John Paul Nawn

Drums & Vocals

Inspired by his namesakes in the Beatles, John-Paul started taking piano lessons at 9 years old. He continued learning new instruments year after year, the trumpet in sixth and seventh grade, and the guitar with his older brother Greg. At age 13, he picked up his first pair of drumsticks and taught himself how to play by cranking the boom-box and jamming along with Nirvana and Pearl Jam. The drums came naturally to him, and he didn't take a lesson until college.

Throughout high school and beyond, John-Paul's musical influences included bands like Phish, The Grateful Dead, Bob Marley and The Wailers, The Band, and Bob Dylan. Knowing his life would certainly be devoted to music, he attended Finger Lakes Community College and got a degree in music recording technology. He gained the knowledge and ability to mix sound like a professional, and the freedom of self-reliance when it comes time to record. He is currently applying these skills to his work with several local sound engineers in addition to mixing for The Deep Blue Dream.

John-Paul has played with several bands in the past, exploring emerging genres like progressive funk and jazz with Fluid Flux, alt-country and power-pop with Burning Daylight, and the jam band style with Thick Air.

You can see the combination of John-Paul's creativity and past musical experiences in his role with The Deep Blue Dream. He plays drums, mixes sound, writes songs, and shares vocals in the band. His influence is heard particularly in the reggae tunes, both covers and originals, that The Deep Blue Dream perform. "Gregorito"(named after his eldest nephew) can be heard on their self-titled debut album.