For fans who thought Lynch Mob had officially ridden off into the sunset following their “Final Ride” tour, guitarist George Lynch has a confession to make: the band broke up, but only for about a day. In a humorous and revealing new interview with Dawn Osborne of “TotalRock,” the legendary shredder explained that his retirement lasted exactly 24 hours before boredom—and a sudden surge in demand—brought him back.
Despite previous marketing suggesting the end was near, Lynch confirmed that the band is very much active, currently featuring a powerhouse lineup of vocalist Andrew Freeman, drummer Brian Tichy, and bassist Jaron Gulino.
When asked if the band’s recent album, Dancing With The Devil, was truly their last studio effort, Lynch was blunt: “No, it’s not.”
He went on to describe the comical scene that unfolded during his brief day of retirement.
“I did stop [Lynch Mob] for 24 hours — until I got bored,” Lynch told Osborne (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). “Because in that 24 hours I was kind of on the porch and I had this rocking chair and I had one of those ear things so you can hear good. And my little dog was there, [and I was] just smoking a straw pipe, my corn cob pipe. And my wife says, ‘Honey, you want some more lemonade?’ And she goes, ‘You wanna get back on the road. You wanna be back out with your boys, right?’ I go, ‘Yeah.’ So, yeah, the next day I got back out there.”
Lynch noted that the mere threat of disbanding seemed to revitalize the band’s career, comparing the reaction to the way people eulogize the dead.
“I think what happened was when people thought it was the end, all of a sudden they appreciate you. It’s like after you die and they say all this nice s**t about you, but the day before, they weren’t. You know what I’m saying? You know what I mean? And all of a sudden we’re the greatest band since sliced bread. It was, like, ‘Oh, Lynch Mob. I wish we would’ve appreciated them when they were still together.’ So we’re, like, ‘Okay, we’ll reluctantly come back and play your stupid gig.’ And then we’ve done about a hundred more since then.”
The guitarist also revealed the tongue-in-cheek title for the band’s next record: “But our new album is gonna be called The Final, Final Ride. Not kidding.”
The resurrection of Lynch Mob came with significant personnel changes. Vocalist Gabriel Colón and drummer Jimmy D’Anda exited, paving the way for the current roster. Lynch admitted that the split with D’Anda was a direct result of his flip-flopping on retirement.
“When we did disband last year — we actually were not a band for, I think, 24 hours, and then I changed my mind — and I took that opportunity to sort of switch things up a little bit, ’cause Jimmy left. And he said, ‘No. You said this is the end of the band, so that’s it. I’m done.’ And we’re best friends and everything. I’m, like, ‘Whoa, that’s a little harsh. I mean, guy can’t change his mind?’ And so he was gone.”
Regarding Colón, Lynch felt that while talented, the singer’s style didn’t quite mesh with the band’s classic identity.
“[Gabriel] is very sweet, and I love Gabriel and I just felt like we needed… I don’t know. There was a thing with Gabriel that I wondered about. He is wonderful and a great singer. Lynch Mob is known for Wicked Sensation-era records and style, that bluesy dark thing, whatever it is, and Gabriel is not that kind of singer… And in some way I loved what he did and in some ways I thought we’re getting off what we’re known for a little bit.”
Discussing the musical direction of the band, Lynch acknowledged the constant pressure to recreate their seminal debut, Wicked Sensation. However, he argued that trying to duplicate the past is a fool’s errand.
“We always run the risk of chasing Wicked Sensation, and there’s always gonna be a little bit of that in the back of our minds. At the same time, that was a long, long time ago, so it’s like trying to recreate the Dokken era — you just can’t do it. We’re all made of different stuff and too much time has passed and we’re not the same creatures… So, as much as people wanna hear Wicked Sensation and continue that legacy and that style and that sound, that was just a culmination of a thousand different things that happen once in a lifetime, and that won’t happen again.”
Ultimately, the guitarist has adopted a new philosophy regarding the business side of things: stay out of it.
“I’ve learned that I shouldn’t be making any decisions at all about anything other than which notes I’m gonna play and which chords I’m gonna put together to write a song. And that’s about it.”
