j.j. vicars

Guitar-slinger J.J. Vicars tore outta the Sci-Fi Diner in a '58 Caddillac with mounted steerhorns and backward flames cranking out Hard Driving Blues, Boogie & Rock ‘n’ Roll complemented by smoky after-hours vibes and irreverent humor, all tied together by his gruff vocals and snarling guitar.

Born into a musical family he took up drums while still in single digits playing in his Jr. High marching band while studying behind the kit. Jazz dominated the record player at home while the birth of Rock 'n' Roll commanded the car radio. A few years later he discovered guitar and Blues and never looked back.

For the first decade of his guitar playing life he mainly worked as a sideman in various Blues and Rock groups occasionally picking up a Country gig here and there. Doubling on bass tripled his income. In summer of 2001 while living in Austin he cut his first solo album Sci-Fi Diner and forged ahead on his own. Much like that album he gigged both with his electric trio and solo acoustic. He released two albums of old material, Hi-Tech Hillbilly and Heartland, along with the studio leftovers album Longhaired Leftovers during a decade-long sojourn in Japan. He finished up Long Way From Home and released it upon his return to the U.S. in 2013. Recuperating in northeast Ohio he released Irreverent Dissident to rave reviews and heavy airplay. During the pandemic shutdown he began working on a series of singles testing the new business model. As of 2022 with the pandemic winding down he started working on an all-instrumental album Pickin' & Grinnin' and cast aside the revolving door of pickup musicians permanently installing Lisa Nielson on bass and Christopher Vandall on drums.