JC's voice is the most important component of his music – his strong, emotive, and expressive voice is often one of the first things people notice. The Illinois Entertainer has said "he has a rich, welcoming voice", and he has also been compared to Seal, but that has more to do with his singing style than any particular tone or timbre similarities. He is always searching to find new ways to express himself through his unique voice, and uses it to communicate, to those that listen, his view of the world.
Artistic aesthetic and his view of the world are informed by his lyrics. He often writes lyrics first, or at least a lyrical idea in place when he sits down with the guitar. He firmly believes that an artist needs a unique and relevant lyrical outlook, and he wants to explore and create his own unique one. His lyrics can be motivated by an experience, a feeling, or just an idea. He is continually drawn back to songs which have heartfelt, unique, and poetic lyrics, and he chooses the path of true creative expression over cookie-cutter commercialism.
To explain the kind of music you make can be hard, especially when an artist is looking for something new, but histories can help. In the beginning, JC was a sponge, absorbing and integrating influences from alternative rock, classic rock, singer-songwriters, and pop. Many of the songs from this early period appear on his first record, "Come Inside". This was essentially a solo 7-song EP, on which he recorded nearly all parts except drums. It came out in 2005 and had a radio-friendly rock sound, with many strong songs.
But time has moved on, and he continues to grow as an artist and is now discovering and perfecting his own guitar style (he is a classically trained guitarist) that could be described as an amalgamation of styles that include jazz, classical, funk, and progressive. He often performs solo so the acoustic guitar has recently been a close friend and its familiarity has informed a lot of the new musical direction.
in somewhat chronological order
The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Syd Barrett, King Crimson, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Parliament / Funkadelic, Black Sabbath, Frank Zappa, Ministry, Jane's Addiction, Tool, Nine Inch Nails, Alice in Chains, Weezer, Stone Temple Pilots, Rage Against the Machine, Beck, Jeff Buckley, System of a Down, A Perfect Circle, John Mayer, Gavin DeGraw, and so on...
Electronic Influences: Kraftwerk, Aphex Twin,
Ladytron, Squarepusher, Biosphere, Luke Vibert, Venetian Snares, Herbert/Radioboy, Global Goon,
Fila Brazilla
If you like electronic music,
click here
to see JC's electronic side project,
Dope Robot
