Hey! I'm John, I play drums. I'm really lucky to be living in LA and be a working musician. I love all music but I'm truly obsessed with 60's and 70's funk, hip hop up to around '93 or '94 and anything with a Hammond organ. In addition to all of the artists listed below that I'm lucky enough to work with, I've got my own groups called "The Chonies, and Your Mother's New Boyfriend."
Here is what James Hale at Downbeat Magazine was nice enough to write a couple of years ago.
DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE "YOUNG DRUMS: 13 WHO WILL SET THE BEAT FOR THE FUTURE"
Seattle's loss is L.A.'s gain. After establishing himself as one of the most distinctive and supportive drummers in the Northwest, John Wicks has made the move south-no surprise, really, when you consider his laid-back style and its origins. "I was a Navy brat, so we moved a lot," he says. "When my dad was stationed in New Orleans, my mother took me out to Mardi Gras, and I just fell in love with that sound. My parents were also really into Ahmad Jamal, so Vernel Fournier was a big influence. I loved him, along with Levon Helm and Paul Motian" With his mother's encouragement, Wicks pursued private lessons with Dave Coleman Sr., a former Billie Holiday sideman, and attended Berklee for a very short stint before hitting the road and getting a real education. While in Boston, he took additional lessons with Joe Hunt, Alan Dawson, and a few with Fournier in New York. Wicks' instrumental voice has a definite southern drawl, just slightly behind the beat, with plenty of room between strokes. As he likes to describe it: "I'm relaxed and take my time, the way southerners are."
