Album Notes

*** Miscellaneous Heathen named the #1 CD of 2004 by The Orange County Register *** John honed his skills in the Orange County bounce-pop trio Ferocious Daisies. After two cds and countless sweaty gigs, it became time to break out and develop his solo material. Playing several years of various solo-acoustic gigs throughout Southern California (as well as stints in Copenhagen and Oslo) led to a deeper understanding of the direction he wanted to take and Miscellaneous Heathen is the end result of that exploration. Most of the CD was recorded by John, all alone in his home studio but he had some help from some very good (and very talented) friends. Eugene Edwards (guitar) and Mike "Soupy" Sessa (drums) of the Eugene Edwards Band appear all over the disc and pop maestro Joe Ongie added his mixing and mastering talents to make a very well-rounded album. - - - - - - - - - - - PRESS QUOTES: - - - - - - - - - - - FOUR STARS! "Gorgeous pop craftsmanship from West Coast upstart Fans of densely melodic, melancholy pop will flip for Los Angeleno John Hoskinson's solo debut. Though he's been on the periphery of the LA scene for a decade, Miscellaneous Heathen exceeds all expectations. Obsessed with romantic themes of all stripes, his songs, built on acoustic guitar and autumnal piano, revolve around insinuating hooks and a winsome veneer. The bouncy "I Belong To You", with its falsetto chorus, is the showpiece; the more existential numbers, like "Going Nowhere", will reel you back in. The lost link between Rubber Soul and Emitt Rhodes." - UNCUT MAGAZINE "...'Miscellaneous Heathen' stands up to the best discs I've received this year, clearly outdistancing the majority of recent major-label releases..." - Orange County Register "...This alluring, satisfying and spectacular debut... is saturated with the complex embrace of warmly harmonized vocals throughout and confectionary melodies to bathe in...." - NotLame.com