UFO "Last Orders - 50th Anniversary Tour"

+ tara lynch

Vocalist Phil Mogg, guitarist Mick Bolton, bassist Pete Way, and drummer Andy Parker formed the British space metal outfit UFO in 1969. Originally known as Hocus Pocus, the group, which took the name UFO in honor of a London club, debuted in 1971 with UFO 1. Both the album and its follow-up, the same year's Flying, found great success in Japan, France, and Germany, but was barely noticed in the band's native country; as a result, their third effort, 1972's Live, was released only in Japan.

In 1974, Bolton left the group; after brief trial runs with ex-Pink Fairies guitarist Larry Wallis and future Whitesnake member Bernie Marsden, former Scorpion Michael Schenker stepped in as a permanent replacement in time to record 1974's Phenomenon, which sported a harder-edged guitar sound. After 1975's Force It and 1976's No Heavy Petting brought UFO increased visibility with American audiences, keyboardist Paul Raymond joined for 1977's Lights Out. However, after 1978's Obsession, Schenker left the group, first to rejoin the Scorpions and later to form his own band. Despite the addition of guitarist Paul Chapman, the next UFO LP, No Place to Run, failed to match the success of its predecessors.

In 1982, the band released Mechanix, notching a minor U.S. hit with "Back into My Life"; later that year, Way exited to form Waysted and was replaced by ex-Eddie & the Hot Rods bassist Paul Gray. After 1983's Making Contact, UFO dissolved, only to re-form two years later for Misdemeanor; however, the album was met with little response, and they again called it quits. In 1993, the group's most popular lineup -- Mogg, Schenker, Way, Raymond, and Parker -- reunited and recorded the 1995 album Walk on Water; after a tour, the members yet again went their separate ways. Mogg and Way continued to work as Mogg/Way and released the albums Edge of the World (1997) and Chocolate Box (1999).

Schenker rejoined in 2000 along with veteran drummer Aynsley Dunbar for the two-CD Covenant, which featured one disc of new studio recordings along with one disc of live recordings. Sharks came out in 2002; Schenker and Dunbar departed and were replaced by Vinnie Moore and Jason Bonham, respectively. This new band welcomed returning keyboardist Paul Raymond for 2004's You Are Here and 2005's live album Showtime. Bonham was the next to leave and was replaced by the band's original drummer, Andy Parker, for 2006's The Monkey Puzzle. The Visitor -- an album recorded without the participation of Pete Way due to the bassist's health problems -- followed in 2009. Seven Deadly arrived in 2012, and in early 2015 the group issued its 21st studio long-player, Conspiracy of Stars, which featured a lineup of core members Phil Mogg, Paul Raymond, and Andy Parker, along with Vinnie Moore and bassist Rob De Luca. Two years later, the band released the all-covers LP The Salentino Cuts. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi

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TARA LYNCH

EVIL ENOUGH

Musicians with as many talents as Tara Lynch (nickname: “Gui-Tara”) are a rare find. The American multi-instrumentalist sings, plays the electric and the acoustic guitar, as well as the bass, drums and piano, in addition to composing her own material from an early age. At the same time, she enjoys an excellent reputation among her colleagues and not only deployed her own skills on her current album Evil Enough but was supported by international stars such as Vinny Appice (Black Sabbath/Dio), Tony MacAlpine (Planet X), Phil Soussan (Ozzy Osbourne/Billy Idol), Mark Boals (Dokken/Yngwie Malmsteen), Brent Woods (Vince Neil/Sebastian Bach), Glen Sobel (Alice Cooper) and Björn Englen (Quiet Riot/Yngwie Malmsteen) as guest musicians. “They are all my personal friends,” she explains, “so it was easy to ‘cast’ each track and their support means the world to me. They all welcomed the opportunity to play the songs I wrote and each guest put their own special vibe and feeling into each track, making them sound just perfect!”

And indeed Tara Lynch has succeeded in recording an outstanding rock album in Evil Enough, which – despite the renowned guest contributions – focuses mainly on her expressive voice, her intelligent, elegant guitar style and her mature songwriting. Says Tara: “I prefer to think of the guitar as a form of art and not just a tool to create music with, which is why there are four instrumental tracks on Evil Enough. My musical taste varies widely, and though I’m a huge fan of the instrumental guitar genre, my favourite bands have a vocalist and a guitarist that really takes advantage of melodies and not just pure shred.”

For this reason Lynch, who has studied with Steve Vai, Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers) and Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater, Black Country Communion), among others, relies primarily on inspiration and instinct, despite her accomplished technical skill: “What you hear is exactly what comes out of me without any pre-programmed ideas. I have lived quite a colourful life thus far and have lots of things to talk about, so when I write my music I just say it like it is. I do the same with my guitar playing. I’m not out there to impress anybody, just to tell my story and hope that people enjoy what they hear and can even relate.”

And that’s exactly what she’s achieved in all ten songs on Evil Enough. Care for some examples? ‘Antidote’  is the first single and official music video released from the album. Tara: “This track tells the story of an all too familiar situation for a lot of people where the one closest to them hurts them so much that they resort to welcoming the company of others as an antidote.”

March/April 2019 will see Tara Lynch & Band embark on a major UK tour alongside British rock legend UFO. Tara promises “a very exciting high energy, full of passion performance. Along with me on lead vocals and lead guitar, I’ve got what I call my perfect “book ends” to each side in Bjorn Englen (bass/backing vocals) and Brent Woods (rhythm guitar/backing vocals). I’m so happy to have Bjorn who plays on my album and Brent who produced it by my side on this tour! On drums, the amazingly talented Joe Lazarus who joined me on tour in 2018 in Germany. Joe comes from rock royalty, as he is the nephew of Steve Harris and has opened for his uncle’s band Iron Maiden lots of times; he’s a perfect anchor behind me on the kit.” So in view of such an illustrious line-up, the tour is predestined to be a spectacular success!

ALBUM

EVIL ENOUGH (Release date: 1^st March 2019, Cargo)