THIS GUY got me into Country Music!!!

A SCARY LOOKING GUY WITH SOME SCARY COUNTRY MUSIC SKILLS:

We recently started watching the series “Nashville” at home, and I must say, I like it! 

It follows the lives of people in and around the Country Music Scene in (you guessed it!), Nashville!

Like some weird suppressed memory, hearing the music in the series reminded that I once upon a once, REALLY liked Country Music!

I’m not talking about the Billy Ray Cyrus “Don’t break my mullet” nonsense! I’m talking about “banjo’s, bluegrass guitar, and a jug filled with moonshine” Country music!!!

And it’s all thanks to this guy:

John 5 is his name! Doesn’t look like much of a country musician right!? Well you’re not wrong! John 5 is more know for playing with Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, and more recently, Mötley Crüe! 

I’d known who John 5 was, but was never a Marilyn Manson fan so I couldn’t get into his guitar playing! Then in 2004 he released his first solo album titled “Vertigo” and I thought to myself “Finally, I can hear John 5’s playing without Marilyn Manson ‘singing’ over it!”

Track 1 and 2 were exactly what I was expecting from someone with his look! Track 3 then started to descend into a more old school rock feel, and by track 4, my goodness!!! We were in full electric country territory! Track 4, along with others showed me that Country Music is more than mullet’s, beer, and licking your lips when your cousin walks on by! Country musicians actually had chops!!! They could shred with the best of them! And then I went down the rabbit hole!!! They’ve been doing it for ages! It was just hidden from most of the world because of the power of Billy Ray’s mullet!

So to John 5, thank you for introducing me to a whole new side of Country Music, I had not known before!!!

He’s a scary looking dude, but hear his sweet, sweet Country playing here: