Performing with Charles Lahnn soon became a successful venture for J.K. Loftin. Always looking for improvements from the typical guitar-based duo they expanded their sound by adding guitar synthesizer and drum machines, which was new to live performing at the time. “After we had been performing about nine months we realized that our musical vision was bigger than an acoustic and an electric guitar and a drum machine,” states Loftin.  “It wasn’t long before we started to incorporate these new sounds into our recording experiments as well,”

          But there was more innovation to come. After reading an article in Keyboard magazine by Robert Moog describing a new technology on the horizon called MIDI, Loftin’s curiosity was pique.   “Remember it was the early days of the personal computer revolution,” he explains.  “Moog wrote of a musical analogy to the relationship between a typewriter and the word processor. Charles and I knew this was our path, and when the first opportunity came to implement this technology, we jumped on it. We became beta-testers for much of the first generation of MIDI gear.”

          As a result, Lahnn and Loftin became one of the first MIDI performing acts in the country. While they still performed in rocks clubs, they also became a sought out act on the college circuit performing from N.Y. to Florida to the Mississippi River. As an added bonus to their marketability and pocketbooks, they also began doing seminars for the computer and music departments at these schools in conjunction with their performances.  “By this point we had moved up to an 8-track recorder, and by synchronizing MIDI, which played the synthesizers and drums, along with our vocals, guitars and other acoustic sounds they recorded on tape, the duo produced state of the art recordings,” recalls Loftin.

          After Lahnn and Loftin retired from the road in 1989, more and more musical acquaintances began to ask J.K to help them in with their studio projects or suggest him to others who were looking for help. “I officially started doing studio production and recording for others under the name The Cape Fear Studio in the fall of ‘89,” he states.  ”I produced themes for news, talk, and movie programs as well as stations ID's for TV stations. It was a typical one room scenario in my home at the time.  Then in 1992, I moved to a new home and built a 600 sq. ft. 3 room studio on the back of the property.” 

          Since those early days, J.K. has worked with many famous and not so famous artists here in Wilmington. “In the summer and fall of 1993 I had the opportunity and the privilege to work as audio playback engineer on the "Young Indiana Jones Chronicles", and meet George Lucas,” he recalls. Another interesting client was a gentleman called "Ant-Bee", who worked with classic rock artists such as The Mother's of Invention, The Beach Boys and members of the original Alice Cooper band, just to name a few. “One of my greatest experiences with him was working with Michael Bruce (photo left), guitarist and co-writer on many of the Alice Cooper songs,” he admits. “We also did an album here that was produced by the guitarist from Russell Crowe's band, Dave Wilkins from Australia.

          On a more regional level, J.K. feels fortunate to have worked on over a half dozen albums produced for the Carolina Beach Music market, and produced by Judy Collins, a “legend” in that genre. He has also worked on many classical performances both in the studio and on location with The Wilmington Symphony, The Cape Fear Chorale, The Girls Choir of Wilmington and many other ensembles and soloists. 

          For J.K. his philosophy is simple. “Each session I try to help the artists to go beyond their expectations, and leave happier about the experience than they ever thought they would be.” With that thought foremost, project-by-project, year-by-year the studio has grown - now located in a larger facility on Kerr Ave in Wilmington.

          From the day when he first saw the Beatles on TV, to the early experiments with his father’s tape recorder, J.K. Loftin has always known what he wanted to do with his life.  Perform in a band – J.K. now performs with Mark Roberts and Breeze – and work in a recording studio - it has always seemed like a natural fit to him. “Doing both allows me to continue to feel the differences and similarities of the two, enjoy them both, and convey those thoughts and feelings to new clients who might benefit from understanding the process better,” he explains. “I've found that it helps them to be more comfortable and therefore more productive and successful in their studio endeavors, and happier with the results.  And I of course, I still love to play live.”