John Wesley Coleman III

John Wesley Coleman III, who calls himself a "trash poet," blends a laid-back indie-rock approach with clever narratives throughout his songs. His sound merges raw garage rock and lo-fi punk elements, lightly seasoned by '60s pop influences, while the words shift between lighthearted playfulness and candid personal revelations. Following his time in Golden Boys, he launched his solo career via the unpolished Steal My Mind in 2009. Although subsequent releases such as 2012's The Last Donkey Show and 2018's Cuckoo Bird Sings a Song displayed greater polish and technical refinement, the core of his approach stayed consistent.

Originally from Irving, Texas and residing in a nomadic fashion across East Austin, Coleman immersed himself in multiple artistic pursuits starting in the mid-2000s. These included playing in the psychedelic five-piece Golden Boys, performing standup comedy, creating paintings, authoring books and film scripts, and laying down solo tracks. In 2008 Monofonus Press issued his hybrid poetry book and CD American Trashcan, then issued the 7" Ghettoblaster that featured a version of George Michael's "Faith." Steal My Mind arrived the following year, after which Permanent Records put out Bad Lady Goes to Jail in 2010 and Daggerman Records released Little Miss Keith Richards.

Returning in 2012, Coleman delivered The Last Donkey Show—tracked partly at Greg Ashley's Creamery studio in Oakland, California and partly at a friend's childhood residence in Lockhardt, Texas—presenting additional vivid stories along with signs of growing maturity. He reworked selections from American Trashcan into the 2012 project Nightmare on Silly Street. In 2014 he collaborated with the noted West Coast indie imprint Burger Records on The Love That You Own. GOLIAD Media put out Cuckoo Bird Sings a Song in 2018, an album produced by Jaill guitarist Vincent Kircher and supported by that band's members as Coleman's backing musicians.