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January 2024 • Volume 50 , Number 03 • www . illinoisentertainer . com
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COVER STORY : JOHN 5
When it comes to musical diversity and performing genrehopping styles , guitarist John William Lowery ( aka John 5 ) is one of the most prolific .
Whether he ’ s creating rock , industrial metal , funk , EDM , prog , or bluegrass compositions , the lethal six-string slinger is guaranteed to shred all over it . With a musical resume that includes such diverse artists as k . d . Lang , Rod Stewart , Dolly Parton , David Lee Roth , Meat Loaf , Rob Halford , Lita Ford , Lynyrd Skynyrd , Marilyn Manson , Rob Zombie , and most recently , Mötley Crüe , it ’ s a given that John 5 can adapt to whoever he ’ s playing with and can handle anything thrown his way . “ In the rock era , everybody kind of knows everybody ,” John 5 explains during a recent phone interview . “ You could name any band in rock , and I probably know them , and they know me , or they know this guy , or they know that guy . So everybody kind of knows each other , and they know what they ' re doing . But in different genres of music , like you were mentioning – k . d . Lang , Rod Stewart – I ’ m not on their speed dial . But if I go and audition for it , I know every single note that those guys have ever written and recorded . I ' m going to know not only the guitar part , but I ' ll know the bass part , and I ' ll know the other parts ; I know everything . So , when I get an opportunity to audition or jam with somebody like a Skynyrd or someone like that , I know their whole catalog .”
IE ’ s Kelley Simms spoke to Mr . 5 about is complete immersion in his and others music .
BEST OF 2023
Happy New Year . Our annual Best Of albums and shows lists returns for 2024 looking back at the previous year in music . Boy Genius - the indie rock supergroup - broke out in 2023 , and their debut The Record did not dissapoint . Locally Ratboys had the same effect with their stunning album , The Window . See our lists of on pages 6 , 8 and 24 .
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File
Best of 2023 .
CinemaScopes
January Films in Theaters .
Spins
Chemical Brothers , Oasis , The Repacements and more .
Calendar
1000 shows and 2600 bands , it ’ s IE ’ s live music calendar .
Studiophile
Local studio news from Chicagoland ’ s best facilities . l6 12 13 24 31
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Publisher Emeritis David Roberts
Publisher John Vernon
4 illinoisentertainer . com april 2019
Curt Baran Mike Me er illinoisentertainer . com january 2024
Publisher John Vernon
Contributing Editors Curt Baran Mike Meyer Tom Lanham Lori Vernon
Design Team Notion Pool Dragon Design Vision Design Teknigram Graphics
Classified Advertising David Gedge
Founder Kenneth L . Voss
Contributing Editors
Advertising Sales Scott Assmann Mike Engel
Advertising Director John Vernon
Website Direction Notion Pool
Senior Columnists
Rosalind Cummings-Yeates
- Sweet Home Rick Kaempfer - Media
Kelley Simms - Caught In A Mosh
David C . Eldredge - East Coast
Advertising Sales Scott Assmann Mike Engel
Ad ti i Di t
Contributors : Andy Argyrakis , Guy Arnston , Penelope Biver , Patrick Conlan , Deena Dasein , Jaime de ' Medici , Andy Derer , Jeff Elbel Terrence Flamm , Steve Forstneger Michael Gallucci , Michael C . Harris , Max Herman , Tom Lanham , Aubrey Vernon Carter Moss , Michael Obrecki , Greg Olma Arsenio Orteza , Rodney Pawlak , Bruce Pilato , Matthew Pollock , Jason Scales , Kelley Simms , Ed Spinelli , Riley Vernon , Tim Shockley , James Turano
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