John began learning guitar at age ten and played in local rock bands before moving towards jazz fusion.  During his first year at college, he began to widen his influences from Jeff Beck and the Brecker Brothers to include earlier-generation jazz guitar greats.  John’s original, tightly arranged jazz-pop compositions are tied together with ensemble melody lines that often feature theme duets of guitar and synthesizer or guitar and vibes.  His writing and playing style should attract fans of Larry Carlton and Lee Ritenour since the music is thematic, yet lends itself to hot soloing that never ventures too far outside.  John says, “I believe that the tune is everything.  When I’m taking a solo, the only thing I’m thinking about is the groove, the changes that will sound good over it.  My originals lean toward the jazzy side because I enjoy putting my brain and my chops to the test, but that isn’t to say I don’t enjoy playing a screaming three-chord blues or a raunchy rock vamp.”