Michael Leonard from Gibson spoke with THIN LIZZY guitar legend Scott Gorham about the new BLACK STAR RIDERS featuring Thin Lizzy alumni Ricky Warwick (vocals), Damon Johnson (guitar), Marco Mendoza (bass) with new addition Jimmy DeGrasso on drums (ALICE COOPER, MEGADETH, DAVID LEE ROTH, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES).

Here are a few excerpts from the chat:

Gibson: What can you say about the new band?

Gorham: "Firstly, Brian Downey (drums) only wanted to play under the Thin Lizzy name. And that’s fine, I totally respect that. So we have a new drummer, Jimmy DeGrasso for the new band. Brian Downey is a little tired of the road. And Darren (Wharton, keyboards) has a movie soundtrack he wants to complete, and other stuff with his own band, DARE."

Gibson: Will Black Star Riders sound very different to Thin Lizzy?

Gorham: "It’s tough to say how the new band will eventually sound. The songs are mostly in demo format, right now. So we need to electrify it, get Kevin Shirley’s input. But the harmony guitars, the twin solos — it’s all there, believe me!"

Gibson: What is the difference in working from 1970s Thin Lizzy to now?

Gorham: "It’s a lot easier, to be honest, with this crew of people. There were a lot of times in Thin Lizzy when parts became precious. Y’know, someone would write a guitar part and insisted; 'damn it, I want that part in the song.' Now, it’s more amenable to finding the best outcome for the whole song. There are moments we debate, of course, but there are a lot more equal terms between everyone involved. It makes everyone more prolific. If people are easier about debating how to write the songs, they’ll also come up with more ideas for what is someone else’s song. More songs just keep coming forward, it’s working great. In Thin Lizzy, writing songs was normally just two guys, one of us over at Phil’s place. Now, we all get together and we all write together. It’s a big difference, and it’s sounding great. It’s exciting."

Black Star Riders are set to enter the studio in Los Angeles this month to start recording their debut album with the legendary Kevin Shirley (LED ZEPPELIN, IRON MAIDEN, AEROSMITH, RUSH). The album will feature material the band wrote whilst touring as Thin Lizzy and the sound retains that classic feel but is very much its own as well. The Black Star Riders record is the next step in the evolution of the Thin Lizzy story.

"We are all very excited about the music that we have created for Black Star Riders. The synergy between the five of us has been phenomenal and I can't wait for the world to hear these songs." Ricky Warwick

The new, as yet untitled, album will be released in May through Nuclear Blast. Black Star Riders are one of the first bands signed by Monte Conner – the former Roadrunner A&R; guru who has signed acts such as SLIPKNOT, MACHINE HEAD, SEPULTURA and RUSH. Conner recently joined Nuclear Blast as the president of Nuclear Blast Entertainment, a new US partnership he co-founded with Nuclear Blast owner Markus Staiger.

Says Conner: “As a lifelong Thin Lizzy fan, I was floored by this line-up’s new material. Not only do the new songs sound like Thin Lizzy but they sound like CLASSIC Thin Lizzy. Black Star Riders totally captures the essence of what was great about the original band while at the same time adding something totally fresh and modern. Even when I heard the band decided to change their name, my interest in signing them did not waver for one second.”

The band are looking to support their May album release with European festivals shows in the summer of 2013 and follow this up with worldwide touring. The set list will consist of material from the new album and classic Thin Lizzy material.

For more details visit Black Star Riders on Facebook.