jecoa ross

I started playing guitar as a teenager in 1995 in my hometown of El Paso, TX. It was said that I inherited my musical talent from my grandfather, Danny "Flat-top" Ross, a country and western guitar player who released a few albums on Minor Records in the 1960's and 70's and played with such artists as George Jones, Chubby Wise, and Larry Gatlin. Like my grandfather I have never learned to read music because I simply rely on my ability to learn just about any song by ear. The difference, however, between my grandfather and I was that my ear and interest was more inclined to rock music.

In 1995 I began playing and singing with a group of young guys about my age in a christian rock band. Before I became a christian my musical influences included bands such as The Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead, Metallica, and Nirvana. Each member took turns writing songs and playing eachother's instruments. By 1996 I was able to play drums and bass along with electric and acoustic guitar. We played several churches and christian rock shows between 1995 and 1997 before conflicts between our church and myself forced me to leave the church and my bandmates. It wasn't long before I started my next project in another christian rock band where I decided to step away from the mic and focus more on my guitar playing and songwriting. In 1998 I lost all interest in the christian faith and likewise in my band. I soon introduced myself to a whole new world of sex, drugs, and rock music. I started listening again to my old musical influences and discovered other ones such as Guns 'n Roses, Weezer, Sponge, and Everclear.

I graduated high school in 1998 and began working part-time as a bank teller. In early 1999 I started going to community college but soon dropped out having succumbed to a life of partying constantly. In March of that year, I lost my job and was kicked out of my mother's house, leaving me homeless for a brief period. Unphased and wholly determined to make a living in the music industry, I moved in with a friend who was in need of a drummer for his band. At the end of the year the band had accomplished very little and I was beginning to get weary of being broke and strung out on drugs and alcohol. An aunt and uncle offered me a place to stay and a job working for their freight packing company in Houston, Tx. I moved there in 2000 and tried to redevote my life to the christian faith and christian music. I began playing solo with an acoustic guitar at a few christian coffehouses and developed a love for folk music. It wasn't long before I found my way back into drugs and partying, though, and was kicked out in the summertime. Homeless for the second time in the span of about a year, I headed for the music capital of the world in Austin, Tx. There I met up with bandmates from my last band who had found a new drummer and relocated to Austin. They had surpassed their garage band phase and were writing much better music. They were also in need of a guitar player and a roommate and I was happy to fill the position.

We played the Austin circuit for two years as well as playing in nearby San Antonio and San Marcos. I would work a job for few months and then be unemployed for a few months relying on handouts from family members and friends. We lived the rockstar life failing to recognise that we were not yet rockstars. We were strung out, completely broke and the band never did get the big break that we were hoping for. Just as things couldn't seem to get any harder on us, I was arrested and put in jail for writing bad checks. I made bond and hopped a flight to Daytona Beach, FL to stay with a friend until I could get my head back together. I sobered up and made the decision to return home to my mother's house and focus on paying off my debt and lawyer and making a life plan that didn't rely on music alone. A month after fleeing to Florida, I returned to Austin to find that my guitars and equipment had been sold to pay for my share of the bills. I left Austin in 2002 with the clothes on my back and began working to put my life back together in El Paso.

After marrying, finding a job as an over the road truck driver, and relocating to the Atlanta, GA area, I am ready to re-emerge onto the music scene. I have spent the last four years paying close attention to trends in classic rock, new wave, heavy metal, folk rock, hip hop, and modern pop music and have applied my observations to perfecting my songwriting, guitar playing and vocal stylings. In addition, I have worked hard on being able to reach out, through my lyrics, to my listeners who can identify with the life experiences that have made me who I am today. After playing solo at a few open mic nights at local coffeehouses and making a small name for myself on myspace.com, it is apparent that my aim to write songs that appeal to people from all walks of life is being met successfully. From being homeless to the everyday struggle to