Charlie Steffens at KNAC.com recently caught up with bassist Marco Mendoza (THIN LIZZY, TED NUGENT, ex-WHITESNAKE). An excerpt from the interview is available below:

KNAC.com: Right now you have the Casa Mendoza project, which we're going to see tonight, and you're about ready to leave to tour Europe with Thin Lizzy. You'll be with original members Scott Gorham and Brian Downey. You'll be doing bass duties and Ricky Warwick will be on lead vocals.

Mendoza: "And Vivian Campbell's there. He's an amazing player. And Darren Wharton. It sounds great, man. It really does. It looks like it's going to be handled the right way on all ends. It's going to be run like a good business should be run, while being respectful of the legacy. The fans know Phil Lynott with Thin Lizzy, and we've heard it's not the same. No, it's not going to be the same. It's going to be something like Thin Lizzy, with some of the original members. Unfortunately Phil passed away, but he left this catalog of great music that's part of rock and roll history. It probably will be for a long time to come. What better than to have Brian Downey, who's one of the founding cats, Scott Gorham, Darren Wharton, and then have some Irish cats who've experienced it from the outside in. Ricky's elated. He's so into it. I really gotta say that this line-up is a bunch of great cats, mainly because we're a little older. We understand what this is and we're treating it very carefully, moving forward the right way. Small steps."

KNAC.com: Being a longtime fan of Thin Lizzy, I'm curious of how this lineup will stand up. You've been part of the Thin Lizzy fold for many years, right?

Mendoza: "This is a topic that comes up a lot, and I've done tons of interviews pertaining to this. There's a very thin line when you're paying tribute, a homage, and you're representing in the right way. Brian, who was in the original lineup, left. When he left--with all due respect to the other cats----big name drummers--it just started getting a little diluted. And then Darren left. So there was Scott, John (Sykes), me, and Tommy Aldridge. Then the business started to get really disorganized and it got increasingly harder and harder to put the time aside to be available, because they didn't know what they were doing. 'So, let me see. I could got out and do four months with Ted Nugent or wait around and see what Thin Lizzy's doing.' That's just an example, with all due respect to all the parties involved. This is a side of the business that people don't understand or see. I live off of this. I make my living off of this. I'm supporting my family, so there's a business aspect that comes into play, and you have to make the right decisions. Then I had an opportunity to do my solo thing, and I wouldn't have been able to do it had I stuck around. A lot of things. Dolores (O'Riordan). The SOUL SITKUS album with Neal Schon, which is, to this day, one of my greatest projects. And then I started getting busier with David (Coverdale) and Whitesnake."

Go to this location for the complete interview.