Jon Schaffer

Jon Ryan Schaffer (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell; born March 15, 1968)<ref name="D&W Bio">Template:Cite web</ref> is an American heavy metal musician. He is the rhythm guitarist, bandleader and principal songwriter of the Indiana-based heavy metal band Iced Earth, which he formed in 1985 under the name Purgatory. He is also the lead singer in his political side project Sons of Liberty and, until 2021, played guitar for Demons & Wizards, his collaboration with Blind Guardian frontman Hansi Kürsch.

Schaffer pleaded guilty to crimes related to his participation in the January 6 United States Capitol attack in 2021 and was sentenced to three years probation before being pardoned in 2025.

Early life

Schaffer was originally introduced to rock music at the age of three.<ref name="FaceCulture1">Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref name="Bio">Template:Cite web</ref> His older sister introduced Jon to bands such as Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Alice Cooper, and Blue Öyster Cult.<ref name="FaceCulture1"/> In 1979, at the age of eleven, Schaffer attended a Kiss concert with his father.<ref name="FaceCulture1"/><ref name="Bio"/> Since then, he has said that this was the moment when he realized what he wanted to do for a living.<ref name="FaceCulture1"/>

Schaffer went to a Lutheran school for five years, during which he developed a lot of anger and rebellion, due to the abusive nature of the pastors. Allegedly, on one occasion, one of the pastors "shoved a bar of soap down Schaffer's throat", because the pastor felt threatened by his refusal to submit, after he could not answer Schaffer's questions about evolution versus creationism. According to Schaffer, this had an effect on him forming a band, so that he could "prove these people wrong".<ref name="FaceCulture2">Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

In 1984, at the age of 16, Schaffer moved to Tampa, Florida.<ref name="FaceCulture3">Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Shortly before he left, one of Schaffer's childhood friends died in a motorcycle accident, which made Schaffer even more determined to move to Florida and start a band.<ref name="FaceCulture3"/> While in Tampa, Schaffer slept in his car. Later he nearly lost his life in a car accident, after which he got an apartment and a job as a roofer.<ref name="Bio"/>

Career

Iced Earth

Template:Main In 1984, Schaffer formed a short-lived band called "the Rose".<ref name="Bio"/> The band quickly broke up, after which Jon formed what would later become Iced Earth under the name "Purgatory" on January 20, 1985.<ref name="Bio"/><ref name="Iranian">Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Schaffer played rhythm guitar and also designed the band's logo. The logo had originally been used for the Rose, but after the band broke up, Schaffer reused the logo for Purgatory and later for Iced Earth.<ref name="Bio"/>

In 1990, after some line-up changes, the band, now known as Iced Earth, released their self-titled debut album.<ref name="Bio"/> In addition to playing rhythm guitar and singing backing vocals, Jon also acted as co-producer on the album,<ref name="Iced">Template:Cite web</ref> as he has done on all Iced Earth albums since. The following year, the band released the follow-up album, Night of the Stormrider,<ref name="Night">Template:Cite web</ref> which also featured Jon singing lead vocals on the song "Stormrider".<ref name="Night"/>

File:JonSchaffer2010.jpg

Schaffer performing with Iced Earth in 2010

After some downtime between 1992 and 1995, Iced Earth re-emerged with a new line up, which included singer Matt Barlow, who would stay with the band until 2003.<ref name="Barlow bio">Template:Cite web</ref> The band released the albums Burnt Offerings and The Dark Saga in 1995 and 1996 respectively, until in 1998, Iced Earth released the album Something Wicked This Way Comes, which featured three songs ("Prophecy", "Birth of the Wicked" and "The Coming Curse") that were based on Jon Schaffer's Something Wicked concept.<ref name="Something">Template:Cite web</ref> The songs tell the story of a character that Jon created, called Set Abominae, who also appears on the album's front cover.<ref name="FaceCulture5">Template:Cite web</ref>

After Something Wicked This Way Comes, Iced Earth released the album Horror Show in 2001,<ref name="Horror">Template:Cite web</ref> after which work began on the follow-up album, The Glorious Burden. Originally Matt Barlow had recorded the vocal tracks for the album, but due to his lack of interest in the band following the events of 9/11, he left the group in 2003 and joined the Georgetown Police Department in Georgetown, Delaware.<ref name="Barlow bio"/> Matt was replaced by former Judas Priest-singer Tim "Ripper" Owens, who resung the entire album.<ref name="Ripper interview">Template:Cite web</ref> The Glorious Burden was released in January 2004, after which Jon started work on two concept albums based on his Something Wicked storyline. The first album, Framing Armageddon: Something Wicked Part 1 was released on September 11, 2007, after which, in December 2007, it was announced that Matt Barlow would be returning to Iced Earth.<ref name="Barlow rejoins">Template:Cite web</ref> The second album, The Crucible of Man: Something Wicked Part 2, was released September 5, 2008, and featured Matt once again on vocals.

In 2011, after about two years back in the band, Matt Barlow issued a statement saying that he was leaving Iced Earth in order to spend more time with his family.<ref name="Barlow leaves">Template:Cite web</ref> Matt Barlow was later replaced by Stu Block from Into Eternity, who had opened for Iced Earth in 2008.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> With Block, the band recorded the album Dystopia, which was released on October 17, 2011. From October 2011, to December 2012, Iced Earth toured in support of Dystopia, during which time they recorded the album Live in Ancient Kourion.

Demons & Wizards

Template:Main Demons & Wizards was a side project Schaffer put together with Blind Guardian frontman Hansi Kürsch. Schaffer and Hansi had originally met in the early 1990s, when Iced Earth and Blind Guardian toured together.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Demons & Wizards released their self-titled debut album in 2000.<ref name="Demons and Wizards">Template:Cite web</ref> Besides Jon and Hansi, the album also featured Mark Prator on drums and Jim Morris on lead guitar.<ref name="Demons and Wizards"/> The group's second album, Touched by the Crimson King was released in 2005, and featured a number of guest musicians, including Bobby Jarzombek, Jim Morris, Rubin Drake, Howard Helm, Kathy Helm, Tori Fuson, Jesse Morris and Krystyna Kolaczynski.<ref name="Demons and Wizards"/>

File:JonSchaffer2012.jpg

Schaffer performing in 2012

In a video update in 2011, Schaffer and Kürsch talked about the future of Demons & Wizards and stated, that it was only a matter of their schedules lining up when they are going to start work on a third album. III was subsequently released in 2020.<ref name="Webisode 5">Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

In 2021, following Schaffer's involvement in the storming of the U.S. Capitol, Kürsch announced he was leaving the band.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Sons of Liberty

Sons of Liberty is a political side project Schaffer formed in 2009. Sons of Liberty's debut album, Brush-fires of the Mind, was released in December 2009 as a free download on the band's website (the album was later made available on CD and vinyl as well). Schaffer sang, played guitar and programmed the drums, but the album also featured a number of guests, including Jim Morris, Ruben Drake, Troy Seele, Howard Helm and Jeff Brandt. During the supporting tour, Jon Schaffer was backed up by Seele, Freddie Vidales and Brent Smedley.<ref name="Eddie Trunk">Template:Cite webTemplate:CbignoreTemplate:Dead Youtube links</ref>

In December 2011, Sons of Liberty released the EP Spirit of the Times.<ref name="Spirit">Template:Cite web</ref> Once again, the album featured Schaffer singing, playing guitar and programming the drums, as well as Jim Morris and Ruben Drake.<ref name="Spirit"/>

Other work

Schaffer used to own a store called the "Spirit of '76".<ref name="Rock Eyez">Template:Cite web</ref> He also participated in the film Silver Circle.<ref name="Silver Circle">Template:Cite web</ref> In 2012, Schaffer was featured as a guest vocalist on Anarchadia's album Let Us All Unite, performing on the track "True World Order".<ref name="Anarchadia">Template:Cite web</ref> Schaffer has also expressed interest in doing comic book series based on the Night of the Stormrider album and the Something Wicked Saga.<ref name="Rock Eyez"/>

Participation in the January 6 United States Capitol attack

On January 6, 2021, Schaffer, a founding lifetime member of the far-right Oath Keepers militia,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> was photographed among those who stormed the U.S. Capitol building.<ref name="COS Kaufman">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> After appearing on the Most Wanted section of the FBI's website,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> he turned himself in on January 17 and was held on six felony charges.<ref>Indiana guitarist Jon Schaffer in FBI custody after Capitol insurrection, faces 6 charges Indy Star. January 17, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2021.</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At a November 2020 Washington, D.C. Trump rally, Schaffer told German daily newspaper Die Welt,

"My name is Jon Schaffer. I'm from Indiana. A group of thugs and criminals hijacked this country a long time ago. Now they're making their big move, and it's not gonna happen. And that's what it is. These are globalists. These are the scum of the earth. These are the criminals that are behind all the fraudulent fee on currency, they're behind all the wars, they're behind all the shit, they're behind divide-and-conquer tactics, behind the racial divide. It's all nonsense, it's all garbage. People need to wake up and snap out of the matrix, because they're going down. They've made the move. They're messing with the wrong people here — trust me on that. And we needed it to be open like this — open fraud, open theft. Because now we see you, and you're going down. Mark my words".

"I think this goes beyond President Trump," Jon continued. "President Trump is a populist. He's not your typical Republican. He's not establishment. He's not going out starting wars all over the place, like they do. Which is funny — where are all the Democrats that were anti-war?"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On April 16, 2021, Schaffer agreed to plead guilty to two charges: obstructing an official proceeding of Congress and trespassing on restricted grounds of the Capitol while armed with a dangerous weapon. He was the first participant in the storming to plead guilty.<ref name="founding-member">Template:Cite news</ref> Prosecutors agreed to a recommendation of between 3.5 and 4.5 years in prison, depending on his cooperation in prosecuting other rioters.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He would also be granted sponsorship for the United States Federal Witness Protection Program.<ref name="plea">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

According to Schaffer's attorney, while Schaffer was held at an Indiana jail, other inmates made death threats against him, and threw feces at him. He was subsequently transferred to a jail in Washington, D.C.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In October 2024, Schaffer was sentenced to three years of probation, 120 hours of community service and $1,200 in restitution and fines. Schaffer issued a statement saying "I profoundly regret my actions on January 6th, 2021", adding "I’m not excusing my impulsive behavior. I was wrong, and I take ownership of my actions. I own the fact that I made a huge mistake, and I wish I never would have gone there. In fact, the consequences have been devastating of my life, family, friends, business, colleagues and business partners."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On January 20, 2025, the day President Donald Trump took office for his second term, Schaffer, among many others was given a Presidential Pardon.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Personal life

In 1996, while performing in Berlin, Schaffer injured his neck, for which he had surgery in 2000.<ref name="Health">Template:Cite web</ref> In the early 2000s, he had surgery again, this time for lower-back problems.<ref name="Health"/> In 2005, Schaffer's daughter was born,<ref name="Daughter">Template:Cite web</ref> whom he credits for giving him "perspective", that he "never had before".<ref name="FaceCulture4">Template:Cite web</ref>

Besides playing music, Schaffer enjoys studying history and current events, as well as "standing against, and exposing, tyranny".<ref name="Bio2">Template:Cite web</ref> He also enjoys riding motorcycles, scuba diving, white water rafting and exercising.<ref name="Bio2"/> Schaffer has listed Tom Schaffer, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, Stephen Toboz, Steve Harris, Ronnie James Dio, Hansi Kürsch, Aaron Russo, G. Edward Griffin and Ron Paul as people who inspire him.<ref name="Bio2"/>

In a 2009 interview with InfoWars founder Alex Jones discussing their mutual political views, Schaffer revealed that "My father was a John Birch guy. When I was a young child I remember things that he and his friends would talk about, concerning the UN and stuff".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In a 2025 interview detailing his involvement with the January 6 United States Capitol attack, Schaffer discussed how he became a Christian. This was a gradual process of studying the Bible and talking to other inmates while he was incarcerated who had accepted Jesus Christ. He eventually received baptism at a church in Florida.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Discography

With Iced Earth

• 1990: Iced Earth
• 1991: Night of the Stormrider
• 1995: Burnt Offerings
• 1996: The Dark Saga
• 1998: Something Wicked This Way Comes
• 2001: Horror Show
• 2004: The Glorious Burden
• 2007: Framing Armageddon: Something Wicked Part 1
• 2008: The Crucible of Man: Something Wicked Part 2
• 2011: Dystopia
• 2014: Plagues of Babylon
• 2017: Incorruptible

With Demons & Wizards

• 2000: Demons & Wizards
• 2005: Touched by the Crimson King
• 2020: III

With Sons of Liberty

• 2009: Brush-fires of the Mind
• 2011: Spirit of the Times (EP)

With Jon Schaffer's Purgatory

• 2018: Purgatory (EP)

With Schaffer/Barlow Project

• 2020: Winter Nights (EP)

See also

• List of cases of the January 6 United States Capitol attack (M-S)
• Criminal proceedings in the January 6 United States Capitol attack
• List of people granted executive clemency in the second Trump presidency

External links

• Iced Earth's official site
• U.S. Department of Justice file Template:Webarchive