Hair Metal Mansion Interview with Richard Lindsey of Lynzee

[Andrew]

Lynzee formed back in the mid 80's in Southern California. They lived the rock n' roll lifestyle to the fullest and were a big part of the scene back then....sharing the stage with nearly any band from that scene around that time and managed to record a lot of material. Now all these years later, the Lynzee name has been brought back to life again and they have signed with Retrospect Records.

I had the opportunity to talk with their guitarist and founder, Richard Lindsey. I am excited about this one because it turned out to be a really good, detailed account of the decade of decadance from someone who lived it and has many stories to tell!

Check out the interview below;

Hair Metal Mansion: Hey Richard, to get things started here I just want to thank you for doing this interview. So who are some of your biggest influences and what influenced you to become a musician?

Richard: No problem Andrew always a pleasure to talk to you and all my friends. MY biggest influences are somewhat transitional, without a doubt Black Sabbath, Ozzy, Scorpions, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Deep Purple, BOC, The Doors, Styx, Queen, Aerosmith and Van Halen are many of my initial influences. Randy Rhoads, Brian May and Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath) are my greatest influences as a guitarist. Then there are the second stage influences: RATT, Dokken, Warlord, Whitesnake, Queensryche, Alcatrazz, many of the “new” wave of early metal bands were a big influence. The “story” that set me on my path was Christmas 1976, I received “Queen a Night at the Opera” as a gift and was very pleased… then my older brother revealed his gift to be “KISS Alive”. I could not take my eyes off of the cover and PLEADED with him to trade with me. Fortunately for my musical path he agreed and I was set on my obsessive path with Metal. So I guess you could say it was GENE SIMMONS fault (thank you Gene)!

HMM: Lynzee was first formed in Southern California...circa 1985. How did the band first come together?

Richard: Well I was working the local backyard party scene, playing in two local bands at the time, first was my metal project “Raging Saint” (Guitars) and second a commercial ala Bon Jovi style project called “D.C. Sparks” (Bass Guitar). After being told what to do on a regular basis and many of my core beliefs and opinions being overlooked within these projects I decided it was time to start from scratch.

I wanted to form a Classic metal style band with two tandem guitarists, very much in the vain of Judas Priest/Iron Maiden/AC/DC. Yet I had a desire to have the Classic rhythmic rock style established by Van Halen.

The result was the 1st COMPLETE Lynzee line-up in 1986: Richard Lindsey (Guitars), Jeff Fedak (Guitars), Joey Velasco (Drums), Mike VanDenburg (Bass) & Kelly Wilde (Vocals). These were the famine days as we practiced in a shed (About 10 foot by 10 foot) in Joey’s uncles back yard with NO Air Conditioning. We “borrowed” power from the next door neighbor with an extension cord, we blew out the circuits on a regular basis… GOOD TIMES!

This line-up didn’t last and I stepped up to the task of frontman/vocalist at the insistence of the drummer Joey. The next line-up (which would be the first inception of what Lynzee came to be with me as a frontman) included a young guitar wizard named Patrick Park (his idea of fun was practicing scales til 4am) and Bassist Damian Pampena (a short man with a BIG attitude). By end of 1987 early 1988 Joey left the band & was replaced with my former band mate Greg Jackson who I worked with in the band DC Sparks. At this time the band began to REALLY grow beginning to create the Lynzee sound, unfortunately fate can be cruel as Greg suffered a family setback forcing him to leave the band. I consider Greg one of my very close friends, if not for this situation Greg would never have left the band. As a matter of fact Greg & I are still great friends and we speak on a weekly basis as I help promote his current project “Triple Threat”, based out of San Luis Obispo.

HMM: What was it like for you guys when you first started out and what was it like to be a part of the music scene at that time?

Richard: We felt like we were part of something much bigger than ourselves. Failure was NEVER an option and every day was another opportunity. Hell waking up everyday was an adrenaline rush we were so excited to be a part of this living breathing scene. The scene was thriving, every Friday & Saturday night was a perpetual party on the Sunset strip (and EVERYWHERE else for that matter). The strip was a wonder to behold, people everywhere, rock shows nightly and EVERY band on the strip promoting a show.

HMM: What were your favorite places to play and who are some of the bands that you shared the stage with over the years?

Richard: My Favorites… there were SO many at the time, I loved playing the Troubador & Gazzari’s in Hollywood. I personally dug on a venue known as “FM Station” up in North Hollywood. Down south our regular hangout was Jezebels Nightclub and our favorite was “The Marquee”.
You name them and we probably played with them, We played with Masi (Alex Masi), Quiet Riot, TSOL, Greg Bissonette (David Lee Roth Band), Cry Wolf, Badlands, Junkyard, Bang Tango, Exciter, Jailhouse, Tuff, Wolfgang Elvis, TRYX, Pretty Boy Floyd, Pair-a-dice… and the list goes on.


HMM: Lynzee disbanded in 1993. How did the change in the music scene affect you as an artist and what have you been up to all these years?

Richard: Yeah it was a tough time, we were working tirelessly to write & prepare the new material for the 1992 album "Man of the People". We all saw the scene slowly imploding on itself. The Glam bands had become tired and passé, and the promoters were looking to the new grunge movement to book their clubs. We still had places to play and shows to promote but the fire that ignited the scene had become a candle in the dark.

We worked to promote the new release playing a demanding schedule for a period of time and after nearly 10 years of hard work I found myself playing covers with Lynzee at a HOLE in Anaheim California. Sure they paid well, but one night driving home after a cover gig I tried to comprehend what had taken place in the previous 6 months and how did I lose my vision and end up here?

I was done with cover gigs as in my opinion it stripped away the veneer of WHY I began doing this in the first place. Michael and I decided we needed a break, for Damian, Pat & Chip this would turn out to be a permanent vacation.

With the band in limbo at the time, over the next few years I kept writing & recording while working with other artists as a performer, engineer & producer. During this time while filling in with a few fragmented groups I asked Michael if he were interested in playing bass on some of these musical projects. This was the beginning of the next phase of Lynzee…

This would be a prolific and experimental period for the band. With the exception of a few secretive performances, (under the names of Project X, If You See Kaye & Gahdoffel) the band existed almost exclusively within the confines of the Batcave Studio. I never stopped writing & recording. During this time we worked through various incarnations of the band, experimenting with different sounds and genres, resulting in a huge catalog of material.

In 2003 I returned to the Lynzee “vaults” uncovering a collection of forgotten 8 track & 16 track masters. This reignited the desire to resurrect Lynzee and bring back the classic sound to the masses. I repackaged the 1992 album “Man of the People” and compiled the original demos into the album “Lynzee Sessions”. Some of these lost recordings would be remixed & offered on the release “Victim of Nirvana” as well as the unreleased “Demolition”. These would be released on a Limited run through in 2003. Later that year I had one of the Lynzee songs picked up for the “Metal Action Vol. 3” compilation release out of France. By 2004 we began to garner interest through the internet and had another song released on a compilation entitled “Crankspiv Records : Volume 8”., followed by another release called “The very Best of Millenium Metal Volume 1 & 2” from Nu-metal Records in 2005. Of course this all lead up to the events of winter 2008…

HMM: Being a part of a scene like that back then, you must have a crazy story or two to tell. Could you share one with us?

Richard: YIKES!... stories abound, as there are many here are three quick ones. We were playing the Troubadour in Hollywood and we had EVERYTHING including the kitchen sink on stage, the place was packed. One of the roadies running the fog machine thought you turned it on and left it alone. We had a wall of fog 2 stories high thick as molasses, we kicked into our opening song as Pat (the other guitarist at the time) and I ran out to the center of the stage we collided, and I do mean COLLIDED. We cracked skulls, bounced off each other and lost track of exactly where we were. We had lost our guitar picks and stumbled around disoriented for the next minute while crawling on the ground searching for our picks. By this time the fog was still dense as could be. Somehow we managed to find our picks get to our feet and jump into the song just as the fog lifted, the audience roared in appreciation thinking it was just a very long intro… REALLY LONG. Nobody but Pat I knew what really happened and I still get a chuckle every time a roadie with any band begins pumping out the fog on stage.

We were playing the Whisky with a band called New Tribe, they we extremely cool. I went to meet the singer backstage at the recommendation of the other members describing him as cool people to know. Imagine what I thought as I stepped into the dressing room and found my roadie on a table (he came to be known affectionately as “Folder Boy”), with the lead singer from this great band shoving… (I know what your thinking) a pair of needle nose pliers into his ear canal. I mean he had these things crammed a good 2 plus inches into his ear. Turns out folder boy had used some newspaper as earplugs and shoved it in so far the only way to remove it was with these pliers. It was such a nice way to make a first impression on the singer from a co-headlining gig.

We were playing a Rock Festival back in 1988. It was a outdoor open air gig. It was a beautiful night great crowd and the show when off without a hitch. Right after we began moving our gear our friends band had set up. Once they powered up and kicked into their first song, turns out the grounds keeper forgot to turn off the automatic sprinklers. 30 seconds into the set ALL the sprinkers came on and DECIMATED their gear. We panicked and ran as fast as we could to help move gear as it smoked and sizzled. Fact is we missed it happening to us by 15 minutes. Our gear got wet but it was powered down at the time as far as my friends band… they did not fair as well.

Here are a few general rules to playing back in the day:
1. Leather bottom boots, running and the waxed hardwood stage at the Roxy… DO NOT MIX WELL.
2. A full can of Aquanet on your head and pyrotechnics…DO NOT MIX WELL.
3. When your band members hair is on fire… it is inappropriate to laugh at them.
4. When your band members hair is on fire… whisky or bourbon will NOT put out the flames (not even in mixed drink form).
5. When a band member splits his guitar in 2 pieces on stage (BY ACCIDENT) do not expect them to tell you how great the gig was.
6. Be sure to remove your beer goggles before inviting any groupie back to the rehearsal studio (chewing your arm off the morning after is not an option).
7. When doing a beer bong be sure to check WHAT is being poured into it as downing more than 16oz. of Bourbon (without your knowledge) in 5 seconds can REALLY F*&% you up.
8. When playing a gig that has a lap dancing show immediately after for the fans, be sure to tell certain band members to listen to the rules set by the dancers bodyguards, NOT TO TOUCH HER ASS means do not touch her ass. Otherwise they will spend the rest of the evening in the parking lot while the other members enjoy the show! Also if they cannot help themselves be sure to tell them to drive their own car.
9. DO NOT be a jackass when explaining to a police officer at 4am why you have 9 guitars in the back of your van.

HMM: Now all these years later, Lynzee has been signed by Retrospect Records and you guys will finally be able to release your material. How did the deal with Retrospect come about? Also, tell me a little about the releases that are scheduled...

Richard: The previous decade lead up to the events of winter 2008… After one of our impromptu performances in September 2008 & the exit of yet another drummer, Mike created a basic Lynzee Myspace as a small tribute to the band. I filled it with everything Lynzee I could find from the archives. We had no idea what would come of this endeavor… By the end of 2008 Lynzee found new life when we were discovered & signed by RETROSPECT RECORDS. Within 3 weeks of being on Myspace I was contacted by Sam the CEO of Retrospect and offered a multi-release deal. It was very simple and straight forward, Sam loved the band, the material and everything we represent. He extended an extremely fair deal to me and made an offer I couldn’t refuse… and here we are today!

Regarding the Retrospect Records releases…
The first one is very close to my heart: Victim of Nirvana, it is a no holds barred version of the band at its best. These were the original songs written and demos recorded during our Hollywood Strip days (If you saw us live on the strip odds are you heard these songs). They were originally unfinished demos recorded in 1990 and I pulled them from the “vaults” cleaned them up and here they are, including two never before heard tunes. This one is wall to wall energy, youth and aggression.
The second is Man of the People (Originally released in 1992). For many this is considered the pinnacle of the “Lynzee” sound, with songs like the title track and Repeat Offender this one will be a definite must have.
The 3rd will be a real treat it features the 1st two Lynzee Demos and four of Lynzee’s UNRELEASED Classic Hollywood strip songs from 1986-89. These tracks reunited three of the original members (myself, Michael Mansfield and Bill Haertel).We returned to the Batcave Studio in 2009 to recreate & finish these classic tunes specifically for this release.
All three of the releases feature classic tunes from our Heyday on the Hollywood strip complete with BONUS tracks that have never seen the light of day. Accessed from the original masters these songs have been resurrected & brought back from the vault for your rockin’ pleasure!


HMM: If you had to name some of the most memorable moments or biggest highlights of your career so far, what would they be?

Richard: Memorable moments… that can swing one way or the other…LOL. You could say opening up for Quiet Riot was a definite highlight on the grander scale, but for me it may have been our first sell-out show at the Whisky. The room literally pulsated with energy and I felt Lynzee was the center of the universe for a moment. The connection made between the fans & the music was inspiring. Hearing our tunes played by Joe Benson on KLOS (At the time he WAS the man, and KLOS was as good as it could get for airplay in the Los Angeles area). Signing our first real record deal was euphoric, then reality set in and the details of the contract exposed how abused many bands were back in the day (We got out of that one as soon as we could). Signing our endorsement deal with Charvel /Jackson guitars in 1990 was a special moment as we were being recognized for our ability as musicians, it was very gratifying in a highly personal way. But this may sound silly, nothing compares to every time a fan came up to me and expressed their love of the music we created, to this day NOTHING means more to me than hearing my music touched a person in some personal way. It is my belief that times change, people come and go BUT the music of your life always stays with you and I am honored to be a part of that great circle.


HMM: What are your thoughts on the music scene today compared to back then?

Richard: At first I perceived the “scene” as fractured and confused. Then I came to realize it hasn’t actually fractured, genres have become more specific and there are a multitude of styles out there. It used to be just Hard Rock… now its, Glam Rock, Progressive, Metal, Euro Metal, 80’s Metal, Guitar Rock, Alternative Rock, Arena rock etc…
Basically whatever your flavor you can find it, love it and obsess on it. Live gigs are still a challenge to be overcome, people still tell you they’ll be there and well… we all know that story. It seems to me that old saying still applies… “Rock and Roll will Never Die”.


HMM: Well Richard, before I let you go, I want to thank you for doing this interview, I definately appreciate it. One more question for you, what's on the horizon for Lynzee and for you personally? Also if there's anything else you'd like to add, please do!

Richard: You are more than welcome! The future for the band is an open door, I am excited for the first three releases being made available to the public. Due to these interesting events Lynzee has officially reformed (myself, Michael & Bill) as a power trio. I am handling vocals & guitars, Mike is on the bass and of course Bill is handling drums and percussion. We are 10 songs into the recording of our fourth NEW release for Retrospect Records. Yes you heard correctly we are back with a vengeance. Fact is we will be celebrating our…25th Anniversary in 2010 and what better way to party than a brand new Lynzee release filled to the brim with 25 years of stories, experiences and pent up in your face aggression. We can’t think of a better way to start off our 25th year of making metal. We can hardly wait to see what all our fans and friends have to say about our newer sound. I would like to wrap this up by thanking all of our fans who never forgot who we were and never lost faith and for all our new fans its only going to get better. So raise your glass high and come join the 25th anniversary of the LYNZEE NATION.


For on Lynzee and to check out some of their songs, stop by their official Myspace page;
www.myspace.com/lynzeetheband