We heard John after a referral from some friends who had been listening to him. Impressed by his nice voice, articulating every vowel and syllable, John is very easy to understand. Let's create a buzz for JT so he can get on the deserved world tour and take his music to the masses!
Jonn Gold



DGT:At what age did you start being serious with music?

From as early as I can remember, I took the task of making music seriously. As soon as I could play an instrument, I started writing my own songs. Before making the EP, I started to bed down elements of my identity. The result was an EP that is the only recorded music I have made that I still enjoy listening to, time and again. This tells me that I'm at a point where I'm able to portray a songwriting identity. Having an identity does not mean an artist has a songwriting formula or method of writing. For me, an identity is far more encompassing. It is an artists greatest freedom; to be able to touch different genres of recorded music and have the disparate songs held together by a consistent and instantly recognizable identity. I never wanted music to be a hobby. You can lose interest in a hobby
or struggle to find time to enjoy it. But music for most musicians and songwriters is something that they are compelled to do.

DGT:At what point were you becoming somewhat happy with your own work? We creative people are our own worst critics.

Early in the music journey you actively seek, if not crave, positive feedback, not only from people who enjoy the tunes, but from the mainstream industry. As a few nice messages started to trickle in, I began the task of bedding down elements of my music that I'd be pleased to present as my own: its acoustic folk/pop flavor, poetic feel, organic sound, and restrained production to ensure that the music doesn't date when the seasons change.

I see you asked when I became 'somewhat' happy, because you must know that the creative
types are really never satisfied! I can't help feeling that being satisfied is akin to giving up.

DGT:Where do you see yourself in five years, where do you want to be? Some artists aspire to
return to the studio and just create, produce, engineer while others love the stage so much
they just want to perform.

My EP is currently available on iTunes Australia. In a month, however, I'll be distributed across many countries through a vast on-line network. I'm independent, so in five years I think playing live will be an important part of what I do, if only to introduce more people to the music. Playing live is still a very powerful way of testing yourself, new songs, and refining how they might finally sound on a record. Having said all that, there is something very fascinating in a recording studio as songs slowly emerge into a polished product. It's a time of introspection - far from a live venue - where you can put down
forever what your mind imagines, surrounded by the tools and people to make it happen.

DGT:John, many of my own personal favorite artists are Australian born including the Gibb brothers and Midnite Oil and others. Australia seems to be such a vast and exciting continent to us. Is it hard to make a living as a professional musician in Australia or is the music scene thriving well, as it seems to be?

A great deal of exciting new music continues to emerge from Australia. There is still a strong sense of musicianship where playing live is an expected part of the informal apprenticeship. I think this scene has contributed to Aussie bands having a good reputation as live performers who can capture their sound well on a record, too. Melbourne has many great live venues, although as always, most independent artists will have to play for little money to expose people to their music. I, too, have to work another job while pursuing on a daily basis all aspects of my music: its content, promotion, distribution and so on.

As for the earthy warm sound of the EP, it was made easy by using early electric guitars made famous by the likes of the Beatles. My multi-talented producer, Scott Mathews, kindly gave me access to a staggering number of his personal instruments; some of the early guitars came off the same production line as instruments used by the Beatles. I was fortunate to have recorded with Scott, whose studio walls are lined by mementos from household names in the music industry. As an example of the eclectic array of instruments and goodies at our disposal behind seemingly every door of his studio, Scott belted out an incredible rhythm on two bongo drums while having a music box spin in the background for 'All that Matters'.

TO CONTACT AND ENJOY JT'S MUSIC JUST FOLLOW THESE LINKS!

www.jt176.vox.com
www.reverbnation.com/jtjohntomaino
www.record-producer.com/learn.cfm?a=4333
www.bandpromote.com/bands.asp?ID=617











Commentary by Bruce J Maier

The subject of race and equality is not just an issue facing one segment of civilization. It is all around us in every aspect of life. In the music business there have always been race lines drawn unfairly which separate and damage us as a society. In America famous Black entertainers were banned from the usage of white only bathrooms where they were the headliners, and though those times are behind us we still have a long way to go here in 2008. People are banned from the stage and recording contracts because they are the wrong color, they're too fat, too skinny, too bald or too old for the market. Prejudice abounds and we all have to strive to make a difference.This can only be accomplished if we change first our hearts, examine what we believe at the depths of our own personal core. Then, as writers and performing artists we need to be united not on what is the best beat or the best look, but what is the greatest and most fair way we may influence others to change their hearts and their prejudice. We urge you to read the latest feature from our International correspondent MS. P in the WORLD MUSIC always look forward to Ms. P's installments, as she writes with grace, passion and experience. Through her eyes and from the strokes of her keyboard, I too am able to see a larger section of this issue of human rights and equality. Education and awareness comes to each of us on different levels and sometimes when we least expect it. See Ms. P's article.