Band John 5
Info: God Told Me To
Years: 2012
Info: USA
Style: Instrumental Rock / Acoustic
Tracklist: mp3, VBR 258 kbps [Scene]
Info: 75 ??
The metal-meets-chicken’-pickin’ veteran discusses his new Spanish-influenced half-acoustic solo album and we try to get him to buy Eddie Van Halen’s guitar.
Like many guitarists, John 5 moved to L.A. to pursue his dreams of becoming a professional player. But unlike the countless others who were quickly chewed up and spit out by the music industry, John 5 became one of the most successful rock guitarists of the last two decades, achieving a level of success unimaginable for most. He’s an in-demand guitarist and songwriter for some of the biggest names in the business—Ricky Martin, Salt-N-Pepa, David Lee Roth, Marilyn Manson, and Rob Zombie—and also maintains an illustrious career as a solo artist.
With his unique bluegrass-meets-metal style, John 5 is a bona fide guitar god. He developed his prodigious abilities through an unwavering dedication to the instrument and endless hours of rigorous practice. Like the late Randy Rhoads, John 5 would seek out guitar teachers on the road while on tour. “It had to be the right kinds of teachers, not just a rock guy who’s got a Metallica shirt on and is going to show me some licks,” John 5 clarifies. “I looked for the real guys who just know how to play one style of music, whether it’s classical or country.” He’s become extremely articulate in reversing those roles and taking on the duties of the teacher. In 2008, he released the instructional DVD, The Devil Knows My Name, and earlier this year, he released an instructional book, The Book of John, both through Hal Leonard Corporation. “It’s definitely a great book if you want to figure out certain ways that I do things,” says John.
Currently, John is in the midst of a world tour with Rob Zombie (co-headlining with Megadeth). Although the shows are physically demanding and the tours exhausting, he says, “When I’m on the road, instead of just sitting around and doing nothing, I’m writing music and working on stuff. If I have an hour free, I take advantage of that time and work. I learned that from Rob Zombie. He’s always working and he’s very productive in his life.” As a testament to this making-every-minute-count work ethic, John 5’s sixth and latest CD/DVD release, God Told Me To, will be released mid-tour this month, and he’s currently scoring Zombie’s upcoming film, The Lords of Salem. We got the scoop from John 5 on his new album and how to make it as a session player, and then we geeked out on his massive gear collection while trying to nudge him to purchase Eddie Van Halen’s exorbitantly priced 1984 guitar, which recently hit the auction block.
01. Welcome To Violence (4:15)
02. Beat It (4:14)
03. Ashland Bump (3:20)
04. Killafornia (4:14)
05. The Castle (3:18)
06. The Hill of the Seven Jackals (4:04)
07. Noche Acosador (3:22)
08. The Lust Killer (5:01)
09. The Lie You Live (4:24)
10. Creepy Crawler (4:52)