<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The disclaimer:\u00a0 I like music.\u00a0 I will listen to any type of music but there are some genres I can take or leave.\u00a0 I have listened to enough Punk rock, Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, and hard core metal bands like Slipknot to know they aren\u2019t my cup of tea.\u00a0 I understand why legions of fans are attracted to that style of music while others are not.\u00a0 In my younger years, bands like Black Sabbath were in a similar \u2018I love them \/ I hate them\u2019 career arc.\u00a0 Because I do not listen to the short list of bands mentioned above, I missed out on an amazing guitarist known as John 5 who played with both Zombie and Manson.\u00a0 He has become a hot topic now that he has replaced Motley Crue guitarist Mick Mars who left the band because touring with his health problems has become too difficult to manage (more on this a bit later).<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0John 5 was born William Lowery in Grosse Pointe, Michigan on July 31, 1970.\u00a0 His first introduction to the guitar came courtesy of watching Buck Owens and Roy Clark on TV\u2019s country cornpone show <\/span>Hee Haw<\/span><\/i> with his father.\u00a0 His inspiration for picking up the guitar at<\/span> age 7 was seeing Jimmy Henley playing banjo on the show.\u00a0 His guitar teacher, Robert Gillespie, took an extra step;\u00a0 he joined him performing so young William could play evenings at adult bars.\u00a0 John 5 cites the Monkees, Kiss, Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, Jimi Hendrix, Yngwie Malmsteen, and country music as his early musical influences.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0At the age of 17, William moved to Los Angeles to begin a career as a session guitarist.\u00a0 Lowery was playing with his first L.A. band Alligator Soup when he first met Whitesnake bassist Rudy Szarzo.\u00a0 Szazo recruited him for the band Sun King which also put William in touch with producer Bob Marlette.\u00a0 Through Marlette, Lowery worked on projects for both TV and movie soundtracks and also scored the chance to play with Lita Ford opening a concert for KISS.\u00a0 William became close friends with Paul Stanley and guested on Stanley\u2019s <\/span>Live to Win<\/span><\/i> album.\u00a0 Drummer Randy Castillo (Ozzy Osbourne solo band) worked with Lowery on several projects that never got off the ground before the guitarist was picked to tour with k.d.lang.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In 1996, Lowery tried and failed to get an audition for Marilyn Manson\u2019s band – the slot had already been filled by Zim Zum.\u00a0 He went on to work with Judas Priest vocalist Rob Halford in a group called 2wo (Two) while continuing an impressive amount of session work.\u00a0 William\u2019s big break came when David Lee Roth tabbed him to play lead guitar on his well-received album,\u00a0 <\/span>DLR Band <\/span><\/i>(1998)<\/span>.\u00a0 <\/span><\/i>Lowery had always liked Roth so when the vocalist left Van Halen for a solo career (or was drummed out of Van Halen, your pick), Lowery decided to call Roth\u2019s manager to\u00a0 offer DLR a few songs.\u00a0 It was probably fortunate that Roth picked Lowery for his band.\u00a0 The other guitarist DLR was considering, Mike Hartman, died of Cystic Fibrosis in 2000.\u00a0 Lowery\u2019s greatest take away from his <\/span>DLR Band <\/span><\/i>experience was the lead singer\u2019s advice, \u201cIf you can\u2019t do it in two takes, you can\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Manson would come into the picture again when Zim Zum was dismissed from his band during the recording of <\/span>Mechanical Animals.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0 Lowery had lunch with the singer and was immediately asked to join the band.\u00a0 \u201cRight then and there, it was obviously something he\u2019d been thinking about,\u201d because Manson also gave William the name \u2018John 5\u2019.\u00a0 The moniker comes from both the Biblical passage and the fact the guitarist is the fifth member of Manson\u2019s band.\u00a0 After an on-stage incident at the 2003 Rock AM Ring festival there were indications J5 would be departing that band in the near future.\u00a0 When Manson kicked John 5\u2019s guitar, J5 screamed at the singer and tossed his guitar at him.\u00a0 Both later downplayed the whole incident.\u00a0 John 5 blamed the stress of the tour and the losses of some very close family members for the outburst, later commenting his behavior had been \u2018unprofessional\u2019.\u00a0 Both claim there was no bad blood and it was a mutual decision when John 5 finally did leave the band in 2004.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In the wake of the Manson band, John 5 formed a group called Loser.\u00a0 The name is a reference to his days attending a fairly posh school but sporting rock tee shirts (rather than the\u00a0 \u2018Polo\u2019 and \u2018Brooks Brothers\u2019 brands favored by the other students), thus earning him the nickname, \u2018Loser\u2019.\u00a0 During this time period, he got to know Rob Zombie who was just getting started with his film career.\u00a0 Zombie asked John 5 if he wanted to play <\/span>Thunder Kiss<\/span><\/i> with him for a Camp Freddy benefit and the guitarist jumped at the chance.\u00a0 They hit it off from the get go and Rob asked if John 5 wanted to play with him at Ozzfest 2005.\u00a0 Rumor has it Zombie was going to get out of the music business to concentrate on making films until he played with John 5.\u00a0 With his new band Loser just getting some traction, John 5 tried to do both for a while but it was a brutal schedule.\u00a0 John 5 ended up picking Zombie\u2019s band for his next gig and Island Records, the company that had signed Loser, dropped them, figuring they were not the same band without him.\u00a0 Though he felt bad for the loss of Loser\u2019s contract, John 5 said he made the right decision and has never looked back.\u00a0 As J5 put it, \u201cI found it impossible to be in two places at once.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0John 5 has continued to work on Zombie\u2019s albums and film scores throughout the 2010s.\u00a0 In May 2021, John 5, Nikki Sixx, Rob Zombie and drummer Tommy Clufetos formed a supergroup dubbed L.A.Rats.\u00a0 Their track <\/span>I\u2019ve Been Everywhere<\/span><\/i> was used in Liam Neeson\u2019s film <\/span>The Ice Road.\u00a0 <\/span><\/i>The grouping was instigated by record company executive Scott Borchetta who had been put in charge of the soundtrack for the Netflix action thriller.\u00a0 The title may sound familiar but the Rats gave the tune previously recorded by Hank Snow, Johnny Cash, and Asleep at the Wheel a decidedly heavy metal flavor.\u00a0 It is unclear if the group will record again or if this was just a one off movie project – only time will tell.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Never one to stand still, John 5 has released thirteen solo albums through 2021.\u00a0 He also has been gigging regularly with his band The Creatures.\u00a0 How he has managed his personal life while jumping between multiple projects is another one of those mysteries one can only understand if they have been similarly busy.\u00a0 With that said, it is worth noting his first marriage to actress Aria Giovanni only lasted a year (2005-2006) but they have two children together, Jeremy and Nicole.\u00a0 His union to hair stylist Rita Lowery in 2009 added step-son Andre to the brood.\u00a0 John 5 also has a grandson.\u00a0 J5 is an avid collector of KISS merchandise.\u00a0 He concentrates on merchandise, clothing, and promotional items from 1973 to 1983 which he chronicles on his Instagram account labeled \u2018knightsinsatansservice\u2019 (a tweak at the debunked origin of the KISS band name).<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0On October 26, 2022, another door of opportunity opened for the guitarist when it was announced that Motley Crue\u2019s guitarist Mick Mars was retiring from the road due to ill health.\u00a0 Mars disputes some of the \u2018health\u2019 angle bluntly accusing the Crue of firing him from the band even though he said he only wanted to pull back from extensive touring.\u00a0 Mars further claimed they had been trying to get rid of him for years.\u00a0 During some of the angry back and forth dialog,\u00a0 Mars accused the band of using \u2018a lot of backing tracks\u2019 during their most recent live shows.\u00a0 Mars claims he can still do the job but, \u201cI would rather play live than pretend.\u201d\u00a0 Crue bassist Sixx commented, \u201c[The lawsuit] represents a sad day for us.\u00a0 We don\u2019t deserve this considering how many years we\u2019ve been propping him up.\u201d\u00a0 Sixx has explained to various media sources that the band only used backing tracks of Mick\u2019s guitar parts when he was physically unable to perform them live.\u00a0 We will leave it to you to decide who done who wrong.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Regardless, the day after they announced Mars\u2019 retirement, Sixx called his old friend John 5 to see if he would be interested in filling the now open guitar slot in Motley Crue.\u00a0 Nikki called him and said, \u201cYou know, I think Mick\u2019s going to retire.\u00a0 A tour\u2019s coming up.\u00a0 We\u2019re gonna go to Europe and South America and do all this touring. Is this something you\u2019d be interested in?\u201d\u00a0 As John 5 related the tale to <\/span>Guitar World <\/span><\/i>(October 2023, Vo. 44, No. 10), \u201cTo be honest with you, I look at this as \u2018life is very short, and I want to experience as much as I can.\u2019\u00a0 I was like, \u2018Well, of course!\u2019\u201d\u00a0 There was no hesitation on his part:\u00a0 \u201cI said, \u2018I\u2019m interested\u2019 right away.\u00a0 This is how to say it:\u00a0 I\u2019m still very, very hungry.\u00a0 I\u2019m not ready to go, \u2018Boy, what a great life.\u2019\u00a0 I was like, \u2018Yeah, I\u2019m very interested and I want to do this.\u2019\u201d\u00a0 J5 said it was a tough decision to leave Zombie because they are still close friends, but as he told <\/span>GW, <\/span><\/i>\u201c[Rob] understood because he is a professional.\u00a0 I had to look out for myself and I had to take this opportunity.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Was the transition to Motley Crue difficult?\u00a0 John 5 already had a strong relationship with Sixx and Crue drummer Tommy Lee, but he had never met singer Vince Neal.\u00a0 Their first introduction came at Lee\u2019s birthday party where J5 told Vince, \u2018Hey, you have a birthday coming up, and I think it\u2019s when we\u2019re going to be rehearsing.\u00a0 I\u2019m gonna get you a really cool gift.\u201d\u00a0 Neal said, \u201cHey man, we\u2019re gonna have such a great time.\u00a0 You\u2019re the best gift I could have ever gotten.\u201d\u00a0 It may have been a tough gig for any guitarist to replace Mick Mars because his iconic playing was the backbone of their sound.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t hurt one bit that J5 was a lifelong fan of the band and knew their catalog inside and out.\u00a0 He also has a tendency to practice, practice, practice, so the first time they got together to try out the new combo, even the veteran Crue guys were surprised.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0How versatile is John 5 as a guitarist?\u00a0 As I was searching for clips of his solo band, I found him doing a guitar solo at an outdoor gig at the Dallas Guitar Festival in May of 2022.\u00a0 Instead of doing the usual flashy, hands moving in a blur, shredder type solo, J5 used the occasion to reveal his influences.\u00a0 His band was performing without their bass player (who was ill) and technical difficulties had taken his pedalboard effects offline.\u00a0 It was an impressive performance during which he touched on iconic guitar riffs from Van Halen, Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, KISS, AC\/DC, Alice in Chains, Foo Fighters and many, many more.\u00a0 Without so much as a hiccup, John segues smoothly from Zeppelin to AC\/DC\u2019s opening riff for <\/span>Thunderstruck<\/span><\/i> before he led the band into ZZ TOP (<\/span>La Grange)<\/span><\/i> and then into <\/span>The Final Countdown<\/span><\/i> by Europe.\u00a0 The crowd\u00a0 hooted their approval at every turn.\u00a0 Through the burst of a confetti cannon blast that ended the show, John 5 was clearly happy with the result as he thanked the crowd at the end of the set.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Guitar World <\/span><\/i>asked him how the first show with the Crue went, noting, \u201cThere\u2019s always that thing –\u00a0 \u2018He\u2019s not Mick\u2019.\u201d\u00a0 John explained, \u201cI wasn\u2019t nervous about the show.\u00a0 I was like, \u2018Yay, let\u2019s do this!\u201d\u00a0 Everybody was like, \u2018Are you nervous?\u2019\u00a0 And I was like, \u2018No.\u2019\u00a0 Because I was prepared.\u00a0 If somebody said, \u2018Give me bar 22 of <\/span>Shout at the Devil,\u2019 <\/span><\/i>I would say, \u2018OK\u2019.\u00a0 That\u2019s how prepared I was.\u00a0 But of the people wanting to accept me? \u00a0 If they said, \u2018He\u2019s not Mick Mars,\u2019 it\u2019s like, \u2018I\u2019m not Mick Mars, I\u2019m John 5.\u2019\u00a0 It would be silly if I came out with a long black wig and a hat, you know?\u00a0 I\u2019m my own person.\u00a0 For instance, I love KISS, right?\u00a0 I <\/span>love <\/span><\/i>KISS.\u00a0 But I would never put on Ace\u2019s makeup.\u00a0 Never.\u00a0 I\u2019d create my own character, and if they said I couldn\u2019t do that, I\u2019d say, \u2018The I\u2019m not the guy (you want in the band).\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Delving further into the John 5 \/ Mick Mars connection, <\/span>GW <\/span><\/i>asked, \u201cHas being in the band given you a different or renewed appreciation for Mick Mars\u2019 work?\u201d\u00a0 J5 replied, \u201cOh, no, no, no.\u00a0 I\u2019ve had a beyond appreciation for Mick Mars ever since I was a little kid.\u00a0 I <\/span>love<\/span><\/i> Mick Mars.\u00a0 Nothing has changed.\u00a0 Knowing these songs as a kid is how I know them now.\u00a0 I used to play at Harpo\u2019s and the Ritz (both Detroit hotspots for live music) and all these clubs, and we\u2019d play Motley Crue songs.\u00a0 I have such a high appreciation for Mars, of course.\u00a0 I always have and I always will.\u00a0 I just want to play these songs to where the guys are proud.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Soon after he was asked to join the band, John 5 began posting videos of himself playing through some of their songs.\u00a0 Whether it was a pre-emptive strike to win over the Mick fans or just a fun way for him to re-acquaint himself with the catalog, his knowledge of their set list came through loud and clear.\u00a0 The first time he did a run through with the band, they were going to cherry pick a few tunes from their show to see how it went.\u00a0 They started with their opening song and ended up playing the whole set from top to bottom.\u00a0 The Crue guys gave John the freedom to play their songs as he saw fit but he simply said, \u201cIf it is okay with you, I will play them like they are on the record.\u00a0 When I do my solo slot, then I can go nuts.\u201d\u00a0 The Motley Crue fan in J5 comes out when they are doing sound checks and he tosses out the titles of deep cuts that are not usually part of the show.\u00a0 No doubt his vast knowledge of their catalog keeps the other guys on their toes.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0How is it working out?\u00a0 Have they had to make adjustments to the Crue sound with John 5 in the band?\u00a0 According to Sixx, \u201cI think, in general, the band – bass, drums, and guitar – is a rock band at our core.\u00a0 Anytime you play with another musician, it\u2019s going to change a little bit.\u00a0 I guess we\u2019re more aware because suddenly John is playing the songs, and we\u2019re hearing John and us . . . and it\u2019s like, \u2018Oh, wow, it sounds right.\u00a0 It sounds tight.\u00a0 It sounds right on the money.\u2019\u00a0 And it feels energized,\u00a0 It feels positive.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0What does the future hold?\u00a0 John 5 won\u2019t commit to what is next because he is having a great time touring with the Crue.\u00a0 He hinted they may be recording some new material in the near future.\u00a0 With that said, when the next opportunity comes along, he won\u2019t be shy about chasing it down.\u00a0 In the meantime, Motley Crue is his main focus.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Top Piece Video:\u00a0 We mentioned John 5 at the Dallas Guitar Fest – well what could be more appropriate?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The disclaimer:\u00a0 I like music.\u00a0 I will listen to any type of music but there are some genres I can take or leave.\u00a0 I have listened to enough Punk rock, Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, and hard core metal bands like Slipknot to know they aren\u2019t my cup of tea.\u00a0 I understand why legions of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,8,6,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2949","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bands-musicians","category-from-the-vaults","category-new-music","category-woas"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2949","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2949"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2949\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2952,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2949\/revisions\/2952"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2949"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2949"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2949"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}