A Couple Tunes You May Not Have Heard

From Gary Cherone and George Lynch

For the weekend, here are a couple of songs you may not have heard before – that, while not strictly woody, are pretty cool. I dig ’em, anyway.

The first is a tune called “Thanks for Nothing” off Gary Cherone’s Tribe of Judah project, the Exit Elvis CD. The album I guess is a marriage of industrial electronica and hard rock, maybe in the Nine Inch Nails vein but I say that knowing nothing about NIN.

The disc was put out in 2002, well after Gary left Van Halen (VH III was recorded in 1998), and in addition to Cherone had two other then-former Extreme members: Pat Badger (bass) and Mike Mangini (drums).

Leo Mellace was the guitarist on the disc, and he’s a monster player – listen to the lead in the tune below. I know nothing about Leo except that he’s a heck of guitar player, and I think I recall from a past investigation that he’s a studio musician (or maybe a producer?).

What’s cool about the disc is that it’s “different,” which I like as long as the musicianship is there, and it is. Gary also sings much differently than he does in Extreme and did in Van Halen, which is cool to hear. Lots of people think he’s a one-trick singer, but he really isn’t.

If you’re into the sound of the following track, the whole Exit Elvis CD is good. Good tunes, good singing, and great guitar-playing.

The next tune is called “What Do You Want” by the late-’90s rap-rock (sort of) incarnation of George Lynch’s Lynch Mob band.

Casual Lynch/Dokken fans may not have heard the Smoke This album at all, but diehard George fans have. And they either love it (seemingly the minority, me included) or outright hate it.

For the haters, what I don’t get is this: If you’re a George fan, how can you not dig the great guitar work (mostly riffs) on that disc, not to mention the good band and good songs.

Rap-rock sure as heck isn’t my thing at all, and I own none of it except for this album – which actually has a lot of singing on it.

That’s one of the things I love about George: he’s not afraid to step out there.

Anyway, “What Do You Want” has one of the coolest George classic flatted-5th riffs ever (my opinion). Hope you enjoy.

Category: George Lynch, Not yet famous