 Bio: John Renfrow
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.Bio: John Renfrow.
Foolish ambition...maybe. Ridiculously big dreamer...definitely. John Renfrow has had
a long history with music. Whether he was listening, playing, fighting with, or falling in love with it, music has been
the pinnacle illuminant in his world.
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It started with a keyboard that his Dad bought for
the family one Christmas. Although first unappreciated, the keyboard soon sparked interest in John at at the tender
age of six. "I remember being so disappointed that my Dad had spent all of this money on this ridiculous piece of equipment,"
John said. "My sisters and I were looking forward to getting this epic toy for us all to play with, but it turned
out to be this mysterious machine that none of us knew how to operate."
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A few months passed, and the keyboard spent the majority
of the time collecting dust in the corner of the living room. "After a while, I just got fed up looking at the
thing lying in the corner. So, I picked it up, plugged it in, and messed around with the controls until some noise came
out. That's when it hit...music was going to be my future."
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Soon after, John immersed himself in everything music.
From music videos on T.V. to songs on the radio, John was infatuated with the creation of sound. "I used to wake
up every morning, sit in front of the T.V., and watch hours of music videos before school. The Red Hot Chili Peppers'
song "Give It Away" popped up on the screen, and I had an epiphany...I wanted to be an entertainer of all sorts,
kind of a jack of all trades in music."
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Fifth grade year hit, and John was placed in a mandatory band and orchestra
class. "They gave me a viola and some sheet music, and told me to go home and practice," he recalls.
"I practiced all the time, and I tried my hardest to read the notes, but I was getting nowhere fast." Soon
came the day when John was expected to perform a solo piece in front of his classmates. "I was so nervous.
I couldn't read music, I didn't know the song, and I knew I was dead." Time was up, and John had to make his presentation.
"I set up my sheet music, took a deep breath, and began my performance. It was awful, I fell apart on the first
few notes." Already mortified, his teacher put the last grain of salt in his the wound. "She stood up
in front of the class, got right in my face and said, "You are never going to do music! You have no ability or
talent in the arts! You are and embarrassment to yourself and to your classmates!" Humiliated, John was kicked
out of the class. "After that, I was so deflated. I gave up on music completely."
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Months went
by, and John's anger grew. "I couldn't stand the fact that someone told me I couldn't do something, especially
music. I knew that I had to do something, but keyboard wasn't enough. I needed something bigger, something more
recognizable." Then came the era of the guitar. "I was sitting at the dinner table, staring at the guitar
from across the room. It sounds so corny, but I felt like it was speaking to me. I was drawn to it like a moth
to a flame. I left the table, sat in a chair, and started strumming at the strings. I couldn't play a note, but
my Dad saw something special there, so he sat down and taught me a few chords. I was hooked after that."
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Through
out his middle school and high school years, John played in several different bands in the local area. From pop, to
rock, to jazz, to fusion, John and his band mates explored all genres in order to obtain the sound they loved. "It
was truly all encompassing. We were absolutely crazy about bands like 311 and Incubus because they were so eclectic
and different. We wanted to create an individual sound like that. Kind of a no rules, no holds bar kind of thing.
The chemistry and the experimentation were wild, I loved it!"
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John expanded his interests to an array of different
instruments. After the guitar came bass, drums, piano, and programming. "I wanted to be able to explore all sorts
of mediums in order to produce a sound that I wanted. I was more obsessed with songwriting than I was with being good
at one solitary instrument. I'm always striving for more."
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At age seventeen, John realized that he needed to
take a different direction. "I was listening to all forms of music, and I knew I could do more with my sound.
Hip-hop and electronic music had entered into my life, and I wanted to find a way to incorporate them into my music."
Months of struggle followed until John was inspired by something amazing. "I was over at a friend's house listening
to a playlist he'd put together. We were relaxing on a summer day, half nodding off. All of a sudden, this crazy
song came on. I went ballistic over it. I asked who it was, and my friend replied, "Dude, it's BT.
Don't tell me you haven't heard BT?!" I was dumbfounded. After that, BT became an icon and a major inspiration
to me, and he still is."
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With his new found influence, and a an immeasurable drive, John set out
to record a new solo project in late 2006. "I was recording one day at my friend's make-shift studio, and Deric
happened to drop by. We had only met a few months earlier, and we hit it off right away. We both had this obsession
with BT and an immense hunger for success. He invited me over to his house, and we started to work on my solo project.
We soon realized that we had a great chemistry, and that we couldn't just keep this think solo. That was the birth of
Keep the Secrets."
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Now at the young age of 22, John has reached an audience of thousands across the world with his music.
Never learning how to read or write notation, John has amazed audiences with his ability to capture sound and develop beautiful
soundscapes using nothing but his ears and his hands. "Each song means something very important to me. They are
all stepping stones to creating a better life for myself and others through music. I want to share my art with the world
so that they can universally experience what I feel, and hopefully be able to relate my message to their own lives.
I write music as an outlet for myself, but I also write it to liberate others. My favorite thing on earth is when people
come up to me and say, "That song changed my life," or "You have no idea how much that song helped me."
That's all I want, is to make a positive difference."
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