
If being a musician is a fault, John ...
...comes by it honestly - his parents met when his father was referred to be the piano accompaniment for his mother’s French horn senior recital. When he was four years old, John fell from a jungle gym. In the fear that he may have suffered a concussion, his parents woke him in the middle of the night and asked, “Who is the greatest composer of the 20th
Century?”. His response was, “Stravinsky!”.
As a child, John studied classical music at the piano for several years, but found
his true calling in the dusty grooves of his parents’ classic rock and pop
collection. “I was mesmerized by the color of the late-60s’ psychedelic
recordings, the belly-bursting soul of the Motown sound, and the raw,
larger-than-life energy of my favorite southern rockers.” Most of all, he grew
increasingly interested in the history, construction and production of the popular
song.
As John’s influences expanded, so did his experience and influence. In 2003 he
established his first group, AEquitas in which he acted as the principal
songwriter and singer (the group has long since disbanded). In 2007, John
joined the group The Buzzkills - quickly establishing himself as one of the
primary songwriters, guitar players and singers for the group. In the
subsequent years, The Buzzkills became a successful original music and cover act
in the Midwest - performing all over Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and
Kentucky, as well as in Arizona and California.
All the while, John has managed his own solo music career as the artist John
Charles Weston - also performing and writing all over the West, Midwest, and in the South.
Presently, John lives in Chicago, IL where he divides his time between
songwriting, recording, performing, and teaching music. In 2010 he co-founded
the group Sklut and Weston with his songwriting partner, Tommy Sklut. Sklut and Weston have since achieved success in the Chicago original music scene. He has also co-founded the Sklut and Weston School of Music - bringing after school music programs to students on the Near North Side of Chicago.
John is a member of NSAI (Nashville Songwriters Association International),
CSC (Chicago Songwriters Collective), and has been an integral part of each of
the following groups: Hotfoot Teddy, the Usual Suspects, and John Charles
Weston and the Broken Strings.