Tragic City Symphony
An interview with
Lynam by Mike Newdeck
Lynam first came to my attention after the
demise of Mars Electric. Vocalist Jacob Lynam-a songsmith of the highest
order-promptly formed another band Lynam, and started to produce more
high quality material, hitting all the right buttons with the power pop
gem ‘Life In Reverse’ through ‘Slave To the Machine’-a far more eighties
influenced beast-bringing things right up to present day with their
latest album ‘Tragic City Symphony’.
With a modern take on eighties rock-being
influenced by such luminaries as Def Leppard and Bon Jovi-Lynam have cut
a niche for themselves, impressing many critics with their no nonsense
approach, their live shows and ultimately Jacob Lynams knack of writing
great rock songs.
Alternative Addiction's Mike Newdeck went
to Birmingham Alabama to catch some live shows and find out what’s been
going on in the Lynam fold.
How has the new
album been received?
By
fans and critics alike it's really been overwhelmingly good. And I'm
not just tooting my own horn here either. I mean, when I generally like
something nobody else likes it. It's just weird how the general
consensus and me lines up here on this one.
Tell me about your
association with DRT, why did you leave the label?
Well,
the label folded. I mean, we left before they folded but things were
kind of in that state where we could smell what was coming out of the
kitchen and, well, there are no hard feelings. I mean, this industry
... it's a crapshoot man. Labels come and go ... so do bands. Somehow,
though, after the smoke clears us red necks in Lynam are still standing
around with our banjos hanging out of our asses going, "Man, wasn't that
some shit?"
Why did you sign
with New Ocean? And was there any interest from the major labels this
time around?
Hah,
well there is now. It's a weird situation. When you need money and
fame and a helping hand from the industry no one gives a squirt of
piss. When you don't you'll need a dump truck to haul off all the help
people are willing to lend you. Take that statement for what it's worth
though b/c I'm not saying we're shit. We're not. We're still an "up
and coming band" but ... we know we have a good product. It may not
catch on til we're shitting the bed but we know people love rock n'
roll. Nobody loses his or her virginity to the Grateful Dead catalog
anymore. Rock n' roll is alive and well! New Ocean has busted their
ass to get this band to where we are right now. We're very pleased with
what they've done.
Jason Elgin again
shares production with you, how important is he to Lynam?
He's
been our lifeline and very instrumental in this sound we have. He has
GOT to be sick and tired of every time we show up to the studio to cut a
new album hearing us say, "Bigger man, we want to sound bigger." As
amazing of sounds as he gets for us ... just HUGE, huge rock n' roll
choruses and drums and layers and layers of guitars, he's really a great
producer for all types of music. He honestly thinks we're hilarious.
The sound we want ... the sound he delivers album after album ... he
gets a kick out of it. We'll be doing pre-production and we'll be
trying to figure out arrangements and he'll step out and go, "Let me
guess, you guys want a huge "HEY" right there that sounds like it's
recorded in a huge church with tons of glass and metal?" and our faces
just light up and scream, "Dude, hell yeah" before we can even see the
look on his face. He'll be laughing and saying, "OK, well get in the
booth and call down 20 of your friends to make this happen b/c it's
going to take a while."
How did Hinder get
involved with the vocals on ‘Enemy’?
They
just happened to get into town a day early for a big show they were
doing in Birmingham and we just happened to be recording this new cd.
We had plans for Austin and Jacob to do this duo on a song and stuff.
But ... since everyone was drunk and it was all they could do to get a
ride over to the studio we decided to just do something real simple like
them scream "Woaaaaah" and then be done with it. We figured there was
no way in hell we were going to get the guys to enunciate worth a shit
with all of the Jager we'd been drinking so we just had them scream that
gang vocal part going into the chorus. Those guys are like brothers to
us. We click pretty well. Deep down they're a bunch of red necks like
us.
How did Tom Kiefer
get to play guitar on the same song?
It's
actually a total fluke that it was the same song. We've been huge fans
of Cinderella since our parent's condoms busted. We're managed by the
same cats as Cinderella and that got us some shows with them a couple of
summers ago and through that we somehow passed them our cd and Tom told
our manager that he, his wife, his kids ... they're all HUGE fans of
Slave to the Machine and everyone in the family knows the songs
backwards and forwards. It's SO hard to hear that and take it serious
when it's coming from someone that's ... well, who they are in your
head, ya know? Like, you want to go, "Dude, do you know who you are?
Like, to ME??? In MY HEAD? Do you know who you are?"
Anyway, somehow I got the balls to ask him to DRIVE down to Birmingham
from Nashville to play on our new record and with him being such a bad
ass on slide guitar and us having a slide guitar part for Enemy, we just
had him throw down what he does best on that song. We're lucky he did
that. He was enthusiastic about doing it too. I mean, I couldn't give
a rip less if anyone else enjoys that song or not. It's got so much
history on it that we love it. Ironically, it might be our next single.
Tom
rocks. We were devastated when that tour got canceled this past summer.
Beau Hill and Mike
Shipley mix a song each on the album. What was the thinking behind this?
Well
look at their track record. Why wouldn't you want those guys mixing a
song of yours. I mean, if you're the Strokes or something and your
sound isn't aimed at being bigger than life then yeah ... keep their
hands off of it but if you do what we do and you want every song to be a
fixture in people's heads ... to be anthems chanted for generations and
generations then you accept no substitutes ... Beau Hill and Mike
Shipley ... thank you sir, may I have another!
Why is the album
called Tragic City Symphony?
This
is stupid and you won't care but our hometown, Birmingham is called the
Magic City. We came up with Tragic City Symphony as a play on words
about our hometown.
It's
like we were trying to be deep but ... we're not that smart so ... yeah,
whatever. Who cares really? I mean, maybe if I had a cool story it'd
be interesting but now your readers and our fans are going, "Really? I
read this far down for THAT Busch League answer he just gave?"
You incorporate
Violin and a number of other instruments into the music, what made you
head in this direction?
Lots
of free time my friend. Lots of empty whiskey bottles and no discos to
go hang out in.
Why have you chosen
to put White Trash Superstar on this new album although (ironically) it
didn’t feature on the album of the same name?
White
Trash has kind of been a theme that's stuck with this band since it's
inception in '01. Though all of our music doesn't reflect it our
personalities and attitude surely does. So, while you might not see a
mention of it on our next album, our 9th album could have a track on it
called White Trash Cousin Kisser. Who knows?
Do you think the
music has changed compared to the last release and if so how?
Dude,
it changes every DAY! People buy fewer and fewer cds every DAY! Back
in the day you might buy a cd from a band that most likely is going to
not have another song on their cd besides their first (and only) single
but now days ... you have to really wow a consumer to get them to buy
your cd. I think we sell more cd's at shows just so people will have
something for us to sign rather than the content they're gambling on
with our cd.
Tell me about the
Motley Cruise? Any amusing stories?
That we can talk about?
No. I will tell you this
and I mean it. If you haven't booked the Ship Rocked cruise we're doing
next November then get up off of your ass and go book yourself and your
friends. Stories from the sea can't be toted back onto land and told in
an interview almost a year later. There have been some pretty descent
people who got away with doing some pretty indecent, raunchy things and
I'm not going to sit here and blow the whistle on all of that fun
stuff. I will tell you this, after being on THAT cruise I firmly
believe that falling off of the ship is WAY more likely than the media
will have you believe.
Tell me about the
cancelled tour with Cinderella, how did you feel when it was cancelled?
We
were all so bummed. We were devastated for Tom. I can’t imagine not
being able to sing and do what I love. Nothing, to date, for me, has
been more devastating to this band's moral.
What did you do
instead? Was it more difficult to promote the album?
Oh
yeah, of course. We had our booking agent bust his ass and just fill up
our summer with "get us by" dates. We made it through it. Look, if
there's one thing I've learned about this lifestyle/career choice is
that you'd better get on birth control if you're going to do it for
life. A huge part of our marketing plan for this album was touring in
support of it in front of thousands of people a night so, of course,
when you back out that element you have to start over and go to the
drawing board. We're STILL feeling affects of that tour being canceled.
How did you get the
tour in the first place?
Through Tom and Jani Lane being fans of our band coupled with our
management.
Tell me about the
2009 Ship Rocked cruise? Which bands are playing and what’s the
itinerary?
Man, I
get in trouble every time I list the bands b/c one of them won't be
confirmed or something and I'll catch a ration of shit for it. Anyway,
I'll tell you to go look at the website and see all of the bands they
have booked and feel confident in knowing that they're in the process of
booking even MORE bands and some of them aren't arena rock bands from
the 80's. They may share that sound but some of the bands I've heard
tossed around are worth going for even if the headlining 80's acts
weren't on board.
Some of the bands
that you have played with have influenced you heavily, what does it feel
like to be on the same bill as them?
Well,
it's amazing, of course! I mean, you find out after playing with them
and sitting down and getting to know them that they're just SUCH average
people. They're no different than you and me but still it's so hard to
put them in that element b/c though some of them have aged you can still
picture them on your TV. As a kid. I can't get used to it. I mean,
when a guy like Tom Keifer or Jani Lane sits across from you and tells
you that they love your stuff ... you just keep waiting for Ashton
Kutcher or however you spell his name, to jump out and tell you you've
been punked.
Is 80’s influenced
hard rock experiencing a revival?
I
don't know if the sound has as much as the "show" aspect of it has.
People seem to just be getting tired of your bands that just stare at
their shoelaces and gripe about everything under the sun. I hear a
little of the sound ... well, a lot of the sound in some people's songs
but it's not "dated" sounding to me. I hear enough of an 80's influence
in a song to hook me and the rest ... well, the rest of the song just
has to be catchy and good and not annoying after listening to it a few
times.
How do Lynam fit
into that revival?
We
devoted EVERYTHING to our live shows. We want you forgetting about that
dick head at work you call a boss. No politics, no gripes about life.
We play music for a living. Who the F*($# are WE to gripe about our
life?
Do you see your
music fitting into that category or is there more to you than that?
We're
a regurgitated mess of everything we were raised on. Some people hear
us and think we fit in, others hear us and say, "Man, I don't hear a
specific type of music here but I like it!" Others hate us and we can
live with that. Hey! We're not for everybody.
What is your goal
musically? To be recognized, famous or even rich? Or don’t you care?
To
just be doing it. Man, to just be doing the occasional big show, ya
'know? I can survive in life with so little. We don't ask for much ...
just to make a living at it.
Lord
knows we've all had real jobs and we're not too excited about the fact
of revisiting that part of our lives. But honestly, our big goal is to
achieve world domination and nothing short of it.
Have you now put
Mars Electric behind you? Is that a part of Jacob Lynam’s life that
you’d rather forget or does it bring back fond memories?
Mars
Electric is definitely behind me. I had a great time working with
people like John Kalodner, but Lynam is my life now.
Do you ever
see/speak to the guys from Mars Electric at all?
Yes,
we all still talk. We are actually going to do a show together in the
New Year just for fun.
What is the plan
for the next year for Lynam?
To get
out of the southeast for f@#$ sakes. Baby steps, baby steps!
Which current crop
of young bands catches your ear/eye?
Rock
Kills Kid, Darkness (though they broke up), Hinder, 3 Days Grace,
Breaking Benjamin, Brad Paisley, Maylene and the sons of Disaster.
What type of
music/bands do you dislike?
Jam
bands. I know they're good and they're talented and whatever but I'm
SEVERELY afflicted with A.D.D. and I just can't stick with a 14 min.
song and ... hey what kind of butterfly is that? Hahahahah.
Are there any plans
to release the album in the Uk/Europe?
Well
sure, if someone offers us that opportunity.
‘Tragic City Symphony’
is well worth the attention if you like modern rock but still pine for
an occasional reminder of the 80’s. Lynam bridge the gap very nicely.
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