One is a pop country hit machine, writing and singing songs about love, pickup trucks and fishing.
One is a metal gun-for-hire with full sleeve tattoos, making instrumental shred albums with song titles inspired by serial killers.
Looking at Brad Paisley and John 5, you'd think they couldn't be further apart. And that might be right. But beyond all that, they're both fantastic guitarists, both worthy of the guitar mag covers they've gotten, and they're both Telecaster players. Which is where I get drawn in.
Brad Paisley, "Make A Mistake"
John 5, "Fiddlers"
That's two songs, ones that I think hit the point where they remind me of each other. They have the same musical sense of humor. Crossing genres, like a twanger going jazzy or a shredder gone country, is funny. Breaking the fourth wall, like "I don't hear any music" and the engineer saying "That's the wrong chord, guys", that's funny.
I really think they could do a great head-to-head version of "Devil Went Down To Georgia".
Except the wrong guy's named Johnny.
5 comments:
Both good records that I may not have heard otherwise.
The John5 is kind of a sonic version of a fun house mirror. What's your thoughts on the imminent collab. with Skynyrd?
On whose part?
Brad's got his own mostly-instrumental album, Play, coming up on Election Day. And didn't he have a part on a recent Little Feat album?
And with John, being a stunt guitarist is kinda his gig. I know he's been on recent Scorpions albums.
Last thing Skynyrd needs is another guitarist on stage. They have three, don't they? More than two at one time doesn't make any sense to me.
Ah. I looked it up.
That's just about the place he held with the Scorpions, Rick Springfield and Meat Loaf. He can get heavy, but that's not nearly all he does.
I heard that John was deeply involved in the songwriting on the next record. Skynyrd needs songs so, might be a wise move but, I'm not real familiar with John5's writing.
Neither am I, beyond the instrumentals. But that's what he did with the Scorpions, so someone must like it.
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