(Eonian Records) Total Time: 51:00
GYNGER LYNN formed in 1989 when bassist Jim Stuppy paid a visit to Dean Pressley, the lead singer and guitarist for Chicago-based band CHERI LANE. Jim and Dean spent the entire afternoon talking about collaborating. Over the course of the same day, Jim would eventually introduce Dean to Will Hair, who in turn called drummer Frank Paul that same evening. The four musicians spent the next two weeks writing and playing in Frank’s basement.
Within a month, the newly formed GYNGER LYNN had hit “The Windy City” like a ferocious storm. Local management companies and producers began to take notice. After recording two demo cassettes at The Playroom with Joe Bader at the helm, building the perfect road crew, and continuously writing new material, the band was off to conquer the Chicago music scene. The band played six to eight shows a month, rehearsed five days a week, and basically lived the rock-n-roll lifestyle to its fullest.
Over the course of the next couple of months, GYNGER LYNN would gain interest from Hounds and Columbia recording artist John Hunter. John would soon become the band’s long time manager and was determined to see the GYNGER LYNN maximize their musical talents and showmanship. John later took the band to Chicago Recording Company to record some of the band’s best material with Chris Sheppard. GYNGER LYNN would also begin to open for many national acts such as Doro, Tony MaCalpine, TUFF, LILIAN AXE, HELIX, BO C, and many others. Although times were good for Gynger Lynn, changes began to develop about midway through with Frank and Dean and their collaboration. Ergo, the side projects were short lived. Frank had decided to pursue a different genre and has since gone on to become a great country, pop, and Christian recording artist. Frank can be found by visiting www.frankpaul.com.
Dean would soon head back to GYNGER LYNN and at the same time would add two new band members with Gavin Jadwin on keyboards and Luke James Lorraine on drums. Gynger Lynn was now a five piece machine and was ready to get back to business as usual. The band went back to six to eight shows a month, often playing double shows on weekends. Known for their punked-up version of “The Time Warp,” lots of silly string, sufficient supply of beer, beautiful girls at all of the shows, broken guitars, plenty of original material, hard work, and most importantly high-energy, GYNGER LYNN never had to worry about giving the same show twice and appeared to be on their way.
They was also beginning to play showcases for and meeting with many of the music industry’s top record executives from Warner Brothers, RCA, Columbia, Capital, and Geffen. The band would also see plenty of air time on The Spirit of Chicago 103.5 the Blaze.
In 1994, they would eventually go their own way, as the record industry was no longer interested in signing bands of this nature. However, it was an incredible five year ride. GYNGER LYNN had recorded a few dozen studio tracks, played hundreds of shows, and still remain friends to this day.
Now it is thetime to evaluate again this lost gem. When you have to bring some comparisons and the first that comes to mind is VEIN and then LA GUNS, SKID ROW, POISON, then something has to be good about them. GIBNGER LYNN got the look, the puffy hair, the spandex, the lip-gloss, but they also got some really heavy music to back their rock n roll dream. They were fast, noisy, riotous, ready for party and if you think of the megastars of the era, GUNS N ROSES, these rockers were a bit more commercial, getting the great GNR backing vocal tradition and adjusted to their own sound. This is LA scene at its best, devastating, and merciless rock n roll. In some parts, I think, like listening to WHITE LION, at the vocal department one of the few bands with such a charismatic singer, but in general the mix between WHITE LION and CHEAP TRICK works in an extraordinary way.
What does a sleaze record good? A bit of KISS, a bit of TUFF, big choruses, well worked backing vocals, anthemic guitar parts and you have an arena rock dynamite, that dies to be sung by million ligher lifting fans. Past glories, or vintage entertainment, your choice and then its only rock n roll.
