John Dwyer (musician)
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John Dwyer | |
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Damaged Bug |
| Born | October 3, 1974 |
| Origin | Providence, Rhode Island, United States |
| Genres | Garage rock, punk rock, noise rock, psychedelic rock |
| Occupations | Musician, songwriter, producer |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussion, keyboards, flute, clarinet, saxophone, harmonica, trumpet, cello, synthesizer, Mellotron |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Labels | Castle Face Records, In The Red Records, Load Records, Narnack Records |
John Dwyer is an American multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, songwriter, visual artist, and record label owner. He is best known as the founding member and primary songwriter of the garage rock band Osees, with whom he has released 28 studio albums.[1] In addition to his work with Osees, Dwyer records solo material under the name Damaged Bug.
He has been in and fronted several underground American bands since 1997,[2] as well as Osees, Dwyer is also a former member of the garage rock acts Coachwhips, Pink and Brown and The Hospitals.
Dwyer formed Osees as a solo project in 1997 before hiring musicians and making Osees into a band. The stable lineup on their early albums included Dwyer, Brigid Dawson, Petey Dammit and Mike Shoun, all of whom left the band when John moved to Los Angeles in 2013.
In 2003, John Dwyer met Brian Lee Hughes while he was filming [Rock Star Scars, which Dwyer contributed Coachwhips music to, as well as having a part in the film. In 2006, Dwyer met Matt Jones at a party, and together, with Brian Lee Hughes, they founded Castle Face Records.[3]
From 2020-2021, Dwyer released several improvisation-based records with a rotating collective of different artists, including "Bent Arcana", "Witch Egg", "Endless Garbage", "Moon Drenched" and "Gong Splat".[4] John Dwyer was one of the curators of the Dutch festival Le Guess Who in November 2021.[5]
Personal life
Dwyer is originally from Providence, Rhode Island, where he first began playing. Dwyer then moved to San Francisco, for much of his career. By 2017, Dwyer owned a home in Eagle Rock, Los Angeles.[6] He has a rescue dog and two cats owned by a former partner who left them with John after they split up.[7]
Dwyer used to sell marijuana: "Growing up, I used to deliver pot year-round on an old Suzuki GT7570 Water Buffalo motorcycle".[8]
