SHRED ALERT

WHILE A SIZABLE CONTINGENT OF METAL FANS KNOW JOHN 5 FROM HIS LONGTIME GIG AS ROB ZOMBIE’S GHOULISHLY FLAMBOYANT SHRED MASTER, GUITAR ENTHU SIASTS 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.”