Lojic

Lojic began playing music in 2002, formed by members who grew up together in St. Louis, Missouri. The band members grew up together in St. Louis, and Lojic has been playing music since 2002. The group's name originated while they were in high school, when they thought it would be cool to have a one word name, eventually settling on Lojic. The founding lineup included Johnny O'Neil on bass and vocals, William Betts on vocals, and Jonny Hughes on electric guitars, with drummer Chris Schnack joining the fold a few years later. From the start, critics struggled to pin down their sound, with some calling it rock and others reggae, as the band drew inspiration from acts like 311, Bob Marley, and The Urge. The band's self titled debut, released in 2003 on their own Planetlojic label, introduced tracks like "Father Time," "Alarm Clock," and a collaboration with So-n-So of the Midwest Avengers on "Evaluate." The debut ran ten songs across 39 minutes. Their real breakthrough came with the January 2005 release of their second full length record, "The Manual." Produced in Los Angeles by Steve Ewing of The Urge, the album was billed as a groundbreaking and candid guide aimed at musicians searching for an edge to avoid the common pitfalls that beset inexperienced acts. The record earned the band a celebratory CD release show at the Pageant in St. Louis, where member Helias noted the comparisons to Incubus and 311, though the band's sound carried more layered arrangements, wordplay, and turntable scratches courtesy of Helias, a DJ who also worked with the local hip-hop label Frozen Foods Section. Lojic's career included memorable milestones both on stage and off. Among the obstacles the St. Louis based band encountered was the World Battle of the Bands, where they beat out eleven domestic and international bands to win the competition. One infamous performance found guitarist Jonny Hughes plugging his gear into the wrong voltage outlets while overseas. Needing to plug in his pedals before taking the stage in Hong Kong, Hughes short-circuited the band's mixer board using 220-volt outlets, forcing his stagehands to scrounge up nine-volt batteries so he could go on, though he still lost his guitar strap three times mid-riff and finished the set lying on his back. In 2010 the band released its third studio album, "Lies in Hopetropolis," marked with a concert at the Pageant in St. Louis , featuring tracks like "Horizon Lines" and "Sound Violation." The band continued to build a loyal following through relentless regional touring, with bassist Johnny O'Neil noting their loyalty to smaller markets, once saying of Cape Girardeau, "Even if we blow up we'd still play in Cape." In the years since, Lojic has continued to release new music sporadically, including singles like "Broken Bonds" and "Darkwrld," both featuring Juz, in 2018 , showing the band's willingness to keep experimenting well past their early 2000s roots. Based out of Los Angeles in their later years, the band continued to be billed simply as a rock act from Los Angeles, California , a far cry from their St. Louis garage origins but true to the genre bending spirit that always defined them. Though never a mainstream chart act, Lojic built a dedicated regional following through years of touring and a catalog that resisted easy categorization, leaving behind a reputation as a hardworking road band beloved by fans who caught them in small clubs and theaters across the Midwest and beyond.