GEORGE LYNCH: 'I Really Listen To Singers More Than I Listen To Guitar Players'

On March 27, Emma of GoDpsMusic conducted an interview with guitarist George Lynch (DOKKEN, LYNCH MOB, KXM, SWEET & LYNCH). You can now watch the chat below.

Asked if there are any new artists that stand out to him, Lynch said: “There’s so many great bands in all different genres.

“I’m not gonna pretend to be a musicologist [or an expert on] current music. And even some of the bands that I think are kind of new to me have still been around for, like, fifteen years — like ANIMALS AS LEADERS and MESHUGGAH, on the really heavy, progressive end. I like bands like that — because the guitar players, initially, sort of caught my interest; ’cause they’re great guitar players.”

He continued: “I listen to everything… I don’t just listen for guitar players. I think the band thing is the bigger picture and the more important picture is the song composition.

“I really listen to singers more than I listen to guitar players. I love old blues singers and R&B singers and people that really emote when they sing. That’s always what I try to do with my guitar — just sort of mimick wind instruments and vocalists, when I was starting out… So I wasn’t trying to play like another guitar player; I was trying to emulate a voice.”

SWEET & LYNCH — the new band featuring Lynch, guitarist/vocalist Michael Sweet of Christian hard rockers STRYPER, bassist James Lomenzo (MEGADETH, WHITE LION, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) and drummer Brian Tichy (S.U.N., WHITESNAKE) — released its debut album, “Only To Rise”, on January 27 via Frontiers Music srl. The CD was produced by Sweet, who also helmed the last STRYPER album, “No More Hell To Pay”.

LYNCH MOB‘s new EP, “Sun Red Sun”, once again highlights the unique pairing of singer Oni Logan and Lynch, showcasing their ever-evolving songwriting abilities. Mixed and mastered by Chris “The Wizard” Collier (LITA FORD), it offers up straight-forward rockers like “Believers Of The Day” and “Play The Game”, as well as more groove-oriented cuts like “Erotika” and “Subliminal Dream”. The CD also features a dynamic Lynch guitar solo track called “Black Waters” as well as an acoustic ballad called “Sun Red Sun”, which is a tribute to late BADLANDS and BLACK SABBATH singer Ray Gillen, who died on December 3, 1993 of AIDS-related complications. The release also features a cover of BAD COMPANY‘s “Burnin’ Sky”, and includes four remastered bonus tracks from the original “Sound Mountain Sessions” EP: “Slow Drag”, “World Of Chance”, “City Of Freedom” and “Sucka”.