Jay Parmar may well be little known to the music world at large but he is the driving force behind the George Lynch Tribute CD, "Will Play For Lynch." Hardrock Haven had the chance to talk with Jay about the incredible effort that this project has been. In the process we gained great insight into Jay as a musician and as a producer.

HRH: Greetings Jay, thanks for taking the time to talk with Hardrock Haven.
Jay: "It's my pleasure…Thanks for having me here…"

HRH: How did the idea for the Tribute CD come about?
Jay: "Well, the initial concept all started with a message which was posted on the George Lynch message board. Regan Bell started up a thread about recording some tracks for a tribute project and a few people posted saying that they were interested in contributing tracks. The whole concept started to gather momentum and just went from strength to strength. We had the backing of Jen Rosenberg who runs the message board and she was a huge help in getting the whole thing up and running. The rest, as they say, is history…"

HRH: Were you personally involve from the get go?
Jay: "I was involved from the outset. I saw the thread on the message board and wanted to contribute a few tracks, but as we got talking about the issues involved I figured that somebody would have to deal with all of the work in the background, such as the music clearances, artwork, manufacturing, etc, and also coordinate the project. So, I put myself forward as I had been working in the entertainment industry for a number of years and knew what needed to be done when, who to speak to, etc, and everybody was fine with that."

HRH: Who is contributing songs to the CD?
Jay: "The artists who appear on the CD are Regan Bell, Chad Coggin, Matt Lefreve (and the rest of the band, The Cartoon Factory), Kevin Howard and Anthony Link from Factor 7 (and the rest of their band), Craig Squires and Greg Kurcheran, Glen Poland, Dave Morris, Koy Halloran, Jimi Forest, Caroline Hoare, and a mystery guy who we only know as "Viking" who incidentally is one hell of a kick ass singer. The really great thing about the project is that people from around the world have been involved in the recording process and it's really did prove that the world is a very small place. The musicians are from New Zealand, the USA, Canada, UK, and Europe. They are all unsigned but extremely talented. There is a lot of International collaboration on the CD. Musicians from different continents contributed parts to songs and when everything came together it felt like "Wow! We live 5,000 mile away from each other but we still managed to work on the same track!" That was a cool feeling."

HRH: Were the artists involved assigned songs or did they select their own Lynch songs to record?
Jay: "The artists were given a free run. Whoever got there first got to pick the songs they wanted to do. The Lynch catalogue is so large and there are so many great songs that we were spoilt for choice really. Everybody basically picked their favorite tunes and went ahead and recorded them. I kept a tab on the track listing from the outset though so there was no duplication but luckily there naturally wasn't very much overlap and the guys didn't have an issue if a track they wanted to do had already been flagged or recorded by somebody else."

HRH: Has it been a logistical nightmare getting all parties involved on the same page?
Jay: "I can laugh about it now, but at times yes it was a complete logistical nightmare. Initially, the main problem was that we were all on different timelines, so while I was walking up Regan in NZ was ready to crash and the guys in the US weren't even awake, and then when I was halfway through the day the guys in the US were waking up. It was a pretty strange working day, because I was working a full time job at the time and I'd get into the office where I worked, and co-coordinated for the first couple of hours of the day so that I could sort things out in NZ and respond to the emails from the US which had been sent the previous evening and which I had picked up that morning. Then I'd pick up again late afternoon through to the evening and finish off pretty late at night. Then the whole process would start again the next morning. It was like working 2 jobs at the same time…of course the music thing had to be done very discreetly while I was at the office, you know what I mean right? Most weekends were pretty much taken up with recording and coordinating during the first 6 odd months. So, it was a lot of work but very worthwhile. I managed to coordinate the bulk of the project via weekly email updates which were sent out during the first few months, and I supplemented those with phone calls once in a while. You wouldn't believe it but I've not even met some of the guys. We've only corresponded over email and we've still managed to put together a CD. Internet technology has definitely helped a huge amount because the whole ability to send music files and emails within a few minutes, the whole coordination and collaboration thing would have been much more difficult. But, even with technology at our disposal certain things had to be manually handled because the human element was involved. It was pretty tricky keeping a tab on the track listing because a lot of people wanted to get involved and would email me and add a track to the list but then didn't or couldn't complete it for whatever reason, or pulled out. At one stage the list was changing on a weekly basis. But by some miracle we managed to slot all of the pieces of the puzzle in place and the CD is ready for release in a couple of week's time."

HRH: How long has the process taken for the project to go from start to completion?
Jay: "From inception the whole project has taken about 17 or so months. The recording process was pretty quick for some people but very slow for others. All of the guys have other responsibilities so they were working on the tracks when they could make some time. Initially we wanted to complete the CD by May 2002 so that a copy could be given to George at a "Lynch party" which a few of us went to in Chicago. The timeline was very tight though and most of the work had just about gotten off the ground by that time so we only had a few tracks done. George wasn't able to make the party anyhow so I wouldn't have been able to give him a copy there. Most of the tracks were completed by September last year so I sent George a sampler copy for his birthday. The project was also delayed at certain stages as initially there were a lot more people involved. At one stage there were 24 tracks listed and we were looking at a double CD release. Unfortunately half of the tracks didn't get done, a number people had to drop out, others couldn't hit the deadlines, and some of the tracks weren't completed because we couldn't find singers, which was a real shame. Lots of guitar and bass players available but drummers and singers were really difficult to find. We ended up with 12 tracks so the final product is a single CD. Towards the end of the project there were a couple of issues which I had to deal with to complete the manufacture process which again delayed matters and it was very frustrating at time because I was so eager to complete the project but hey everything isn't always as smooth as silk. For me it was a steep learning curve but definitely a great learning experience."

HRH: How has George Lynch responded to the Tribute CD?
Jay: "George was really surprised when he heard that we were recording the CD and he has been really supportive throughout the whole process and continues to be. He really liked the sampler which I sent to him. His favorite tracks were "Rain" and "Mr. Scary". I met him for the first time earlier this year and gave him proofs of the artwork and he really liked those as well. It made the whole project very, very special and worthwhile. We primarily set out to complete the project just for George and we were all real glad that he liked it so much. I guess it was the icing for all of the people involved in the project."

HRH: Has he (George Lynch) contributed to the process in any way?
Jay: "Definitely. He has been a constant source of inspiration all the way through. Most of the musicians on the CD are very big George Lynch fans and for everybody the recording process was incredible because we were re-creating tracks which have influenced us and shaped our own playing. There was so much energy and enthusiasm at that stage. It kinda wore off at the backend, business stage, i.e. artwork, financing, manufacturing, etc. From a personal perspective though I really wanted to see this through to the end because George has been such a big influence on me and this is my way of saying a little "thank you" for so many years of having to bend my mind figuring out his licks…"

HRH: Is the release of the Tribute CD through a label or have you taken it upon yourself to mix and have the CD manufactured yourself?
Jay: "The CD is being released through my own little label, Scared Serpent Productions, and all the manufacturing work was undertaken by me. A couple of the others, Kevin, Chad, and Matt, have helped hugely in the background with the manufacturing process and credit should go to them for that. The tracks were individually mixed by the recording artists and were sent to me. I then did a little bit of work on mastering, level, track listing and miscellaneous other elements to bring the CD together. This is the first CD project of this kind and magnitude I have every taken on and it was surprising just how much work goes into creating something of this nature."

HRH: Who did the artwork for the CD sleeve?
Jay: "Originally I was going to have somebody else do the artwork but that didn't work out so I took on the responsibility. I have created a few of video sleeves over the last couple of years and the CD sleeve wasn't all that different. It turned out better then I imagined, but that was more by fluke then design! I also designed and hosted a webpage which kept everybody informed about how the project was progressing. It also generated interest in the whole project and kept the momentum going throughout the whole process."

HRH: The CD is a limited run, can anyone make a request to purchase the Tribute CD? If so were will they be able to purchase them?
Jay: "Yeah, anybody can buy a copy. Well, it's not really being sold for profit. We all agreed at the outset that this CD was not really about making money so we decided to give it away which is why only 250 copies will be manufactured initially. All of them will be personalized with a number on the back panel and the first 10 (number 0001 to 0010) have been given away in a draw. Obviously if I'm overwhelmed with requests for CDs then we'll think about a further run but the first 250 copies will only cost the price of shipping. If anybody is interested in purchasing a copy all they have to do is go to the following webpage…"Will Play For Lynch - A George Lynch Tribute"…and follow the yellow brick road…"

HRH: Your involvement goes beyond coordinating the project and the players. You also contribute George Lynch songs to the CD.
Jay: "Yeah, I recorded 3 tracks on the CD, "Wicked Sensation", "River of Love" and "Mr. Scary". That's pretty much how I initially got involved. The recording and production process was a hell of a lot of fun. It was hard work because like the rest of the guys I had a full time job to hold down and I was recording during every spare minute I could find. The first track I recorded was "River of Love". The rhythm guitars which I ended up using on the final version of the track were originally done as a scratch tracks as I was trying out some new gear, but they sounded great so ended up I keeping them. I really wanted a female singer for that track from the outset and it was a bit of a painfully long search. A producer friend of mine, Ian Roberts, eventually introduced me to Caroline Hoare who has an amazing voice and did a phenomenal job with the vocals. The final part was doing the solos and then mixing and producing. I don't like recording solos until vocals are done because I like to play off the vocals and have the solos compliment the them. "Wicked Sensation" was the second track I did and that one was pretty straight forward. Anthony Link recorded the vocals for the track at the last minute and he did an awesome job. I recorded "Mr. Scary" last. That one was a bit of a personal nemesis for me because I had tried to record it previously but had failed. I used to suffer from "red light syndrome" when in the studio so I was never able to complete the track, but this time around I was determined to overcome my demons and I managed to do it. Mixing and producing the track was a bit of a bear because it has so many different guitar parts but I managed to work it out in the end and I'm real pleased with the way it turned out. That was a personal achievement for me. I ended up changing parts and pretty much all of the solos on the tracks to give them my own stamp. I recorded 3 other tracks as well, but they weren't completed so didn't make it onto the CD."

HRH: How long have you played the guitar?
Jay: "I've been playing since 1989, so around 14 year now. I actually started pretty late, when I was 16 years old…"

HRH: What kind of an impact has George had on your playing?
Jay: "I guess it's safe to say that if I hadn't discovered George's playing then the chances are that I would not be playing today. George has always been my biggest influence. His playing really stood out from the other players I was listening to at the time and the melodic, fiery, pinch harmonic drenched licks instantly attracted me to his playing. The first track that really grabbed my attention was "Kiss of Death". The first time I heard that intro I was thinking "Man, who is that??? His playing sounds incredible!". I was listening to Yngwie Malmsteen at the time and thinking that there could be nobody on the planet better then that but George's playing appealed to me a lot more. It was so different from everybody else. The next day I bought "Beast From The East". Unfortunately, I discovered Dokken in 1989, just as they were breaking up for the first time…good timing Jay!…so I was backtracking and listening to the previous albums, "Back For The Attack", "Under Lock…", etc. The good news was that 6 months later Lynch Mob was on the card and I was harassing every major record stores in London on a weekly basis for about a year for details of a release date. I'm sure they thought I was winding them up in the beginning and a couple of them eventually knew me by name…but then "Wicked Sensation" was released and I called up one day and the guy was like "Yeah Jay its in. We kept a copy for you already". "Wicked Sensation" is one of my biggest influences and still one of my all time favorite CDs and definitely my favorite guitar sound. George's playing has always been so progressive and with every album which he releases there is always something new and interesting to learn. It keeps me on my toes. Lynch/Pilson and REvolution are keeping me busy at the moment."

HRH: Other than George who also has been a influence on you?
Jay: "Well, I just about caught the end of the late great 80s rock scene and I initially started playing because I was a big Iron Maiden fan and Adrian Smith and Dave Murray were kicking ass at the time. I've had many influences since then though, and they include Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Chris Degarmo and Michael Wilton, Alex Skolnick, Geoff Tyson (of T-Ride fame), Steve Stevens, John Petrucci, Eddie Van Halen, Marty Friedman, and Hendrix. Although I don't listen to Indian music the Indian influence just seems to be in my blood and that comes out a lot when I mess around with exotic scales. Over the last couple of years I've been listening to a lot of different types of music as well as rock, such as jazz, rock based techno which usually features on soundtracks, blues, and whatever else I like the sound of. Alex Skolnick has done some phenomenal jazz stuff over the last few years. His Skol-Patrol CD is amazing. I've been listening to Prashant Aswani as well. He's a very cool rock/jazz guitar player. Geoff Tyson has been doing some really cool and interesting stuff as well with a band called Stimulator and some of his own solo material."

HRH: What brand of guitars do you use?
Jay: "I use ESPs pretty much all of the time right now. My main guitars are a 1990 George Lynch series Skull'n'Snakes and a 1995 George Lynch Series Serpent. The necks on both are just amazing and both guitars sound awesome. The graphics are an added bonus. I also have a 1992 ESP MII Deluxe which I now string with 13 gauge strings and tune down to low B flat. It sounds like a baritone but I get away with not having to deal with the longer neck scale. It's fun playing around with that tuning. The MII was the first ESP I bought, which was a couple of years ago, and is the guitar which I used to record the tribute tracks. I also have an LTD B205 bass, a Gajic Guitars signature series guitar which Laz Gajic built for me last year, which is really cool, and a customized Ibanez RG550 which has a great looking snakeskin finish."

HRH: Do you use any particular brand of pickups?
Jay: "Seymour Duncans are my pickups of choice. I have Screaming Demons on all of the guitars except for the Ibanez, which has a Duncan Distortion on it. Neck pickups are either a L'il Screaming Demon or a Duncan Cool Rails. The Demon is great. I've been using it since 1991 and I've not found any other humbuckers which I like better. I switch between the Cool Rails and the L'il Screaming Demon depending on what type of neck pickup sound I want. The Cool Rails is a little more liquid sounding then the L'il Demon. The L'il Demon has a nice bite to it so it has a touch more single coil type voicing."

HRH: What type of amps do you use?
Jay: "I have a custom built 100 watt head which I designed a couple of years ago but only just built a few months ago. It is based on a Soldano SLO-100 but has 2 tone stacks and a few other design features which the SLO doesn't have. Its making some noise at the moment so I'm not using it all the time, but tone is very warm and just the way I like it, it has lots of smooth drive which has a real nice crunchy breakup. That goes through a custom 4x12 cab loaded with Celestion Vintage 30s. I also use a Soldano Supercharger preamp pedal, a Soldano SP77 preamp, an Engl 520 preamp (which has the most amazing sounding clean channel and a drive channel which sound like a Dual Rectifier on Prozac) and a Line 6 POD v.2."

HRH: Any special type of equipment used in recording the songs you contributed to the Lynch tribute CD?
Jay: "The recording process was a bit of a learning process for me as I had a bunch of new equipment which I had just bought and I had to figure out how it would all work together. I started off using the POD to record the scratch and demo tracks, but I wasn't altogether happy with the sound and just before I started recording the tracks that made the CD I bought the Soldano Supercharger pedal, which has a couple of preamp tubes in it, and a Boss DS1, which I set up in front of the POD and that sounded a lot better then just the POD on its own so I ended up using that. I used my ESP MII Deluxe for all of the guitar parts and changed all of the cables to Monster, Planet Waves or George L's. All of the equipment helped in its own way. The POD is just an amazing piece of equipment because it just plugs straight into the digital recorder, produces studio quality sounds and it made life so much easier then having to set up an amp and mic a cab. Sound is always consistent with the DS1/Soldano/POD setup regardless of where I am recording."

HRH: Are currently playing with any band?
Jay: "I'm actually in the process of setting up a band/recording project with a buddy of mine in Canada. His name is Krist Ladwa and he is one of the most incredible drummers I have ever met. I've known him for years and we've been talking about getting something together for eons and now just seems to be the time so we are going for it. Both Krist and I are going to share vocal duties. I'll be trying my best! Once the tracks are done we'll probably be looking for a record deal and then we'll see how things pan out."

HRH: Will this be your first time releasing recorded material to an audience?
Jay: "This will be my first release in terms of a CD. I've had music available on my website since it went live, which was a little under 2 years now. The tracks up there are my older tracks and demos and some of them were never finalized. I have recorded a tonne of music since then but it's all been locked in the vaults until I finalize a few more tracks and then it will be released as a CD. Most of this material will be given a drums overhaul by Krist and we are looking at writing some lyrics for a few of the tracks. At the moment its looking like the CD is going to be 50% instrumentals and 50% songs with vocals."

HRH: What's your take on the current music trends? Do you feel that the traditional hardrock/heavy metal genre will return to mainstream music?
Jay: "I don't listen to all that much new music to be honest. For the last few years I've been catching up with the backlog of CDs which I didn't get around to buying back in the 80s and early 90s. There are some artists and bands which have caught my attention recently, e.g. Prashant Aswani, Geoff Tyson, Seven Dust, Crystal Method and some Chemical Brothers tracks give me a different take on music. I'm not the biggest fan of the whole nu-metal thing because I find it to be very repetitive and monotonous. I'm the cynic who sits there and says "active pickups through a Dual Rectifier again…" Some of the tracks are great pop songs but I'm not sure if I would classify them as great rock songs. Everecence released a good track a couple of months ago called "Bring Me Back To Life". I always hold hope that the hardrock/metal genre will hit mainstream again if simply to show the whole world that there are some incredibly talented musicians on the planet who do not get the breaks because they don't play what is classified as mainstream music. It's a shame that the current trend is more towards the "business" side of the industry but that's what has been happening for the last 10 years or so and despite rumors that there is going to be resurgence of real music it just doesn't seem to be happening. The flip side of the coin is that the music is still available albeit through the medium sized and smaller record labels out there. They have been a god send because they still release and promote good rock music. Labels like Sanctuary, Favored Nations (Steve Vai's record label), Spitfire, Cleopatra/Deadline, Chavis, etc, are spearheading the whole trend back towards hardrock/metal and I think that is very cool. The promotion and support provided by sites like Hardrock Haven really help also as they keep the music alive and accessible to the fans. The fans are out there and although they might not be able to find music they want in major record stores, you know what, with the ability to purchase online the barriers are lower then they have ever been and the music is still reaching them. I've also noticed that a lot of artists have broken the mould and created their own labels and just gone ahead and recorded whatever they wanted and released their music through their websites. That is one of the things that inspired me to do the tribute CD the way I did. Yeah, its not as mainstream as I would like it to be, but you know what, with all the technology which is available today and the relatively low costs of putting something like this together it is a lot easier to do then 10 years ago and we managed to do it. Home based studios are not too expensive, recording software can yield some amazing results, and there is such a vast array of great equipment available that it's actually hard not to want to do something like this!!! These days I get pleasure out of listening to artists like George (of course), Chad Coggin, Wycked Synn (I just received the CD and it kicks ass!), Kevin Howard and Factor 7, Andy Timmons, Geoff Tyson, Mattias Al Eklund and other such musicians. The music is out there, it's just accessible in a slightly different way then in the late 80s/early 90s."

HRH: Jay thanks for taking the time for this interview. I can't wait to hear the tribute CD. Keep in touch.
Jay: "It's been a pleasure. Thanks for keeping rock alive. The CD will be with you very soon…Keep on rockin'!!!"