I hold a Bachelor in Music from the University of Tennessee where I studied jazz performance and strings as a double bassist. I’ve released 8 studio albums as a bandleader and played live with The Quiet Ones, Daggerhands, Pampa, Tomo Nakayama, Hand of the Hills, Cinnamon Girl, and more. In 2008, I accompanied Damien Jurado, Rosie Thomas, David Bazan, and Josh Tillman as an instrumentalist and singer on the Bifrost Arts “Come O Spirit!” compilation. In 2011, I was a stage manager and guitar tech for Blitzen Trapper on their tour for American Goldwing. As a composer and arranger, I’ve recorded music for advertisements for Best Buy, the city of Chattanooga, and several independent films. Those projects and most of my projects are in collaboration with my creative partner, Mason Neely. See more of my discography below.
Press for The Quiet Ones: “When a modern straightforward rock band keeps me listening, and not just out of professional obligation, it’s news. Seattle sextet the Quiet Ones just have it- it being an intuitive knack for writing clever melodies you want to hear over and over, tunes that simply don’t wear out their welcome, swatched in textures that hark back to cherishable groups like Big Star and Mercury Rev. Of course, the Quiet Ones should be bigger and reaping the rewards of their exquisite songcraft and their refined ability to freak out sonically.”- Dave Segal, The Stranger
Press for Daggerhands: “You know when you’re so angry that you can only speak very carefully, very intensely, and with that peculiar hush that makes whoever you’re angry at pay extra close attention? That’s the sensation the new project from John Totten stirs up: Daggerhands definitely rock- with a guitar metabolism somewhere between major label-era Dinosauappearand good Neil Young and Crazy Horse- but their great strength lies in that piercing sense that if you look away, they might just blow up…the band’s debut full-length, Across America…is an album worth celebrating”- Sean Nelson, The Stranger
