ICYMI!
It's always fun to get to spend a few minutes with Steve Lynch, lead guitarist, and vocalist for Autograph and since it has been awhile, I thought I would check in with him. This past year has brought the band a new album, a spot on Billboard's classic rock chart, a few new videos and of course, an impressive (and ever-growing) list of tour dates. As if all of those things aren't keeping him busy enough, Lynch is also managing some of Autograph's business details. Still, he took a few minutes to connect with me and Autograph fans will be thrilled to learn that there are plenty of great things in the works!
Cate Meighan: Autograph has been really busy so far this year! How's the tour going?
Steve Lynch: It's going great, we're still adding a lot more dates too. Our booking agent, Big Time Entertainment, is always updating stuff and as of this week, we have five more dates confirmed which is just great. We're really excited to still be out there and it's nice because we travel with just the four of us. I'm also doing the tour managing and business managing so it's so much easier when it's only the band together on the road. It would be a lot of extra money to bring people along and we're basically like weekend warriors anyway. We fly out, play and then usually return home again pretty quickly.
CM: How much do you love playing the rock festivals now?
SL: Oh, I just love playing the festivals because the whole energy of them is just fun. Just looking around gives me that feeling of what it was like back in the 80's and it's such a great vibe when you walk out onstage to play one of them. We're also seeing a few different generations of fans in the audience, which is cool. Some kids grew up listening to us because their parents did, and the grandkids are now getting into the music as well. The 80's were like the last generation of songs that people could really sing along with. The 90's just weren't like that. There are very few grunge songs to sing along with because they're not happy. Kids still love to be able to sing along and the 80's music is just perfect for that. I think that's one of the big reasons why the 80's, in general, have taken on a new life.
Also, when we get to see other band members from back in the 80's out there at the festivals it's like a family reunion. It's always cool to see them still loving to play and enjoying the fans as much as we do. It feels really good.
CM: Your new video, "Every Generation" seems to have generated some really good buzz. What kind of feedback have you received from the fans?
SL: Well, we're excited about it and people seem to really like this video a lot. Paul Gervasi, the director, did a really great job on it. It wasn't really filmed in Juarez Mexico though because that would be a little dangerous (laughing). It was actually shot in the Superstition Mountains, a really beautiful area outside of Phoenix, Arizona.
CM: I love the fact that your new album, Get Off Your Ass has made its' way onto Billboard's classic rock chart. What was your reaction when you first got the news?
SL: It's surprising! My first thought was, did that really just happen (laughing)? When the 80's ended abruptly, I did some stuff that was a little more out there because I thought that was the direction that music was going to go in. The record companies just weren't listening to anything that we tried to do. If you were in an 80's band, forget it they didn't want to hear anything that you had to offer, because they had moved on to a whole new kind of style and sound.
It was really disappointing and I eventually did release that album on my own anyway, but to come back now is amazing. I really just thought it was over, so to put out this album and to realize that there's still life in this genre of music is a very cool thing. I think I'm more appreciative now than I was back then. I mean I was always really excited about it, but it was like a whirlwind. We would be on tour sometimes for 11 months straight and writing stuff for movies or television while we were on the road. We would come into town to film something like American Bandstand or Solid Gold and then go right back out and do more shows. We were really happy that so many good things happened for us but we never really had time to sit back and enjoy it.
Now, we're more mature and we have a different insight into it. Here I am at this age and this is all happening again and it feels incredible. We're blessed to be out there still playing live and to have people enjoy it just as they did way back then. It's just a blessing to be able to play live and to do these festivals, and also to still be able to record. I never saw myself doing it again, so to be reliving this part of my life is really gratifying.
CM: There are so many cool things happening for Autograph right now, so what comes next?
SL: We have something out called Get Off Your Ass Coffee, which is an Italian roast and it's really good. We're planning some more new things for our band merchandise so keep checking our official site for updates.
Most importantly, we're are going to release another single or two off of the album because there's some really powerful stuff on there that we just can't let go to waste. So, we'll do another video or two and let people enjoy it. We are also already writing material for the next album. We're probably going to release it one single at a time until they form a compilation. A lot of newer artists are doing it one single at a time as well.
We want to keep pushing ahead but we also want to make sure that people have time to digest the music as it comes out. Plus, if we're concentrating on just one single at a time then we can put a lot more energy and innovation into that one song and then give it a really great video too. I think at this point that's a really smart way for us to do it and as we perfect one single then the fans will really be looking forward to the next one. I want our fans to know that we're working on new stuff and new videos are also on the way from us! I also want to thank them for the decades of support because none of this could happen for any of us without them!
Check out Autograph's official site for updates from the band, new merch and of course, TOUR DATES!