Jean-Guy "John" Kastner (born 12 August 1969) is a Canadian musician and composer born in

Beaconsfield, Quebec Beaconsfield is a suburb on the Island of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, part of the Greater Montreal region locally referred to as the West Island. It is a prestigious residential community located on the north shore of Lac Saint-Louis, bordered on ...

. He is the singer for

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

hardcore punk band the Asexuals as well as singer-guitarist for Montreal alternative band

Doughboys Doughboy was a popular nickname for the American Infantry, infantryman World War I#Entry of the United States, during World War I. Though the origins of the term are not certain, the nickname was still in use as of the early 1940s. Examples inclu ...

and alternative band All Systems Go!. He is also the manager and former rhythm guitarist for the band

Men Without Hats Men Without Hats are a Canadian new wave and synth-pop band, originally from Montreal, Quebec. Their music is characterized by the baritone voice of their lead singer Ivan Doroschuk, as well as their elaborate use of synthesizers and electro ...

.''

The Gazette The Gazette (stylized as the GazettE), formerly known as , is a Japanese visual kei Rock music, rock band, formed in Kanagawa Prefecture, Kanagawa in early 2002.''Shoxx'' Vol 106 June 2007 pg 40-45 The band is currently signed to Sony Music Recor ...

'' (2 June 2012) P. E-3
Doroschuk says Hats' new album reflects 'general unease'
"

Early life

Jean-Guy Kastner was born in Beaconsfield, Quebec, to Charles Kastner and Kathryn Ann Watt. He had been interested in rock 'n' roll since elementary school. By the time he was 9 years old, he was following musicians who worked in downtown Montreal and who performed at the

Forum Forum or The Forum (plural forums or fora) may refer to: Common uses * Forum (legal), designated space for public expression in the United States *Forum (Roman), open public space within a Roman city **Roman Forum, most famous example *Internet ...

Career

Kastner joined the Asexuals in 1983 and recorded a 7-inch and two LPs with them before quitting in 1987, over musical differences. While a member of the Asexuals, he fronted the band and helped the Montreal hardcore scene become well known outside the city through the frequent tours the group made in Canada, the United States and Europe. Between 1990 and 1992, he played rhythm guitar in

, recording on their album ''

Sideways ''Sideways'' is a 2004 American comedy-drama road film directed by Alexander Payne and written by Jim Taylor and Payne. A film adaptation of Rex Pickett's 2004 novel of the same name, ''Sideways'' follows two men in their forties, Miles Raymo ...

''. After leaving the Asexuals, he started the Doughboys, releasing seven albums from 1987 to 1996. The band broke up in 1996 and Kastner moved to California; he established himself in Silverlake and started writing music for soundtracks. In 1998, he started the band All Systems Go! with Frank Daly and Mark Arnold of

Big Drill Car Big Drill Car is a punk rock group from Costa Mesa, California, formed in 1987. While the group never gained a mainstream audience, they provided an influence on their contemporaries – most notably ALL, Chemical People and Dag Nasty – alon ...

and released five albums and EPs from 1999 to 2003 before going on a hiatus in 2005. They released another album in 2007, then went on another hiatus. Kastner also recorded and released the 2006 album entitled "Have you seen Lucky?", which featured a number of his previous bandmates. Kastner wrote music for many movies and TV show soundtracks, including '' Phil the Alien'', '' Universal Soldier: The Return'' and ''

Brats of the Lost Nebula ''Brats of the Lost Nebula'' is a science fiction television series for kids. It combines puppetry and computer animation. The series follows five orphaned children from different war-torn planets. As they search for their surviving family member ...

''. and collaborated on records by

Mega City Four Mega City Four were an English indie rock band formed in Farnborough, Hampshire, who obtained popularity throughout the late 1980s and 1990s. Mega City Four consisted of guitarist and vocalist Wiz, his brother and rhythm guitarist Danny Brown, ...

, The Weekend,

Mark Lanegan Band Mark William Lanegan (November 25, 1964 – February 22, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, and poet. First becoming prominent as the lead singer for the early grunge band Screaming Trees, he was also known as a member of Queens of the S ...

and

. In 2008, John joined

Bran Van 3000 Bran Van 3000 (also known as BV3) is a Canadian alternative rock and hip hop collective from Montreal, Quebec. Founded by James Di Salvio and E.P. Bergen, they collaborated on a number of songs with Stéphane Moraille, Sara Johnston, Steve "Liqui ...

as guitar player and in 2010 reunited with the Asexuals to play a show in Montreal. In 2010, he appeared in the documentary ''Open Your Mouth And Say... Mr. Chi Pig'', a Canadian film about the life of

SNFU SNFU was a Canadian hardcore punk band formed in Edmonton in 1981, relocated to Vancouver in 1992, and disbanded in 2018. They released eight albums, two live records, and one compilation amid many lineup changes and several temporary breakups. ...

singer Mr. Chi Pig directed by Sean Patrck Shaul and released by Prairie Coast Films.

Personal life

Kastner married actress

Nicole de Boer Nicole de Boer is a Canadian actress. She is best known for starring in the cult film '' Cube'' as Joan Leaven, playing Ezri Dax on the final season of '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (1998–1999), and as Sarah Bannerman on the series '' T ...

on 18 December 1999. They have a daughter, Summer Lee Kastner, born in January 2007. In 2012, John and de Boer separated,Fraser, Malcolm (12 May 2011).
Home and Away
". ''

Montreal Mirror ''Montreal Mirror'' or just ''Mirror'' was a free English language alternative newsweekly based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada which was distributed every Thursday. It had a circulation of 70,000 and reached a quarter of a million readers per week. ...

''. Retrieved on 10 May 2012. and later divorced. In May 2013, Kastner began dating actress and ''

Mad Men ''Mad Men'' is an American period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner and produced by Lionsgate Television. It ran on the cable network AMC from July 19, 2007, to May 17, 2015, lasting for seven seasons and 92 episodes. Its f ...

'' star

Jessica Paré Jessica Paré (born December 5, 1980) is a Canadian actress and singer known for her co-starring roles on the AMC series ''Mad Men'' and the CBS series '' SEAL Team''. She has also appeared in the films ''Stardom'' (2000), '' Lost and Delirious'' ...

. On 19 March 2015, Paré gave birth to a son, who was named Blues Anthony Paré Kastner. Kastner has a sister, Debbie, and a brother, Jason. On 26 March 2008, Kastner's mother Kathryn Ann Watt died of cancer.

Discography

Asexuals

* ''Featuring: The Asexuals'' ( Og Music, 1984) * ''Be What You Want'' (First Strike Records, 1984) ( Psyche-Industry, 1985) * ''Contemporary World'' ( Psyche Industry, 1985)

Doughboys

* ''La Majeure'' ( Scamindy Records, Boss Tuneage Records1987/2003) * ''Whatever'' ( MTL Records, 1987) * ''Home Again'' (

Restless Records Restless Records is a record label that was started in El Segundo, California in 1986 by Enigma Records and primarily released alternative, metal, and punk records. Restless also licensed and released records from Bar/None Records, Metal Blade R ...

, 1988) * ''Happy Accidents'' (

, 1990) * ''When Up Turns to Down'' ( Emergo Records, 1991) * '' Crush'' (

A&M Records A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...

, 1993) * ''Turn Me On'' (

, 1996)

All Systems Go!

*''All Systems Go!'' ( Cobraside Distribution, 1999) *''I'll Be Your Radio'' ( Cobraside Distribution, 2001, EP) *''Mon Chi Chi'' (

Bad Taste Records Bad Taste Records is a record label based in Lund, Sweden. The record label was one of the first labels to establish in the Swedish punk rock and punk/hardcore scene in the early 1990s, together with Burning Heart Records. The name of the l ...

, 2002) *''Fascination Unknown'' (

, 2003, EP) *''Tell Vicky'' (

, 2003, EP) *''A Late Night Snack'' ( iTunes, 2007)

Solo

*''Have You Seen Lucky?'' ( Boss Tuneage, 2006)

Bran Van 3000

*''The Garden'' (

Audiogram An audiogram is a graph that shows the audible threshold for standardized frequencies as measured by an audiometer. The Y axis represents intensity measured in decibels and the X axis represents frequency measured in hertz. The threshold of hea ...

, 2010)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kastner, John Living people Canadian punk rock guitarists Canadian punk rock singers People from Beaconsfield, Quebec Singers from Quebec Anglophone Quebec people Men Without Hats members 1969 births