Show Review of John 5 and The Creatures In Jacksonville, FL

What can be said about John 5 that has not been said a thousand times by ten thousand different people since his meteoric rise in the music business started way back when he moved to Los Angeles from Michigan at the ripe old age of 17? Hell, his resume reads like a veritable who’s who in a wide variety of genres, playing and writing with the likes of Rudy Sarzo, David Lee Roth, Paul Stanley, Marilyn Manson, Rob Halford, Rob Zombie all the way to John Wetton (Asia), SaltNPepa, Ricky Martin, k.d. lang, Meat Loaf, Lynyrd Skynyrd and many, many others. One hot commodity, to say the least! Now, guitarist friends and I might say that it is his guitar playing that makes him stand apart from the rest of the crowd. Big surprise with influences like Malmsteen, Satch, Vai, Hendrix, Page, Albert Lee, Les Paul, Chet Atkins, Paul Gilbert, Bumblefoot, Jim Root, Buckethead and Eric Johnson. Others may think that it is the company that he keeps and the bands that he has played and written for that makes him great. Still others may hold the opinion that he is just plain fun to watch live. Well, I am here to tell you that all three apply to this wizard of six-string sorcery, especially having just recently been initiated into John 5 and The Creatures live show at 1904 Music Hall here in Jacksonville, FL.

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Review – JOHN 5 AND THE CREATURES ‘It’s Alive!’ [Track Stream]

John 5 is a renowned guitarist who has graced many well-known musical acts with his unique playing skills including Marilyn Manson, David Lee Roth, and Rob Zombie.  As a solo artist with his own band, John 5 and the Creatures, who are set to release their live album, ‘It’s Alive!” today on 60 Cycle Hum Records, he takes center stage for the all-instrumental act.  In the vein of Joe Satriani, Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Vai, and others who sit upon similar thrones, 5 takes on the role of guitar aficionado, or “shredder” with the confidence and (seemingly) the greatest of ease.

I’ve always hated when reviewers of music, or movies, or anything for that matter, use the word “fun” to describe the piece of art being discussed.  I always looked at it as a cop-out.  You couldn’t come up with any other descriptive words so you fell back on “fun.”  Well, here I am eating my own words as I am about to describe John 5 and the Creatures ‘It’s Alive!’ as exactly that – fun.  From track one to closing note, fun is precisely what can be expected. Continue reading

JOHN 5 “I Don’t Really Quit Bands Even When It Gets Really Bad”

JOHN 5 has worked with a varied range of artists, performing as guitarist for some of the biggest headlining rock bands in the world such as Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson, as well as playing session with Paul Stanley, Rod Stewart, Lynyrd Skynyrd and more. John 5 has became what ever band strives for in a guitar player. When he steps into the guitarist role for any band he just doesn’t simply play the notes, but he adds his own style to the music and on stage he gives personality to the instrument and brings the music to life. He is by far one of the most exciting musicians to see live regardless which band he is playing for at the time. Slash has called JOHN 5, “one of the most mind-blowing guitarists around” and Rob Zombie has dubbed him “a fucking shredder”. JOHN 5 has released seven solo albums to date, as well as a remix album, and has written music for the likes of Avril Lavigne, Garbage, Ricky Martin and others. When it comes to genre John 5 has no limitations, he simply isn’t just a rock and metal guitarist. Pop, country, southern rock or even classical he can play and create riffs for nearly any type of music. His current solo venture is John 5 And The Creatures which includes bassist Ian Ross and drummer Logan Miles Nix. John 5 And The Creatures are set to release a brand new live album, ‘It’s Alive!’, on January 25th. ‘It’s Alive!’ is the first album released by the world-renowned guitarist to be featured on vinyl. A stunning 24-page, full color tour book covering the John 5 And The Creatures tour journeys so far will also be available for separate purchase. Pre-orders are available now at www.john-5.com/store

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JOHN 5 AND THE CREATURES Announce ‘It’s Alive!’ American Tour For 2018

American guitarist John 5’s band, JOHN 5 AND THE CREATURES are embarking on an tour spanning all across the American soil. Known for his work with ROB ZOMBIE, the band will out on the road performing on over fourty different dates and cities. Touring in support of his upcoming live album, ‘It’s Alive‘, which is scheduled to come out on January 25th as the first live album of the creatures. The live album is a follow up to this year’s eighth studio album by the band, ‘Season Of The Witch‘ which came out earlier on March 3. John 5 notes he is “very excited” to be releasing their first live album. Pre-Order ‘It’s Alive‘ HERE!

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