Lynn Paul Jr band

The Boston-based lpj has excellent songs for their roots/rock, all but one written by Lynn Paul. Both the rockers like 'Ball and Chain' and ballads like 'Nobody' are fresh sounding, which is increasingly uncommon in this type of music. One song alone, 'Gotta Be the One', has hints of fifties rock, doo-wop, has a zydeco feel although it features rock instrumentation.

Usually, when all the lyrics are listed in the CD booklet they shouldn't be. Paul's words are not bad, though. They do not cover new territory, but they are straightforward and unpretentious. Paul plays the drums on the CD also, under the name of Hutch.

Shel Silverstein's 'A Boy Named Sue' (with Lynn substituted for Sue) is vaguely listenable, which is something for a song that many of us would rather forget. It is still the weakest point of this CD. The other two players on the CD are Tommy Pope on lead guitar and Sean McNeely on bass. Paul plays guitar, keyboards and harmonica as well as drums. These guys sound like a bar band. A great bar band. No one goes for extremes to show off. Instead they impress by being very tight, and are complimented by excellent production, again by Paul. Great CD, without any bullzhit.

-Dave Howell - fmsound

Lynn Paul may be another band out of Boston, but as the opening track on "Bullzeye" - their new full-lenght album proclaims - they're not the "same old s***".
The last time the Northeast tried to put out pop music, the sound came off as a blatant resurrection of the folksy sound of 1970's rock and roll; end results being acts like the Abba Teens. Lynn Paul Jr has thankfully come along and made good for the New England music scene.
Lynn Paul formed in 2001 with singer-songwriter Lynn Paul on guitar, keys and percussion, Sean McNeely on bass and background vocals, Tommy Pope on lead guitar, and Ed Loring on drums.
"Stop and Smell the Roses" lyrically paints a glorified image, while background vocals echo the upbeat and not-too serious sentiment of the track. "She never took the time to stop and smell the roses. She always drinks his wine, diamonds in her eyes, a look so frozen".
"Nobody" is a tune with some colorful, serious and timely blend of messages. "Nobody trusts the clergy; nobody has much faith. Nobody gets a fair jury when the victims feel the pain" the track cynically proclaims. "Nobody wants to see, nobody wants to be ... Nobody's satisfied ... Nobody to sympathize." Lynn Paul's driving vocals, along with McNeely's sullen bass, join forces, driving the listener to repeat these lyrics over and over.
You may have heard "If You Want to be Free" - a bonus track on "Bullzeye" - on MTV's Fraternity Life in October 2003. The chemistry behind the members of Lynn Paul is fraternal indeed - serious tracks intertwine effortlessly with lighthearted jingles such as "Gotta Be the One": "Let's get together and tumble, my heart pounds like thunder, whenever she talks, whenever she walks by me ... she's gotta be the one ... she's gotta be the one for me." Ed Loring is not afraid to take chances, either, as the drum quickens speed like Abebe Bikila at the 1960 Olympics.
The songs have a timeless feel to them, and the listener will get the sense that these are tracks that he or she has heard before. But these songs are new - and they're not the same. "When Friday night comes round, we'll be hitting the town ... when Saturday night she's free, gonna make her my queen ... ooh, she's my queen, ooh, she's obscene, my mean green machine!" Lynn Paul croons on this track. The song is a weekend anthem in the making that's sure to make an unexpected hit at your next party.
"I feel myself dreaming away ... passing the time away" is the last thing you'd expect to hear Lynn Paul sing wistfully, but this ensemble's versatility comes through in the plethora of songs on "Bullzeye". Sullen guitar picks up where you expect vocals, an unexpected touch on "Daydreaming".
"I'm such a fool who loves to dream away, catch me before I fall, and I feel myself dreaming away" are lyrics we can all relate to, and sing along to mentally and vocally - especially if you're hitting those cups.
"A Boy Named Lynn (Sue)" is a surprising throwback to storytelling rock, but still doesn't hearken back to divorces and ghost towns. "Honey Child" is a compilation of AC/DC-like tendencies, with a compulsive beat and 1970's Deep Purplish charm - another excellent attribute of Lynn Paul sound.
Lyn Paul is a great choice if you're looking for something new with an old twist. If you like energy, if you like to be the first of your friends to 'discover' a band, and most of all, if you don't want the "same old s***", then pick up Lynn Paul "Bullzeye".

- Deborah Geiger
- The Massachusetts Daily Collegian

One listen to the new "Bullzeye" album by the Lynn PAul is enough to instantly evoke fond memories of roadhouse rockers, from ZZ Top's fiery Texas blues-rock, to John Fogarty's swamp-rock, to just about any southern rocker you could name.
So it comes as no surprise that the band has origins in the south side of ... Stoughton? Or that the honky tonk aura comes from the swamps and bayous of ... Middleboro?
"I guess it's pop, rock, and blues, with some edgy guitar sounds," said singer and guitarist Lynn Paul Jr. from his Middleboro studio. "I think all of our influences are mixed in there somewhere, from Chuck Berry to Alice Cooper. It is a challenge to write songs with all of our influences in them, and yet still make them sound original and fresh. But we'd rather do what we love most than try to follow any trend or fit any market profile."
The Lynn Paul released the CD, their second, in January, and they'll top a three-band bill at Massasoit Community College in Brockton on April 24. The all ages show, which is the Spring Scholarship Concert, also includes Brockton rockers Wiretap and a group consisting of Massasoit students, called Tablescratch.
This is actually a second life in rock 'n' roll for Paul. As a student at Stoughton High, he led a band that was a main rival to Mike Viola's. After graduation, Paul joined the Mike Viola Alliance, which turned out some sparkling pop in the 1980's.
The band ended up providing the music for a Stride-Rite sneaker commercial, and was managed by Danny Bennett, son of legendary jazz singer Tony Bennett. The Viola band moved to New York City but drifted apart around 1988.
"We really learned a lot about the business from Danny Bennett, who molded us," said Paul. "I also got a crash course in using a professional studio during those years, when we played a lot, opened for some very big groups, and made some records. After we went our separate ways, I used that knowledge to go into the studio business myself."
Viola, of course, continues to create his infectious pop tunes as the leader of The Candy Butchers, performing regularly on the Boston scene.
Paul devoted most of his time to establishing his studio although he dabbled in a few bands and kept writing music. His main business is Blackbird Music, Inc., with a professional rehearsal studio in Brockton called The Nest.
Gradually, he began working and playing with musicians he met through his studio, and the idea of forming a band took hold. He also bought a house in Middleboro.
Paul noticed that he did most of his writing at home, but then he needed to drive to Brockton to hash it out in the studio. So he built a studio at home, Crocker Road Studios, where the new CD was recorded.
Joining Paul in the band are bassist Sean McNeely of Brockton, lead guitarist Tommy Pope of Halifax, and drummer Ed Loring of Taunton.
In 2002, Lynn Paul released its debut, "Dirty Rain", and launched a 16-week radio campaign, which got them on about 70 radio stations around the country.
Last October, during sessions for the new CD, the band got good news, and even more exposure. MTV licensed the rights to two songs from their first CD, and used them in the reality series "Fraternity Life" that same month.
Seeking to capitalize on that fame, Paul included on of the songs, "If You Want to be Free" as a bonus track on the second album.
"Bullzeye" proves that the quartet is a first-class bar band. "Ball and Chain" opens with a ZZ Top-like blues-ricker, with just the sort of not-quite PC lyrics that the Texas trio specializes in. "Mr. Money Bags" mixes southern rock with some arena rock flourishes, almost as if Lynyrd Skynyrd met MeatLoaf. But the tune "Nobody" develops almost as a rock opera, over several movements and nearly five minutes. The guitars opening "Gotta Be the One" are pure surf-rock, while "Daydreaming" sound like as arty English band.
Paul reworks Johnny Cash's "A Boy Named Sue" to fit his own name, and reinvigorates the old classic as a toe-tapping Bo Diddly-style shuffle.
"With a first name of Lynn, my first six years of elementary school were all bloody noses and fat lips," Paul said with a laugh. "I can certainly relate to that song, and I loved Johnny Cash."
Remember the mega-tour last summer that paired KISS and Aerosmith? When you hear this group do "Honey Child", with guitar work that could be an homage to Joe Perry, you realize that Lynn Paul could have easily opened that tour.
"I think rootsy rock is always on the charts somewhere." said Paul. "We don't want to dye our hair blue and run out and do whatever is popular. Maybe there's a nostalgic feel to it, but it's what we love to play, and it's been successful so far."

- Jay Miller - The Patriot Ledger

Lynn Paul is very rock 'n' roll, and I can picture them playing in Iowa in a country-themed bar with long hair that is brushing against their palm-tree shirts. The album sticks to the roots of rock 'n' roll with a blues/country feel that could potentially be played on a classic-rock station. Interestingly enough, the album has a claim to fame, with the song "If You Want to be Free" being featured and licensed to the MTV show FRATERNITY LIFE. The album does have one very cool element that does deserve praise, which is their cover of Johnny Cash's "A Boy Named Sue", which is titled "A Boy Named Lyn (Sue)". They gave that song their own style, while not destroying a classic; and it has flawless vocals that deserve applause.

- Jennifer Moncayo - SCRATCH!

I wasn't too sure which review style to categorize this band, because they are a local band from Boston, yet they've achieved some significant popularity from coast to coast and north of the border, too. Independent recording artist Lyn Paul (LPJ) is an original rock band with a rootsy edge that formed in 2001, and released their debut CD "Dirty Rain" which not only caught the ear of college radio stations across the land, but also eventually led to MTV licensing two songs from the disc to use on their television shows. The song "If You Want to be Free" (which is a remixed bonus track on "Bullzeye") actually appeared on MTV's "Fraternity Life" during an episode that aired October 2003. They are currently being promoted by Boston-based Planetary Group for a sixteen-week college radio campaign, in which "Bullzeye" most recently charted 10th on the CMJ's Radio 200 most added list.
After playing the "Bullzeye" CD from start to finish, I just couldn't decide which track I wanted to hear again! You can try to compare LPJ's music to any of your favorite artists, but they don't follow any particular trend, because they got a flavor all their own. For example, "Ball and Chain" comes right at you seconds after pressing play, and entices your musical appetite with a tasty guitar lick, then their lyrics are ear-candy that invites you into their vivid real-life tale about a troubled relationship on the brink. LPJ's ability to craft songs with "it", keen ears for details and being fronted by someone like Lynn Paul whose talent capabilities provide the band; a master songsmith and lead vox, guitarist, keyboards, harmonica and percussion (also known as Hutch when doing the studio drumming). Lynn has a special way of punctuating the little things in every song with these talents, especially his singing style. In a day and age when punk and hard-core are prominent, their lyrics need a special decoder ring to comprehend their meaning. So it's quite refreshing when you hear a song like "Gotta Be the One" exclaim in a reggae dialect, "She's gotta be the one under the sun for me, dee dee." Whenever the band is out playing live, Ed Loring (on drums) is the engine that drives this gifted band. But wait, no rhythm section is complete without a Sean McNeely, whose walking bass lines and backing vox provide a priceless asset to songs like "Mr. Money Bags" and "If You Want to be Free." Tommy Pope is LPJ's lead man on axe with skill and backing vox, spices up "Nobody" a set of guitar solos that are like lost treasures, and then there's the solo in "Stop and Smell the Roses", right before Lynn's acoustic lead that make you back the tune up to hear it again!
- 4 1/2 ot of 5 rootsy rock beats!!!

- DJ Krash - The Massasoit Voice

Songs are well done. I think the production is well executed - good recordings, punchy mixes. Performances are captured well. Lyrics are well written throughout - convey imagery. Tell stories well. - TAXI