John Neilson
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John Neilson

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Band Pop Singer/Songwriter

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"Neilson is coming home: Maryland native returns to perform at the Belvedere Hotel in Baltimore"

Four years ago, John Neilson was a Long Fence window salesman - one-time salesman of the month - who was about to marry his longtime girlfriend at his mother's Mount Airy farm.

Then he was dumped. And he didn't want to sell windows for the rest of his life. He had to make a change in order to be happy, to find who he was.

"The best thing that happened in my life is my fiancée dumping me," Neilson said.

Just a few months after the breakup, he was watching the Grammys and made a decision. He soon filled his two-door Honda Civic with his clothes, CDs and two guitars and drove to Los Angeles.

He wanted to have a career as a singer-songwriter.

His family said he'd be back in two months.

Discovering his passion

It's difficult to place Neilson's music in a box, but it's evocative songwriting and impressive strumming. His voice is distinctive. There's something gentle about it, but at times it can cut like a knife. At his show Friday at the 13th Floor in Baltimore, expect a bit of rock, some alt-country and a bit of blues.

Neilson, who just turned 30 and sports a curly brown-haired moptop, permanent scruff and an amiable smile, was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Columbia. As a child, he'd jump the fence at Merriweather Post Pavilion to see artists like Midnight Oil and Elton John. Half of the time he didn't even know who the people performing were.


He sang in the church choir but taught himself to play guitar his junior year of high school. His primary love was acting, so he studied drama at the University of Central Florida, where he started writing songs. Later, he moved back to Maryland to be with his girlfriend as she started working. Neilson still dreamed about moving to New York or Los Angeles to try acting professionally.

"At 23 or 24, everyone I knew was doing what they wanted to do," Neilson said. "I always wanted to do something more, something different."

When Neilson arrived in Los Angeles, he slept on a friend's couch. He just wanted a fresh start. Four days after moving, he ran into someone who introduced himself as Brad Nelson, the tour manager for rockers L.A. Guns. Neilson asked for advice.

"He said, 'Always keep a guitar with you and play wherever you can,' " Neilson recalled.

Neilson's first show in L.A. was at a hole-in-the wall coffeehouse called Bliss. No one came to see him. It took countless calls and e-mails to get gigs. But soon, the affable Neilson made a good impression on venue owners. Six months after their first meeting, Neilson ran into Nelson, who asked where his guitar was. This time, Neilson had it on him. The tour manager asked him to play a song. Neilson played one of his best. It made Nelson's girlfriend cry.

He whispered something in his girlfriend's ear and turned to Neilson.

"He said, 'Today is your lucky day,' " Neilson said.

Building his story

In the music business, budding musicians have to do what's known as "building your story." The phrase comes from music executives who, when first meeting with a potential roster star, invariably ask, "What's your story?"

Neilson's story had a new, exciting chapter after meeting Nelson. He was asked to join the L.A. Guns on a 38-date United States tour as the opening act. Neilson suddenly had a bunk on a tour bus. His original dream was two-fold - to get a record deal and be on a tour bus. Living in L.A., he was always seeing tour buses roll down the roads.

While on tour, he'd perform original tunes then quickly get off the stage to man his merchandise booth, selling everything from self-made albums to T-shirts and autographed photos. Soon, he endeared himself to the L.A. Guns, and band members started to play with him on stage.

After the L.A. Guns tour wrapped, Neilson took his elevated clout and started booking more gigs at top-notch Los Angles venues like the House of Blues, the Viper Room and the Key Club. Neilson was earning respect and saving money from his merchandise sales and the $250 a gig he got on tour. While on that tour, he sold a whopping 3,000 copies of his 10-track self-produced album.

Soon he got the attention of acclaimed singer Sophie B. Hawkins. Neilson played her a song and Hawkins' manager signed him. Soon he was recording demos, which were getting played at Sony and J Records.

With blinders on

Neilson's demos kept getting rejected, something he said was because the production wasn't up to snuff.

"The execs all said the production didn't match the songwriting," he said. "People called me a diamond in the rough. That was nice at first. But I wanted to be more."

His manager/producer at the time blamed it on other things. She told him maybe he wasn't young enough. She told him maybe he needed to lose 20 pounds.

Neilson was soon introduced to record producer Jim Wirt, who has worked with bands like Incubus, Live and Something Corporate. Wirt immediately admired Neilson's music. This was the guy he wanted to be with, Neilson t - Carroll County Times


"John Neilson ... he's not in his bedroom anymore"

Had he stayed in Mount Airy, gotten married four years ago, and not met Brad Nelson, John Neilson would still be playing guitar in his bedroom, door closed, somewhat miserable.

"It would not have been good," he said.

Neilson, 29, grew up in Columbia, then went to college in Florida on an acting scholarship.

"Somewhere in college, I kind of got the bug to do more music than acting."

Skip ahead a few years.

Neilson, with his BFA in theater performance, moved back in with his Mom, who lived on a 10-acre horse farm in Mount Airy. He was stuck in a creative rut.

"I got away from my art, my relationship ended... I went out to California with the intent to make music."

Within his first week in Los Angeles, Neilson met a guy named Brad Nelson at a mutual friend's house and noticed his L.A. Guns guitar tuner. Neilson, a fan of the glam metal band, learned that Nelson was L.A. Guns' manager.

Neilson explained he'd come to L.A. to get serious about his music.

"Where's your guitar?" Nelson asked Neilson.

The manager gave the new arrival two rules. First: Always have your guitar with you, if you want to be a musician. Second: Play anywhere you can.

Neilson gigged steadily for the next six months, playing wherever he could get booked, and then he ran into Nelson again, who had just ended a tour with L.A. Guns.

Neilson had his guitar this time, and told Nelson he'd been playing around the city. In a few months, he'd become an L.A. singer-songwriter.

Nelson, there with a girl, insisted Neilson play them a song, which he did, which made her cry (in the good way, not in the bad way, Neilson clarified), and made Nelson respond with, "Today is your lucky day."

The L.A. Guns manager asked Neilson to tour as L.A. Guns' opening act for their 42-show run, starting a few days later.

"I kind of had to learn on the fly," Neilson said.

During his first performance, in Salt Lake City, Utah, Neilson asked for a seat onstage.

"You have to play standing up," Nelson told him after the show.

"It was weird to be touring with a rock and roll band, because I was an acoustic act," Neilson said.

He wasn't in his bedroom anymore.

"By the end of the tour," Neilson said, "L.A. Guns was backing me up."

And his name got out.

Shortly after that stint, Neilson met Sophie B. Hawkins, who fell in love with his music. She signed him to a management deal, wrote and recorded a four-track demo with him and then they toured together.

Hawkins described Neilson in a Windy City Times interview last year as "really weird, scruffy and artistic, like a young Tom Waits.

"He is so incredible, but he didn't get a record deal even though the songs are good," Hawkins said. "He's a real artist. I love this guy so much. I couldn't believe he didn't get a deal."

"It was a completely different crowd (than the L.A. Guns tour)," Neilson said.

Not long after touring with Hawkins, Neilson was introduced to platinum record producer Jim Wirt, another fan of Neilson's songwriting.

Since meeting, the two have collaborated on 21 songs. Neilson said Wirt told him it's been one of the favorite projects to date.

"It's just true and real and honest," Neilson said about his lyrics and music. "A lot of people in L.A. try to make cool music. They try to reinvent the wheel. I'm just singing songs about my break-up and the journey of re-finding myself."

Wirt's favorite song recorded so far is "Howard County," written by Neilson about the annual Howard County Fair, alongside I-70.


Standing out there
in line at the Howard County Fair
for the swings that would swing you out
over 70.

When you're flying up there, man,
it's like you never had a care.
All your worries seem to wash away.


Wirt, also a "world class bass player," according to Neilson, has played for Neilson's recordings as well.

His first EP (not counting an earlier 10-track recording), "Spoon," was recently released through F500 Music Group (for downloads, go to F500music.blogspot.com).

"It's a really awesome time for independent artists like myself," he said.

While digital technology has made recording easier for new artists and the Internet has made it easier to get their music out there, an ongoing problem remains when Neilson returns home.

"The problem with Maryland, cover bands should not be the most popular music," he said. "I don't want to watch some guy from Frederick do Alice in Chains. I'll go see Alice in Chains and do it right. It's just, so un-artistic. And I don't think there's a shortage of (creativity) here.

"I wanna bash the fact that people think it's cool to play in a cover band. These kids just out of high school, with a guitar -- I'd like to see them have a shot.

"In Maryland, you have to do an open mic to play original music.," Neilson continued. "It's all business, and it's all money, and it's all bottom line, and it's unfortunate for local music."

He said there is one cover band in Los - Frederick News Post


"Local singer Nelson rocks L.A."

Many young musicians dream of heading to Los Angeles or Nashville. They hope to be the latest and greatest artist in a sea of thousands. While very few are ever heard of by the masses, once in a while a dream is realized.

The performance bug bit John Neilson at the age of eight when he performed for approximately 5,000 people at the Presbyterian General Assembly. His mom gave him piano lessons and he taught himself to play the guitar. Add all this to a Bachelors degree of Fine Art in Theater Performance from University of Central Florida and you have the makings of a star.



John Neilson (left), shown here with DJ OH SNAP!!, with be performing at the Vintage Coffee House, Main Street, Mt. Airy, Saturday evening, Jan. 5.

In 2003, Neilson moved across the country to L.A. to heal a broken heart and work on his passion for singing and songwriting. With a stroke of luck, Neilson ran into Brad Nelson who asked to hear one of Neilson’s songs.

Little did he know, Nelson was a tour manager for L.A. Guns and asked if Neilson would like to join the group on tour as an opening act. After a 41-city tour, Neilson had gained some recognition and valuable stage experience.

Since this experience, he has collaborated with LA Guns and Sophie B. Hawkins to write songs and toured with Hawkins as well. He has also preformed with many artists such as Matt Kearney, The Donnas, and Matthew Sweet. His style ranges from southern rock to urban blues and makes him very versatile in a business which tries to pigeon-hole artists into one genre.

“[Hawkins] has really helped me learn the art of song writing and I’m grateful to everyone who has helped me,” said Neilson.

Recently, Neilson has been working with manager Mickey Fortune of F500 Music Group and producer Jim Wirt at 4th Street Studios in Santa Monica and is working on new music continuously. His songs have been used by MTV and he hopes to have music placed on some Sony Pictures TV projects.

California residents hear his music on Indy 103.1 and many college radio stations. “It was pretty crazy to hear my songs on the radio for the first time,” stated Neilson.

Neilson regularly plays many of L.A.’s hot spots including, House of Blues, Key Club, and Viper Room. On Saturday, Jan. 5, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., Mt. Airy residents will have the chance to hear a live performance right on Main Street at the Vintage Coffee House. Tickets will be $5.
- Mt. Airy Messenger


Discography

If By Chance(2004)
Spoon EP (2007)
Missing in Action EP (2008)

Photos

Bio

JOHN NEILSON HAS MOVED TO AUSTIN TX!!!!! COME ON OUT AND CATCH A SHOW. Breaking up is always hard to do, but sometimes, it works out for the best. John Neilson was only 24 when he was engaged and prepared to celebrate his wedding at his mother’s farm in Mount Airy, MD on the night of August 8, 2003. As fate would have it, John and his fiancée called the wedding off and hoping to find himself, John moved across the USA to Los Angeles, CA to pursue his career in songwriting and to heal his heart. Things haven’t been as easy at is seems on TV in the Hollywood Hills, but John has managed to make a name for himself in Los Angeles and across the USA with his songwriting and performances that range from urban blues to pop, to alt-country, southern rock, and everything in between. Since moving to Los Angeles in 2004, John had managed to become a regular performer at the LA Hot Spots like Hotel Café in Hollywood, as well as playing at the Troubadour, Viper Room, Key Club, House of Blues, Crash Mansion, and other staples of the LA music scene. John now lives in Austin TX, and is regularly playing the singer/songwriter rooms like Momo's, One2one, ect. John has performed/toured with Bob Schneider, Jason Reeves, Joshua Radin, KatyPerry, Meiko, Paul Thorn, One Republic ,Augustana, Brett Dennen, Jason Isbell, Patterson Hood, Meiko, Paul Thorn, Mat Kearney, AM, Blackfoot,Kevin Devine, Butch Walker, Kate Earle, Beth Orton, Jenny Owen Young, Molly Hatchet, AM, The Donnas, John Doe of X, Kinky, and many more. John has also written songs with Sophie B. Hawkins and has wrote songs for LA Guns as well as toured nationally with both. Most recently, John has signed licensing deals with Sony Pictures TV and MTV Networks and has his music placed. John has been working extensively with platinum-producer Jim Wirt at 4th Street Studios in Santa Monica and has released his SPOON EP, featuring the singles “Mexico” and “Spoon”, and now his Second EP "Missing in Action" featuring Wishing Well and Grip Me featuring Angie Mattson on vocals, is available on iTunes ect... John is back in the Studio working on his 3rd EP with Platinum Producer Jim Wirt... Look for it early fall. Buisness Stuff www.johnneilsonmusic.com Management: Mickey Fortune mmf@f500MUSIC.com 240.643.0517