From the moment in his parents’ living room when he strummed his first air guitar chord on his tennis racket while The Who’s “Live at Leeds” blared from his dad’s stereo, John Carrillo, at the ripe young age of 14 knew he wanted to be a performer. His wish came true many years later when he stepped onto a real stage (in this case, “real stage” is a relative term) for the very first time at Quon’s Karaoke Bar in Orange to sing “Mr. Tambourine Man.”
John hasn’t left the stage since.
Since that day he has performed all over Southern California at countless coffeehouses, bars, bookstores, weddings, corporate events (no Bar Mitzvahs yet!) and venues such as The Coach House, The Grove and The Orange County Fair.
He released his first album, “John Carrillo” in 1998. The album, produced by power pop guru Michael Simmons (Sparkle*Jets UK) was featured on KLOS’ “Local Licks” radio program. A song from the album, “Civic Pride”, was also showcased on NPR’s “Car Talk.”
Although heavily influenced by classic 60’s pop groups such as The Beatles, The Byrds, The Who, The Everly Brothers and Simon & Garfunkel, John’s music also invokes sensibilities of latter artists such as Elvis Costello, REM, Fountains of Wayne, Death Cab For Cutie and The Shins to produce his own unique brand of quirky yet accessible brand of pop music.
From a radioactive girl, to a pesky possum, to the second best girl in the bar, John’s songs are inhabited by an eccentric cast of characters that invite the listener to share in their sometimes surreal, sometimes melancholy, yet always thought-provking, adventures.
In 2001, John released his second album “A Wink To His Career” which featured among others, guest appearances by Lonnie Jordan (War) and Bob Boulding (The Young Dubliners). The album, produced by Dwight Yoakam alumni Shawn Nourse, showcased John’s vocal talents as well as his rapidly developing songwriting skills. In late 2001 John was named one of the top local artists of the year by The Orange County Register. In 2002 the album was named one of the best Do-It-Yourself albums of the month by Performing Songwriter Magazine.
John’s third album, “Von Karma”, which features performances by bass guitar legend and “Wrecking Crew” member Carol Kaye, was released in 2006.
John is currently the host of two popular Orange County open mic nights, Tuesday Nights at Alta Coffee in Newport Beach and Pepperland Music in Orange.
His music can also be heard on a variety of television shows including: Two-A-Days (MTV),Disney’s Great Escapes (The Travel Channel), Man vs. Food (The Travel Channel), The Next Food Network Star (The Food Network), Driven (VH1), Made (MTV), Room Raiders (MTV) and Breaking Bonaduce (VH1).
VENUES PERFORMED
The Gypsy Den (Costa Mesa, Santa Ana)
Alta Coffee (Newport Beach)
Diedrich Coffee (multiple locations)
Starbucks Coffee (multiple locations)
The Lab Anti-Mall (Costa Mesa)
The Green Parrot Cafe (Santa Ana)
The Grove (Anaheim)
The Coach House (San Juan Capistrano)
The OC Pavilion (Santa Ana)
The Sol Grill (Newport Beach)
Borders Books & Music (multiple locations)
Bistro 400 (Santa Ana)
Maderas Steak & Ribs (Los Alamitos)
Orange County Fair (Costa Mesa, CA)
Barnes & Noble (multiple locations)
Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (multiple locations)
The Winged Heart Cafe (Fullerton)
The Hub (Fullerton)
The Crooked Bar (Hollywood)
REPRESENTATION
European Publicity, contact Peter Holmstedt, hemifran.com
