Today we’d like to introduce you to Jon Cox
Hi Jon, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Rubix Groove formed in 2019. It sort of spawned from another project Shannon, Jim, and I (Jon Cox) were in previously. We wanted to start a group where we could focus on writing/performing original music. There have been some lineup changes over the 6 years we’ve been a group. However, the last 2 years, we’ve had a fairly stable lineup and that has allowed us to really hone in on our sound and develop great chemistry. We’re sounding super tight and writing great songs right now!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Although we’ve enjoyed a lot of success in our time together, it has been difficult sometimes. Because the band is focused on writing/performing original music it was a bit difficult to develop/cultivate an audience initially. When you’re playing original music, it is naturally mostly songs that people have never heard before. Thus, it can be difficult to build that initial audience to give your music a shot and listen to it. On top of that, a lot of our initial band members did not have well-established reputations in the music community. For example, this is the first band Shannon has been in (admittedly surprising given her talent). Also, I (Jon Cox) am originally from Chicago and moved to Cleveland without knowing anyone. So, when I moved here and joined Rubix Groove, I didn’t have a very wide social network to draw on to get people to come to our shows.
Fortunately, we were given some initial opportunities to perform and everyone who heard us play seemed to like the music we were creating. And so overtime, we’ve been able to cultivate a wonderful group of people who regularly enjoy coming out and listening to the music we create. Personally, I’m really grateful that people seem to enjoy the original music we’re creating. You know, it’s cool performing covers of songs people already like, but it’s truly sublime for someone to listen and enjoy something you created from scratch.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Rubix Groove is a band from Cleveland, OH that prides itself on making original music that you can groove/move to. We often get the question about what genre we fall into; and it can be a difficult question to answer. Each member in the group has so many different musical influences and we encourage each member to bring those influences into the creative process. We have people that grew up listening to jam bands, hip-hop, metal, punk, and ska. We have people that have been formally trained to play jazz/classical music and people whom are completely self-taught. And the beauty of Rubix Groove is that we allow each member to take these different pieces of themselves and bring it into the creative process (almost like putting together a Rubik’s Cube ; ) lol).
So if you attend a Rubix Groove show, it won’t be uncommon to hear us play a bluesy-sounding song one minute and then transition to another song where we invite a friend to come rap and then hear us play a ska/reggae song. We do it all in Rubix Groove but the connecting thread is that all our songs will move you in some way.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Oh wow! This is a great question! Honestly, there are too many people to mention/thank. The thing about our band is that we don’t have a manger or a booking agent or a record label. We do everything ourselves as a band which can be difficult sometimes because we all have full-time jobs.
However, what has made it possible to keep managing ourselves is all the support we’ve received from friends and family over the years. From Jason Morris who has given us sage advice about the music business. To Susan Augustine of Eclectic Cleveland who has helped us make merch at an affordable price. To friends like Ryan Foster, Nina DeMaria, Danielle Stringer, Kourtney Meyers, and Caitlan Fagan that have helped us run our merch tables or take photo/videos of us. To the booking agents, venue owners, and our peers that have taken a chance booking us. Wonderful people like James Carroll; Andy Russo; Gerad Guhde; Justin Graci; and the amazing guys in Tropidelic, C-Level, and Vibe & Direct.
There are really way too many people to thank and it really does take a village to be successful in music.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://rubixgroove.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rubixgroovemusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RubixGrooveMusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@rubixgroovemusic3490
