Categories
Interview

Phoenix New Times talk to John 5 ahead of his show in Arizona

Ahead of his show in Arizona, Phoenix New Times had a chat with John to talk about how he started playing, his obsession with Tele’s and his love of the Universal Monsters and what he hopes to bring to the audience this weekend for the John 5 and The Creatures tour.

John 5 Matt Wilson Images

John 5 will be spending Valentines Day in the heat of Scottsdale Arizona, at Pub Rock.

Ahead of the show, Phoenix New Times had a chat with John to talk about how he started playing, his obsession with Tele’s and his love of the Universal Monsters and what he hopes to bring to the audience this weekend for the John 5 and The Creatures tour.

To read excerpts from the interview, click >>> 

John 5 Loves the Arizona Heat and Vintage Telecasters

Read the interview in full here: http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/uponsun/2015/02/john_5_on_his_first_solo_tour_rob_zombies_new_album_and_his_new_guitar_design.php

When John 5 received his first guitar at age 7, it became a lifelong love affair (lucky for us). He had no way of knowing that, within just a few decades, he would be seen as one of music’s most acclaimed and sought-after guitar-slingers. All I gotta say is when Slash calls you one of the most mind-blowing guitarists around, you know you’re doing something right. Not that John 5 needs little endorsement, even from our favorite top hat-wearing shredder.

He’s played guitar for an array of high-profile artists, including David Lee Roth, k.d. lang, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Marilyn Manson, and Rob Halford. Since 2005, he’s worked as Rob Zombie’s main guitarist and released a string of solo albums, cementing himself as a virtuoso guitar hero and pioneering a style that’s part shred guitar, part wild country pickin’, part flamenco, part mesmerizing macabre.

When John 5 received his first guitar, his parents didn’t realize that their son would become such a revered musician either — and frankly, his guitar obsession became a cause for concern.

“I was so obsessed with the guitar that my left hand grew larger than my right hand, so my left hand is actually physically, and noticeably, different,” says John 5.

When he was 18, John 5 (real name: John Lowery) moved to Los Angeles, and during a gig with his band Alligator Soup, he took center stage and shredded when the lead singer was pulled off, tending a bleeding head wound. In the audience was Rudy Sarzo, who was so impressed he asked John to work with him, ultimately leading to John meeting legendary producer Bob Marlette (with whom he still works today).

His August 2014 album, Careful with That Axe, showcases his usual fretboard acrobatics and audacious style, but it turns up the heat even higher. Titled as a nod to Pink Floyd’s 1968 jam “Careful with That Axe, Eugene,” it refers to a guitar as an ax, and “ax murders” (some of the song titles center on killers).

But the name also has a personal charm for him: He is a Fender Telecaster connoisseur, and owns one from almost every year since 1950. His rare 1950s Broadcaster cost him about $135,000, so you’d better believe he knows how to be careful while navigating his gigantic collection, which also includes about 50 Les Pauls, and a bunch of Gretsches and SGs. However, he also looks forward to the guitars of the future, designing his own custom Teles based on bizarre concepts, like the lava lamp Tele and the Tele-vision.

Currently John 5 is working on the score of Rob Zombie’s newest horror flick, 31, and finished up two albums with Zombie, a live one and a highly anticipated studio one. He also hit the road for his first solo tour, and will be in Scottsdale at Pub Rock Live this Saturday, February 14.

Up on the Sun talked with John 5 about his love for Arizona, Rob Zombie’s upcoming album, and his next custom guitar design.

Up on the Sun: Your solo albums tend to pay homage to your influences. So was there a different concept you were going for with 2014’s Careful with That Axe as opposed to your last 2012’s God Told Me To

John 5: Well, God Told Me To was half-acoustic, and this one is completely different because I did it with a band; a drummer and a bass player. And we all played at the same time and there was just magic there because when it came out, I was so proud and happy of how it came together. It was sort of like training for a boxing match — just training and training and training — and then you go into a studio and do it. I’m so happy with how it turned out, and it’s by far my favorite record I’ve ever done. And now we’re taking it on the road!

Read the interview in full here: http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/uponsun/2015/02/john_5_on_his_first_solo_tour_rob_zombies_new_album_and_his_new_guitar_design.php