Artist description John Doman is a singer/songwriter who's just released his debut album, "4 Years", and is currently playing in various locations in the Syracuse area. In addition to playing guitar, piano, organ, bango, mandolin, tin whistle, accordian and bugle, John writes all his own songs. John grew up on the outskirts of Philadelphia (near Norristown) and went to college in Steubenville, Ohio, where he and some friend started up a band, the Horse Shoe Pitts, that regularly drew crowds of hundreds. Two of John's bandmates contributed to the "4 Years" album: drummer Michael Chamberland and singer/guitarist/songwriter Phil Costanzo. After the band broke up and graduation came in 2000, John took a job as a sports writer for a local newspaper. After two years of being a working stiff, John had had enough -- and in the meantime, he had scraped together enough money to record a high-quality studio album. So he decided to come up to upstate New York (where else?) to see if he could introduce some more people to his music. Here's what some people had to say about John Doman's music "John's inventive chord structures and meaningful yet original songwriting elevate one to the higher realms of aesthetic delight. Would it be too much to say that his music reminds one of Bob Dylan's thoughtful prose, Robert Johnson's gritty power, and John Mellncamp's pop expertise?" --Matt Fish, John's roommate "You know, Doman...his writing just kicks ass...but he has NO fashion sense...I don't know..hey, can I borrow five bucks?" --Phil Costanzo, John's former bandmate "Who the hell are you? Get that thing out of my face." --Martin Sexton Legal Note: The above quote from Martin Sexton is entirely false and not intended to be libelous. It was simply intended to be silly.

Music Style Acoustic Rock

Musical Influences Bob Dylan, Martin Sexton, Van Morrison, any music that's good.

Similar Artists A cross between Bob Dylan and John Mellencamp

Instruments Guitar, keyboards, vocals

Press Reviews From The Post-Standard, Syracuse, NY: Doman debuts with happy sounds November 5, 2002 MARK BIALCZAK MUSIC NOTEBOOK John Doman's dozen original songs on his debut disc "Four Years" are sweet, happy and entertaining. Doman, who moved to Syracuse from Ohio a couple of months ago to concentrate on his music, was a popular singer and songwriter in Steubenville, where he went to college at Franciscan University. His passion for his music is obvious, and his talent with words is deep. On "Some Go Down to Texas," he shows that a slow, longing touch never has to turn bitter. With the material from this disc and appearances at open mikes around Syracuse, the Ohio guy could win over Central New York, too. "Four Years" has 12 songs and runs 57:40. Put it on when: You need a dose of optimism, high hopes and simply sweet guitar work. On the Internet: Doman's Web site is www.johnnydoman.com. From The Post-Standard in Syracuse: Doman's debut full of passion October 20, 2002 MARK BIALCZAK MUSIC NOTEBOOK When he was a sports reporter for The Herald-Star in Steubenville, Ohio, most of John Doman's friends knew that at least half the time, his mind was on his music. Doman started piano lessons when he was 12. Then he picked up a guitar when he was a freshman at Franciscan University in Steubenville. Almost immediately, Doman began writing songs. Before graduation, he hooked up with a band called The Horseshoe Pits. That gig continued as a passion while he covered high school sports. One day, a friend, Jacob Welp, told Doman he had to make a record, just so Welp had the Doman song "She Found You" to take on the road with him. What the heck, Doman figured. Why not put out a little demo thing, a couple of songs with just him and his guitar? Doman's brother, Martin, had other ideas. He told John to think big. When Doman met Carter Salmon , bigger became better, too. Salmon was a young engineer with a new studio in his mother's basement. As his first project, he took on Doman's 12 songs, charging him the below-floor-level rate of 10 bucks an hour for studio time. "Four Years" came out in September. Doman sold 50 copies of the disc in Steubenville the first week. Then he moved to Central New York. Three of Doman's college buddies teach at Holy Cross Academy in Oneida and share a house in Sylvan Beach. They invited Doman to move here to better concentrate on his music career. (He also works in the cafe at Barnes & Noble, Booksellers, on Erie Boulevard East, where he says he makes more money and has better benefits than he had at The Star-Herald.) "Four Years" is a striking debut, with smart writing, supple playing and mountains of passion. (A full review of the disc will be included in my Nov. 5 monthly feature on Central New York work.) It's available at Sound Garden, in Armory Square, and Record Theatre, on Erie Boulevard. "All the songs are mine," Doman, 24, says with considerable passion, taking a break at Barnes & Noble. Asked to label his music, Doman goes with pop rock. His favorite artists include Van Morrison and Martin Sexton, and his storytelling and vocals show that influence. The lyrics certainly are spiritual, too. "I'm a Catholic. Anything I write is going to reflect that. It's part of who I am. But only one or two of my songs are about God. Most are about girls," he says. The song "Thank You, Jesus" certainly reflects Doman's values. "I went into Coleman's trying to see if I could get a gig, and the guy looks at the disc and says, 'Oh, "Thank You Jesus,"'" Doman says. "I said, 'Can't a guy have a "Thank You Jesus" song?' It's a free country." Doman says he's wary of the Christian music label, though, because "I don't want to cut anybody out of my music." He's trying to find paying gigs in Syracuse. The business side is new to him; in Ohio, other bandmates booked the gigs and told him to concentrate on songwriting. Doman is become a regular at the open-microphone night Tuesdays at the Inn Complete at Syracuse University's Skytop, and he's just tried out the Wednesday night open mike at Shifty's, on Burnet Avenue.

Additional Info www.johnnydoman.com

Location Sylvan Beach, NY - USA

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