Blackout Paul

Music is becoming as monotonous as reality television shows. Quality is being lost for quantity and playing it safe. Concerning rock music, there are way too many indie/pop bands calling themselves “rock” bands. Just because they play instruments doesn't mean they're playing rock music. There has been a major lack of good new rock musicians/bands in the past few years and with the omnipresence of dance/rap music and indie/folk rock music, there needs to be a resurgence of kick-ass, inspirational rock music!

So that's where I come in. My birth name is Paul Lynch, but everyone calls me by my musician name “Blackout”. I’ve been writing songs and playing electric guitar as my main instrument for about eight years now. I’ve also been playing bass guitar, keyboard, and utilizing drum programming for the past two years. My main genre of songwriting is rock, but I include elements of other genres I enjoy, such as blues, pop, alternative, & punk, to create my own voice.

A music career is my main and sole focus right now and I know I have really good songs to back me up. Besides the four songs on my debut EP (Wave Goodbye, The Midnight Groove, Fly Forever, Down The Line), I have two albums worth of music of equal or even better quality ready to inspire everyone. I’ve been in at least four different bands where I was the main songwriter, promoter, and motivator. The bands were always based out of New Jersey and/or New York City. We have been booked in some fun and notable New York City venues, such as Arlene’s Grocery, Bar East, Kenny’s Castaways, Lit Lounge, R Bar, and Fontana’s.

As for my educational background, I graduated from Fordham University in May of 2011. I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications & Media Studies and I minored in Music Theory, where I learned to read and write music more effectively. I also interned at New York City’s Alternative Rock Station 101.9 RXP in the fall of 2010 in the Promotions Department and it was one of the best periods in my life. I was able to meet Chester Bennington (Linkin Park), My Chemical Romance, and Johnny Knoxville through promotional events. I even got to hang out backstage with Dhani Harrison, Ben Harper, and Alain Johannes after a “Fistful of Mercy” concert in Philadelphia.

“Music doesn’t distract me, life distracts me from music.”

Whenever I’m not working as a night manager at my local food supermarket (ShopRite), I’m playing my guitar and writing new songs or riffs almost every night. Music is really the only constant factor in my everyday life, besides breathing and eating. I listen to music when I shower, shave, eat, drive, and work. It’s hard to describe, but I know that being a professional musician/songwriter is what I am supposed to do with my life. I love rocking out on stage and writing songs because that’s what my heart and soul needs me to do. I’m not in this to make one hit song or to have my “15 minutes of fame”. I’m here for the long haul because music is my passion, mission, and vocation.

Even though I recorded all of my new demos by myself, I have a talented group of friends who I’ve worked with musically before that are ready to play these and other original songs live. We actually played a set at Bar East over the summer in New York City to a great crowd of about 50 people. We can also play covers, such as “Sabotage” from The Beastie Boys, “Fire” & “Spanish Castle Magic” from Jimi Hendrix, and “Everlong” from The Foo Fighters.

“When I am truly rocking out on guitar, I really do blackout and let the spiritual side take over my body.”

With all of my experiences in life so far, I have learned more about who I am: an effective speaker, a confident socialite, a friendly soul, and most importantly, a genuine human being. I was thinking the other day, “It’s actually kind of funny when I tell everyone I’m looking to get signed and become a famous musician because they don’t look at me like I’m crazy or delusional. My friends are actually very supportive and ready for everyone else to recognize my talent, which I am very thankful for tenfold.”

The new songs I have are the best songs I've written and recorded since I started writing songs eight years ago. I don’t need a whole team of songwriters and producers to manufacture my music. I'm young (25 to be specific) and I know my songs are definitely better than most of the new “rock” songs I've heard in the past few years. I, as Blackout, will help bring back fun, guitar-wailing rock music to this generation who has been deprived of it long enough.

Influences: Led Zeppelin, Guns 'N' Roses, Jimi Hendrix, Red Hot Chili Peppers (John Frusciante), The Beatles, Oasis, Arctic Monkeys, Sex Pistols, Nirvana, Rage Against The Machine, Pink Floyd, The Beastie Boys, Eric Clapton, Pearl Jam, & Queens Of The Stone Age!