Under the Water Tower Lovilia News

John has not only one business, he has three.  He instructs adults and children to play musical instruments, he records musicians or singers on CDs, and he repairs recording studio equipment.

Music intstructor

He teaches children starting at age five on up to adults in their eighties.  The studio has  rock key boards and a grand piano for instruction on keyboard.  Guitars can be acoustic, electric,  steel and lead guitar or bass.  Drummers can get lessons to on a trap set.

Lessons are available on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday from 1pm-8:30pm at the studio 1614 E Avenue in Lovilia directly across from city hall.  Lessons are $50 per month for a half hour lesson each week. John’s favorite music is rhythm and blues or jazz but he will teach all music styles.  He currently has nearly 20 students but last year had forty before these hard economic times hit town.

Last summer he formed a rock band with several students so that at their lessons they could learn to jam and play together as a group.  At the end of the summer they performed on the bandstand at the Knoxville square.  Later they performed in concert at the Marion Co. Fairgrounds and had 1000 people in the audience who were enthusiastic about their music.  The band was named Magnum Chromatic and they are still doing gigs together.  Matthew Showers, son of Rod Showers who grew up in Lovilia and now lives in Knoxville, is a member of the group.

John has a group of senior students made up of retired persons who want to form a band and practice together this summer.  Maybe we can get them to perform at the community building outdoor stage for us.

If you would like to inquire about lessons, call John at 641-946-8160.

John’s background

He grew up east of here near Lake Miami and attended and graduated from Albia High School. He played keyboard and guitar then and  had lessons on them until graduating from school  . He started teaching music right away and has given lessons now for twenty years.  He also played with a blues band called “Yetti Blues Band” that was honored by being inducted into the Iowa Hollywood Rock N Roll Hall of Fame at Okoboji in Arnold’s Park. Each year there is an annual concert and new inductees are brought in to the Hall of Fame.  He is currently playing in a blues band that plays in Melcher, Sigourney, Johnston, and DesMoines.

Location of Studio

John and his family had out grown their studio and living quarters in Knoxville and were looking for a larger site.  His friends and customers said he needed to be in Des Moines.  Then Martha Sweem told him when he came to get his mail that the former De Long building was for sale.  John told her it was out of his price range but Martha said she thought they would be willing to negotiate a price and to call the CEO in Grinnell, Iowa.  He did.  They did.  He has the studio and it is just what he needed for space.  He has  customers come regularly from Boone and Des Moines.  After high school John put in seven years at Vermeer in Pella.  Always having the nagging desire to go into the music business full time,  he made that leap about eight years ago.

Recording studio and repair of recording equipment

John is set up to repair equipment in the buildings basement and has projects going there all the time.  At the recording end he not only records but designs and engineers studio equipment.  He is doing research and development in that area now.  If a customer wants to record say, a demo CD, they can show to potential clients, they pay John $50 an hour for the number of hours needed.  Some can do a demo in five hours, others could take up to 50 for a longer session.  He can do a CD in Lovilia .  If a person wants a vinyl recording he can do the master here and send it away to be done in vinyl.

Family

His wife, Karen, was a Farrington and grew up just northwest of Lovilia.  She and John have two daughters.  Sylvia 11 and Sophie 6.  Both girls are learning piano and guitar.