John B. Austin Band April 25, 2009

John picked up his first guitar at fourteen, and taught himself to play by listening to records. In his youth he played with many different bands: Euphoria, Boys in the Basement and Fate's Creation. With a group called Ammo, he began to gain some barroom experience (around 250 gigs' worth!). He was then recruited by another band named the Struts. He performed well over 200 gigs as their front man and lead singer. This was only the beginning.

Not long after the Struts split up, John found himself in rehabilitation for alcoholism. After a couple of years of laying a good, solid, sober foundation, John formed a new group called Austin Roots. Singing tight harmonies over well tuned guitars, the group performed original tunes and covered artists such as Bonnie Raitt and John Gorka. The group quickly became a local favorite at Common Ground and other coffee houses, bars, and restaurants in the Philadelphia area.

Around 1996, John moved away from Austin Roots to perform on his own. His song "More Pavement Please" appeared on a compilation (Enviroaid) alongside songs by Kathy Sledge (Sister Sledge) and Rik Emmet (Triumph), and received airplay on WXPN 88.5 FM. He has since played hundreds of solo gigs, performing his growing collection of original tunes as well as material by artists such as Eric Clapton and Neil Young. John has also performed with Foxfire, Fran Lynch, Gary Baumeister, Michelle More, Bar Scott, Sonny Boy Jim, Jim Simpson, Ben Arnold, Joseph Parsons, Beth Williams, Annie Baureline, and Jonathan & Anne Rose.

In 2000 John celebrated the release of his first CD entitled "Harder When You Run." It's version of "More Pavement Please" was picked by WXPN's Helen Leicht to be aired on her "Philly Local" segment. The album has also received airplay on Lehigh Valley's WXLV as well as several other area radio stations.

Official Website: http://www.johnandpeters.com