performed everything from wedding type material to metal and Rush (playing Neil Peart and singing the Geddy Lee parts) at the same time"! Never one to get too comfortable, John began taking an interest in a new challenge while attending Illinois State University. "I ended up selling my 13-piece Pearl drum set for a computer and bought my first Chinese Strat... a cheapy. I still pick up that guitar from time to time because the neck is incredible"!The guitar became his passion, his outlet. "For whatever reason my abilities developed quickly and naturally. At that time I was listening to Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer... the heavy stuff. Me and my off-campus house/band mates began running a night club in our house called Club Willow and we'd have parties every other weekend. We did this for two years and every party we had was jam packed. It got to the point where we hired a staff (our friends) to handle picking up the 12 kegs we'd typically go through during a party, checking IDs at the door, bar tending, etc. We even held contests for door prizes (booze what else)? Those were some good times and I had more cash than I knew what to do with"!After leaving ISU and working for many companies large and small, and a five-year stint in Houston working for a railroad, John moved back to Chicago and currently runs the artist relations programs for Randall Amplifiers, Eden Bass Amps, Parker Guitars and Washburn Guitars. His guitar collection now consists of a dozen or so 6 & 7 stringed instruments (BC Rich, Schecter, Jackson and several one-of-a-kind Washburns). John also uses Randall MTS amps and cabs after having been with Marshall for many years.Prior to joining Sacred Dawn in Jan. 06, John played guitar with Chicago Megadeth tribute Highspeedirt for four years until the band decided to call it quits. After seeing Sacred Dawn perform as a three-piece last New Years Eve, he approached the band, one thing led to another and has quickly become part of Sacred Dawn's identity and is helping the band achieve its goals. "The band's originals really impressed me and I immediately thought that I could help not only as a musician, but also with business. Im very happy with the direction of the band and the opportunities we have waiting in front of us". Sacred Dawn's influences include Megadeth, Yngwie Malmsteen, Dream Theater, Static-X, Symphony X, and Maiden... all with a progressive, melodic and almost neo-classical sound.
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