Interviewing The Legends: Vertical Horizon

REVERED AMERICAN GUITARIST

SINGER and SONGWRITER

J O H N W E S L E Y

ON TOUR WITH ALT ROCK BAND

VERTICAL HORIZON

ZOOM EXCLUSIVE

ON INTERVIEWING THE LEGENDS

WITH RAY SHASHO

John Wesley has built a long and varied career as a songwriter, “sideman” guitarist, and recording artist. His music has been called lyrically sensitive and musically dynamic. His songwriting style incorporates emotionally charged vocals that evoke the honesty and intimacy of Roger Waters and Patty Griffin coupled with a melodic yet intricate guitar style reminiscent of David Gilmour, Alex Lifeson, Jeff Beck, and Warren Haynes.

Wesley’s guitar-driven acoustic and electric songs represent the cultivation of many inspirations — alternative, progressive, art, and classic rock genres intertwined with poignant lyrics drawn from the poetry of the common man. What really appeals to Wesley’s fans worldwide is a spark of sincerity and sensitivity so oft absent in today’s mainstream music. Most recently, John Wesley has performed as sideman, guitarist/vocalist for Vertical Horizon. John Wesley’s professional music career began in the early 1980’s in the Tampa, Florida area where he founded 1991 Southwestern Music Conference’s showcase act Autodrive.

The following year Wesley embarked on a solo career and became the premier opening act for British progressive rockers Marillion on seven consecutive tour legs around the world — especially North and South America, the UK and Europe — where he played for hundreds of thousands of fans. In 1998, Wesley embarked with White Lion frontman Mike Tramp on an extensive tour as premier opening act for the prestigious Peter Frampton/Lynyrd Skynyrd tour. Following this was several world tours as lead guitarist for Scottish neo-prog legend Fish. In 2001, John Wesley was the primary co-writer of Fish’s Fellini Days album. In 2002 he began touring as guitarist and backing vocalist for Porcupine Tree, during the In Absentia world tour and continued his role with the band through Deadwing, Fear of a Blank Planet, and The Incident world tours. He performed in the band for nearly a decade and over 450 shows, culminating in 2010 with sold out performances at Radio City Music Hall and the Royal Albert Hall. In 2011 he performed guitar during Steven Wilson’s North American Grace for Drowning tour.

Throughout 2013, Wesley toured as lead guitarist with Simon Collin’s Sound of Contact to support the Dimensionaut album. In 2014, Wesley toured as guest lead guitarist with Big Elf. Wesley has also toured the U.S. and Europe extensively to support his independent releases – performing as opening act for Marillion, Fish, Porcupine Tree, Sister Hazel, Steven Wilson, Flying Colors, The Winery Dogs, and Blackfield. In 2005, Wesley produced and recorded his fifth studio release, Shiver, co-produced by Mark Prator, and mixed by Steven Wilson of Porcupine tree. In 2011, Wesley partnered with UK native Dean Tidey (Feeder, Muddy Apes), to produce his EP, the lilypad suite.

Wesley’s long awaited sixth full-length studio album, Disconnect, was released by Inside Out Music on April 1, 2014, and the follow-up album, a way you’ll never be… was released in late 2016. In 2021, Wesley began touring as a guitarist and backing vocalist for alternative rock band from D.C. Vertical Horizon.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

ABOUT

JOHN WESLEY

VISIT

https://www.john-wesley.com/

Official website

https://www.facebook.com/johnwesleyofficial

Facebook

https://www.instagram.com/johnwesleymusic

Instagram

https://x.com/johnwesleymusic

Twitter

https://x.com/johnwesleymusic

Twitter

https://www.verticalhorizon.com/

Vertical Horizon official website

https://www.facebook.com/officialverticalhorizon/

Facebook

https://www.instagram.com/officialverticalhorizon/

Instagram

https://x.com/VerticalHorizon

Twitter

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBMoHtYNfZkQ0x5nc3NNwMg

YouTube

VERTICAL HORIZON

TOUR 2024

Upcoming Dates

Fri, SEP 20 Thunder Valley Rally

Cottonwood, AZ

Sat, SEP 21 Haute Spot

Cedar Park, TX

Sat, OCT 5 MusicFest El Dorado

El Dorado, AR

Fri, OCT 18 Des Plaines Theatre

Des Plaines, IL

Sat, OCT 19 Homer Stryker Field - Donut & Beer Festival

Kalamazoo, MI

Sun, OCT 20 Flagstar Strand Theatre

Pontiac, MI

Tue, OCT 22 City Winery

Pittsburgh, PA

Wed, OCT 23 Weinberg Center For the Arts

Frederick, MD

Fri, OCT 25 Wolf Den at Mohegan Sun

Uncasville, CT

Sat, OCT 26 Sunfest

Ocean City, MD

Wed, NOV 6 Ardmore Music Hall

Ardmore, PA

Thu, NOV 7 Racket NYC

New York, NY

Fri, NOV 8 Blue Ocean Music Hall

Salisbury, MA

Sat, NOV 9 AURA

Portland, ME

Sun, NOV 10 Empire Live

Albany, NY

Tue, NOV 12 WORKPLAY Theatre

Birmingham, AL

Wed, NOV 13 City Winery

Atlanta, GA

Thu, NOV 14 The Ramkat

Winston-Salem, NC

JOHN WESLEY

Discography

Studio albums

1994 – Under the Red and White Sky

1995 – The Closing of the Pale Blue Eyes [EP]

1998 – The Emperor Falls

2002 – Chasing Monsters

2005 – Shiver

2011 – The Lilypad Suite [EP]

2014 – Disconnect

2016 – A Way You'll Never Be

Studio albums with other artists

With Mike Tramp: Songs I Left Behind: (Guitar on "What If I", "Falling Down"), This & That (But A Whole Lot More): (Guitar on "Wait Not For Me")

With Fish: Fellini Days: (co-writing and recording credits)

With Porcupine Tree (recording credits): In Absentia, Fear of a Blank Planet, The Incident

With Ruud Jolie: For All We Know (lead guitar on "I Lost Myself Today")

With ÚMÆ:Lost in the View: (lead vocals on "Turn Back Time", "Echo", "Running Away")

Compilation

2004 – John Wesley: TEN

Singles

1994 – The Last Light

1995 – Into the Night

1995 – Domino

2003 – Fly Boy

Live releases

1998 – Waiting for the Sun to Shine in Paris

1998 – Wesfest 98

1999 – Starting the Engine II

1999 – WesFest 1999

2000 – The John Wesley Bachelor Party Tour

2002 – The Chicago and Frisco Bootlegs

2006 – Live at Katie Fitzgerald's

2009 – Oxford

2010 – Live at the L'Olympia

2013 – Live at Morrisound 30th Anniversary Show

Vertical Horizon

Discography

Studio albums

There and Back Again (1992)

Running on Ice (1995)

Everything You Want (1999)

Go (2003)

Burning the Days (2009)

Echoes from the Underground (2013)

The Lost Mile (2018)

JOHN WESLEY

APPEARS

OCTOBER 3RD 2024

ON INTERVIEWING THE LEGENDS

WITH RAY SHASHO

THE ROCK STAR CHRONICLES

BOOK TRAILER

BOOK REVIEW

-By Literary Titan (5) STARS

The Rock Star Chronicles by Ray Shasho, is a splendid book written by a music enthusiast who has poured their heart and soul into it. It’s a story of a boy who loved rock music, and his obsessive passion of it earned himself the name Rock Raymond. He went to school but instead was schooled in all matters of music while his peers were buried chin-deep in coursework. He then became a radio DJ and has now compiled a book on all interviews he held with Rock gods who raided the airwaves back in the 70s and 80s. It’s a compilation of interviews with outstanding vocalists, legendary guitarists and crazy drummers in the rock music scene. Each interview gives a reader an in-depth view into their personal lives and the philosophies that guide their lives which all serve to humanize these great icons. For readers who are old enough to call themselves baby boomers this book will bring old memories back to life. Millennials, on the other hand, may think of this book as a literal work of the Carpool Karaoke show.

The Rock Star Chronicles is a book I didn’t know I was waiting for. To come across a book that will talk me into trying something new. One brave enough to incite me to venture into new frontiers. This book made me a believer- I am now a bona fide Rock and Roll music fan.

Ray Shasho masterfully gets the interviewees talking. He smartly coaxes answers from them with crafty questions designed to get a story rolling out of them. The artists talk about diverse issues ranging from music, politics, and their social engagements. Having been on the music seen all his life, Ray Shasho knows the buttons to press, how to get them comfortable about talking about their lives.

The book’s cover is befitting of its subject matter with the leather look offering a royal background to the golden letter print. It speaks to how high a level rock music holds in the pecking order- arguably, modern music as we know it has originated from blues and rock music. The second noteworthy thing is the use of high-definition pictures to reference the musician being interviewed in every sub-chapter. This ensures that the book is for both original rock and roll lovers and aspiring new ones. Together is makes for a refreshing and consistently enjoyable read.

I recommend this book to rock music enthusiasts, aspiring musicians wondering what it takes and all readers curious to learn new things by going back in time.

https://literarytitan.com/2020/05/03/literary-titan-book-awards-may-2020/

Gold Award Winner