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
