LIVE! | Sin City Sinners with George Lynch

by Deb Rao
Staff Writer

July 4, 2011 at Crown Theater in Las Vegas, NV.

Las Vegas proved it’s a city that can live up to its high expectations of bringing in the best performers in the business. The 4th of July never seemed brighter in Sin City. As previously reported with my exclusive interview with Todd Kerns and Michael “Doc” Ellis, the Sin City Sinners began their six-week residency over at the Crown Theater at the Rio Hotel on July 4 featuring guitar virtuoso George Lynch as their special guest tonight.

The long line around the Crown entrance streamed early, as doors open at 10 P.M. The Sin City Sinners tonight also feature dynamic front man Lou Merlino and former Aerosmith guitarist Jimmy Crespo. The band hit the stage a little after 11 P.M. kicking the night off with an Alice Cooper cover “Schools Out.” This was the perfect opening song let the party begin shall we?

The set rolled on with “Still Of The Night” and a very cool rendition of the song “Bad Company.” Singer Lou Merlino kind of reminds me of a young Robert Plant. His delivery of the cover songs were very well executed but most importantly the band sounded so tight and made the cover songs sound like their own. Highlight of the opening set from Sin City Sinners was their first hit single “Going To Vegas” sung by Michael “Doc” Ellis.”

Anticipation filled the air, as George Lynch took the stage with the Sin City Sinners at the bewitching midnight hour. Opening with “Into The Fire,” George and the Sin City Sinners performed a vast array of Dokken hits including “Tooth And Nail”, and “It’s Not Love.” The band also performed a Lynch Mob song, “Wicked Sensation.” George seemed excited, as his carefully executed guitar solos soared. It was great hearing the Dokken songs on the 4th of July.

Highlight of the Dokken set were the guitar solos on “Mr. Scary” featuring George Lynch and Brent Muscat. Not only did George and the band perform Dokken songs but some classic hits too including, The Doors, Bob Dylan’s “Knocking On Heaven’s Door,” “Ace Of Spades”, and the night would not be complete without the dueling guitar solos between Jimmy Crespo and George Lynch on “Train Kept A Rollin.” The guitar chemistry between the two was magical and very impressive. It was definitely a 4th of July to remember.

I had the opportunity to talk with George after the show he tells us,” It was fun playing on the 4th tonight in Vegas. I was disappointed though I didn’t get to see any fireworks.” When asked about upcoming George Lynch release Kill All Control, he informed us that the album will have four singers on it including London Legrand.

Photos appear courtesy of Deb Rao

George Lynch : Kill All Control

by John Kindred
Staff Writer

Guitarist George Lynch returns with his latest solo album Kill All Control. You know him from the ‘80s with Dokken, and later he formed the infamous Lynch Mob. Over the years, Lynch has maintained a steady release of solo records, while keeping Lynch Mob alive and kicking in various incarnations. Chances are that a complete Dokken reunion never will happen; however, Lynch doesn’t live in the past. He continues to expand on his fret board wizardry and add to his catalog of music.

Following up on his latest solo project, Souls of We, Lynch, along with vocalist London Legrand (Brides of Destruction) and drummer Adrian Ost (Powerman 5000), put together a majority of the music for Kill All Control within 10 days. Lynch’s guitar playing always has included his flair for exotic explorations, which he has expounded and expanded on during his 30-plus years as a musician. With Kill All Control, he falls back to the foundational premise of his 1993 solo album, Sacred Groove, which featured a who’s who of hard rock’s premier vocal talent.

Kill All Control features Keith St. John (Montrose, Burning Rain), Will Martin (Earshot), Marq Torien (Bulletboys) and Fred Coury (Cinderella). Each guest makes an appearance on the 13-track release. Burning Rain fans will recognize Keith St. John’s voice on “Resurrect Your Soul,” “Rattlesnake,” “Man on Fire” and as backing vocals on many other songs on the CD. Fred Coury lends his skills to the instrumental song, “Son of Scary,” which tips it hat to the Grammy-nominated “Mr. Scary” from Dokken’s Back for the Attack album release in 1988.

Kill All Control lives and breathes with Lynch coaxing harmonic screams, melodic phrasing, smooth legato runs and unique chord arrangements from his guitar. The vocalists take their opportunities to lay down stellar vocal performances throughout the album. The eclectic group brings varied genres of rock into the mix and creates nuances that include traditional hard rock, alternative and modern rock. They also work together to create full, thick melodic choruses that are quite memorable. Keith St. John really shines here. If you like his voice, check out his work with Doug Aldrich in the band Burning Rain.

People would really like to hear Lynch shred, but he is truly at home in the vocal-guitar-bass-drums band format. His guitar style allows the music to breathe as his rhythm playing doesn’t dominate or over power the vocals. In fact, his snake-like slithering approach intertwines within the confines of the music in such a way that he really is shredding throughout the album. He never stays in positions in which he is just hammering out rooted 5th power chords. His use of all six strings in the rhythmic passages gives the guitar a big, dynamic sound.

Lynch fans will love Kill All Control and will be glad to add the album to their collection. Even with a variety of vocalists, the album feels more cohesive than his last project with Souls of We. Honestly, we don’t need Lynch back in Dokken. Dokken (yes, that’s you Don) lives in the past and has become a cover band with many well-known names brought in to re-create Lynch’s guitar style for the band. George Lynch is his own man, who was borne from the mettle of ‘70s classic rock players, fused with the inspiration of Van Halen and Malmsteen, and is someone who continues to strive to discover new music within his soul. Oh yeah, “Wicked Witch” absolutely is one if the best songs of 2011.

Genre: Hard Rock

Label: Rocket Science, Inc.

Track Listing:
1. Kill All Control
2. Done
3. Fly on the Wall
4. Brand New Day
5. Wicked Witch
6. Man on Fire
7. Voices in My Head
8. Resurrect Your Soul
9. Rattlesnake
10. Man on Fire
11. My Own Enemy
12. Son of Scary
13. Go It Alone

Web: http://www.georgelynch.com

Hardrock Haven rating: 9.5/10

Warrant Guitarist Erik Turner Talks Rockaholic

by Deb Rao
Staff Writer

During the MTV heyday 80′s genre WARRANT ruled the video era with hits including “Cherry Pie”, “Heaven”, and “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” Over the years, Warrant has consistently released quality music. Comprised of top notch musicians guitarist Erik Turner, bassist Jerry Dixon, drummer Steve Sweet, guitarist Joey Allen and singer Robert Mason formerly of the Lynch Mob, Warrant is getting ready to reclaim their crown in rock history. On May 17th via Frontiers Records, Warrant will release their seventh studio album ROCKAHOLIC.

Over the years, Warrant has gone through major line-up changes with the departure of Jani Lane. In 2004, Jaime St. James joined the band replacing Jani Lane. Well they say third time is the charm and with the 2008 enlistment of singer Robert Mason, Warrant is ready to roar again with their upcoming release. ROCKAHOLIC finds the band returning to their 80′s roots with a modern day twist enthused with catchy guitar riffs, great lyrics, and melodies that represent the signature sound that Warrant are noted for.

Warrant Guitarist Erik Turner Talks ROCKAHOLIC on Hardrock Haven.

HRH: The seventh studio album by Warrant entitled Rockaholic will be released on May 17th via Frontiers. Tell us about the writing process for the album. Over how long a time period did it take for you to write Rockaholic?

Erik: It took a good two years from start to finish. Jerry Dixon was the driving force behind this new CD, he just kept throwing songs at us and pushed for us all to make this record hard. We all wanted to make a new CD. That was something we all agreed on. How we went about it was a bit of a debate, no fights, we all just wanted to make a great Warrant CD and had to find a musical path that worked for all five us, which we eventually did obviously Jerry and Robert did the lion’s share of the writing. I contributed to a few songs. I had many more ideas I through in the hat that didn’t make the CD, but its all good. It’s not about me, myself or I or any one band member, it’s about making the best ‘WARRANT’ CD we possible could at this stage in our careers. Music we believe in and the band can be very proud of and tour behind.

HRH: In retrospect, would you say that Rockaholic captures all of your influences but also reflects a more modern day sound of Warrant?

Erik: ROCKAHOLIC is a sinfully beautiful marriage of WARRANT’S song writing style, trademark sound & the influences our rock hero’s had on us growing up. There had to be at least 20 + songs written for this CD and we all voted on what we thought sounded WARRANT. The plan was, if I remember correctly, to take 15 songs to pre-production rehearsals and from there, after getting Keith Olsen’s input we would narrow it down to 12 songs. We ended up recording 14 for the CD! Keith did a great job on many different levels, but in regards to your question, Keith helped us find that sweet spot where we stayed true to our roots, but added a little modern day sound/flavor as well. I guess I could have just answered YES!

HRH: The signature sound of Warrant is surely captured on “Life’s A Song” with the catchy guitar riffs and lyrics. Would you say that this song kind of reflects the bands attitude and legacy?

Erik: I would say “Life’s A Song” captures that commercial WARRANT Pop Rock sound from the early 80’s and 90’s more than any other on the CD, which is very cool and hard to do. We haven’t put a song and video out like this one since the Cherry Pie CD. The ballad “Home” in my opinion has that same feel as well and turned out really good.

HRH: What was it like working with legendary producer Keith Olsen?

Erik: I answered some of that earlier, oops! Keith created a great atmosphere to work in and got the best out of each of us as musicians and the band as a whole. When you look at the records he has produced and the sales figures and awards that go with them, it will blow your mind if you’re a Muso like me? The band really loved what he did with our songs and I would like to work with him again.

HRH: Who designed the album cover and does the album title Rockaholic have a special meaning to you?

Erik: Robert’s brother Glenn Mason did an amazing job with the CD booklet, the cover is cool, but it all comes together with a great concept when you read the liner notes and see the photos in the booklet. It’s about this ROCKAHOLIC who is seeing a therapist in hopes of finding a cure for his addiction to rock music and a lifestyle of debauchery that is burning his soul and torturing those who love him. We have all the song titles and notes that go with each visit to his therapist in the CD booklet. This therapist is trying to find a cure for the unashamed ROCKAHOLIC and his dangerous lifestyle or something to that effect ha! It really is interesting to read & then listen to each song, for me anyways.

HRH: As a guitarist, what were you striving to accomplish on Rockaholic?

Erik: Play my parts killer and quickly with as much fan fare as possible … Look at me! I Rock … ha!

As a rhythm guitar player, that is what I mostly do. I am always looking for maybe an alternate little guitar part that goes with Joey’s part or a different interesting chord voicing that will compliment the song. I look at Keith; blurry-eyed first in the afternoon with Starbucks in both hands and say, what do you hear for this song? This is what I am thinking and then we press record and I start trying different things, some work, some don’t. It is a little more complicated than that, but that is it in a nutshell. Have fun and at the end of the day walk out a proud Mutha Fugger I guess?

HRH: Would you say that the band comes full circle on the upcoming release Rockaholic?

Erik: I would say we have started a new chapter in our musical life or have ‘Found’ a new path on our WARRANT journey, depending on how philosophical you want to get about? I would like to think and hope and plan on this to be just a new beginning, a foundation made from authentic Stonehenge granite for us to build on and do more music in the future. The glass is half full right now. Please feel free to check twitter (WarrantRocks) for updates each day on that glass ha!

HRH: Do you have any favorite songs on Rockaholic that hold a special meaning in your life?

Erik: The entire ROCKAHOLIC CD has special meaning for me. There is no one song at this time. But I reserve the right to change my mind in the future!

HRH: What are the bands future touring plans this summer? Will you be performing a lot of the new songs live?

Erik: We will definitely be performing new songs in the set, how many depends on, if we are the opener on a show or the headliner. We have been playing “Sex Ain’t Love” already for the last year. Sometimes we will play two new ROCKAHOLIC songs in the set and the CD isn’t even out yet. I love all the hits from the past and the special meaning they have to us and a lot of our fans, but we are also really fired up about the new music and want to share it, pass it around the crowd and let everybody enjoy! We have about 40 shows booked so far this year and I imagine there will be at least another 10 to 20 added. Check our website WarrantRocks.com for tour updates. We have different shows booked with Poison, Whitesnake and Cinderella just to name a few so far this year.

HRH: We wish you the best with your upcoming release Rockaholic. What do you say is the secret to Warrant’s longevity in the music business? Over 20 years of great music and the band is still going strong.

Erik: Thank You! There have a been a few bumps in the road, but we wouldn’t be a rock n roll band and we wouldn’t have anything to write about if a little shit didn’t happen once in awhile. Over all, we have had a hell of a lot more good times than bad, thank God! We don’t look backwards when a set back happens, we wipe off our shoes and we find the best solution to the problem we can at the time and move forward, Phuck the past, it’s gone and who cares. Where are we rocking tomorrow? That is all I want to talk about and do! Keep on Keeping on…

Track By Track Rockaholic with Erik Turner on Hardrock Haven:

”Sex Ain’t Love” – “The first song on the CD and the first song we started playing live a year ago or so.
Straight up like a cold shot of Rock n Roll!”

”Innocence Gone” – “Up tempo rock song, sounds to me like it could have come right of DRFSR!

”Snake” – “Love this groove, nobody else would think this but me, reminds me of Lynyrd Skynyrd for some reason. Bad Ass riff comes to mind.”

”Dusty’s Revenge” – “The baby, the first song born, where we all went, hell yes! This is good, we might have something here!”

”Home” – “A damn fine Warrant ballad in the truest of WARRANT traditions, get me a Kleenex.” J

”What Love Can Do” – “Commercial pop hook from hell, then it rocks a bit my friends, LOOK OUT!”

”Life’s A Song” – “Old School WARRANT sounding to my ears, see answer above.” J

”Show Must Go On” – “Hello there, answer your phone Mason! This song started out as a ring tone on RM’s phone. High energy, the beginning stabs remind me of Riot for some reason, you might find that strange… I know I do!”

”Cocaine Freight Train” – “Pedal to the Metal song all the way to the killer breakdown section, old style 70’s rock with harp and everything! Ha!”

”Found Forever” – “Nice modern feel to me, ballad with lots of tender undertones, goes well with WARRANT RED Wine.” J

”Candy Man ”- “Big Rock Riff… that jumps into Zep meets WARRANT meets I don’t know what… Kool!”

”Sunshine” – “Stony Bridge over water, modern drop D tuning that rocks Warrant style. Heavy at times and I like it”!

”Tears In The City ”- “This one is dark and emotional and beautiful all at the same time.”

”The Last Straw” – “This is a great way to finish the CD. I am angry and feeling good about it Biatch!
Fast hard rock song in a classic early 80’s style… Horns Up!”

Lynch Mob Smoke and Mirrors

by John Kindred
Staff Writer

Lynch Mob fans have been waiting for years for the return of Oni Logan and a new full-length album to go along with it. Although a brief reunion in ’98 produced the three-song EP SYZYGY, nothing materialized from those efforts. Various incarnations of Lynch Mob came after, but nothing of real substance developed. Now, 19 years after the release of the first Lynch Mob album Wicked Sensation, fans finally get what they have wanted.

With Oni Logan behind the microphone and Lynch on guitars, the only major change is the rhythm section. Enter new Mob recruits; bassist Marco Mendoza (Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy) and drummer Scot Coogan (Brides of Destruction, Ace Frehley).

Logan’s bluesy, gritty voice unleashes infectious melodies on top of Lynch’s hook-laden guitar riffs. Lynch’s use of legato phrasing and exotic scales are all over Smoke and Mirrors. The groove put down by Mendoza and Coogan give the canvas the foundation for which Logan and Lynch add color and depth to the music. The album is rich with arena-anthem choruses, slithering guitar rhythms and searing solos, melodic bass progressions and tight percussion.

Opening the CD with “21st Century Man,” the band formally declares their return. Built along a traditional Lynch rhythmic progression, Logan promptly enters the foray right where he left off from Wicked Sensation in the ‘90s. The song is ripe with melody and features a catchy vocal hook. Lynch proves that he can lie back within a song and let it breath as the band build it into a melodramatic production. That is evident on the title track “Smoke and Mirrors.” Guitar layers, whether semi-acoustic electric or full-on distorted overtones, play an integral role in making the song move and slither to and fro. “Lucky Man” latches on to another big chorus, melodic solo. It’s definitely an all L & L (Lynch and Logan)-style of song.

The majority of the album combines the same attributes. On “Where Do You Sleep At Night,” Logan’s voice has a different vocal timbre. It’s hard to say what the change is, but he sounds more like Doug Pinnick of King’s X with less grit and more polish. The song has a Hendrix- inspired guitar driven groove. “Madly Backwards” features a cool vocal melody. Here, Logan’s vocals appear to be doubled-track, which puts his voice up front in the mix. He moves from a softer mid-timbre to his edgy, grittier delivery. “Before I Close My Eyes” is the more apparent love song on the album. It’s a song of reminiscing and declaration of love’s binding promises and features a memorable chorus.

Dubbed as a “world-bonus” track, the final song “Mansions in the Sky” closes the album. Again, it has what can be called the L & L signature songwriting style. This, again, is another number that breathes within the verses, with the guitar playing a soft melody and building to a powerful hook-laden chorus.

Smoke and Mirrors purposely was written with the same style and fluidity as Lynch Mob’s debut CD. Obviously, Logan and Lynch have matured and experimented over the years. Each has been involved in various music projects. So fans can expect subtle changes in the musicians’ performances, but, for the most, part Lynch Mob are able to harness the bluesy, hard rock vibe of Wicked Sensation.

Label: Frontiers Records
Web: www.georgelynch.com

Band:
George Lynch (g)
Oni Logan (v)
Marco Mendoza (b)
Scot Coogan (d)

Track listing:
1. 21st Century Man
2. Smoke and Mirrors
3. Lucky Man
4. My Kind Of Healer
5. Time Keepers
6. Revolution Hero
8. Let The Music Be Your Master
9. The Fascist
10. Where Do You Sleep at Night?
11. Madly Backwards
12. We Will Remain
13. Before I Close My Eyes
14. Mansions In The Sky (Bonus Track)

HRH Rating: 9/10