In a new interview with VRP Rocks, L.A. GUNS‘ founding guitarist Tracii Guns spoke about the band’s upcoming album, “Leopard Skin”, which will be released on April 4. It will mark the first fruit of L.A. GUNS‘ reunion with Cleopatra Records, a label known for its diverse roster and innovative approach to music production.
Regarding L.A. GUNS‘ songwriting approach on “Leopard Skin”, Tracii said: “ Well, L.A. GUNS has always been a mishmash of kind of classic rock, punk rock, metal. We don’t do any reggae, unfortunately, We have performed ‘The Ballad Of Jayne’ in kind of a calypso style live before. But I kind of have the freedom to write whatever styles I’m feeling like at the time of writing any album at any time. And as long as Phil‘s [Lewis, L.A. GUNS frontman] singing on it, well, it always sounds like L.A. GUNS. So we kind of have that going for us.”
He continued: “This album’s a little bit different than the last four albums, which had been on the heavier side. And I this album is more what people might consider the classic rock side or the more fun side or more rock and roll, for sure. A little less metal, a little bit more rock and roll. That’s the best way I can put it.”
Asked why L.A. GUNS is continuing to release new music so frequently when so many of the other 1980s hard rock bands are content to focus on playing their hits on tour, Tracii said: “I think, really, part of what music, for me anyways, and for L.A. GUNS, it’s more about being creative all the time, even in a live situation. We take whatever liberties we want when we’re playing those songs. Some bands, I guess, they really have a type of hit song kind of thing. They go out there and they play those main songs and that’s it. But, man, for me, that’s just too boring. That’s not what being a musician is about.
“We have these discussions before we go on tour, because usually we’re the second slot on a bigger tour and we get between 45 minutes and — the usual headline set is about 90 minutes,” he continued. “So we have kind of these powwows of, ‘Well, what are we gonna dofor these shows and then these longer shows? And what haven’t we done in a long time? What are the new things we’re gonna add?’ So it keeps it fun. It keeps our brains working and being creative and being as musical as we can.
“I’ve said it before, we’ve kind of been on our farewell tour since 1988, you know what I mean?” Tracii added. “So it’s just about really going out there and being musical and really bringing it all the time.”
Asked if he is still enjoying the creative process as he did all the way back in the 1980s, Guns said: “Well, yeah. I’ve always had that mentality, ‘move forward, move forward, move forward.’ I find that it’s easier, and obviously we have more control because I produce the records now and engineer, and I have a couple other people I work with. And the workflow’s easier and better, so it’s easier to go from idea to recording and getting these things done quicker. So the hobby part of it is just getting more and more enjoyable, and as I get more educated and we get more educated, that never ends. So it’s just always some kind of a hobby arts and crafts project for us. We’re just a bunch of old hippies now trying to live out our hippie dreams. It’s like summer camp all the time for L.A. GUNS.”
Hot on the heels of 2023’s “Black Diamonds” album, “Leopard Skin” is L.A. GUNS‘ fifth studio effort in seven years, since the core team of guitarist and band founder Guns and singer Lewis reunited in 2017. “Leopard Skin”, like the last few L.A. GUNS records, reconvenes the tight-knit lineup of Guns, Lewis, bassist Johnny Martin, guitarist Ace Von Johnson and studio drummer Adam Hamilton.
Last July, Tracii told On The Road To Rock podcast with Clint Switzer about the sound of L.A. GUNS‘ new LP: “It’s different than the other records. That’s the thing about L.A. GUNS, is I never know what’s gonna come out. I don’t know what mood I’m gonna be in or whatever, but I’m really proud of what I was able to record. And all the management and Phil and the guys, they’re freaking out, like, ‘Where’d this shit come from?’ So, yeah, I’m always most excited about L.A. GUNS. It’s the complete playground for me. I love it.”
“Black Diamonds” came out in April 2023. It was the fourth studio album since the much-welcome reunion of the band’s core foundation of Lewis and Guns. It followed the well-received studio albums “The Missing Peace”, “The Devil You Know” and “Checkered Past”, plus the live release “Made In Milan”, and a covers EP “Another Xmas In Hell”.
In April 2021, a settlement was reached between drummer Steve Riley and Guns and Lewis over the rights to the L.A. GUNS name. Under the terms of the settlement agreement, Guns and Lewis continue to operate under the L.A. GUNS trademark, while Riley and his bandmates from the other version of L.A. GUNS were allowed to perform and record under the new name RILEY’S L.A. GUNS. Riley died in October 2023 at the age of 67.
L.A. GUNS was formed in 1983 and have sold over six million records, including 1988’s “L.A. Guns” and 1990’s “Cocked And Loaded”, both of which were certified gold. “Cocked And Loaded” contained the hit single “The Ballad Of Jayne” that went to No. 33 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 and No. 25 on the Mainstream Rock charts. From the mid-’90s to the mid 2000s, L.A. GUNS continued to tour and release new music. Following their successful performance at SiriusXM‘s Hair Nation festival in September 2016, L.A. GUNS went into the studio to record the critically acclaimed “The Missing Peace”, which was the highest-selling release for Frontiers Music Srl in 2017. Their 12th album, “The Devil You Know”, was released in 2019 to the same critical acclaim.
Photo by Joe Schaeffer
Source: blabbermouth.net
