John 5 speaks to Revolver Mag about MARILYN MANSON, PLAYING FOR PRINCE, NEW ROB ZOMBIE ALBUM & more
From Revolver Magazine:
This year sees John 5 juggling the release of what he calls a “very heavy” new Zombie record with his own recently unleashed solo record Invasion, for which he plans to release a separate music video for each track.
Following a successful spring solo tour and the aforementioned Twins of Evil tour, John 5 will be out on the road with his backing band the Creatures for the Invasion Tour 2019 that sees him booked through the end of November. Read on to find out how he’s managing this breakneck pace without, you know, actually breaking his neck.
Read the interview in full here: revolvermag.com/music/john-5-marilyn-manson-show-prince-rob-zombie
J5 speaks to Guitar World: “I play so much guitar that it might not even be healthy – and I’m not joking”
From Guitar World:
John 5 might just be the most subversive artist working in the music business today. Yes, he rocks the corpse-paint vibe and has spent a goodly chunk of his career playing electric guitar with master of controversy Marilyn Manson and his current bandleader, Rob Zombie, so the obvious conclusion is that he’s working the ‘horror metal’ groove to the max.
But even the most rudimentary investigation into his solo albums and videos reveals a very different reality. Sure, you’ll uncover some scary monster sounds, serial-killer-inspired titles and sound clips, and an eerie, unsettling sense at work in many of the songs. But what you’ll also find is some of the most sublimely gnarly country-style picking this side of Robert’s Western World in Nashville…
John took time out from his relentless schedule to discuss his new album, Invasion, his career to date and how he’s managed to steer a successful and lucrative course through the difficulties of monetizing a career in a ravaged music industry.
Read the interview in full here: guitarworld.com/john-5-i-play-so-much-guitar
Image by Tour Bus Live.
John 5 speaks to Guitar Player Mag about making 2019’s most shred worthy album!
From Guitar Player Magazine:
While a sizable contingent of metal fans know John 5 from his longtime gig as Rob Zombie’s ghoulishly flamboyant shred master, guitar enthusiasts have a broader picture of him — that of a deeply eclectic and prodigiously proficient player schooled in country, bluegrass, western swing, jazz and flamenco. Whether he’s peeling off hyperspeed chicken-pickin’ lines, replicating cascading banjo rolls, or dispatching immaculate, sweep-picked solos, there seems to be no end to his knowledge or skill set.
“I appreciate anything that’s done well,” John states. “You could be throwing knives or juggling bowling pins, and I’ll be amazed.
“But with music, it goes a lot further. If I hear a bluegrass player killin’ it, I’m like, ‘I have to play that!’ And if I hear a metal player rippin’ it, my brain just fries. So I have to learn what they’re doing and execute it perfectly. I obsess over it, and I love it dearly.”
Read the interview in full here: guitarplayer.com/john5-on-how-he-made-2019-most-shredworthy-album
Photo: NEIL ZLOZOWER/ATLAS ICONS
Metal Rules interviews John 5; “I Have Such an Appreciation for All Types of Music!”
From Metal Rules:
One of the hardest working musicians on the planet has to be guitar virtuoso, John 5. He is currently on tour this summer with Rob Zombie, he released an innovative and dynamic new solo CD, Invasion, on July 31st, and he just announced a solo tour starting October 30th.
John 5’s guitar abilities are unsurpassed to most guitarists with the perfect combination of brilliant technique and style. A visionary player that can sculpt sound and bend minds in equal measure. He is a true innovator and virtuoso on the guitar. Together with Roger Carter on drums and Ian Ross on bass of The Creatures, John and his band explore every sonic highway possible; from the shredding on “Midnight Mass” to the country picking on “Howdy” to EDM on “Crack It – Living with Ghosts!”
I caught up with John to talk about his impressive new solo CD, the importance of creating a highly entertaining live show, and his Fall solo tour with Jared James Nichols.
Read the interview in full here: metal-rules.com/2019/08/11/john-5-on-his-new-cd-invasion
Interview and by Robert Cavuoto
[Listen] John 5 speaks to PureGrainAudio about touring, anti-freeze guitars, his KISS collection and much much more.
From PureGrainAudio:
John 5 is a guitarist who should need no introductions. From David Lee Roth to Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie, his unique guitar stylings have wowed fans for over two decades now. Over the years, John 5 (given name: John William Lowery) has built up a fanbase of followers as a killer guitarist, adaptable session man, and a great solo artist. Over the past fifteen years, John 5 has recorded nine solo guitar albums, with his latest, Invasion, due for release on July 31st.
John 5 chatted with PureGrainAudio a few weeks ago by phone….many of John’s answers come to life as you listen to his answers.
Screamer Magazine interviews John 5: ” I feel inspired, and I love to experiment, so hopefully everyone loves this record as much as I do.”
From Screamer Magazine:
[John 5] sat down with Screamer Magazine to talk about all things J5, from The Creatures’ new album Invasion (to be released coincidentally on his birthday, July 31st ) and the accompanying promotional tour to the Twins of Evil Tour with Zombie and Manson.
“The incorporation of different styles is just a reflection of my love of music, and so when I add in some country, jazz, rock or bluegrass, it’s just a way of showing my appreciation and loving what sounds good. I just love anyone that does something really well. I feel inspired, and I love to experiment, so hopefully everyone loves this record as much as I do.”
To read the interview in full, go here: screamermagazine.com/interviews/john-5-talks-touring-twins-creatures/
Cryptic Rock interviews John 5: “I play what I love, it’s from the heart, and people really seem to enjoy it.”
From Cryptic Rock:
If there was such a thing as a Rock-n-Roll superhero, John 5 would fit the bill. Prolifically releasing new albums in 2017 and 2018, he is set to return with Invasion, his third album in three consecutive years. Famed for working with the likes of David Lee Roth, prior to becoming a fixture in Marilyn Manson, and more recently Rob Zombie, John 5 has dedicated his life to becoming a master of the guitar.
Equipped with extremely polished skills on the fret board, his schizophrenic tastes run the gamut from Metal, Bluegass, and Blues, to Electronic and beyond. The only real question is, can the mythical figure known as John 5 be stopped? The answer is no, but moreover, why would you want to anyway! Inspired and firing on all cylinders, the virtuoso guitarist recently sat down to talk his career, his latest album, plans for the rest of 2019, plus much more.
Read the interview in full here: crypticrock.com/interview-john-5-talks-invasion-rob-zombie-more/
Photo by: Brandy Isadora/Cryptic Rock
Outburn Online interviews John 5: “You have to take risks. If you don’t, you’ll keep doing the same thing.”
From Outburn Online:
Easily one of the most prolific and skilled guitarists of the past several decades, John 5’s proclivity for diverse and downright strange song crafting has never been more evident than what the 47-year-old Michigan native has given us on his ninth record, Invasion. The Rob Zombie axman thrives on risk, whether it was cold calling Marilyn Manson’s studio just to see if the rock legend had any need for his skills or choosing to bet on himself rather than worry about whether or not fans would come out to see instrumental shows. Time and time again, John 5’s fearless behavior has paid off, as he’s spent the past 30 years performing with his personal heroes and our favorite rock legends. Three weeks before Invasion dropped, we spoke with John 5 in the early morning hours as his tour bus headed up the East Coast, playing sold out show after sold out show. An invasion is coming.
Read the full interview here: outburn.com/interviews/john-5-and-the-creatures-risky-business/
Watch “Talking Shred With John 5”
🔥Masters of Shred’s very own, Derek ‘Mr. Shred’ Thomas, had the pleasure of sitting down with the Chicken Picken’ Shred Creature from the Black Lagoon, the Mighty John 5, and TALKING SOME SHRED!
We covered everything from Johns unreleased album with the Diamond David Lee Roth to his respect for the Mighty Buckethead, you are not going to want to miss this!
[LISTEN] John 5 speaks to Riki Rachtman about the infamous ‘Cathouse’ in Hollywood
From Riki Ractman’s Cathouse Hollywood Podcast:
Riki Rachtman brings us back to 1988. Sunset Strip Tattoo. What role did this legendary shop play in the Cathouse Tale.
John 5 is one of the top guitarists in rock today. He currently is a successful solo artist and plays with Rob Zombie. Prior to playing with Marilyn Manson or David Lee Roth John 5 was a 17 year old kid sneaking into the Adult world of the Cathouse. John 5 joins Riki for more uncensored tales from Rocks most decadent era.
The podcast is available now on : https://smarturl.it/CathousePodcastJohn5
Or listen below on Spotify:
[Watch] John 5 chats to BangerTV “about his eclectic session career”, his new album and much more!
As his Invasion Tour wraps up, John 5 visited Banger HQ to sit down with Daniel Dekay and talk about his eclectic session career as well as his own solo album… and that time he borrowed Don Henley’s Porsche.
[Listen] Wired in the Empire with Mike X in wide-ranging interview with John 5
From Wired In The Empire with Mike X:
John 5 called in to talk about his new solo album and tour playing the Whisky A Go Go on 4/6 and the Parish Room at HOB-Anaheim on 4/7. Here’s what we talked about:
- New music and videos (0-3)
- Solo tour at Whisky 4/6 and HOB 4/7 (3-4)
- Dimebash 2019 remembering Dimebag and Vinnie (4-5)
- Drummer Randy Castillo (5-6:30)
- Wayne Static and guitar solo for “Cannibal” (6:30-8)
- Motley Crue Nikki Sixx and Mick Mars (8-9:30)
- Rob Zombie new music (9-11)
- Movie soundtracks (11-13)
- Flannel Five-Nirvana, Pearl Jam, STP, AIC, Soundgarden (14-16)
- Nu Metal Six Pack-RATM, Korn, Linkin Park, Slipknot, Disturbed, SOAD (16-end)
Imagery above uses photo by Steve Brazill.
[interview] On The phone with John 5
Andrew Green had the privilege of talking with the iconic Rob Zombie guitarist John 5. They talk about playing shows in different sized venues, how John gets inspiration for his guitar playing, and about his new solo album “Invasion” John talks what it was like touring with Marilyn Manson in the late 90s and early 00s and tells some insane stories. He describes their relationship now what its like sharing a tour with him. John also talks about his KISS Instagram account and John gives his dream set list if he got the chance to play with KISS.
Follow John 5’s KISS collection Instagram: @knightsinsatansservice
Metal Titans interviews John 5: “Hold on to you cranium, it’s going to be great!”
From Metal Titans:
Metal Titans spoke with John 5 on February 20th…. The guitar virtuoso has played with the likes of K.D. Lang, Rob Halford’s 2wo, David Lee Roth, Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie and he’s got a pretty good solo career, too. He’s got a new album, ‘Invasion’ … once again he’s backed by The Creatures. John 5 and The Creatures are set to hit the road on February 26th for a late winter/spring tour of North America with special guest Jared James Nichols in tow.
Read the interview, which looks at John’s KISS collection, his new music videos, working with Motley Crue and what he thought of the Freddie Mercury biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” and much much more: http://www.metaltitans.com/john-5-exclusive/
Photo Credit: Charlene Tupper/Metal Titans
John 5 opens up about his inspirations and more with Box of Rock Podcast
From Box of Rock 2.0 Podcast:
Guitar innovator John 5 talks to Terrie Carr about his incredible career, playing and working with Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, Rob Halford, David Lee Roth and more and his solo career and new release INVASION!
John also tells some great stories about writing with Steve Perry, Nikki Sixx and others, opens up about his inspirations and his cats!
John 5 speaks to Consequences of Sound: “the guitar is strong and powerful and will never die”
John 5 and The Creatures are now on the the road with Jared James Nichols and Dead Girls Academy for the Invasion 2019 tour. Before embarking on this tour, John 5 spoke to Consequences of Sound about a range of issues, including:
- his favorite thing about touring with his solo band, the Creatures
- what new material he’s performing with the Creatures on his current tour
- using YouTube and Instagram as a promotional vehicle
- how the recording process for Rob Zombie’s new album differed from past albums
- On the state of heavy metal music and the genre’s future
Plus a lot more. To read the interview in full, go here: consequenceofsound.net/john-5-rob-zombie-interview-2019/
Photo by Matt Akana
John 5 speaks to The Cornwall Seeker: “If there is a good groove people can latch on to it”.
From The Cornwall Seeker:
John 5 is best known as the current and long-time guitarist of Rob Zombie. He is also the former guitarist of Marilyn Manson, the former guitarist for Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth, and the former guitarist of 2wo featuring Rob Halford of Judas Priest.
This is the first time John 5’s backing band The Creatures play in Canada.
“We’re so excited because we’ve never been to Canada with The Creatures. We’re beyond excited to come to Ottawa and rock. It’s going to be a huge show, a crazy rock and roll party! Guitars and monsters and all sorts of crazy stuff will happen. We’re really looking forward to it,” John 5 stated.
Read the interview in full here: theseeker.ca/interview-guitarist-john-5/
[Watch] John 5 shares his “otherworldly” shredding skills with Gear Factor
For this latest edition of Gear Factor, Squiggy traveled to Los Angeles to meet up with guitar great John 5, who let us in on a little secret about how his recent single “Zoinks!” came to be.
The guitarist reveals that one of his favorite ways to write is to pull up a metronome and just riff away. For this video, John 5 just pulls up the beat on his phone, then proceeds to break down “Zoinks!.”
Read more here: http://loudwire.com/watch-john-5-shredding/ and watch the shred-tactic video above!
[Interview] John 5 speaks to the Albuquerque Journal
From the Albuquerque Journal:
John 5 is excited to be back on the road.
“Everything will be new stuff, and new things are going to happen, and I just want to keep the crowd entertained,” he said. “And I understand now of what to do to keep them entertained, because it is an instrumental show and it’s a hard sell, but I think people are really, really going to love it. It’s a lot of fun.”
John 5 will be performing some songs off his new album, “Invasion,” which will be released this summer.
Read the interview in full here: abqjournal.com/john-5-combines-various-musical-genres-until-it-all-fits-together
John 5 talks to Mitch Lafon about his new tour & more
From Rock Talk with Mitch Lafon:
In the episode’s first interview, guitarist JOHN 5 discusses his upcoming North American tour, his new album Invasion, releasing a video a month (is it a new way to monetize the music), are albums still relevant, being terrified about going on tour (approx. 23 minutes), the use of backing tracks during shows, performing with Ace Frehley, working with different vocalists and who’s his favourite, working with former Journey singer Steve Perry and more.
[Listen] Metal Injection Livecast with John 5
Check out this brand new podcast interview with John 5 via our friends at Metal Injection Livecast:
We … hopped on the phone with guitarist virtuoso John 5, who talked about his upcoming solo album, working on the new Rob Zombie album, a crazy story about jamming with Les Paul and more fun convos.
[Interview] John 5 chats to the RocknRoll Beer Guy podcast
From RocknRoll Beer Guy:
“EP87 is with special guest John 5! John 5 is a prolific guitar player that has worked with some of the greatest musicians ever including: Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, Lynrd Skynrd, Ozzy Ozbourne, David Lee Roth, Rob Halford and more! We talk about his new solo record under John 5 & The Creatures which is due out Summer 2019. We talk about his career, future plans, his makeup and more. I apologize for the random cuts we were having some technical difficulties but hopefully we can do a longer in-person podcast soon. It was an honor talking to John and I hope you enjoy it!”
To listen to the interview, go here: rocknrollbeerguy.wordpress.com/2019/02/04/ep87-john-5-rob-zombie/
[Listen] John 5 chats to Talkin’ Rock
From Talkin’ Rock With Meltdown:
John 5 is on of my favorites to talk to and he’s on Talkin’ Rock today. Best known as Rob Zombie’s guitarist, but he’s done lots of other stuff. We talk about some of that like his new album and more……
*How John became so innovative *How he makes his live guitar shows so un-boring *His new live medley *Making his schedule work with Rob’s *The new Zombie album and his thoughts on it *What makes the new album so different *His new solo album “Invasion” *His crazy guitars *The Zombie band * “Tight-Lips” Johnny *Working/writing with Nikki Sixx *His Knights In Satans Service Instagram account *KISS
Performer Mag talks new LP, new tour & more with John 5
John 5 is the cover artist for Performer Magazines big interview in their Dec/Jan ’19 issue out now.
In the article which is available to purchase here, or read online, John talks about his upcoming Invasion tour with Jared James Nichols, releasing the next Creatures album via a series of unique music videos (see the first video ZOINKS! here), his influences, his work with Rob Zombie, advice for fellow musicians and how his creative process works:
“I’m always honest with myself. So, what that means is…it’s hard to explain. I love to play a certain way, I love to sit on the couch and play guitar. That’s all that I do, and I love playing different styles of music. If something is done really well, I’m into it. So, that’s what keeps me always playing, and keeps me trying to master all these different styles.
So that’s what I do on my records. If I love Chet Atkins, I’m going to put that on my record. It’s a little unorthodox, with all these different kinds of styles, but I love it and it’s honest. And I think that’s what people enjoy about the records; it’s just who I am. I’m not trying to be something I’m not.”
To read the interview in full, go here: performermag.com/interviews/john-5-invasion-cover-story/
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