Jonny Craig

Jonathan Monroe Craig (born March 26, 1986) is an American-Canadian singer, best known as the former lead vocalist of the post-hardcore bands Dance Gavin Dance, Emarosa, Slaves, as well as the co-lead vocalist of the short-lived supergroup Isles & Glaciers.

As a solo artist, he has released two studio albums, two EPs and a live album to date, and his distinct type of soul-based singing has earned him considerable acclaim.

Jonathan Monroe Craig was born in Minot, North Dakota, but grew up mostly in Canada and moved back to the United States when he became an adult.

In a further interview with the music blog Eat Yo Beats, Jonny said "my mom made me listen to tons of shit when I was kid, everything from Michael Bolton to some weird ass Christian rock bands" and also that it was this that became his main influence, rather than gospel music.

Craig cites some of his early idols as Boyz II Men and New Found Glory.

He was put into the school choir as a default elective but was ultimately kicked out.

As a child, he says that he "had a hard time keeping out of trouble" and that "high school wasn't for him."

He would explain later that that was the reason he left high school and attained his G.E.D, then focused on music full-time.

"I just wanted an escape from a lot of the things when I was a child I guess. I just wanted to get away from a lot of the problems that I was dealing with at home and stuff", Craig states in an interview with KLSU radio as his reason for starting his path in music.

After moving to the United States from Abbotsford, British Columbia, and attending high school in Washington state, Craig auditioned for bands but ultimately was not accepted into one.

Craig then formed the band westerHALTS in 2000, a garage band from Tacoma, Washington.

At age 15, Craig released his first known song with them titled "Change, Leisure, and Retirement" in 2001.

In an Alternative Press Podcast he stated that the band was "...just something to help pay for weed, something I played over the weekends."

He then joined as the lead vocalist for Tacoma-based pop punk band Ghost Runner on Third in 2002.

Craig said that he met the guitarist of Ghost Runner on Third in high school.

He received positive reviews with this band's debut EP, Speak Your Dreams, released on January 4, 2005.

AllMusic stated that Craig was, "the band's secret weapon, a passionate vocalist. There's not a bad track to be found here, but Craig tends to outshine his bandmates throughout."

Early on in his career with Ghost Runner On Third it has been cited that overwhelming drug problems led to his departure, as told by Dance Gavin Dance in an old blog post concerning Craig after he was kicked out of the band.

Though Craig has denied the statements made, Dance Gavin Dance has not backed off from those remarks, which they explain was the reason for all the band's problems and partly for his former band Ghost Runner on Third.

Dance Gavin Dance has also partially blamed guitarist Sean O'Sullivan's departure on Craig's behavior, although there were other contributing factors.

Despite their past differences, both past and present members of Dance Gavin Dance have since become friends.

Consider the Thief (O'Sullivan's previous band), was also listed in Emarosa's Relativity album on the "special thanks" section of the info-booklet.

Jonny Craig's singing in Dance Gavin Dance's debut EP Whatever I Say Is Royal Ocean and debut full-length album, Downtown Battle Mountain, received positive reviews from critics.

Allmusic stated that "co-frontman Jonny Craig's regularly hysterical yelping may change your mind forever."

In March 2007, it was explained that Jonny Craig came up with the name Dance Gavin Dance and had planned to name his previous band, "Ghost Runner On Third", by that name.

After being kicked out of Dance Gavin Dance after the "Saints and Sinners Festival" in New Jersey, Jonny Craig immediately filled in for A Skylit Drive's Lead Vocalist Jordan Blake while he was ill.

The band said at shows, and on their website, that he was not the new lead singer and the situation would only be temporary.

It had been only two weeks since he quit Dance Gavin Dance in which he joined Emarosa who was left without a lead singer.

In early September 2008, Chiodos and Cinematic Sunrise vocalist Craig Owens, announced that both he and Jonny Craig would be recording an EP record by the end of the year, also mentioning Vic Fuentes and others.

On December 15, 2008, Alternative Press officially announced and revealed the name and lineup of this new project, Isles & Glaciers.

On August 18, 2010, Dance Gavin Dance parted ways with vocalist Kurt Travis, and Jonny Craig, along with other original vocalist, Jon Mess, returned to the band to record a new album.

The reunited lineup would also embark on a headlining run the following spring.

Craig was to remain in Emarosa as well.

The rapper Game and DJ Skee sampled Craig's vocals on the song "Heels & Dresses" from their Break Lights mixtape album, which comes from the song "The Robot With Human Hair Pt. 1." Rapper Bizzy Bone also sampled Craig's vocals on the song "Bottled Up Like Smoke" from his Crossover EP and Crossroads album, using portions of "I Still Feel Her pt. III" from his debut solo album, "A Dream Is a Question You Don't Know How to Answer."

The band's first EP, The Hearts of Lonely People, was produced by Casey Bates in Seattle, Washington, was reworked in April 2009 in Michigan and was released March 9, 2010.

On April 11, 2011, Emarosa publicly announced that Jonny Craig would no longer be a member of the group.

According to a statement made by the band, "This decision has been a hard one to make, but we feel it is in the best interest for the band going forward."

"Jonny Craig" was the top trending topic on Twitter the day of the announcement.

On August 13, 2012, Jonny Craig was "kicked out" of Dance Gavin Dance yet again for reasons pertaining to Craig being "publicly scolded by the owner of Sumerian Records for multiple offenses".

The news surfaced after Jonny released a statement on his personal Twitter.