Juan Mancias

Born, raised, and educated in Lubbock, Tx,  J. Pablo began performing at the age of 10 in the Lubbock All-City Boys Choir, for which he was selected two years in a row. During his second year of the boy’s choir, he simultaneously attended multi-media art lessons at the Museum of Texas Tech University and began what would later become four years of piano lessons. Throughout junior high he competed in various UIL competitions for both solo and ensemble choir, as well as piano, receiving superior ratings and going to state competition in Austin as a freshman. By then J. Pablo was already a proficient, self-taught guitar player and was performing at open mics and opening for acts like Saxon and UDO. After graduating from high school, he attended Texas Tech University pursuing a Bachelor of the Arts in English and Philosophy, with a focus on film studies. During his 3rd year at college, he was recruited by the Guitar program to join the guitar ensemble, later joining the Texas Tech School of Music and studying Classical guitar performance for two years before leaving the school with a Philosophy Degree in the Fall of 2006.

In 2007, he moved to San Antonio where he was introduced to the rich history of music and diversity of sound that would become the inspiration for the majority of his future musical projects. He has worked as a retail photographer with over 6 years of experience, was an Educator with at-risk youth for over 10 years, and owns/operates War Dance Productions, a multi-purpose creators studio. He has founded and performed with bands such as Xemilla, Los Nahuatlatos, and The Indigenauts and currently plays with Cotilla.