Note-worthy in Plymouth: John Chebator

As the guitar player and singer for four different local bands as well as guitar teacher, Plymouth’s John Chebator is a full-time musician. While he plays at local spots almost every night of the week, all of his bands offer a different type of music.

A typical week for Chebator usually involves playing everything from Lady Gaga covers with his band Groove Juice to performing original songs with the John Chebator Group. While most musicians are not active participants in so many bands, Chebator said that this lifestyle suits him.

“I do it for peace of mind because it breaks the week up,” he said. “I don’t get burnt out with anybody or any tunes and it keeps me on my toes because it’s always something different.”

Mike McLeavy, who plays with him in both Groove Juice and the John Chebator Group, said that Chebator’s many projects show his versatility as an artist. However, it is rare to find a musician who is willing to tackle as much as Chebator.

“There are plenty of other people that play as much as they do, but they generally play in either one or two bands,” McLeavy said. “[Chebator] has got so many different things and he is always doing something new. He knows what he wants to do and the people that he wants to bring into his projects to get the results he is looking for.”

Along with his nightly shows and daily guitar lessons, the Plymouth resident has also spent the last few months working on a solo album at a recording studio in Rockland.

Chebator hopes that his album, which is called “Play the Part,” will be released soon.

Although he performs a wide variety of music during his gigs, Chebator said that his five-track album has a consistent classic rock, Americana feel, drawing influences from artists like Tom Petty and John Mellencamp.

While he said he is very happy with the way the CD turned out, the writing process was often difficult for Chebator.

“My problem with writing is that everything I wrote I just hated,” he said. “It was painful to listen to. I think I demoed like 40 songs and just improved them in little ways.”

Calling his final five tracks “little Frankensteins,” Chebator said that they are all a mix of bits and pieces from all of the writing he has done over the years.

Still, even while giving guitar lessons, playing around town and completing an album, Chebator always makes time to advance his knowledge of music. Whether it involves staying up until 4 or 5 a.m. to master his ability to read music or taking guitar lessons, Chebator said he never stops learning.

“It’s nice to know that you can still progress and not hit a wall,” he said. “Everyone hits a wall. You just got to learn how to get over it.”

Eventually, Chebator said that he would love to put out another CD and audition to go on tour as the guitar player for a band. However, for now he is content with what he is doing.

“I still get chills every day when I wake up and I put my guitar in the front seat to go to work,” he said. “This is still so cool.”