FerroTV Shows
What do the Foo Fighters, Rolling Stones, Tommy Lee, MTV World Stage, Motley Crue, Lollapalozza, Kid Rock, Good Morning America, Tonight Show have in common? It’s all part of the J3 story. “J3” (John Allen III) landed a major part either on tour as a Front Of House engineer, or song writer, or singer, or guitar player or on and on and on.
He has one of those life stories that everyone wants to follow his path…. GOOD LUCK!!! His story is so awesome that we had to split his interview into two parts and we still didn’t cover everything.
It is definitely a MUST WATCH!
Key Takeaways:
- John Allen (“J3”) has built a wide-ranging 30-year music career spanning performing (guitar/bass/vocals), songwriting, music directing, recording, and front-of-house (FOH) live sound.
- At this stage, he’s most fulfilled by FOH mixing, producing, playing guitar in the studio, and revisiting guitar-building—emphasizing joy in the creative process.
- He explains FOH engineering as translating an artist’s vision for the audience while constantly adapting to wildly different venue acoustics (stadiums vs. clubs) to deliver a consistent, “transcendent” live experience.
- His early musical roots came from his father’s record collection (e.g., Hendrix, Zeppelin), and he started performing very young, staying persistent through industry setbacks like difficulty landing a record deal.
- A major career pivot came from auditioning for Tommy Lee: he moved from reluctance about being a sideman to fully committing, which expanded his role into co-writing and co-lead vocals and led to high-profile performances.
- Transitioning into sound engineering sharpened his understanding of the full production chain and improved how he communicates and collaborates with other engineers and musicians.
- He critiques the modern industry’s push toward commercial, formulaic music, arguing it can undermine artistic integrity and creativity.
- Joining The Struts required rapid adaptation from analog to digital workflows; despite the learning curve, he helped shape a strong live sound as the band quickly grew from small venues to arenas.
- He emphasizes that great outcomes often come from strong collaboration and a positive, enjoyable studio/live environment.
