It was when he was about 13 that he plunked down $70 for a used red Hagstrom electric guitar just like the one he saw on the inner sleeve of Devo Q: Are We Not Men?. From this humble beginning sprouted John's twenty year love affair with the electric guitar. A succession of bad to decent college cover bands educated John on the mechanics of song construction as well as live performance.

After the timely demise of the late Rivals (AKA The Unitz) (they must've seemed like good names at some point in time... sheesh!). John began his DiY recording career which continues to this day. With the release (and sale of all five copies) of Mr. Whipple and the Creatures from Someplace Besides Here, John was rewarded with high praise. This came mostly from people who didn't know any better.

In 1987, while struggling to find meaning in a job at a record store in the suburbs, John released Faux Pas Harmony, a cassette filled with actual songs. Graphs do not exist to show the musical growth rate evidenced between Mr. Whipple and Faux Pas Harmony. Suffice to say that John is proud enough of it to make sure that it is still available for purchase.

After this watershed event, John moved to Memphis.The move to Memphis was a necessary evil. Separated from the comfort of the college music scene that cultivated his songcraft, John was forced to create a distinct musical identity. He sharpened his guitar and penned a collection of songs that was to be the basis of his next band, The Martini Age.

Using XTC and Gang of Four as its inspirations, The Martini Age pounded out a niche in the Memphis music scene. Energetic, noisy and decidedly pop, the band won a spot in Austin Texas' South by Southwest Music Showcase. Riding a crest of popularity, The Martini Age began recording and releasing John's original creations. The eight song E.P., Richie, kicked off Ivey DeMilo Recordings in late 1990. It was recorded in true DiY style on a borrowed four track in their friend Richie's basement, and it's still available. In early 1992, The Martini Age released Hippop, a full length CD recorded at Rockingchair Studio in Memphis. This tightly produced collection is brimming with John's pop gems. It was clearly the high point of The Martini Age's all too brief life. Hippop received widespread critical praise and is carried in the Optional Art Records catalog. it is also available directly from Ivey DeMilo Recordings.

Later that fall, John continued his solo DiY series with Bangorooma, a collection of songs John had that didn't seem to fit the Martini Age's set. He had help on it from members of the Martini Age, the Judybats and the Beach Boys (unbeknownst to them). In 1993, the Martini Age recorded a follow-up to Hippop, entitled Guitarsmack, which was to be another compact disc. Unfortunately, the shoestring budget upon which Ivey DeMilo operates would not allow it. It is available only as a cassette. It's a bit noisier and more experimental but it retains John's keen sense of pop structure and melody.

After five years of semi-stardom in memphis, the members of The Martini Age moved on to separate corners of the world. John retreated into the 4-track studio he set up in the attic of his new home in Little Rock, Arkansas. Not content to relive past glories, John began writing material for his next DiY tape, itchy Scalp Theater/Sounder 3. Ivey DeMilo released this home recorded tape in the Spring of 1995 to good reviews and international interest (he traded tapes with a guy in Edmonton).

John then began working on his next release. Recording with ex-Martini Age guitarist Jim Rivers, ex-Judybats Paul Noe and Dave Jenkins, and Opposable Thumbs/Apelife leader Todd Steed, tracks were cut to form the basis of the very well received "Paddleboat," released in Summer of 1996. Combined with a large dose of John's home recordings, "Paddleboat" garnered high praise in electronic fanzines and with DiY tape traders all over the place. John contributed to a "Cool Yule," a compilation CD released by Seattle's Optional Art Records, in Fall of 1996.

After yet another relocation back to his hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee, John picked up the DiY torch again with the 1999 CD "Woods." A new recording situation, and new recording gear broadened John's sound. It was still pop, of course, but technology enabled him to explore further in the realm of vocal harmonies and multi-layered instruments. There are lots more guitars, lots more voices and incidentally, lots of birds and bugs. You just have to hear it.

After the release of "Woods", John's new band The French Broads began playing around Knoxville and the region. Named after one of two rivers that converge in Knoxville to form the Tennessee river. The French Broads are a guitar driven harmonic pop band. They have released 3 albums on the Disgraceland Label. Go here to have a look.

During a hiatus in the French Broads' career, John recorded his seventh solo album. "Rough Skeleton" was greeted with the kind of wild applause you can only hear in your mind. You can read about it here.

And now, John presents "Man in the Street", his most ambitious album yet. A major studio upgrade has allowed John to explore more complex vocal arrangements and intricate instrumental composition. It is the logical next step in his continued musical evolution.