John Lamb (AKA LambBone)
Bandleader, keyboard player, recording engineer and performer.

John Lamb

Keyboard player John Lamb provides the band foundation playing a funky Moog bass with one hand while playing rhythm – or sometimes a lead – with the other.

“Growing up I had a piano teacher who always said keyboard was the best instrument because you play the entire orchestra,” said Lamb.  “That’s what I try to do but instead of playing the entire orchestra I play a lot of the instruments in the band.”

Lamb’s thumping left hand Moog bass is part of The 5 o’clocks trademark sound.

“I use my right hand to play rhythm parts usually played in other bands by guitar or keyboard. It’s basically like playing two or three instruments at the same time. “

And the results are amazing.  Many people are amazed when they see how fast his fingers actually move.  “It’s a challenge to play all the instruments at once but also lots of fun,” he said.

John Lamb on the Steinway Grand Piano

John is old school when it comes to the instruments he plays.

“In my home studio I have a Chickering grand piano, a Fender Rhodes, a Hohner Clavinet D6, and the Moog synthesizer – all of which are analog keyboards,” he said.  “That’s because they sound the best.”

On the gig John uses a Nord Electro to reproduce the piano, Rhodes and clav – but the idea is to get away from that digital sound.  “Digital keyboards sound thin compared with analog.”

Lamb has been writing, recording and playing music for the past 40 years.  He has performed with jazz, blues, rock and pop legends including vocalist Bobby McFerrin, Rob Papparazzi of the Blues Brothers Band, pianist Jacki Byard, and saxophonist Jackie McLean.

John studied jazz and classical music for two years at a special high school for those gifted in the arts After graduation he went to Hartt School of Music as a composition major.   Meanwhile his pop songs were actually earning more attention than his school work.  After leaving Hartt John went on to start his own bands including The 5 o’clocks.

John’s songs have been heard on over 300 radio station across North America.  His song One of these Nights was part of the theme music for the CNBC program Higher Net Worth.  John wrote I got a lawyer which is still receiving college radio airplay more than 20 years after it was first released.  And he is the co-writer of Eyes on the Boys, a top ten finisher in the New York Songwriter’s Contest.

John Lamb also records and produces all of the band’s studio releases.  He learned audio production from 3-time Grammy award winning producer Rory Young of Acme Studios.  John and Rory worked together for 3-years on what became the first releases for the band.

Now Lamb is recording and producing the audio – and editing the video for an upcoming multi-media release.  Look for that soon.