Jon is a multi-instrumental musician and has turned his love for music into a professional hobby. He started learning piano at a young age with his instructor Judy Buchholz, followed by learning the saxophone in middle school from Flambeau Band instructor Nathan Gerlach, and then he taught himself the guitar shortly after. He earned several honors and awards while in high school for both his saxophone and vocal work. 

Jon was very involved with the Northwoods Rock Rally, as he had a love for rock music and an interest in audio production. Phil Schmidt and John Edming allowed Jon to attend Rock Rally as long as he was working, so Milo Hanson, John Tellis, and Dave McSweeney (among others), would find various jobs for Jon to do during the event to keep him busy.

When Rock Rally announced its last year in 2018, Jon was committed to bringing it back someday. After producing a few of his own concerts in the years prior to the Covid pandemic, Jon struck a deal with Phil to bring back Rock Rally and founded his concert promotions company JK Productions. Jon "Resurrected" Northwoods Rock Rally in 2021 to a sold out crowd, and in 2022, he announced the return of Northwoods Country Rally as well, however that venture proved to be much less fruitful, as the 2023 iteration of the event was canceled, along with any future plans to hold the event. In addition to his festivals, Jon has also produced shows such as the NWRR "Winter Jam", Shallow Side's "Storyteller" series, the "Battle for the Northwoods" at the historic Silverdome in Neillsville, and other offseason shows that have been well-received.

Jon has also played in several bands over the years, including playing guitar in Flight 56 (with high school friends Jose McKittrick, Arik Johnson, Andy Johnson, and Mitch Ludvigson), bass in Ladysmith City Limits (with Wayne Zindler and Bryan Anderson), and vocals/guitar in ...To Be Alive (with DJ Harm and Paul Lasiewicz formerly of Contingency and Zac and Sully Neal). ...To Be Alive was formed in 2021 as a fun way for Jon to be able to play at NWRR. However, once the band was formed, they quickly realized that it was much more and proceeded to play several shows from 2021 to 2023 that displayed their abilities. In October 2023, TBA opened for the band 10 Years at the St. Croix Casino in Turtle Lake, WI, marking their first performance under the name ...To Be Alive. The band started writing music and plans to release an EP in early 2025. In late 2023, Jon started working with longtime friend Ethan Gunderson on his contemporary country project "GUNDO". GUNDO released his debut EP "Chose For Life" on Friday, October 18th, 2024, a week after hosting a release party to a crowd of over 150 in Ladysmith.

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Past and Present Musical Ventures: