Q5

 Origin: Seattle, Washington (USA)

Q5

Gary Thompson - Floyd Rose - Evan Sheeley - Rick Pierce - Jonathan Scott K.

Discography:

When the mirror cracks - 1986 (with lyrics)

Notes:

- Seattle, Washington, USA-based Q5 was a hard rock band with a science fiction affinity that was founded by Jonathan K and Rose in 1982 and disbanded in 1988. The two founders were in C.o.r.e., a band which had opened locally for Sammy Hagar. Several members of TKO, which had its roots in Mojo Hand, had decamped over to join Floyd Rose and Jonathan K, in 1983, who had already written a few songs together. Floyd is known for his guitar playing, but was actually both a singer and guitarist in the past. As such, Q5 was a union of members of C.o.r.e and TKO. The guitarist, who was the inventor of the eponymous locking tremolo for the guitar in Reno, Nevada in 1978, and who later lived in California, left after two records and the remaining band members founded Nightshade. The new band remained on Music For Nations.

Q5 re-appeared for a show at Headbangers Open Air in 2009, went back into slumber and then played at Sweden Rock Festival in 2014. Frankie Rongo of Nightshade drummed in 2009. Sweden Rock instigated the name Q5 being resurrected. The group’s 2016 record featured mostly original members except for Rose who was long gone. Guitarist Dennis Turner was on the record, but would leave in 2018 (and rejoin in 2019). Another major overhaul occurred in 2020 leaving only singer Scott K. standing. Bassist Sheeley had departed in 2019.

The debut record Steel The Light – note the spelling – featured music from Demo 1983 and Demo 1984. The album was independently issued by the band’s manager before Music For Nations gave it a new cover and a re-release in Europe. Atlantic took over in Canada. The new cover by local Seattle artist Rollin C. Thomas has become one of heavy metal's most recognizable. Ken Kinnear, who managed Heart through Albatross Productions, was impressed by the demos and had signed the band to a management deal. The man had actually managed Mojo Hand first. The debut record, which was planned to be an EP earlier, was well promoted in Europe. MFN also issued a promotional Steel The Light mini-LP in 1985. Q5 opened for Twisted Sister/Y&T and Lita Ford. The second album, When The Mirror Cracks, featured the same line-up as the debut, but did not garner as much attention as its predecessor. It was watered down with keyboards. The band had ditched its logo and was aiming for an AOR sound with Sheeley doing double duty on bass and keyboards. Nonetheless, QPrime Management (Metallica) and the Squawk label were interested enough to sign the band and release the record in the USA. New songs were in the works, but the band broke up due to pressure from the same new management and label to commercialize, as well as internal differences. Jonathan and Rick were the first to leave. They initiated Nightshade. Evan Sheeley, Floyd Rose and Gary Thompson recruited Canadian singer Marty and recorded an album. The demos ostensibly went to Ted Templeman who had worked with Eddie Van Halen. The guitarist and Floyd Rose were not friendly and had rival claims on the tremolo system and so, the story goes, Eddie vetoed Templeman and Warner Music signing Q5 and the Canadian singer. Sheeley would own the Bass Northwest shop in Seattle later.

Nightshade’s debut featured material written for Q5 initially. In fact, and to remind fans of the connection between the two bands, Nightshade's debut Dead Of Night featured the same spaceship that was on Steel The Light. Q5’s European festival appearance in 2009 coincided with Nightshade appearances with shared members doing double-duty. The first Nightshade album featured a sticker heralding the status of the members as being formerly of Q5. The reformed group was at Sweden Rock Festival with guitarist Rick Van Zandt of Metal Church in 2014 and called it a one-off, yet signed to Frontiers Records in 2015. “One-off” notwithstanding, the band had also played at Rock You To Hell festival II in Greece and also Cyprus in November 2014. Jeffrey McCormack of Nightshade, an old Q5 fan himself, drummed on New World Order. This record was due in 2015 initially. The group appeared at the Keep It True XX and attended NAMM in 2017. The band again hit Europe in 2018 playing Steel The Light in its entirety, but Rick Pierce had disappeared from the act. Guitarist Duffy Delgado came and went and was replaced by Chris Egar in 2020. Bassist Michael Self of Priest also came and went. The band uploaded a new track in 2021. Floyd Rose was contributing on guitar. The group was at Keep It True Rising 2023. Rick Pierce was in RPG to which Floyd Rose also contributed. RPG had promised a (delayed) album. The newest guitarist was Blake Turner who, in case the surname is familiar, was the son of the other guitarist, Dennis Turner. They were replaced by Michael David (ex-TKO and FireWölfe) and Duffy Delgado (briefly a member in 2020 and ex-Ruff Justice). The band reported the former was supposed to join the band in 2020, but the plan was set aside due to COVID-19. The band was booked for Pyrenean Warriors Open Air IX in France in 2025. Other groups billed were Savage Oath, Geoff Tate, Wings Of Steel, Sölicitör, Star Rider, etc.

Great White, October 31, Powergod, Wolf and others have covered Q5. -

(https://metallian.com/q5.php)

- Q5 was formed in 1983, from members of two popular Seattle bands; vocalist Jonathan K and guitarist (famous guitar tremolo inventor) Floyd Rose from "The C.O.R.E.", and Rick Pierce (guitar), Evan Sheeley (Bass) and Gary Thompson (drums) from "TKO".

The band released its first album, "STEEL THE LIGHT" (MUSIC FOR NATIONS) in 1984, receiving immediate worldwide critical acclaim, and landing them touring spots with TWISTED SISTER, Y&T and LITA FORD... The success of "STEEL THE LIGHT" led them to eventually sign with Polygram/Squawk for their 1985 sophomore release "WHEN THE MIRROR CRACKS".

Due to personal differences, the original lineup dissolved shortly after this release.

In 1991, Jonathan K and Rick Pierce released a new project called "NIGHTSHADE" with its first album titled "DEAD OF NIGHT" (Music For Nations), with drummer Jeffrey McCormack and bassist Anthony Magnelli. This album was partially comprised of material that was to be the third Q5 cd, and it too received worldwide critical acclaim.

Nightshade would release 2 additional cds over the next decade with multiple lineups, and would perform alongside many national and international acts.

In 2009, when Nightshade was slated to perform at the "Headbanger's Open Air" Festival (Germany), with Evan Sheeley now on bass, the promoters asked if they would perform a second set as "Q5", to which they agreed.  The fan response was overwhelming!

In 2014, Q5 was asked to perform at Sweden Rock, a performance that the band had agreed would be a "one off" show, but at the completion of the performance, it was obvious that this was not an ending, but merely a beginning.

Upon returning to Seattle, The band secured drummer Jeffrey McCormack (Former Heir Apparent, Fifth Angel) again, and guitarist Kendall Bechtel (former Fifth Angel) and began rehearsing formally as "Q5".

The band's relaunch debuted at the "Rock You To Hell Festival" in Athens, Greece followed by a headlining performance in Cyprus. The band then returned to Seattle to begin work on music for a new cd.

Kendall Bechtel, however, was unable to stay with the band due to personal reasons, so the band secured guitar virtuoso Dennis Turner to complete the lineup.

"STEEL THE LIGHT" continues to grow in popularity all over the world. Critics are still touting the album as a "classic" and a "must have in any metalhead's collection". Bands such as Great White, Wolf and October 31 and many others have covered songs from the album on their own releases, and fans are writing from all corners of the globe, eagerly anticipating the next chapter in the Q5 story...

That chapter begins NOW!

With an official lineup in tact, and a new cd slated for release, Q5 is poised to take its rightful place again in the hard rock / heavy metal heirarchy! -

(https://www.frontiers.it/artist/1892)

- Q5 is an American hard rock/heavy metal band, formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1983 by guitarist Floyd Rose and singer Scott Palmerton (AKA Jonathan K.) who were bandmates in Seattle legend The Core. The Core disbanded, Rose and Palmerton having a number of new songs written needed to fill out a new roster. They acquired Rick Pierce (guitar), Evan Sheeley (bass) and Gary Thompson (drums) from local Seattle band TKO. They were signed to management by Ken Kinnear, who also managed Heart.

Their first album Steel The Light was mostly recorded in Los Angeles at Cherokee Studios, with finishing touches at The Music Source in Seattle. The album was produced by Grammy award winning producer Mike Flicker and by Floyd Rose. Steel The Light was released in late 1983, on the London based Music For Nations label and became an instant hit in Europe. Lesser known in the U.S. and because of the success of Steel The Light in Europe, Q5 was seen as a European style band and was often lumped in with the NWOBHM groups.

Steel The Light enjoyed great success and is still viewed as an iconic album worldwide. Q5 released it's second album in 1986, titled When The Mirror Cracks. It was a slight departure from the sound of the first album but was strong enough to get the band signed to Polygram Records and a production deal with Q Prime in New York.

A third album of songs was started in 1988. Sadly the band began having the usual musical differences of opinion and the record company also was demanding a slightly watered down sound. The membership fractured in 1989, with two of the members, Palmerton (Jonathan K.) and Pierce, forming a new group they called, "Nightshade." Q5 officially disbanded at that point. Nightshade continued with live shows playing new material mixed with Q5 material from Steel The Light and When The Mirror Cracks. Nightshade released three albums. The Dead of Night, Men of Iron, and Stand and Be True. In 2009, a version of Q5 reformed with three original members - Jonathan K., Rick Pierce and Evan Sheeley - playing at The Headbangers Open Air Festival in Germany.

It took several more years but the Q5 name was dusted off and the band presented itself at a one off at the Sweden Rock Festival in 2014. Q5 was back. In 2016, they were signed to Frontiers Records SRL and released the long awaited third album New World Order. Q5 still plays and records today and consists of original founding member Jonathan K. surrounded by a set of gifted musicians. -

(https://www.q5official.com/q5-members-over-the-years)