When he was thirteen years old, Common found his older brother's Epiphone acoustic guitar in a closet and began writing songs.
Featuring drummer Matthew Baranowski, guitarists Aaron Monte and Richard Abercrombie, Bunkhouse Jones released two records and toured clubs and small venues in the South.
After finishing school, he traveled around the country to New York City, Boston, Atlanta, Burlington, and other towns writing, busking, playing shows and making lo-fi recordings.
He continued to evolve his sound by releasing a record entitled Beautiful Empty under the name John Common and Blinding Flashes of Light in 2011.
Common's band, Blinding Flashes of Light, was a large collective of musicians, artists and friends drawn from Denver's indie music scene.