Jonathan Pretus

Born and raised in New Orleans, Pretus began playing drums at the age of 9, and guitar at the age of 13. He started his first band, All She Wrote, at just 15 years old. In 1999, he joined the band Climate Control, playing drums and singing backing vocals. Several of the band's earlier shows at The Neutral Ground coffee shop were shut down due to the packed crowd breaking the firecode. They released a full-length CD, "Clutch," and in 2001, recorded a 4-song ep, "The Timely Demise of Climate Control," in 2002. Both were made available for streaming in 2019.

While attending Louisiana State University, Jonathan switched to guitar and lead vocals in the band tWeezer, a Weezer cover band. They won the 2001 LSU Battle of the Bands and opened for such acts as Stroke 9, and The Verve Pipe. Also during this time, Pretus played in the short-lived Monophonic, which had a track, "Waiting To Fall" featured on a compilation of up-and-coming Louisiana artists.

In 2005, Pretus was a co-founder of New Orleans band The Garden District, in which he wrote, was co-lead vocalist, and rhythm guitarist. The group toured the Southeast, including a stop at the 2006 South by Southwest Festival. In late 2006, the group released their debut ep, "So Much It Hurts," which was produced by Fred LeBlanc of Cowboy Mouth and Tom Drummond of Better than Ezra. While the band leaned more towards the "emo" tag, Pretus' songs, such as "Avalanche," "Intrepid Inventions," and the live favorite "So Low," focused on a more straight-ahead, melodic rock approach.

In February 2007, he filled in on a 2 week tour as rhythm guitarist for Cowboy Mouth, while interim guitarist Vance DeGeneres took a short leave. In August 2007, Pretus was asked to join the band full time as rhythm guitarist. During his time with Cowboy Mouth, they recorded and released the band's eighth studio album, "Fearless" in September 2008.

In 2010, Pretus left Cowboy Mouth to start The Breton Sound with Stephen Turner. Joined by New Orleans' Bourgeois brothers John (drums) and Joe (bass), The Breton Sound was nominated for a Gambit Magazine Big Easy Music Award for Best Emerging Artist in 2015, and also won the Louisiana Music Prize in 2015, released 4 EPs, and toured the United States including slots on the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Voodoo Music + Arts Experience, Milwaukee Summerfest, and Louder Than Life 2018 Festival in Louisville, KY.

The Breton Sound's most recent EP, self titled, was released July 20, 2018. It was Produced and Recorded by famed producer Jeff Glixman at Esplanade Studios in New Orleans. The band went on unofficial hiatus in 2020. He currently plays in the New Orleans-based Beatles cover band The Walrus with members of Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes, as well as Big In The 90s, a 90s cover band, with fellow Breton Sound members Stephen Turner, Joe Bourgeois, and drummer Kyle Melancon (touring drummer for Imagination Movers/former Dash Rip Rock).

Pretus has co-written several songs with country artist Chapel Hart, including the title track of their 2021 album, "The Girls Are Back In Town."

In 2020, he started the podcast Ranking The Beatles, a show he hosts with his wife Julia, in which they discuss Jonathan's ranking of the Beatles' entire catalog with a different guest each week.

• Official website
• The Breton Sound Official Website