Interviewed by Brian Rademacher
Date: August 2008

Jacob Lynam: Hey Brian, man Sorry about having such a hard time getting in touch with me, so how are you doing?

Brian Rademacher: Good, Good. All rested up from our trip to Rocklahoma. I mean we had a great time; the work really came when we got home and had to do the story for our site. Dave Felix our writer did all the writing and Mark and I did the photography. It takes a lot out of you but we had a blast plus we had another writer on our staff Greg Schmitt that also went to the show.

Let’s start off with some congratulations on the new release “Tragic City Symphony”?

Jacob Lynam: Thank you.

Brian Rademacher: Your last CD was on DRT now you’re on New Ocean Media. What are they? Did they release the album or are they just an outlet?

Jacob Lynam: They’re a media outlet that signed us and released our record. We’re really fired up because of the stuff we seen them do with other bands on a press level. We’re extreme excited to be with the company.

Brian Rademacher: “Slave to the Machine” reached the top 20 in billboard. Were you excited about that?

Jacob Lynam: Yeah it did, I was completely surprised and overwhelmed and thought it was amazing. You know you spend so long working in the studio working on songs, writing songs and going out to the clubs and playing them, when something like that happen on a national level; its like wow that’s amazing people are actually going out and buying it.

Brian Rademacher: So what did you think of Rocklahoma, were you there everyday?

Jacob Lynam: Yeah we were there everyday, we got there the day VAIN played. We stayed until after we played on Sunday. We got to see just about everybody. The one band that I wanted to see more than anybody that I missed due to our hotel being in the city and I didn’t get there in time because it was too early, was KINGDOM COME. I really wanted to see them badly.

Brian Rademacher: Yeah same with us, we stayed in Tulsa and I really wanted to see BIG COCK but I was with three other people from our site and we got back to the hotel at 4am and there was no way we could get back to Pryor for their set. But I did get to hang with Dave and Robert Mason during the storm, so we talked. What other bands at Rocklahoma impressed you?

Jacob Lynam: I’m really good friends with Jani Lane from WARRANT. I’ve known Jani for a while, and I haven’t seen WARRANT in so long. His show, the way he treated the audience was just amazing. I mean it was pouring down rain and he went out past the shelter of the stage and stood out with the crowd getting rained on just rockin letting them know thank you guys for standing out. If you guys are going to stand out in the rain and watch me I’m going to stand out in the rain and perform for you guys, you guys rock. I think that spoke enormously of his character. He's such a great dude and they blew me way and so did KIX. Lita Ford did great, everybody I saw was amazing. I know Dario for awhile and we’ve been friends and it was a lot of fun just to hang out with him for the four days and really hang out and bond, His band KARNEVAL is a great band and a bunch of great guys.

Brian Rademacher: Tell me a little about the new album ”Tragic City Symphony” Beau Hill mixed a track?

Jacob Lynam: Yeah Beau Hill mixed “A Million Ways” and he nailed it and did such a great job. Mike Shipley who mixed all the DEF LEPPARD stuff he mixed a track did an amazing job and nailed it. And the rest was mixed and produced by Jason Elgin who we used on all our records. He worked with a lot of bands including CREED. The songs are pretty much straight ahead rock anthems. We went into the album wanting to make sure each song had a giant chorus that after hearing it the first time through everybody can be singing along. I think we achieved that and we’re really proud of it. You know how every band says this is the best thing we ever done, laughing this is the best thing we ever done. Everything about it is just huge man.

Brian Rademacher: This is your 5th full length release, are you happy with the progress of the band or were you expecting more?

Jacob Lynam: One thing I learned about this business is, NEVER expect anything (laughing). Do it because you love it and if you have any expectation you’ll be one of the bands that stay together a year of two and break up. That is not the way it is, you play music because you love music, you play in a band because you love the guys in the band like brothers and if any success comes out of it, that’s just icing on the cake. One thing we’ve been very fortunate to get is record deals and get our records out to the masses. We never had the success (laughing) of FOO FIGHTERS or CREED, but we are extremely happy for what we are doing and I couldn’t be happier where the band is right now.

Brian Rademacher: Tom Keifer did a track on the CD, did he do that through a wave file and how’s he feeling?

Jacob Lynam: He came down to the studio where we recorded. He brought his Les Paul and his amp and Marshall Head and plugged in and we hung out all day, we played the track and after we were done cutting the track we went to the Macaroni Grill and had lunch (laughing). He’s feeling better but still on vocal rest. He’s real hopeful that everything will work out and trying to decide if there has to be another surgery or what can be done, his spirits are high, he’s a trooper.

Brian Rademacher: Ok let’s get to some of the CD. “Is This A Heartbreak or a Loaded Gun” has the feel of DEF LEPPARD especially with the chorus. How did you pick that song to start the CD off?

Jacob Lynam: We wanted to start the CD off with a real rock song that grabs everybody’s attention where the chorus will really stick out. We wanted it to be huge and rope people in. It’s just a straight in your face good rock song. It’s basically about trying to achieve something and it seems like people are always kicking you down. You might get close to something and they will kick you down again and at some point you have to ask yourself is this a heartbreak or a loaded gun. Like should I get back up and try again or is it a loaded gun, is there no point, I’m going to blow my brains out if I keep trying it. The answer is you keep on trying and never give up.

Brian Rademacher: : “Lindsay Says” has a pop sound like THE REMBRANDTS, what’s your feeling on that song?

Jacob Lynam: : “Lindsay Says”, I agree with you completely, it’s a good heavy pop song. That song right there is a song that everybody can relate to at some point in there life; it’s about going out with someone who is a total psycho (laughing) and afterwards you have to step back and it might be you who is crazy. Maybe it’s you.

Brian Rademacher: “Just Say Anything”, that’s a nice mellow ballad, tell me about that? Jacob Lynam: Once again (laughing) another song that people can relate to. Anybody that’s been in love and been through a relationship and you get in a fight with you signification other and the person is giving you the silent treatment, that’s the worst thing in the world, it’s hurts more then anything and you just want them to scream at you and tell you how much of a loser you are and how much they hate you, then just give you the silent treatment. It’s all about getting the person just to say anything, tell me you hate me, tell me you love me, tell me we can work it out, tell me we can’t work it out, tell me something.

Brian Rademacher: “Save My Soul” is a good aggressive song. That’s the single.

Jacob Lynam: Yes that’s the single, I just found out we are # 9 on active rock independent charts. It’s about finding out your signification other is cheating on you (laughing). It basically about following them and they get out at someone’s house and the blinds are open and you watch the whole thing go down.

Brian Rademacher: Did you pick the single or did the record company pick it?

Jacob Lynam: The record company picked it.

Brian Rademacher: You know I really like the first track too.

Jacob Lynam: : I do too “Is This A Heartbreak or a Loaded Gun” is my favorite track on the record. They wanted “Save My Soul” because it sounds more like what they play on the radio now; it’s a safer song to start with.

Brian Rademacher: “Porn Star” sounds like WEEZER.

Jacob Lynam: Yeah “Porn Star” is a full on song about sex.

Brian Rademacher: “Can’t Do Anything” is a great tune, great chorus.

Jacob Lynam: “Can’t Do Anything” is basically about a song written for a girl that’s a friend that was going through an abusive relationship. It’s one of those things that everyone knows some chick that’s in a relationship that she’s getting verbally abused or physically abused but she won’t leave the sorry son of a bitch. You can tell her, her friends can tell her, her family can tell her, everyone can tell her to leave the loser but for some reason they stick around. You can’t do anything your hands are tied.

Brian Rademacher: “If You Leave” I like that ballad a lot too?

Jacob Lynam: Is probably the most heart wrenched song on the record. That song is about a really close personal friend of the band. He and his wife had been married for about twenty-five years and he had a best friend that’s been his friends for just as long. Memorial day weekend he and his wife borrowed his best friend’s boat to go to the lake and that Monday when they brought the boat back to return it, they pulled it up in the driveway and just standing there and some psycho comes out of the woods and shoots all of them. It kills his best friend, his wife and he should have died but he went to intensive care and pull through with all bullet holes in him. I talked to him in the hospital when it just happened and I couldn’t believe it my heart sank. I couldn’t imagine losing the two people that are the closest to you and seeing it. It was on the national news and the guy who did it went to the local Wal-Mart went to the sporting goods section and blew his own brains out. That song is about dealing with that, the thing that really got to me was I talked to him around Christmas and that’s when it really hit. During Christmas time he would buy all the presents and his wife would wrap them and he would try to wrap the presents all alone and man it got to me and depressed me and I wrote that song for him.

Brian Rademacher: “White Trash Superstar” were you a little skeptical about using a Banjo on that song?

Jacob Lynam: I wasn’t, that song was actually ready to go when we signed a deal awhile back. It seems like no one wanted to put it on the record, not the band but the powers to be. They felt skeptical about it, but we never did. We grew up in Alabama, We love bluegrass, banjos, mandolins, violins, and fiddles and so we never had reservations about putting it on the record. It was the perfect opportunity. It was basically where we come from and no matter what we never let anyone try and bring us down. People can make fun of the accents all they want, they can make fun of the band all they want, but we are not going anywhere. We’re right here in your face motherfucker (laughing).

Brian Rademacher: “A Million Ways” has a WARRANT feel

Jacob Lynam: Yeah that’s because Beau Hill mixed it, yeah. It’s a straight up love song for the ladies.

Brian Rademacher: I see your playing a lot of dates in Alabama are you going to play anywhere else?

Jacob Lynam: We got some shows coming up and hopefully we have a tour coming up, with whom I can’t say yet, but if we get on this tour it will have us on the road for the fall and winter.

Brian Rademacher: Will you be coming to the East Coast?

Jacob Lynam: Yeah we will be hitting everywhere.

Brian Rademacher: I guess we will get to see you again Tell me about the new album?

Jacob Lynam: Yes you will

Brian Rademacher: Did you leave any tracks that you liked off the album?

Jacob Lynam: Yeah there’s a few, one is called “A lifetime Is Not Enough” and another is called “Get Me Off”, both those tracks I like a lot and eventually will see the light of day.

Brian Rademacher: You have any new endorsements?

Jacob Lynam: Yeah we just got a new endorsement with Ernie Ball, I just got a couple of the new Axis guitars I’m trying out and I really like them.

Brian Rademacher: It was great talking and meeting you at Rocklahoma

Jacob Lynam: It was great talking and meeting you as well, I enjoyed getting to meet you at Rocklahoma, it was awesome.

Brian Rademacher: Would you like to say anything in ending?

Jacob Lynam: Yeah I would like to thank you for all your support, thanks to everyone out there that supports the band. If you are not familiar with Lynam you can check us out at www.myspace.com/lynam or our official site www.lynammusic.com and we have an on-line store if you want to pick up the CD. Thanks Man.