JSID

Born in the small town of Bexley, Ohio John "Jack" Elliot Sidmore is the middle child of five. His father a salesman and his mother a homemaker, the Sidmore family lived a modest but comfortable existence. His siblings were all vastly different from one another, Jack being the only one who demonstrated an interest in the creative. With encouragement and support from his parents, he began to play guitar and write music at age 9. Always a bit more thoughtful and sensitive than his peers or brothers and sisters, sports and other outdoor activities were definitely not his strong suit despite the huge pressure to conform. He got along with adults better than he did kids, often labeled as an "old soul," and felt awkward and misplaced in school. At age 13, Jack felt himself drawn more to his guitar than he was to his books. He was clearly smart but wasn't the best student, mostly because his focus shifted from getting good grades to making something of his music. The more sure he became of this passion, the more comfortable he was walking the halls of his middle and high school. Writing and playing gave him the identity he craved...

...but it didn't do much for his bank account. Despite his obvious talent, Jack graduated high school (barely) with no job and no plans for college. He had focused all of his energy on writing, playing and forming makeshift bands with whoever was interested at any given moment. Most of those kids were scared straight into the traditional, eventually picking cubicles and classrooms over their love for music. A few lingered behind with Jack, not quite ready to give up the dream. While Jack worked odd jobs and lived in his childhood bedroom, he formed The Tyranny of Distance with them in 2002. At first it was just something to fill the time, all of them bored and looking for anything to get excited about. They cultivated their sound and played local shows for years, slowly gaining the attention of the public as well as record labels.

In 2008, they were rocketed into success that none of them ever saw coming. The next few years proceeded to be a whirlwind of recording, touring, awards, and increasing notoriety. The demand for the band was relentless, but Jack loved the chaos. He often wrestled with the business aspect of the music industry, frustrated by the way record executives analyzed their every move, but over time learned to pick and choose his battles. Jack worked tirelessly with his bandmates - so much so that they took a much-needed break in the fall of 2014. It came as a surpised to the music community that Jack was the one who wanted the hiatus, but his bandmates had been the ones to watch his physical and mental health deteriorate. He slept too little and drank too much, his mind a muddled mess of anxiety and self-doubt. He couldn't let his own head destroy what he loved the most, so as painful as it was, he asked for time off. With space to recover from the self-inflicted chaos, Jack used the break to write and tend to relationships he let fall by the wayside given the intensity of his career.

Jack is an over-thinker by nature, somebody who writes almost obsessively to keep his head straight. He hoards all of his journals and picks through them for inspiration. His passion for his career is obvious: he's a strong, serious leader. Outside of music, Jack isn't all that concerned with keeping up appearances and doesn't take himself too seriously. He'll wear t-shirts from high school and has trouble getting his hair to behave. He's sarcastic, cynical, and pretty easy to get along with. He isn't shy, but he's private about certain aspects of his life and gets irritable when the press attempts to pry. Without music, Jack isn't entirely sure who he is - which is why he's such a hard worker. He's immensely grateful for the life he's found himself in, but also simultaneously terrified of losing it.