1) John moved to Pittsburgh to attend graduate school at Duquesne University where he studied philosophy but developed a passion for the writings of Nietzsche and began playing music. 2) Inspired by artists who blended tropical styles with rock, John began identifying his own music as "Trop Rock" and formed a popular regional band called John McDonald & the Mango Men. 3) Although John did not anticipate it, the term "Trop Rock" he coined went on to designate a global community and genre of music with radio shows, websites, and festivals dedicated to it.

1. John's Circuitous Path through a Distinct Fusion of Literary,
Musical and Geographic Influences
Academic Aspirations
Remember what the 18th century Scottish poetRobert Burns said about “the
best laid plans?”
John moved to Pittsburgh to attend graduate schoolat Duquesne University
where he specialized in contemporary French and German philosophy.
Although John studied 20th century authors Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre,
Adorno, Foucault, Habermas and Derrida, along with classics by Plato, Aristotle
and Augustine, he developed an enduring fascination with the 19th century
German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.
John discovered a kindred spirit in the writings of Nietzsche who, with great
style and confidence, extolls the unlimited power and potential of human creativity
while exuding a passionate enthusiasm and love of life.
Inspired in part by Nietzsche’s affirmative celebration of life and his vehement
call to say "Yes!” without qualification, John indulged his love of music and began
playing open mike nights in the Squirrel Hill section of Pittsburgh.
John’s life-long passionfor music eventually overtook his scholarly aspirations
and he established a full-time career as a performing musician. After completion
of his M.A., he went on to front one of the region’s most popular “party” bands.
Now, on his new CD RightPlace, RightTime, John writes evocative lyrics
about poignant issues and thought provoking themes: the inexplicable occurrence
of chance meetings and precious moments of grace, constantchange, the mystical
nature of love, optimism in the face of uncertainty, the universal power of music,
humility and compromise, indiscretion in the age of digital surveillance and the
necessity to let go of the past.
Trop Rock Innovator
Inspired by artists like Bob Marley, David Byrne, Jimmy Buffett, Paul Simon,
Peter Gabriel and Sting, who integrate various styles and elements of music from

2. tropical destinations into rock, John started identifying his music as "Trop Rock" in
1994, an abbreviated and catchier version of tropical rock.
In particular, Paul Simon’s seminal 1986 album Graceland and 1990 Rhythm
of the Saints, opened up John’s appreciation of the globalizing influence of tropical
music on rockand pop and his fascination with the geography of music.
In 1994, John recruited renowned percussionist and ethnomusicologist Dr.
Kwasi Jayourba and formed one of the region's "premier party bands,"John
McDonald & the Mango Men.
John & his Mango Men went on to become a staple in regional concert venues
as the opening band for a diverse list of contemporary and classic artists including
America, The Beach Boys and Smokey Robinson.
John's late 90's CD High Frequency Hope and Heartfelt Vibration may have
been the first CD self-consciously described and specifically designated as a
distinctly "Trop Rock" album.
In 2000, Cleveland disc jockey Dennis King, one of the earliest enthusiasts to
embrace High FrequencyHope, launched the Island Time Radio Show on WBWC,
the longest-running radio program dedicated to Trop Rock.
Beach Front Radio, based in Maryland under the auspices of author Andy
Forsythe, is now a full-service, internet radio station, with daily programming that
offers multiple formats featuring all things Trop Rock.
In 2012, Andy published the first attempt to comprehensively research and
catalogue the fledging genre in Trop Rock Songs:Stories and Tales from the
Singer/Songwriters.
To John’s amazement, what started out in the mid 1990’s as a short but handy,
self-stylized description of his music for talent buyers, turned out to be a stepping
stone and a platform for a global community of independent singer-songwriters,
musicians and fans.
In 2005, John was characterized as a “Trop Rock innovator.”

3. Looking back, John didn’t anticipate his coinage - Trop Rock - would migrate
and eventually designate a distinct niche and sub-genre of music with its own
organization, crystalizing into an international network of radio programs, web
sites, venues, festivals and house concerts.
John’s Back Yard – Pittsburgh
Clearly not a typical singer-songwriter or Pittsburgh artist, John is a transplant
who fell in love with the hilly landscapes, vistas and waterways that designate its
singular charm as "The City of Bridges,” the confluence of the Monongahela and
Allegheny Rivers that forms the Ohio River.
John affectionately calls Pittsburgh “a poor man’s San Francisco,” pointing
out the panoramic view of the downtown skyline three miles from his house,
perched atop an elevated section of the residential neighborhood of Greenfield.
The majestic horizon from his back deck never fails to stimulate his creative
imagination.
Once dubbed as “hell with the lid taken off”, the former smoke-ridden capital of
America’s industrial revolution today also conjures up rabid Steeler fans waving
Terrible Towels.
However, with its flourishing start-up scene and vibrant marketplace of ideas,
post-industrial Pittsburgh is at the leading edge of "TheRust Belt Revival" and
provides a vibrant backdrop for John’s personal renewal as an artist.
Despite the decades-long decline of manufacturing, population drain and the
connotation of decay and neglect, the Steel City has emerged as a model of post-
industrial innovation, entrepreneurship and economic creativity.
The fast-emerging neighborhood of East Liberty, a hot bed of the nascent arts
and high-tech industries, has been transformed into Pittsburgh’s answer to Silicon
Valley.
Since hosting the G-20 Summit in 2009, Pittsburgh’s international reputation
has undergone a positive renovation as well. The London based Economist
Magazine gave Pittsburgh the highest livability ranking of any US city in its survey
of 140 cities around the world.

4. So with Pittsburgh as his back yard, John marches to the beat of his own
distinctive fusion of literary and musical inspirations at the Right Place, Right
Time.