Meet John Wise

I was born into a musical family, with my Dad and three brothers already performing as a gospel quartet. I grew up singing in the car with my Mom, which proved to be a bit dangerous because she would keep time with her right foot - On the gas pedal! I studied music performance at the Fort Hayes School for the Performing Arts in Columbus, Ohio before I left music for a while to serve in the Navy as an air traffic controller and raise a family. I continued to perform from time to time in churches and small festivals, but made my serious return to music in 2002 with Cliff Turner and the Afterburners in State College, PA. I've been performing more or less continuously with various bands since then, and have expanded my work into songwriting, arranging, and teaching.

I have played in various venues in Pennsylvania and Western New York, including large and small-scale music festivals, clubs, casinos, bars, churches, chapels - I don't turn down many opportunities to perform! My favorites have been summer and early autumn outdoor festivals, especially at sunset as the lights come up and the hills fill with sound. My solo performances tend to be intimate and not too loud, with a mix of original songs and piano-based covers.