Tracii Guns and Phil Lewis Reunite for New L.A. Guns Record
There's a new L.A. Guns album on the way — and it'll feature a reunion of two of the well-traveled band's most integral members.
L.A. Weekly reports that the as-yet-untitled effort, due in 2017, brings singer Phil Lewis back into the fold with guitarist Tracii Guns, putting the finishing touches on a gradual reunion that started grinding into gear with a series of acoustic duo shows staged last year.
As is commonly the case with veteran rock acts, the history of L.A. Guns is fairly complicated; Guns quit the band in 2002, leaving Lewis to soldier on, only to start up his own version of the group in 2006. Both lineups co-existed until Guns disbanded his L.A. Guns in 2012 — and although Lewis' version is still seemingly a going concern, he and Guns couldn't imagine recording the new LP under another name.
"When you put Phil and I together, that's the sound of L.A. Guns," said Guns. "There's no way around that. As much as I love certain other [former] members of the band, it's hard to say what their contribution to the overall sound of the band was — but Phil Lewis and Tracii Guns, the band's gotta be L.A. Guns. It can't be anything else."
As Blabbermouth notes, Guns has gone on record as saying he has no intention of performing with drummer Steve Riley — who's apparently still part of Lewis' lineup — ever again. But whatever's going on with the rest of the band, Guns is adamant about his excitement for making new music with Lewis.
"The fact that we're making a record is killer, and I know that L.A. Guns fans and people that like our kind of heavier music are gonna love it," said Guns. "It's gonna be taken very seriously by me personally, and I will strive to make those shows and this record and whatever the future is, you know, what I feel is the best thing for the band and the audience."
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