Show Open And Podcast Mission

SPEAKER_03 0:46

Stages of rock and roll to the stories behind the music. My guest has lived the life most musicians dream about. Hey everyone, it's Randy Holsey with Backstage Pass Radio. My guest today is an East Coast native and a powerhouse bass player. He's a road-tested veteran and a key part of the Lynch Mob legacy. You guys don't go anywhere, and I'll introduce you to my friend Jaron Galino right after this.

SPEAKER_02 1:09

This is Backstage Pass Radio. Backstage Pass Radio, a podcast by an artist for the artist. Each week we take you behind the scenes of some of your favorite musicians and the music they created. From chart-topping hits to underground gems, we explore the sounds that move us and the people who make it all happen. Remember to please subscribe, rate, and leave reviews on your favorite podcast platform. So whether you're a casual listener or a die hard music fan, tune in and discover the magic behind the melodies. Here is your host of Backstage Pass Radio, Randy Holsey.

Meeting Jaron And Road Mindset

SPEAKER_03 1:50

Jaron, what's shaking, man? Good to see you. Hey Randy, thanks for having me, man. My my pleasure. We've been uh going back and forth a little bit, but it's good to see uh see you in person and uh yeah, look forward to chatting with you.

SPEAKER_00 2:04

Yeah, appreciate you uh squeezing me in. I apologize for the rescheduling, but uh, you know, life on the road is unpredictable, and uh we're getting it done now, so that's all that matters.

SPEAKER_03 2:13

That's it. Life on the road is always life on the road, right? That's right. Well, it's good to see you and appreciate all the texting and emailing. We like you said, we finally got it figured out and we'll we'll get this one behind us for sure. I guess for you, like when people hear the name Jaron Galino, right? They they think bass player, lynch mob, heaven's edge, tantric. But if you stripped out all of the bands and the music away for just a minute, right? Who is Jaron Galino? How would you how would you describe yourself to the listeners?

SPEAKER_00 2:48

Well, I think the average listener will probably say, What is Jaron Galino? Because my name is very uncommon. They never seem to get it right. But uh, once they get past that part, uh, you know, I'm a pretty basic person, man. I'm a music lover at heart and always was a fan before I was a performer. Uh, you know, outside of that, it's a lot of hot sauce and mountain dew, and uh, you know, just loving the better things of life, going to the beach, getting out in the sun. Uh, you know, I'm a pretty, pretty regular guy, you know, when you take all the music stuff out of it.

SPEAKER_03 3:17

Absolutely. Well, where did where did you grow up? I think, you know, we I I looked you up, of course, the Northeast, but where did you grow up? It was in Jersey, correct? Or was it?

SPEAKER_00 3:26

Yes, I just I spent most of my early days uh in Middletown, New Jersey, where I was uh kind of born and raised, and uh my parents were split between Pennsylvania and Jersey. So uh I spent the other half uh in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, which is Chester County, and uh, you know, kind of grew up uh in the scenes between the two, you know, Philadelphia, South Jersey, uh New York City, you know, going to concerts, uh, eventually performing, you know, and being old enough to do so in the bars and the clubs. And uh, you know, I I like to say I'm from all around because I've I've spent so much time in so many different places, especially, you know, once the touring began. So, you know, I do identify with East Coast, of course, but uh I feel like I have a home in a in many other places throughout the States. Sure.

SPEAKER_03 4:11

Yeah, sometimes I guess you it's you you get that that whole road thing where you wake up and you're like, what city am I in again? Right when the when the tour gets that crazy. I'm sure you've had a a moment like that from time to time, right?

SPEAKER_00 4:25

It definitely uh it does happen. You know, it happens to the best of us. I like to be on top of things and uh know where I am and and who I'm with. Uh, you know, luckily we've made a lot of friends over the years on the road, and and each city has more of a meaning now when we return there. You know, it's not just about getting in the club and doing the show, it's about connecting with the fans and and the friends that we've made there, you know, over the years. So uh less and less these days does it feel like a blur or a fog. It's it's more now a homecoming, if you will.

SPEAKER_03 4:54

Yeah, and I guess a lot of the I'm I guess this still happens, but a lot of bands go out for short runs, maybe a couple of two or three weeks, and then they call it good, then they're back home, and then they go out on another run. I don't know, or you know, and you would probably know this far better than me, but are there still bands that go out on these 200, 250, 275-day runs? Is that still a thing in in the business?

SPEAKER_00 5:18

Uh well, I think it goes both ways. Uh, yes, it is a thing, but what most people don't see because it's probably not put out there on social media and all of that, is that even bands that do uh take all those extensive runs, I mean, they are going home for a week here, a week there, you know, they are taking breaks, you know, they're just not really advertising it because all the business is on the road. So whether the bus and the crew park up for a week somewhere while the band goes home, or you know, maybe they're off for a few weeks and everybody goes home and gets a break, you know. I think it's important that there's a healthy balance between, you know, real life and and tour life. Uh, but for some of us, real life is tour life. And going home, you know, as great as that can be, it's sometimes it's like a pain in the ass. You know, I'd rather stay on the road and and work and be a part of the excitement every day. Uh, you know, but that's just me, and and I'm sure there's others like that. But uh it seems in the worlds that I've been in lately, it's a lot of uh short runs, going home, taking some time off, going back out. You know, some of these older artists, you know, they enjoy their home time. So yeah, uh I embrace that, of course, you know. Uh and also when I get asked to do longer tours, you know, if I'm available, I'm all for it. I'm I'm always down for the adventure, no matter how short.

SPEAKER_03 6:33

Yeah,

East Coast Roots And Early Inspiration

SPEAKER_03 6:33

right on. Well, did you come from, you know, growing up on the East Coast, did you come from a musical family? Or were you kind of the black sheep that got into music? Talk to me a little bit about young Jaron, right? What how did you get into music and was there family involvement in that?

SPEAKER_00 6:52

Yeah, I think the main kingpin there was my father. You know, he turned me on to the great music since I can remember even having a memory of anything, you know, playing Sabbath and Rainbow and Deep Purple and you know, eventually Iron Maiden, you know, anything that he could kind of like turn an angle on it where it would be kind of fun for kids, like Iron Man kind of being like a scary villain, or like Rammstein Duhast, uh, you know, like kind of being a creepy Halloween thing, or, you know, Iron Maiden with Eddie, you know, that was kind of like the footprint. And then once the music kind of seemed like a normal thing, you know, that's when I started diving into the deeper stuff. And um, you know, as I mentioned before, I was always a fan first. So going to concerts since, you know, I was a tiny kid all the way up until now. I mean, I still religiously go to shows when I can and see all my favorite artists and even new ones that I'm not familiar with. I I want to know what's going on out there and I want a taste of of things that I might not know. You know, that's how everybody grows and and and gets inspired. So uh, you know, as a young kid, my dad, you know, he wasn't a musician uh when I was a child, but he was back in the 70s. You know, he played bass a little bit. So once I was old enough to kind of have appreciation for that, uh, you know, he kind of handed me his bass and then I kind of plucked along on it for a little bit until I got serious and you know, the rest was history into my teens.

SPEAKER_03 8:17

Yeah, do you do you feel like your musical taste has become more eclectic over the years? Like, are you listening to different things now that you didn't listen to before? And you're not near as old as I am, but I've seen, you know, being a musician myself, I've seen my taste in music change. I'm I I'm always the rock and roll guy. Like you can never take that out of the guy, right? But you know, I'm a big country guy, Americana guy now, and I find myself gravitating to that. So I didn't know, you know, how has your musical taste buds changed over the years from when you were young, listening to the maidens and and all the other great groups that we grew up with?

SPEAKER_00 8:58

I I think the simplest way to describe it was when I was young, it was all about guitar and the riffs and how fast and the speed. You know, I was big into thrash and death metal. Um, and then as I got older, it became more about the tastefulness and the style, and uh, you know, where previous years I might not have cared so much for the vocals. You know, I listened to bands with vocals that were, you know, a very acquired taste, or you know, maybe bands that were a little, you know, hard to listen to because of the vocals, but the guitar was so great, you know, I made an exception. Now I would say I probably go the other way. You know, I probably listen to uh a lot of singers and and people that I never really would have considered, but I hear the talent and I hear the passion, and it kind of turns me on, you know. Uh I mean things as simple as, you know, and and this just for example, like Shaka Khan or Rod Stewart or, you know, like if you really dig in, there's some attitude and and some style in there that's pretty hard and pretty heavy, man. And uh I've been kind of putting my guard down with a lot of stuff like that and and letting that, you know, have some influence on me, especially when you have guys like you know, Glenn Hughes who are kind of bridging that funkin' R and B to the rock stuff, you know, it opens the door to appreciate other things that you might not have ever given a chance before.

SPEAKER_03 10:20

Sure. No, I don't I don't disagree with that uh at at all. Do you do you think that music chose you, or do you feel like it was the other way around? Did you choose music?

SPEAKER_00 10:36

I don't think there's really any control with that, man. When you when you uh I guess for me as an individual, when I hear a song that strikes a chord with me or has an emotional connection, I mean I can't wipe it off. I can't shake it off, man. It stays with me and and I can feel it, you know, uh through my bones, you know. It's one of those things, it's it's almost like it's beckoning me. So I'd love to say the music chose me or I chose the music, but uh I think it uh we're one and the same, you know. It's it's just something that the connection is undeniable and you can't force it.

SPEAKER_03 11:10

Yeah, and I don't I don't even think there's a right or wrong answer to that question, right? I I kind of feel like I I would agree with you uh wholeheartedly, like the music grabbed me at a young age, and then it's almost like I grabbed it right back, right? It was like we were both reaching for each other, and I think that that's what music does in general, right? I do you agree with that? Yeah.

Guitar Heroes Shape A Bassist

SPEAKER_03 11:32

So I think you've talked, you know, in the past about being influenced kind of heavily by guitar players. Why do you think that you've gravitated toward more of the guitar mentality rather than a traditional bass player mentality?

SPEAKER_00 11:51

Um well the easy answer is I started being a guitar freak before I ever played any instruments. You know, uh my dad raised me on the bands I mentioned before. I mean, you got a guy like Richie Blackmore or Ingve Malmstey and Tony Iomie, uh, you know, all the way into George Lynch and Eddie Van Halen. I mean, those are the coolest guys in the band, and they have the most to say, you know, with their fingertips. Yes. And uh, you know, a guy like Richie Blackmore, I think, was the perfect guy to kind of latch on to at a young age because you could tell, you know, he was the leader of the band. He was it, he was calling the shots, and that kind of always stuck with me. You know, it's like, oh, the guitar player's the badass of the group, you know, unless you got like, you know, a crazy singer, which don't get me wrong, Ian Gillen, you know, Ronnie James D, all these guys are are powerful in their own right. So um, you know, I just always thought the guitar was like, you know, it was whether it was a mean riff or a tasty solo, like that was the focal point always. And I don't know. It bass just never was really like something I really picked up on until I got into some heavier stuff like Thrash. Yeah. Um, and then guys like Didi Verney from Overkill, I mean, their tones in their playing were so out front, almost like lead bass, that yeah, that was when it kind of became apparent to me, like, oh, the bass is pretty cool too, you know, like geezer butler, like kill her tone. Like, and I think it just over time, you know, started to make sense to me and and translated into my own kind of style because I always wrote riff-based bass lines, you know, when I was younger. That was like everything. It was like writing a song, cool. I'll I'll write all the parts, you know, whatever. See if you can play guitar this, you know. But now, now, you know, you cater to the song, you know, what's there. Playing with George, I cater to him, but uh, I'm very much a guitar-driven mind when it comes to writing and and being into music, but you know, I don't really play guitar at all. I'm not one of those bass players that's like, oh, I'm a failed guitar player. I I just I play bass as that. No, I mean I never played guitar, I barely can still. I I don't care to, you know. Yeah. So uh I just stick to what I do. I'm kind of a one-trick pony, but you know, I just go hard and and hope people like it.

SPEAKER_03 14:02

No, that that makes perfect sense. If you if you were put in a room with a you know a a bass player, a guitar player, and a drummer, wh which one would you I I guess you answer that kind of already. You would probably gravitate more towards the guitar player because you know, they're they're usually flashy or whatever. Would would you agree with that that you would like probably jump in with the guitarist, like focus on them more than anybody else in the band?

SPEAKER_00 14:34

Um I think it depends who it is and and what's going on, because you know, you get a drummer or a bass player that's you know the same caliber as as a killer guitar player. I mean, look at Dave Lombardo from Slayer. I mean, Slayer, I I love Slayer. All the songs are killer and heavy, the guitar's cool, his vocals are very effective, but you know, Dave Lombardo, I mean, you you can't take your eyes off the guy. No one plays drums like him, you know. So that would be an example of of the opposite, you know, looking at the drums or geezer butler playing with Iomie. Yeah, Iomie's iconic, but geezer's over there shredding too, you know. It it's really, I think, dependent on who it is and what's going on. But uh, I would say in the in the majority of the time, I would probably gravitate towards a guitarist in in a general sense. Sure, sure.

SPEAKER_03 15:17

Do you remember? I I know it was a long time ago, but do you remember around what age that guitar bug kind of bit you, right?

SPEAKER_00 15:26

Ah man, I would say early, man, three, four, five years old. Yeah. Hearing uh Child in Time, Deep Purple, uh riding with my dad in the car to the friggin' dump, you know, on a Sunday morning, my dad's blasting music. And I mean, I just remember hearing uh Blackmore's notes, you know, just sounding like they were coming from you know the depths of hell or you know, over the mountains. And uh that's that sound, man, that Stratocaster through a martial sound was just like incredible. I don't know, man. Like it was made for me. I don't know how to describe it.

SPEAKER_03 15:58

Yeah, I mean, that bites you in general. And and you speak a lot about, you know, Malmstein. You you've spoken about you know Blackmore. Is there do you remember like was there like the Rainbow Days? Like, was there uh one of the singers in Rainbow that you gravitated to more than the others?

SPEAKER_00 16:19

Well, I think initially Dio would have been my first just because that was I was introduced to that first. Yeah. Um and then Graham Bonnet was like, you know, a powerful force that kind of like blew everyone out, but like his look, the James Dean look, it was like so different. I don't know if I like this guy or not, you know, as a young guy. I'm like, he doesn't have long hair, he doesn't belong, you know.

SPEAKER_03 16:41

Well, I think I think Richie said the same thing when when Graham was in the band. Uh, you know, quit cutting your damn hair, right? Like, like that was literally what he told Graham. Stop cutting your hair. Do not go get another haircut, right? We're supposed to be in denim and you know, like look at look in the look in the part, right?

SPEAKER_00 17:00

Yeah, that was always uh driven into my head by my my dad in the early days. You know, he's like, if you're gonna be in a band or bring into music, you gotta have long hair. You know, that was like, I don't want to say the old guy way of thinking, because I still feel like that now. I'm like, you know, I see a band, I'm like, why don't these guys have long hair? You know? Yeah, yeah. But, you know, putting that aside, I mean, Assault Attack by Michael Shanker's probably one of my favorite albums of all time, and that's Grand Bonnet right there. I mean, probably in his best. But um, you know, then you got Joelyn Turner and Toogie White. Um huge fans of both, and I think the Rainbow Toogie White album, Strangers of Assault, I mean, it's it's in it's insane how good it is. You can't really say one guy is necessarily better than the other. You just gotta, you know, what do you prefer? What style do you like? Sure.

SPEAKER_03 17:46

You know, it's not a contest. No, exactly. No, I agree.

Becoming A Full-Time Working Musician

SPEAKER_03 17:49

When you were playing the clubs and kind of like grinding it out, did you did you believe you were eventually gonna be doing what you do now? Did you ever did you have that I don't know if premonition is the right word, but did you have that thought process at a at a young age when you dove into the business that this is gonna be my life, this is what I'm gonna do?

SPEAKER_00 18:14

Not at all, man. I'm I mean, I'll preface it with saying when I was younger before I really started playing music, I was a skateboarder and very, very serious about it to the point of sponsored getting sponsored and and thinking maybe I can make a life out of this, you know. Um, but at the same time, you know, I knew my limitations. So it was like, cool, this is fun. I'll do it till the point of uh, you know, I get hurt or, you know, whatever it might have been. So when I transitioned to music, it was like, man, I hope someday I can open up for like a big band at a club, you know, like or I I was happy when I opened up for Overkill in Allentown, Pennsylvania as like the fifth opener, you know. I was like, oh man, I'm on a big stage. So no, I never anticipated really making this my life. But um honestly, uh people ask me this all the time. Like, I I pinch myself all the time when I'm on stage and I look over and I see George over there because you know, he's been my number one guy since I was a kid. And uh, you know, just thinking about it as a younger guy, like, oh, I hope I really can have a band someday that's like a band that George would be in, you know, all the guys are killer and the guitar players going nuts over there. I never really thought, you know, I would be on the level of of the greats or or a legend like that. So no, I I didn't anticipate it. Um, but I did, you know, hope that I could still do it at least for fun to to an extent. Yeah. And um, you know, um just kind of get to wherever it was, whether I had it had a day job or you know, kept playing music. Yeah, I just the the importance for me is is being happy and and enjoying it. You know, once that part of it stops, I always say, you know, maybe this gig's not for you. Yeah. Um but quite honestly, uh I I can't think of really any bands I've played in where I felt that way. You know, I'm always a hundred percent in and balls to the wall when it comes to performing it and getting out there with a band. So uh as long as everybody else is on a similar page or at least, you know, somewhere in that ballpark, I'm a happy guy. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 20:17

Well, I think there's a big difference between, you know, being a musician and being a working musician. Do you remember when you kind of learned the distinction between the two? Like, hey, I'm I'm no longer just going out and you know, on the weekends playing. When when did you learn that that was this was your profession? This was what uh what you were gonna do with the rest of your life?

SPEAKER_00 20:41

Well, it's hard to say because I spent a lot of early years, even just a couple years into playing, you know, in my teens, uh, and thrash bands, like I would go on my space and book tours through other bands. You know, I'd find a s a band from a city that we wanted to go to, and I would say, hey man, you know, we're gonna come through your city. Would you want to do a show trade? You know, we'll come play in your town, and when you come to Philly, we'll book you here, you know. And we did four or five like US fairly long tours doing it that way. And, you know, obviously it wasn't about the money back then, but um, you know, I was always a hundred percent into it and serious, like just whether it was for fun or not, I I wanted to make the most of it. And so it wasn't until uh I would say like summer of 2016, 2017 when things started to kind of ramp up to a point where it was undeniable. And what I mean by that was, you know, okay, do I go full force with uh having a job and a career and a house and and family and all that stuff, or is this my shot in my late 20s to take the next step and maybe make something of it? Yeah. And um, you know, the summer of 2017, I joined a band called Tantric, and uh it was uh, you know, a two or three-day notice to leave for a six-week tour um with a band I knew nothing about. You know, I had heard the name, I didn't know any of the songs, you know, learning the songs was a whole nother story, but um getting a taste of that and like finally getting out and playing the whiskey at GoGo and venues that I always just read about, you know, um that was my first taste. And I thought, wow, if this ended tomorrow, I I did all the things I always wanted to do, you know. And um, I'd say over the next year and a half from that point forward, I realized, you know, I was gonna have a much bigger hand in this. You know, I I took over tour managing and driving and merch and all the things you gotta do to run a business that don't really even matter in just the music world. They matter in in real life business too, you know. So I went to school for that kind of stuff. It kind of just fell into my lap. And uh, you know, that's what I do full time now. Like playing on stage is is a small percentage of the time and and a small percentage of what actually goes on for me on a daily basis. So um the business side is it can be tricky and and tough, but it's it's a lot of fun. I I don't ever have a day where I like want to blow my brains out because the business, you know, it's it's always like the challenge is is the exciting part for me. Like a hundred roadblocks popped up, a hundred things went wrong. How are we gonna solve those problems and fix them and still go on stage on time? You know, that's like exciting for me. Maybe that's sick or twisted, but you know, it's all part of the gig.

SPEAKER_03 23:26

No, and it sounds like you jumped in with both feet, whether you were with Lynch or previous bands. And I think if you if you want to be successful in anything, there has to be 110% put in. It's kind of like my podcast, you know, like do you want to have a show that's uh elevated, like and get good people on it, or do you just want to be like every other podcast that fells after like 10 episodes, right? And so I went out, I bought all the most expensive gear, right? And I said, I'm all in. We're gonna do this to the to the nines, and I'm gonna put in 150% effort, and if it doesn't go anywhere, it doesn't go anywhere. But it sounds like you and I are kind of poured out of the same mold there. If it's you know, the old adage is if it's worth doing, it's worth doing well, right? Sure, I agree.

Surreal Moments With George Lynch

SPEAKER_03 24:15

Well, you um you grew up listening to guys like like George Lynch, right? And and and now you're standing beside him uh on any given night, you know, right next to him. Did you is there still a pinch yourself moment when you're playing with somebody like that where you've where you've admired or you've looked up to a person, right? And it doesn't even have to be music, but in your case it is that you you've seen this guy, you've elevated him, great guitar player, and then all of a sudden you're you're standing on the same stage play it. Is that does that become a surreal thing to you sometimes or or is it just normal now?

SPEAKER_00 24:54

Um it's a little bit both. I mean, it's normal now just because I've been doing it so much, but there is a moment every single night on stage, no matter how long or short the set is, where I do look over and I think, holy fuck, you know, it's a challenge, you know. But um it's uh, you know, and that happens with with certain guys, you know, growing up, you know, getting the jam with people or whatever, sitting in for something like you know, that was always a cool feeling. But for me and George, you know, that was my guy, you know, that those are the songs that you know I I held sacred. And, you know, going up to, you know, I call it the the face-off, you know, we meet in the middle of the stage when it comes time to do a solo and we're like, you know one inch away from each other, you know, ripping. And you know, he's looking at me and going, what key's the solo? You know, for me to be able to be like, it's N D or, you know, whatever it is, and to like know and to be driving the the ship, so to speak. Um, there's no more pinch me moment than that, man, because you know, I'm looking at this guy like, you know, you tell me what you want, and he's asking me what what should he be doing? You know, it's it's it's a weird uh moment and and it happens all the time, but it makes me feel, you know, a way that I can't even really put into words. You know, it's very special and uh I wouldn't trade it for anything. And if it all ended right now, man, I I honestly have no regrets and and uh have nothing but amazing things to say.

SPEAKER_03 26:21

Yeah, well your your story reminds me of of quite a few others, but a couple that came to mind, and and I don't remember her name. I think is it Anna Anakin Niles that's playing drums with Rush Rush now, like you know she's listened to Rush all of her life just by the way she plays, and now she's sitting in the kit with those guys, right? What a what a what a pinch me moment to be for her, right? And and you're kind of in that same, you know, watching George all of those years, and now you're in the band with him, you know. It's it's pretty pretty interesting to think about.

SPEAKER_00 26:56

Yeah, I think another cool aspect of it that you know most people don't really consider is like I've been watching this guy my whole life, you know, I know the songs that he's been playing for years and years and years. So when I come in the band, you know, it's like cool, what songs do you want to play? It's like, oh, I mean, you're asking me. Yeah, I know what the fans have said over the years. Why doesn't he play this song anymore? Why don't they do this? So for me, that kind of makes me a musical director in the sense I can come in and say, Hey, George, you know, you haven't played Kiss of Death in a while, you know, that's what the fans want to hear. And, you know, it's funny, he'll sometimes say, like, yeah, I don't you think people want to hear that, you know, depending on what song we say? I'm like, yeah, man, like, trust me, I was a fan first. Like, this is what the people want. And then to go out and do it and have the reaction from the crowd, you know, it's it's all the more rewarding. And it's not just that I'm doing it for my own personal sake, which of course I am. I'm I'm out there to make myself happy first, but to make the fans happy in the same regard with that same mindset of like, oh my God, I can't believe he played that, or I can't believe we played that. You know, that's that's very rewarding and makes me feel good. Like, you know, I'm doing something for the greater good of everyone, not just the band.

SPEAKER_03 28:07

Yeah, and I I think you're in a good spot. And you know what? I don't know George. I I've never talked to George, but I would have to say that he probably really appreciates that perspective from you, right? Because these guys just they write their songs and they play them, and then there's a lot of guys, you know, and again, I don't know what kind of guy he is, but there's a lot of humble musicians that feel like, yeah, they don't want to hear that song, they don't want to hear that song, but you come and kind of set the record straight, like, dude, they do want to hear those songs. Maybe it's not your favorite song, but there's a lot of people that really love X, Y, and Z, right? And I think you're the voice, you become the voice of reason for him, and given that point counterpoint of what's popular and what you think people want to hear. And that's pretty, that's a pretty cool position to be in. That just means that he, you know, really respects your you know, your opinion and the band. That's super cool.

SPEAKER_00 29:00

Yeah, for sure. We got a got a good thing going for sure.

Recording The Final Ride Live

SPEAKER_03 29:03

Yeah, well, you guys uh released uh you you released the live record this year called The Final Ride. Is that is that correct? Tell the listeners a little bit about the record.

SPEAKER_00 29:15

Um, so the final ride, it's funny, you know, it came out this year, it's called the Final Ride. We thought uh at this point, like a year and a half ago, uh we were gonna be hanging it up. George, you know, thought that was gonna be the end. And uh there was no, you know, trickery behind it. He just sincerely thought he wasn't really gonna be torn anymore. So um, you know, we had the plan to do the last album, Dancing with the Devil, and then the final ride live was gonna kind of come out with that. Um and then because of some you know inner workings with the labels and stuff, it kind of got pushed back. So it really ended up coming out almost two years after it was filmed and recorded. Okay. Um, you know, and here we are back out with Lynch Mob with a different lineup. So it's a little, you know, confusing uh in some ways, you know, having one lineup with this fresh brand new DVD and album, but yet we're out on the road with different guys. Um but the album was great. It was done at the Guild Theater, and um, you know, our original plan was to film like almost twice as many songs. And um, you know, based on the way the day went and setting up and all that, you know, we captured pretty much our standard show, uh, minus a few songs that didn't make the cut for the DVD because of some technical difficulties. But um, you know, it was a fun one put to get to put together. But for me, it was my first official live release. So I was really nervous, you know, during the filming and the recording because, you know, a lot of bands they go in, they fix stuff in the studio after, you know, they mess up. For me, listening to all the deep purple and rainbow bootlegs and stuff, it was like I thought it was cool when people messed up and they left it in there, you know. It was just like it showed that it was real. And so that was the feel that we went for on this live album. I mean, there really weren't any crazy mistakes, which was like the first blessing. You know, it's like, cool, I we actually don't really need to fix anything here, you know, just the mix here and there. But um, you know, there's a couple fluffs in there, whatever, who cares? But uh, it's real, and that's the important part. There's no studio magic, there's no overdubs. Um, and that's what I'm most proud of. You know, you're getting the the raw live show that you would see on any given night, you know, per se.

SPEAKER_03 31:18

Yeah, and I I agree with you. Like a live record is supposed to be that live. I mean, you're you're you're supposed to hear mistakes, right? And you shouldn't expect anything more than some mistakes in those songs, right? Like you can't listen to a live album that's not been overproduced and think that there's not going to be any mistakes in there. And and being, I I play in a duo now, but even when I played solo out, right? Singer-songwriter stuff, there's something about a person in an acoustic guitar that's just as raw as hell, right? That you you know, you can't hide behind heavy drums or the bass or the whole rhythm section. You you're you're exposed and you're right there. And that's okay, right? And you said it best earlier, music's not a competition and it doesn't have to be perfect to be good, right? Well, how did how do you guys or how did you guys decide that the record needed to be a live record? Um versus that of record. Well, I know you put out the 2025 release you talked about, and then the live record was gonna come out at the same time that there were some mix-ups, but how did you guys come up with the idea of you know, we need to have a live record? Whose idea was that in the band? Was that George's ultimate idea, or did was that a you know kind of a democracy decision for you guys?

SPEAKER_00 32:41

It was kind of a mixed bag because uh as I mentioned, you know, we were kind of contracted to do a studio album and the live thing wasn't really something on our radar, but we got booked to play at the guild theater, and part of the uh guild theater greatness is that they have pro shot cameras set up there. I think it's like eight different cameras. So the promoter was kind of like, hey, you know, if you're interested in doing any recording, like this is a great place to do that. Sure. And so, you know, like most guys these days, I think the dollar sign started to go off in George's mind. He's thinking, cool, well, if we could record the show and it's good, maybe that's worth something to the label and we could put out another release. And what better way to do that with, you know, than with the the final lineup of the band, you know, and and document where the band is now. You know, there's been a couple other lynch mob live things here and there. So yeah, you know, it was just kind of like the perfect storm, you know, happening around that time. But um the convenience was really the main thing. The the hardest part was figuring out what songs do you play, you know, you got such an extensive catalog um and can only fit so much into one show. So uh, you know, again, kind of just perfect timing.

SPEAKER_03 33:48

Yeah, would you say by nature you're a you're a live a live recording fan? Like I know live music's one thing. I'm I'm talking about live recordings. Would you say you're a fan mostly of them, or did you never gravitate to towards the live records when bands put them out?

SPEAKER_00 34:08

Um, well, I guess it depends who it is. You know, when you have like a band that plays note for note perfect like they do on the album, you know, you can't tell if it's tracks or not, you know, whatever. Who am I to judge? Um, I don't care so much about that. You know, if there was a Motley Crew live album, I probably wouldn't care. Um But you know, you got a guy like Ted Nugent, double live gonzos. I mean, you're here, you're listening for the guitar and the chaos, and in the live versions of any guys like that or the guitar hero generation, the the the live versions are more blit blitzkrieg than the studio by far. So I was listening to UFO, Shanker, Boudicon, you know, you all that Strangers in the Night. Um You name it, you know, Dawkins back from the or Beast from the East. Uh there's a there's a million Rainbow on stage. Uh personally having one live album, you know, I would be damned to say, you know, I would prefer to have it with George than anybody because he's the perfect example of that generation of never playing the song twice the same, you know, or doing things a little different live. And, you know, there's some songs that didn't make the final ride live because we went off on such a venture musically that it that it didn't go so good, you know. So um we're not scared to do that, but it you know, when you when you do have that magic on stage where you're making it up as you go or jamming or whatever, and it comes out on top in a good way, there's no bigger reward than that.

Improvisation Drummers And Onstage Cues

SPEAKER_03 35:32

Yeah, do you do you feel like you maybe not night after night, but do you find yourself changing bass lines in a song just to give it different flavor on a on a particular night of the week, or do you always try to hold true to like this is what we originally wrote for the song, and I'm just gonna play it just like it is, right?

SPEAKER_00 35:52

It definitely depends on what song it is, and then you know if we're jamming, then there's a lot more improv going on. But the big uh key factor is which drummer we have out with us because we play with a lot of different drummers regularly, um, depending on who's available, and each guy is is very different from each other. I mean, they all play the songs like you would imagine them, but they do it with their own feel or style. So for me, if I'm playing with a guy who's heavy bottom like you know, a Brian Tishy or Jimmy Deanda, you know, I'm playing to them, you know, and and they're very, very much feel and and and power. And then I get, you know, other guys like Will Hunt or Jordan Canada, they're a little more technical, a little more uh just steady rocking and and all sorts of you know flair in between. So yeah, I find myself playing different fills and and accents and stuff to match them. So uh it varies, and and that's also what makes the band fun. You know, it's it's that maybe I mean we don't really ever play the same set list twice, but on top of that, we don't ever play the songs the same twice. So uh, you know, it's it's always making for a new show every single night, no matter how many times in a row you come see the band, you'll never see the same thing twice.

SPEAKER_03 36:59

Well, you gotta keep it fun, right? If you're not having fun out on the road, then that's not good. Well, when you're playing with somebody as recognized recognizable as as George, how do you know, like, as being part of the rhythm section, how do you know when to push the song and and and when to just like get the hell out of the way and just let George do what he does? Is there a telepathy that goes on with you guys?

SPEAKER_00 37:24

Do you just know most of the time I I know because I studied the guy my whole life. I kind of know what he likes and where he likes certain things, but um, you know, we do have signals and stuff. He he'll give a hand signal behind his back or whatever if it's too fast, too slow, lay back, you know, get a little quiet, um, especially during the jams. But uh, you know, he there's a there's a a joke, you know, that seems to be mentioned every single night before we go on stage about doing a bass solo. I'm like, dude, no one wants to see a bass solo, you know. So uh you won't probably catch me ever doing one, but uh, you know, there is I bet you don't stick I bet you Billy Sheehan has played a couple of them in his time, right?

SPEAKER_03 38:04

Wouldn't you think?

SPEAKER_00 38:05

There's guys that deserve it for sure. I'm not one of those guys. I'm I'm very uh, you know, I'm just there to do my job. But uh I do like to jam and have fun and add some stuff in, and there definitely is some stuff going on there, but it's I I know the spots to do it if if I want to do it, and uh I can read him pretty well, you know. I'm looking over on maybe he's not in the mood for this jam tonight, you know, whatever it might be.

SPEAKER_03 38:28

What do you you know what what do you think the uh the biggest misconception people have about George? Have you ever pondered that much? Um, well because you're with him all the time versus people that have never been around him like me, and I didn't know if there was a misconception of him.

SPEAKER_00 38:47

I don't know if there's too many misconceptions. I mean, uh I'm in all the fan groups online on Facebook, all that. I've been a fan, you know, I've heard the things before I ever met the guy, you know, oh he can be temperamental. They call him Mr. Scary for a reason. No, he's like the nicest guy you'll ever meet. The the problem is, you know, you take any any random person and catch them at the wrong time, you might you might annoy them or you might c catch them in a bad moment, whatever it is. And of course, those are always the times where the fans seem to draw that comment from, oh, he's mean, he's a dick, or whatever. It's like, no, the guy had, you know, his hands full of three guitars and two amps and breaking his back, going upstairs, and you're asking him for an autograph or how to play a solo. It's like wrong place, wrong time, you know.

SPEAKER_03 39:32

Right, right. No, know your timing, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_00 39:35

I think that goes for just about anybody, but you know, for a guy like George, you know, people will say, you know, I heard I heard he's you know, he's tricky to just to talk to. I'm like, he's the easiest guy in the world to talk to. Just don't swarm him and don't make him uncomfortable, you know, like any regular person.

SPEAKER_03 39:50

Yeah, I mean treat him like a human. He's a human at the end of the day, right? Absolutely. Well, you've you've played with uh a lot of great players. What what do you think it is? Is there one thing that comes to your mind that that makes George different than other players that you've played with?

SPEAKER_00 40:07

I mean, he's just born with the magic, man. I mean he just picks up the guitar and he doesn't even have to have a pick, he doesn't have to be plugged in, he could just be noodling on the couch. The guy's playing things that you know other people, I mean, yeah, maybe people could physically do it and copy it, but he's just making stuff up that's so uh out in left field that it comes from a mind that no one could really just be like that. You you're either born like that, it's it's kind of like you know, a part of his being, you know. It's you just close your eyes and and he becomes one with the guitar. It's it's not that other people don't have that, he's just got his own way of of of style, you know, that really dictates that. So uh, you know, again, I play with some other great guys too, and they're all good players, and and I have nothing bad to say, or this guy's the best or second best. It's not about that. Yeah. Uh there's just some guys that are a freak of nature when it comes to what they can do, and George is definitely above and beyond in that category.

SPEAKER_03 41:07

Yeah. Well, you you know, we talked a little bit about uh the record final ride, and I I'm not ever one that tries to expose anything that that a an artist doesn't want to talk about, but is is there some truth to that that this could be the last record for Lynch Mob, or is that is there really there's no truth to that?

SPEAKER_00 41:31

It's not that there's no truth to it. I think that was the intention. Okay. Um but we're already working on another studio album right now. Um George is pretty much hammered out the majority of his parts, and it's going into drums and bass and vocals here in the coming weeks. Um, so you'll definitely get another full-length uh album and and uh release from Lynch Mob.

SPEAKER_03 41:51

What are you working on right now that people might not know

Session Work Social Media And Next Moves

SPEAKER_03 41:57

about? Is there something uh are there interests outside of Lynch Mob that keeps you busy?

SPEAKER_00 42:04

Sure, man. I play with uh a number of different bands on and off in my downtime um and do records all the time. Uh I've probably got four to six records that I've worked on this year that will be coming out either before the end of the year or just after the top of the new year, uh, of all different stuff. Heavy metal, real heavy stuff, regular rock, traditional metal, um, you know, all different things. And uh my favorite thing is to make music and to be creative. So to collaborate with other artists is always a blast because that brings out sides of me that you know might not come out with Lynch Mob or uh, you know, when I'm doing Heaven's Edge or any of these other bands that are kind of have a sound or an established mood, if you will. Um so yeah, I'm I'm always working on something, whether it's just one track for somebody or a record, um, you know, I'm no stranger to doing session work.

SPEAKER_03 42:57

Do you promote the session work? Like if somebody, because I've talked to others on my show that will that will record tracks, right? That, you know, hey, if you want me to play drums on your record or your song or whatever, send me the song and I'll I'll do the the drums for it, right? Do you do the same thing with the bass guitar for for people? And how do you choose those people that you might work with, right?

SPEAKER_00 43:21

Um, I do uh yeah, I do bass for whoever, you know. If somebody presents an idea or a song and wants to get together, whether it's a friend or a stranger, I'm all for it as long as, you know, when I listen to it, I feel like I can contribute something to it and I like it. That's always the first thing. It's never really about the money. You know, if I really, really like something, you know, uh it might not be about the money at all. You know, I might just want to be a part of it. But um, you know, it's not something I advertise, you know. I'm not one of those guys that's like, hire me to play on your thing or, you know, buy buy go to my website and see what I'm up to. Like, no, man, I I'm just a I'm a bass player. If you like what I do, go to my page and look at my stuff, you know, and reach out. You know, I'm not cramming it in your face. I'm not trying to sell myself. I'm a brand uh in my own mind. You know, I'm not like trying to brand myself like on Instagram or, you know, get subscribers. I just do my thing. If you like it, click it. If you don't, that's fine too. You know, I'm not out there for the for the fame portion of it. I just want to be known like some of the greats, you know, Jimmy Bain or uh Neil Murray or a geezer, you know. Oh, we need a sound uh this kind of guy. Oh, oh, I know a guy that plays like that, you know. That's how I want to be known. I don't want to be known as, you know, rock star bass player guy. I just want to be known, you know, for for a vibe, you know, uh a flavor, you know, a a a piece of uh musical history.

SPEAKER_03 44:44

Yeah. And that that's interesting. To hear you say that because I think that's not the mindset of a lot of musicians today. They're all about I have this many followers and I get this many clicks and they're so hung up on uh appearance and uh the whole site. It's like I don't I don't see anything on your site music-wise, it's all photographs. Like you're you you seem like more like a mo not not you. I'm I'm thinking of like some some female artists that are constantly just posting pictures of themselves. It's like I want to see your music, like all the photo shoots and the glam stuff just doesn't it I I know it has to happen, but it's just like too much of that stuff sometimes, right? And you just seem like a real laid-back guy, and I just I just want to play the guitar. I don't need the spotlight, I don't need 10,000 followers or 500 million followers or whatever the deal is, right? It's not that important to you.

SPEAKER_00 45:35

No, for me, it's a I treat social media and web stuff like it's a magazine, you know. If I saw an issue of guitar world or whatever and it was like, oh, it's all I owe me, you know, there's a whole article out. I'm going in there for the pictures I've never seen. I'm going in there to read about, oh, that one night where they clashed with Ozzy, you know. I like that's the stuff I'm into because, you know, they're not out there cramming it down your face. You know, you go buy it because you're interested. That's kind of how I treat my sites. You know, I got a million pictures and videos up there of me playing in this. It's all for just people that are interested in looking at it. You know, if they want to know more about me, you can go to my page and find out. I'm not there saying, look at me. I got a fucking six-pack and I was at the beach with this famous person. Like, no, you know, it's it's just me. You know, it's there's no force-fed agenda. It's not to get famous. It's just if you like what I do and you want to know more and and read into it, go to my page. I treat it like it's a fan page.

unknown 46:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 46:30

I'm kind of the same way, Jaron. It's like if you if you like the stories behind the songs and you like getting to know maybe some musicians that some things that you didn't know about them, listen to the show. If you don't care about that, then don't don't listen. Like it doesn't matter one way or another, right? It's I'm not gonna quit because three people told me that they don't listen to my show. I could care less about that.

SPEAKER_00 46:52

So the same way.

SPEAKER_03 46:54

What's uh what's one musical door that you feel like you haven't opened yet that you'd like to? Has have you ever pondered that? Like I'd really like to do this in the next five or ten years or or now, like is there something that you haven't checked the box on?

SPEAKER_00 47:11

Um, well, I mean, there's like tour stuff like going to Japan, or you know, things like that. But um, in terms of like the actual music, uh not really. You know, for me, it's more I'm enjoying everything I can while I can. And again, if it all ended today, I'd be happy. But the thing I do start to think about now as time goes on and and Lynch Mob has already kind of winded down a little bit at one point, you know, it's like what are what's my next move? You know, I love playing in this genre. Uh, but you know, a lot of the guys are getting older and retiring, and you know, I see the window closing a little bit. You know, is there five more years? Is there ten more years? Who's to really say? Um, so in my mind, I start thinking, cool, the next thing I want to do, I want to go back to playing heavy music. You know, I want to play in the metal bands and you know, nothing like absolutely insane, but you know, stuff that's universally accepted, you know, not just in the states, but like Europe, you know, Europe's really big with metal, you know, and thrash and all that. And the states are it's kind of hit or miss, you know. Uh playing in uh a legacy act, you know, in the 80s, really, yeah, it's big in the states, and yes, there is some some action in Europe and stuff like that, but I'd like to do something that's universally accepted everywhere and uh you know, maybe a little more physically challenging. Like I sweat a little more on stage, if you know what I mean. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 48:30

It's it's interesting that you bring that up. Like I've I've had several musicians, and and and I just thought about this one while while I just said that, but but over the years, uh, you know, I've had Graham Bonnet on my show and we've we've become friends, and I've gone out and stayed with him and Bethany and Studio City and you know, all the things, but it's I kind of lost my train of thought of what I was even gonna tell you about that, but um yeah, it'll come back to me in a minute, uh, and we'll and I'll come back to it. But what about if like from from a young musician, like what do you think young musicians misunderstand about making a living playing music? Because that's what you do now, right? And there's up-and-comers that are that are coming up, you know, that are I'm gonna make music my life, right? What what do you think is the biggest misconception that they don't see yet?

SPEAKER_00 49:32

Um well, aside from all the hours of hard work that goes into it outside of the actual playing and you know, being in a van or a bus or wherever with a bunch of people you may or may not know very well and dealing with the different attitudes and personalities, uh, you know, I feel like, you know, in one sense, I'm the wrong guy to ask because I'm an old soul in a younger guy's body. I'm 37 going on 38, uh, but I'm playing with guys twice my age, you know. Uh, but I'm an old soul mentally, so I know kind of where I'm at with that. I think with the younger generation, they think it's how good can I be, how fast can I play, how many views can I get, and everyone's sitting in their bedroom shredding better than the next guy on YouTube and all this and posting covers nonstop of them playing all these crazy songs. It's like I never really learned any covers. I never really put videos up of me playing other people's songs. Like, I got all my gigs by going out and networking and like showing myself on stage and people seeing me playing thinking, hey, we should get this guy or whatever. You know, maybe in today's world that is how you get gigs by putting a million videos of yourself doing rush covers or whatever, and that's how you get gigs. And I know people that have done well for themselves by doing it that way. So again, maybe I'm the wrong guy to ask, but you know, I think the majority of it is the hang. Can you go out to a show and hang with a tour group or with a crowd or a venue or an agent and get along with all those different people? And can you handle when someone's in a bad mood for a couple of days and they're sitting next to you the whole time? You know, it's so many different layers. And, you know, whether you want to be a touring musician or a studio musician or a pop star, it all varies. But, you know, dealing with people, I think is the biggest part of it that, you know, people just like, oh, I gotta be this, I have to be that. Like, okay, yeah, you're you're the greatest, you're the fastest, you're this and that, but that doesn't mean that you're gonna have fun playing with four other guys that hate your guts or that you don't get along with or have different views than you. And you know, it's just it's just socializing, really, you know, at the end of the day.

SPEAKER_03 51:35

It it really is. And I remember now what what my point was gonna be with with Graham and another band that I had on my show called Hellstar. Like that they're they have a bigger following in Europe than here. And and that's very true for Graham today. And like I, you know, when when Graham and Beth and me were here, we were talking about they were on their way to do a South American tour. And I said, What do you got going on, you know, here stateside? She's like, We I mean we can't book it. I mean, there's a select few places, right? No, it's like there's no fan base here for Graham, right? But you go to Europe and and uh Asia and all of the other places, and he still has a ton of fans over there. And the same was with with Hellstar, like there's there's not a big metal scene here in in the Houston area. And you know, I think metal, I mean, I mean, it's just it's different now than it was before, but those guys go from here playing you know a hand a couple of handfuls of shows a year, and they go over to Europe and they're like metal gods, right? They have a huge following over there, and I also believe that uh uh people in Europe specifically listen to music differently. They're they're like they actually listen, whereas a lot of people here have just stopped listening anymore to music, right?

SPEAKER_00 53:00

Absolutely, and you know, that music was always more impactful in Europe when it came out, you know, like all those albums made in Japan, made in Europe, you know, like there's a reason. Yeah. You know, it's America's very much at the fad and the fashion of what's going on. And I think in Europe, nobody really gives a shit. They they like what they like and they recognize talent, you know. I don't want to say bands of today aren't talented because, you know, who am I to judge? But I find that bands from the older eras, you know, they're more perfectionists, or you know, it's not about just hitting the auto-tune button and making it sound as good as possible. It's more about, okay, maybe you can't sing that every single time. So let's try to find something that works for you or that's a little different or powerful. And I think the crowds really recognize that and and and can connect with that in Europe. You know, it's just a different mindset there. And having gone there and played there quite a few times now, it's everything that I always thought it was as a fan, you know, growing up and watching DVDs or reading about the crowds there and and the hunger that they have for it. And it's not just the old legacy bands, it's even the newer ones that have kind of that old school feel. You know, it there's a million bands that sound like white snake from Europe. And in the States, there's like you'd be lucky to find a white snake tribute, you know?

SPEAKER_03 54:14

It's it's just things have changed. Yeah, things have changed a lot since, you know, and you're far younger than than I am, but the the music has just changed so d drastically since the eighties and the seventies, right? And now post-COVID, like it's really even different post-COVID, right? So it's it's interesting times. How much of your career do you feel like being at the at the place you're at right now? How much of your career do you think came from just pure talent? And how much has come from simply just being uh being a guy that shows up and is present? Like it on the balance scale of justice, how does that tip?

SPEAKER_00 54:54

Uh well, I think 99% of it is is the hard work and being a guy that shows up and never quits. Um, you know, and then the reason that I keep my gigs is that I can also play, you know, to an extent. You know, I'm not the greatest bass player in the world, but I can definitely hang, obviously, with with some of the the good ones out there. But uh, you know, I bust my ass every single day, even for a 30-minute set, you know, I I put in a 24-hour stage workload. You know, it doesn't matter uh what the day entails, even if it's a day off. I I tell my girlfriend this all the time, and she drives her nuts. It's like the second that I leave the house to go to the airport for a show or a run of shows, I'm on the clock. That's how I see it. All I'm thinking about is band stuff. It's not that I don't have time for anything else. It's just like I'm completely like engulfed in it. You know, I I live, I live for it. Until I get the guys at the airport, pick them up, get them in the van, and drop them to their hotel room door and they're in for the night. I'm not thinking about anything else. You know, as not only just a tour manager and and that being my duty, but as a bandmate and knowing that, cool, all my guys are safe, they're asleep. I know that tomorrow they're gonna wake up and we're gonna have a great show. You know, I don't have guys that are just out all night and I'm worried about them, whether it's my job to worry or not. I'm just naturally wired that way, you know, like, oh, this guy drank all night. Is he gonna be able to sing tomorrow? You know, like that stresses me out because that affects the show for everybody, you know. Absolutely. Um so I like to be that guy. I like to be the middleman. I like to be the mediator and and the voice of reason when it comes to doing the business out there on the road. But uh, you know, uh whether that gets me the gigs or not, you know, I'd like to think that I can also, you know, still play play well. And uh I play very hard, you know, and it shows. So uh if that's appreciated or it fits what I'm doing, that's great. And if it's more about the business, that's okay too.

SPEAKER_03 56:51

Absolutely. Well, how tough of a gig is that um the tour manager, right? Because I hear Beth and me speak of that. So she's the bass player for Graham Bonnet's band, right? I've got that. Yeah, so you know, she's like, man, it's sometimes it's just like corralling cats, right? Because you got four or five people in the band and they all have minds of their own and want to, you know, got to be on the bus at three or whatever, got a sound check, and I'm trying to corral the cats. And I I was just curious if that's a pretty uh pretty arduous job or a tough job to be a tour manager for a tour touring band like Lynch Mob specifically.

SPEAKER_00 57:27

Well, put it this way um for Lynch Mob, it's an it's not that it's an easy job, it's it's pretty simple. All my guys are cool, no one's maniacs getting in trouble, you know. Here and there we'll get a guy that comes in and you know, you gotta wake him up because he's late for a lobby call. You know, stuff like that. It's pretty simple. Um just keeping everybody happy. One guy's getting ticked off, maybe he's tired and just exhausted and taking it out on everybody. You know, I try to be a pillow to kind of soften the blow on the rest of the guys or whatever the situation might be. But I I can tell you this, I've been tour managers for other bands where I mean, all the gray hair you see in my beard and gray hair you can't see on my head, is it's from that job, man. And it's, you know, you gotta play good cop and bad cop and get on stage and keep everybody happy. You know, it's just it's a lot, man. It's a 24-hour job, seven days a week.

SPEAKER_03 58:21

It's a business, it's a business, right? It's a it's a it has to be a well-oiled machine or or things just don't happen, right? Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 58:28

Exactly. And uh, you know, I'm grateful to have that position and to do those jobs, and I respect all the people that do that only. You know, some bands have tour managers that aren't guys in the band, um, which is probably, you know, if you have the budget for it, it's probably the right way to go in the great thing. But when you operate the way that we do, man, it's nice to have a tight-knit little group and everyone's on the same page of what's going on, and the communication is key. You know, uh keeping everybody in the loop keeps everybody happy. No one feels like, you know, anyone's pitted against each other or uh anything like that. So it's really it just kind of depends on the group, but um, I think sometimes the the guy doing that job really dictates the band because you got a tour manager that's only there for the paycheck and they don't care who they're working for, yeah. They're not gonna care so much about making this guy happy or that guy, you know, get make sure he gets his beer after the show or whatever it is, you know. You gotta really have some passion and some some love for that for that duty because it's a very delicate thing.

SPEAKER_03 59:30

Yeah, no

Quick Fire Favorites And Farewell

SPEAKER_03 59:30

doubt. Like I wanted to throw a couple of quick fire questions towards you. Um, and and they can just be one-word answers. You can keep them as brief as you want, or you can expound upon them, that's fine. But for you, for you, a bass player, the best bass player that nobody talks about in your eyes. Oh man.

SPEAKER_00 59:52

Uh Ingve Malmstein. As a bass album. If you ever listen to some of those early Ingve albums, like the first three or four of them, the bass is ridiculous. And it's not because he plays like he plays guitar, it's just I mean, there's just some really crazy stuff going on in there that obviously is from a guitar player's mind, but uh, you know, I would say Ingvei is a killer, killer example of that. Um you know, D D Verney from Overkill is one of my all-time favorites. And, you know, they're not a huge band, you know. I mean, they're a big metal band for sure, but you know, then to dive into each individual guy, you know, he's one of those guys that I've always thought was one of the greats in in metal. Yeah. Um so yeah, those would be two examples, I guess.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:34

Yeah. And this is probably a tough question, but in in your eyes, greatest rock album that you've ever heard.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:43

Man. Uh it's so hard, man. I mean, I could just go down the list of of the bands and which ones I prefer. Uh, but just because it's fresh on my mind. I mean, obviously, Wicked Sensation is one of my personal favorites from Lynch Mob. Um, but uh Assault Attack from MSG, um Headless Cross from Sabbath, um In Rock, Deep Purple. Uh, I mean, how do you really pick, man? I mean, it's I I can't even make playlists of my favorite bands because I just like put every single album front to back on every every playlist. My all-time favorite band uh is a band called Evergrade from Sweden. And um I can't pick one album because every album they have is absolutely masterpiece, but um, you know, it's a band that they take all of the eras of all of the different music that I like and somehow put it into this composition that it just for me, man, there's no deeper emotional or or soulful connection to any music than this. Um, and I think it's a uh cumulative gathering of of all these bands we've been kind of talking about. And uh, you know, again, I couldn't pick one album, but that would be the one band that I would say sums up a lot of the of the styles that I like.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:02

Yeah, and I think you would probably agree that question could could be one album on Monday, but Tuesday could you might have a different thought process just depending on what what mood you're in, right? 100%. Yeah. Uh are you an early bird or a not night owl?

SPEAKER_00 1:02:19

Uh depends on the day and what we're doing, but uh I like to be a night owl on my own accord. Uh, but if I need to get up early and catch a flight or get business done, I uh you won't hear me complaining one bit.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:30

Right. Is there uh can you think of the most intimidating musician that you've that you've ever worked with?

SPEAKER_00 1:02:40

Intimidating. Um man, I I don't know who'd be intimidating. I guess maybe George at first, just because like I was so nervous, you know, getting that gig. But um, I mean, I've met some musicians just in casual fasting that were intimidating and kind of not very nice. That kind of left a bad taste in my mouth. Um, but you know, I won't go out as far as to say who they were, but I have worked with them and do still work with them on a on a fairly regular basis. Um, and that thought never leaves my mind. You know, no matter how much I love that person as a kid or even as an adult, I'm like, oh yeah, that guy was a jerk off to me when I was 15, and I'll never forget it. Yeah, yeah. No, I get it. But, you know, uh I find, you know, at my stage of my career, you know, I haven't run into any of those tyrant personalities or anything like that.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:29

Yeah. And I think I think the the question was probably more when I use the word intimidating, just from a sheer talent perspective, right? Um, and and I would probably you would probably say George in the beginning, right? Was probably the most intimidating.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:45

Well, definitely that because you know, he likes to just make up stuff on stage a lot, uh, jam out, you know, improv. So like I don't have a lot of musical knowledge in terms of theory and all that. So like for me, I know the basics because I've been playing so long, but like a guy like that just starts pulling out some crazy riffs and notes, it's like I gotta hope I can follow along, you know, in key, yeah, and you know, that kind of a thing. So uh yeah, I mean, that would probably be the closest thing. I gotcha.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:13

One piece of gear that you just couldn't live without.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:18

Man, uh I guess at this point, uh a P Base or my orange base terror head. Um I mean, I assuming I always have a base, you know, that that orange head has really changed the game for me. Uh I've had everything Ampegs, PVs, you name it. Um and Glenn Hughes turned me on to the base terror head. I was always a big tube guy. Um, but the base terror is actually like half solid state, half tube, and it gets the best of both worlds, the solid state and the tube thing, and the the tones are ridiculous. And I feel the more times people ask me, how do you get that tone, the more times I'm like, hell yeah, dude. I'm not giving up the secret sauce, but at the same time, thank you for acknowledging, you know.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:00

Right on, right on. So you are you are a fender player, that's your that's your go-to.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:05

Uh yeah, I play fender and fender style stuff. I I've been building my own, which is something I kind of picked up from George over the years. He builds a lot of guitars, and uh I've been building a lot of Fender style uh basses and playing those, and um, you know, a lot of them play just as good as any of my fenders, but yeah, if I had to go to the store, fender would be my choice.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:23

Right on. If you if you didn't play bass, what what instrument do you think you'd play? Would it be good?

SPEAKER_00 1:05:31

I'd love to be like a killer singer. Yeah. Yeah, me, I mean, maybe guitar, but like singer, I mean, you can just walk up somewhere and swoon just about anybody hitting a high note, you know, that'd be super cool.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:42

Yeah, and there's so many people, like I kind of I kind of judge myself a lot. You know, I'm a I'm a vocalist um in this duo, and I I mean I think I have an okay voice, but there when you compare, right, uh some of the amazing singers, even even going and listening to people on shows like The Voice and Mer American Idol, it really puts it in perspective how good people really are. Really, how good a singer really is, right?

SPEAKER_00 1:06:09

And people were born with it, and it's undeniable.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:11

Yeah, for sure. If you if you weren't a musician, what do you think you'd be doing?

SPEAKER_01 1:06:18

Um Man, I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:21

When I was a kid, I always wanted to be a trash guy on like the California coast or something, you know, somewhere outside in the sun doing something, hanging on a truck, whatever. I mean, I don't know, man. Uh I I like business, so I'm sure I'd be doing deals or something real seemingly important, you know, being on the phone, walking around being cool or something. But uh I've done so many jobs growing up, man. I I really I love just about.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:51

What's coming up for you that that I didn't bring up or tee up for you? Is there anything that you wanted to share with the listeners that we maybe didn't touch on that's near and dear to your heart?

SPEAKER_00 1:07:05

Um, well, we got another killer year of Lynch Mob dates coming. 27 Scott. Um a lot of stops that are about to be announced that you probably would never imagine Lynch Mob being mentioned uh as a part of these events, uh, which is very exciting for me uh and the band. Um and uh, you know, a busy, busy schedule next year, especially since we thought we were done last year. Um but things that we didn't really talk about, you know, I play as another band called Heaven's Edge, and we have a record coming out in November on November 13th via Frontier Records. Um and, you know, I'll I also mentioned I have a few other albums I've worked on. I mean, literally probably before the end of the year, I'd say there's at least three or four more that'll be out um that we'll start talking about here soon. So uh, you know, just staying on top of everything and and for me being creative and and moving on to the next thing. I I don't really like to reflect on the past. Um so like, you know, just constantly creating new. You know, that's that's something I I always like to uh not only lean on, but you know, appreach, if you will, because so many people, you know, they put in an album every 10 years. It's like I don't think I could do that. I need to like work on like three or four a year minimum, you know, just to get the juices out.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:19

I get it. I get it. Well, it's interesting because one of my favorite bands of all time, they are originally from Louisiana, but a couple of the guys live up in um they're in New York, I think, Long Island, but Zebra, uh, a band. Zebra, right? And it's been decades since they put out a new record, and and I'm excited because they're they're coming out with their fifth record this year, I believe. And they've been together for 50 years, right? So it's literally a record every decade, right? Is what it equates to. So there's some people like you that are prolific, and you just like you got 900 things going on at all times, right? And then you got bands like that that just, I mean, it's almost like Boston, right? You remember they went a long time in between records and whatnot. But uh where can the um where can the listeners find Jaron Galino on social media?

SPEAKER_00 1:09:13

Uh the best places to get in touch are just to find out what's going on, and there's gonna be Instagram and Facebook. I'm pretty active on Instagram, Facebook, just because you kind of have to be, but uh, I'm more of a pictures and video guy, so Instagram's usually the first place I'm posting anything. Um and I try to respond to everybody. So if there's anybody out there watching or listening that wants to reach out and uh you know wants to talk or needs advice or whatever, man, my my phone's always on and I'm always working.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:40

Right on. Well, Jaron, listen, man, this has been fun. It's it's great to hear your story and to get to share that with the diehard listeners on Backstage Pass Radio around the world. So thanks for being here and taking the time. I know you're kind of caught in between states there, but I appreciate you making the time and chatting with me.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:58

Of course, Randy, thank you for having me. It's been a pleasure.

SPEAKER_03 1:10:00

Yeah, stand by real quick. But I asked the uh listeners to like, share, and subscribe to the podcast on Facebook at Backstage Pass Radio Podcast, on Instagram at BackstagePass Radio, and on the website at BackstagePassradio.com. You guys remember to take care of yourselves and each other, and we'll see you right back here on the next episode of Backstage Pass Radio.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:21

Thank you for tuning into this episode of Backstage Pass Radio. Backstage Pass Radio. We hope you enjoyed this episode and gained some new insights into the world of music. Backstage Pass Radio is heard in over 80 countries, and the streams continue to grow each week. If you loved what you heard, don't forget to subscribe, rate, and leave reviews on your favorite podcast platform. Your feedback means the world to us and helps us bring you even more amazing content. So join us next time for another deep dive into the stories and sounds that shape our musical landscape. Until then, keep listening, keep exploring, and keep the passion of music alive.