LYNCH
Questions asked by Jon Wilde, added to Rock Realms 28th April 2010.
Chicago hard rock outfit Lynch - Danny Lynch on vocals, Mike Burke on guitar, Frank Pace on drums, and Deb Altman on bass - have a new album Window Of Your Soul out.
We caught up with Mike to find out more...
Hi Mike, thanks for taking a moment to answer these questions. How and when did you originally start playing guitar?
Mike: I was about 14 or 15. My aunt somehow got a hold of an electric Harmony semi hollow body, and I just started playing. I was using my stereo as an amp and, man, the feedback and howling that thing could produce was amazing. After a year or so, my folks realized it wasn't a passing phase and got me a Les Paul copy and a little amp, and me and 3 buddies started our first band. We did a few covers, I think an AC/DC song, an Aerosmith and a Black Sabbath tune too, but even then we were writing our own tunes. They were horrible but they were ours.
Who were your early influences?
Mike: Sabbath, Thin Lizzy, Zeppelin, and some Clapton, anything that had a harder but still melodic edge to it. Of course when Van Halen came along that changed everything. I can't play anything like him, but just the way he approached rock music changed the genre forever; things that seemed impossible no longer were.
Do any of the newer players influence you nowadays, or do you still look to the more classic bands and guitarists for your inspiration?
Mike: There are tons of great new players out there now but I still gravitate toward the ol' dudes. I love Dave Meniketti from Y&T, he's my favourite - in my opinion the most talented, underrated guitarist in the world. A lot of guys can shred, a lot of guys can play from the heart, but it's a select few that do both well. He does it while singing, he just amazes me every time I see him!
Am I right in thinking Lynch formed in the mid 1980s? Were you there at the start?
Mike: Yes, myself and Danny Lynch the singer and Frank Pace the drummer were all there at the start and are still together now. I wrote all the music, Danny wrote all the words, and Frank has always arranged it. It just always worked that way.
What sort of band were you back then? Was it Spandex and hair all the way?
Mike: Yep, but I'm not showing you the pics, LOL. That was the scene back then for sure, no make-up though. Guyliner was a big no-no!
How much has the line-up changed over the years?
Mike: Back in the day Lynch was a 5 piece band with the twin guitar thing going, ala Lizzy and Maiden. There were a few changes from time to time but the core 3 remained.
What is the actual timeline of Lynch's existence? Has the band been a constant player in the Chicago scene, or have there been times when the band has taken a back seat?
Mike: Lynch started in 81 and ran till about 85. You know the usual story, somehow people lost interest or whatever happens to 20 something men, and it just fell apart. The band stopped for over 20 years.
I happened to run into our former bass player at a Y&T show, exchanged numbers in late 2007 and in early 2008 we started up again for fun. This time we were a 4 piece and wrote a new song on the 2nd practice, and realized we should have never stopped. Within a few months people started beating on us to play some shows, so we did and the response was great.
Have any of you played in other bands we might have heard of?
Mike: No, I've always said the only person I could write with was Danny and he's always said the same thing. We both had a few small bands that always fizzled out within months.
How much music has the band released over the years, and how popular/successful have you been in terms of sales and fan numbers at gigs?
Mike: Back in the 80's we had 2 EP's, mid quality recordings, nothing really mastered or finished like it should have been. They did receive airplay on a few college stations in the surrounding area. Sales weren't that great, it wasn't as easy back in those days without the iTunes and the rest of the digital world that exists now.
As for live, that's where we shined. We were pretty fed up with the bar scene and owners around the Chicago area so we started putting together big shows at the colleges in the area. We would self promote, line up the sound and everything else that went with it and usually put anywhere from 1500 to 2200 people in the seats.
What is a Lynch live gig like?
Mike: Very lively, Danny has always been the best front man in this area; he just has a way about him. He is a great storyteller, but you can tell that everything about him is from the heart, not practiced in front of a mirror to see what looks cool. Like it or not what you see is honest and I think that's always translated to the crowd.
Do you play all originals or do you mix it up with a few covers?
Mike: All original with the exception of the old Bill Withers song, 'Ain't no Sunshine'. I always love playing that song for so many reasons, it just fits Danny's old school blues flare he has to his voice. And we put our own touch on it, it's heavier but still very true to the original.
Onto the new album, "Window Of Your Soul"... when did you start work on the album and how long did it take to come together?
Mike: Early 2009 is when we said for sure lets do this. We were getting great feedback from the shows we were doing and people were asking for it so we said what the hell! The one thing we did say is if we were doing it, we had to finish it, including mastering. We wanted this to rival what you hear on the radio as far as quality.
The album is all newly recorded, and features a mix of newly written and older Lynch tracks, correct? How did you decide on that format?
Mike: Honestly the way that happened is that we just intended on recording the 4 new ones, 'Slow Down', 'Sister Mary', 'Wash Me' and 'Be There'. The basic tracks, drums and bass and scratch guitars, were getting recorded at one studio, after that we were recording the rest back at another studio. Since the first day is the most time consuming, mostly because of mixing the drums, if you ever have a thought of getting any other basic tracks down, the time to do it is then. We finished tracking the first 4 pretty quickly and 1 by 1 went through the others until we ended up with 7 being tracked.
We figured even if we didn't want to do them now we could always come back and finish the extra 3 songs later.
The album has a real retro vibe to it. What made you go down that route rather than having a more modern production?
Mike: The stuff we all like is the older stuff, and the man we were introduced to was an analog audiophile named Dave Martorana. He has a beautiful studio, with all meticulously maintained, vintage equipment from the late 70's, early 80's not to mention the mic's, amps and other stuff that were from the 40's through today. It was all recorded the old way on 2 inch tape run through 70's board. It was just so cool to work with that stuff.
Can you talk us through a few of the songs and where the ideas for them came from...?
Mike: Being that Danny is the main wordsmith, it's mostly his life experiences, and believe it or not a lot of them are about relationships, good, bad, one's that included hospital visits, typical guy stuff. A political band we are not. 'Be There' is a song about the families left behind when a loved one dies in war, but it's not a statement pro or con, we just feel bad for those who are alone now through no fault of there own.
Do you write as a band, or is one of you the main creative force?
Mike: As far as words and music, Danny and myself. Frank and Deb, our new bass player, more so arranging, but just yesterday we came up with a new tune and it was Deb and Frank who started out with this great groove and the rest kinda fell into place. So I guess whatever happens, there are no rules. We jam a little, for 5 or 10 minutes every practice before we start our set, that's where basically all our new stuff comes from is those 5 to 10 minutes. Of course if something cool pops those 5 or 10 turn into and hour or 2, but ya gotta keep it fresh.
What other bands would you compare Lynch to, and how would you actually describe your sound?
Mike: As far as musically, I've heard Triumph, Lizzy, old Van Halen, a little Zeppelin maybe. As far as vocally, I don't know. Like I said before, Danny has a unique, older bluesy voice. I'm hoping you tell me what he sounds like Jon!
Do you have any favourite moments on the album?
Mike: The mix down was my favourite for sure. We didn't go crazy with effects or anything, but you just see the songs come to life, You have an idea of what they'll sound like but to get it to the point where you're finally happy with your efforts, that was the best.
How did you get involved with MusicForTroops.com, and what does doing so mean to you?
Mike: We saw another band from around these parts put a song on there, and being we had 'Be There' which we thought might touch those families involved in the saddest side of war. We've had a lot of vets come up to us and thank us for that song. How cool is that?! Everyone one of them has said it touched them in some way.
Danny was at a local bar that put it in their jukebox and 2 Marine's actually had a tear in their eye's when they listened to it. We've always said that music is about evoking emotion, and on at least 'Be There' we were able to do that.
What's next for Lynch? Is it all about promoting the new album at present?
Mike: Yep, promotion for sure. We have sent this CD to the 4 corners of the world. Whatever happens, happens. We believe in the music, it's uniqueness, and think it can stand up to a lot of the stuff I hear on the radio today.
Any question you love being asked that I've missed? If so, what's the answer?
Mike: No Jon, I believe your one of the most thorough interviewers I've seen, I can't think of anything, for once I'm at a loss for words!
What are you up to once you've finished answering these questions?
Mike: Just back to life in general I guess, keep hangin with the family, keep working, keep pushing the band, keep practicing guitar, keep writing songs...
Anything else you would like to mention?
Mike: Just thank you Jon for taking time and interest in us.
I can talk believe me, but this band is definitely a 'band'. There are no virtuoso's, we are just a great team and the songs are the stars. I love the way all 4 of us meld to deliver them.
Thanks again to Mike for his time. You'll be able to check out the Rock Realms review of the new Lynch album Window Of Your Soul soon.
http://www.myspace.com/lynchrocks1724
